Summer of 69 by Elin Hilderbrand on Libby Audio; 14 hours

 I almost returned this early because it was so inane and shallow, but gradually got interested in the characters and finished it as I walked and cleaned house. This author has the annoying habit of overstating and listing and re-explaining things from different characters' points of view. It's constantly redundant. The other annoying thing was the purposeful name dropping of every street and business on the two islands, oh yes, and the beaches and the descriptions; it was almost to prove that she spent some time there. It was unnecessary and annoying. 

She also kept naming the music, the songs, and the bands that were popular in 69. Okay. You know some of the music. What she didn't capture was the mood or ambience. Parts were okay...like the excitement of the moon launch and the way people felt, but it really sort of missed for me. I was hoping for a nostalgic trip down memory lane and there were good parts where Jesse's thirteen year old feelings rang true, but otherwise it was kind of a waste. I believe I'm done with this author. There are so many more satisfying stories out there!

The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon

I don't think I would have read this book, from its description, if I hadn't wanted to be able to discuss it in our Monterey book club. I'm so glad I did! It's one of the best books I've read in a long time. Such good characters, such ethical and strong characters were what propelled this forward for me. Plus, the time period showing what every day life was like in the late 1700's was fascinating.

Martha Ballard is a real historical person, and so are most of the characters in this book. But the story is fictional, which the author clearly explains in the Author's note at the end. It also showed me a lot about the early judicial system of the Maine territory, the culture of that area, and the early upper crust of Boston and Harvard. 

The Ballard family was a happy one to learn about, despite the early deaths of three of their daughters. The rape of women and the powerlessness of women in general was treated with clarity and reality. Yet Martha Ballard was an extraordinary outlier who made a difference in her sphere. I loved being privy to her thinking. I enjoyed the clues that dropped like breadcrumbs along the way as to the murder of one of the two villains in the story. It also felt to me like divine justice was done when the "civilized" justice system failed. I had the sense all along that things would work out...

The difficult birth scenes and violence were not gratuitous and not hard for me as they propelled the story along. I liked the setting of the river and how it impacted life.  I enjoyed the humor as Martha fought her cantankerous horse....for a heavy topic, this story also felt light. I will definitely explore more from this author. 

The Keeper of Lost Things by Ruth Hogan - listened on Libby for almost ten hours

This audiobook started out delightfully and I appreciated the wonderful descriptive similes for the first several hours. The characters were interesting and the setting of the beautiful home and gardens was comforting. The story had several interweaving episodes that made following a little difficult at first, but I was able to keep them straight eventually.

I was quite captivated at first...but it soon became evident that these characters were one-dimensional and flat. I persevered to the end, though, because some of the magic or ghosts were slightly intriguing and I wondered how the author would pull them all together. They all came together, all neatly tied up.

I enjoyed the British accent, the very clever turns of phrases...but overall, too fluffy. And the occasional F-bombs were so needless. Too bad. 

I guess fluff just doesn't get it for me anymore! In between listens, I was studying Doctrine & Covenants 124 for teaching Gospel Doctrine, and listening to meaty podcasts about that. The contrast between fluff and meat became startling!

Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross a Libby Audio loan - 19 hours

 This was a big, heavy commitment, but ultimately worth it. I would have never come across it, but it was chosen as a book club read by the new, unassociated with Relief Society book club in the Stonebridge Ward, which is now a group of friends, apparently. I think I missed the discussion because of my Indiana sojourn, but I'm still glad I read this story.

It's a controversial historical mystery, whether or not a female pope actually ascended to the papal seat. At the end of the audiobook, the author explores some of the historical arguments that have been made for and against her existence. It's tough to prove because this supposedly happened in the ninth century, so historical records are spotty.

I liked understanding better how every day life was lived during this time. It was certainly bleak for women! In fact, during the whole first part of the book, I almost quit multiple times because of the cruelty of the men in the story, particularly Joan's father. Still, I stuck with it, and I enjoyed learning some of the arguments that were probably discussed during this time; for example, can faith be based on reason? It was disheartening to read about the corruption of the religious leaders at that time. But it was also good to read that there were people with integrity as well, Joan first and foremost.

It spans her whole life, and includes a compelling love story between her and her adoptive guardian, Gerald. Over the years he is the one person she can trust and depend on. It was interesting to see how he would come back into the story. Overall, it was a good listen while I walked the streets of our neighborhood this fall. It also made me very grateful to live in our current era; they were often cold and starving. It's also interesting that there was very little religion or faith in the story... something I would have expected. It shows how far away from Christ and His teaching his church had become!

Quicksand and Cactus by Juanita Brooks

 Here is an example of a book that I would have never known about if I weren't in a book club. This one is for the Ridgeview Ward book Club that Shirla Snow heads up. It's a collection of autobiographical sketches by an amazing pioneer woman who grew up in Bunkerville, Nevada, and traveled around Mesquite, St. George, Provo, and even Columbia University over the course of her lifetime.

She was born in 1898 and fills in lots of details of her country life that I have been wondering about how people lived on this hot and dry frontier. It was heartening to read of her hard work, honest impulses, and quest for education. She's not particularly religious, and her references to the church and God are more "givens" and accepted rather than faith-filled. Her experiences of caring for animals, visiting her polygamous grandparents, and just living everyday life are fascinating. People really relied on each other for help and living accommodations...It was fun to read about.

I kept thinking about my father as I read her stories. He would have enjoyed this book. He always liked reading history, and this is one he would have enjoyed. He also would have loved her description of the horses in her life. Later she became a teacher and a writer--Her classroom stories and discipline and attitude are admirable, and I wonder if they were typical of her time. If not, she was way ahead of her time with her interest in her students, her interactive science displays, and having her students write English papers about the History they were studying. Just so impressive!

I'm looking forward to discussing this book with my friends in the Ridgeview Club... There are so many names and places that are still around this area. You can see a clear thread from her time to ours!

The Happiest Man on Earth by Eddie Jaku

 This was an amazing little book that we read in our Monterey Book Club. Denise, my neighbor, was kind enough to lend me her copy after she finished it, and then I lent it to Robin Walker in the Stonebridge Ward. She likes World War 2 stories, so I was happy I had taken it to her.

Eddie has an amazing story of being a youngster growing up during the Nazi era, and how his family lived in fear of being arrested. The story is inspiring because, despite being imprisoned multiple times, Eddie continued to believe in the power of friendship and the goodness of family connections. He suffered mightily in Ausschwitz, and watched many atrocities. It was hard to read about all of the hardships he endured, but he did it with such conviction that all would be well, that it was not depressing.

As he looked back on his life, he was able to see how his father's insistence on him getting an engineering education saved his life many times. There were many times I could see the hand of the Lord guiding him and protecting him, and providing the friend he needed at critical times. It was really fascinating to watch his development from proud German to humble but nonbelieving Jew. It's a pretty strong indictment against the Germans who supported and participated in the Halocaust...

Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout

 I got this book out of the library to read for the Monterey Book Club, but had to have Len return it for me when I suddenly flew to Indiana to help Sierra after her accident. I was about a quarter of the way into it, and just thought I could let it go. But it was a good story, although kind of slow and methodical, I was enjoying it. Lo and behold, when I was ready to come home from Sierra's, it became available on Libby! So I was able to listen to it during my long trip home to St. George. 

Indiana and Sierra's accident were all-consuming and I had no time for reading and little time for reflection. It was such a nice escape to know I had the perfect "read" for the LONG trip home through all four time zones... Indiana is Eastern, I stopped in Chicago, which is Central, then to LAX, which is Pacific, and finally landed in St. George which is on Mountain time. Whew! And it is a slow enough story and a gentle story, so when I was sleepy, I easily turned it off for a snooze. When I got home to peaceful St. George, it was fun to finish it off as I walked my wonderful routes around here.

The beautiful relationships in this story were very interesting. And I honestly didn't know which ones were going to survive, and which ones would dissolve. Ultimately, though, the characters chose the high road and made morally sound choices. I wondered, though, if the two main characters, Bob and Lucy, wouldn't choose love... I could have made a case for that, since their relationship was so rewarding to each of them. However, the fallout would have been terrible. And it's a mature author who can lead us to that conclusion...The author thoughtfully explored "ghost relationships" within a marriage, which was interesting to think about. I really enjoyed the stories of the unrecorded lives and the musings about the purpose of life. They were good people struggling with moral choices and it was interesting and relatable to have a window into their thinking.