I've loved immersing myself in all the Advent and Christmas books, but after I packed them away, I felt this moment of exhilaration as I started thinking about the good reading I had to look forward to in the new year. I've set the goal to read fifty-five books in 2016 and many of those will be from the TBR stacks all over my house. I'm trying desperately to adhere to my self imposed book buying ban ( for a whole year!), and instead of letting my eyes turn toward the "new shiny things" out there (I'm talking to you Amazon.), I'm having fun browsing and choosing from my own library.
Preparing for an upcoming book club meeting, these were the first two books I read this year, Longing for Home and Longing for Home- Hope Springs. I borrowed them from my friend Darlene (see, no buying), who suggested these as our next selection. After reading the books, I can see why she loved them so much. The lovely, young protagonist is a musician and the story takes place in Wyoming - two things very dear to my friend's heart.
The publisher, Shadow Mountain, has placed these books in their Proper Romance selection, described to readers as, "romance at it's very best - and at it's cleanest- portraying everything they love about a passionate, romantic novel, without busting corsets or bed scenes."
I enjoyed both books, reading through them quickly, anxious to find out what was going to happen to "sweet Katie". I'm thinking this could easily be a continuing series, so maybe the story has just begun. My love for historical fiction is what helped draw me into the story the most, but a little romance never hurts either.
I knew about the potato blight in Ireland and how many people escaped starvation by immigrating to other countries, but I didn't know about the the conditions in which they lived once they arrived in America. The land of opportunity presented hardships for these people as jobs were scarce and the living conditions were often filthy and inhumane. These books present a glimpse into what life was like for these immigrants and the harsh prejudices they faced.
I like a book with a strong female character who isn't afraid to work hard and prove she can overcome great trials. Katie is that girl. The books have reading group discussion questions in the back, which should help with our book club discussion and of course I'm thinking about the refreshments for the evening. We try to gear the food we eat to the book in some way, and since Katie has a bakery business, the possibilities here are endless.
The next book I read was The American Way of Eating- Undercover at Walmart, Applebee's, Farm Fields and the Dinner Table, this one from my TBR stack. I don't know how long I've had it, but the book was published in 2012, so I think the statistics are fairly current. I loved this book, and could hardly put it down once I started. It's about food, and why people eat the way they do. It puts you squarely in other people's shoes, or should I say kitchens, helping you understand (hopefully in a less judgmental way) the incredibly difficult situations that people living in poverty face when it comes to feeding their families. The author who is a working-class journalist, goes undercover for a year, working in food related jobs and living in the same communities where her coworkers live. The book begins when she seeks employment in California as a farm worker and works as the only caucasian in grape fields, peach orchards and with garlic crops. She sees first hand how the food is grown, harvested and shipped to the stores, organic and conventional. Even though you may think buying organic puts the workers at an advantage in some way, and it is true that they are exposed to fewer chemicals, they are still overworked and underpaid. They often live in horrible housing situations and there is child labor involved along with dishonesty in payroll.
She proceeds to work in the produce department in Walmart (Michigan) and in the kitchen in a New York Applebee's. Did you know that Walmart is the largest grocer in the United States and in the world? And did you know that other than a few tomatoes, some iceberg lettuce for the burgers, grape tomatoes, a few peppers, and lemons and limes, everything you eat in Applebee's comes prepackaged and processed. The soups, salads, every sauce, every thing... Well, I didn't know any of that and I can tell you it only reinforces my desire to eat at home and know where my food is coming from.
If you don't want to think about these kinds of things, as they relate to your grocery purchases, you shouldn't read this book. If you want to go into a store, and mindlessly toss food into your buggy, never thinking about where it was sourced or how it was grown, then don't read this book. I'm just warning you, I will never look at a bag of carrots or lettuce greens the same way again. Reading this does gives me the push I need to follow through with my desires to help young families learn about real food and how to prepare it in their own kitchens. I know there is a need for this kind of thing. I'm just not sure how to go about it.
The Lord Will Give Grace and Glory was my spiritual selection for this month. A compilation of talks from the BYU Women's Conference in 2014, this was a perfect accompaniment to my scripture study. The conference talks were based on this scripture:
"For the Lord God is a sun and shield: The Lord will give
grace and glory;
No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly."
Psalm 84:11
Here are a few quotes that got all kinds of markings and comments in my book...
"I doubt we quote any scripture on grace more often than Nephi's that "it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do." As covenant women, we have a tendency to zoom in on the "after all we can do" part of the grace-and-works equation, but then wonder how we can possibly do more than we already are- though we're pretty sure whatever we're doing isn't enough. This scripture is not about sequence, and it is not about feverishly working our way though an exhaustive list of good works. Jesus Christ is the only one to walk this earth and do all that could be done. Instead, doing "all we can do" is about the direction we're headed and what kind of women we are becoming. Doing "all we can do" is about discipleship." Sheri Dew
(I need to copy this and put it in my scriptures for those moments when I'm in a gospel doctrine class and the comments on this verse start to make me crazy. And they do, every time!)
And along those same lines...
"Grace is not a booster engine that kicks in once our fuel supply is exhausted. Rather, it is our constant energy source. It is not the light at the end of the tunnel but the light that surrounds us and moves us through the tunnel. Grace is not achieved somewhere down the road,. It is received right here and now." Brad Wilcox
In a fantastic talk about learning to respond to promptings from the Lord, Richard Holazpfel counsels us to keep a study journal with our scriptures. He said, "I counsel you that as you begin to record your spiritual experiences, you will see a pattern- you will see how the Lord speaks to you personally."
"Our repentance does not repay Christ- in that sense, we don't "earn" His grace. However, as a condition of extending grace to us- and to help us grow- He asks us to undertake a process of change or rehabilitation that begins with forsaking our sins."
Bruce Hafen
"If we are serious about our discipleship, Jesus will eventually request each of us to do those very things which are the most difficult for us to do." Neal A. Maxwell
Good stuff. Good, good stuff. I've been collecting these women's conference volumes for a long time. This year, I plan to attend in person. I'm pretty excited about that.
Sacramental Reflections by Truman Madsen is a little book I've been reading before I go to church on Sundays to help prepare me to partake of the Sacrament. This one will probably go into my church bag, for frequent referencing, instead of back on the shelf when I'm finished with it.
Last, but not least by any means, Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver. I'm a big Kingsolver fan, both fiction and nonfiction. This fictional story takes place in rural Virginia. It's about family relationships and climate change. This author knows how to take important issues that can be complicated to understand on their own (like climate change) and intertwine them into the lives of characters with which you can relate. I enjoyed it very much and learned more than a few things along the way. The best kind of reading as far as I'm concerned.
*Take the Time Goal #7 - Read fifty-five books.
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