book review: be happy

Face it: it's not always easy to feel happy. With all of the worries and trials of day-to-day life, the cares of the world can seem overwhelming. But as popular speaker and author Hank Smith demonstrates, no matter your circumstances, you can be happy—the kind of happy that illuminates you from the inside out, a joy that does not depend on what happens to you but on what you do with what happens. 

Big Hank Smith fan over here!! I took two religion classes from him my freshman year at BYU and they were life-changing! I love his perspective on the scriptures. He makes them come to life and if you know anything about him, you know he is hilarious! 

He is just about one of the happiest people I know so I feel like he was definitely qualified to write this book. 

Even if you find yourself feeling happy right now, there are so many great reminders in this book, funny stories, and science that explains what makes our brains tick.

What I loved the most was understanding how much CONTROL we have over our happiness and strategies we can learn to change our thoughts and behaviors. It is incredible what our minds can do and how easily we can distract ourselves from the way we're feeling or stop ourselves from reacting in a way that would not be beneficial for anyone. So many relationships can be improved if we are mindful about our attitudes and our responses to the things that happen to us. 

His last chapter about depression was also super helpful and something we should all be more knowledgeable and understanding about! It's so important to note that sometimes chemical imbalances in our brains totally prevent us from being happy! It is beyond our control and we should give kindness, love, and empathy to ourselves or those around us if this ever happens! 

If you're looking for a short, easy read that also has valuable information, this book is for you!

book review: sarah's key

Paris, July 1942: Sarah, a ten year-old girl, is brutally arrested with her family by the French police in the Vel’ d’Hiv’ roundup, but not before she locks her younger brother in a cupboard in the family's apartment, thinking that she will be back within a few hours.

Paris, May 2002: On Vel’ d’Hiv’s 60th anniversary, journalist Julia Jarmond is asked to write an article about this black day in France's past. Through her contemporary investigation, she stumbles onto a trail of long-hidden family secrets that connect her to Sarah. Julia finds herself compelled to retrace the girl's ordeal, from that terrible term in the Vel d'Hiv', to the camps, and beyond. As she probes into Sarah's past, she begins to question her own place in France, and to reevaluate her marriage and her life.

I was fascinated by this book! It's not your typical WWII novel. It was a mystery and a love story and was full of surprises. It was also heart-wrenching and full of loss, grief, and all of the other emotions that come along with war time.

It is one of my favorite books that I've read this year because I couldn't put it down! I was intrigued the whole time and couldn't wait to find out what happened next!

I also loved that it went back and forth between the two stories and how they were intertwined.

As I went to the Holocaust museum in D.C. this summer I loved that they designed it to be a reflective experience where everything they have curated is not the answer, but a question. Why does something like the Holocaust happen? How do so many people get on board with creating such a horrific time in our world's history, and how can we prevent something like this from ever happening again?

After learning about the Vel' d'Hiv and how France was involved with the Holocaust, I can't imagine the pain and uncertainty that Sarah's family went through.

This novel does end with hope though and I think that's the most important thing that keeps us going. Amidst the tragedy that our world has seen and been through, there is always hope for a brighter tomorrow.

book review: the other side of the bridge

oh, hello there! The end of the school year got the best of me and I never wrote my review of this month's book. But it's still May, so I think we're safe.

Katie Connelly has lived in San Francisco all her life. Her late father made his career as an ironworker on the Golden Gate Bridge, and the many stories of him trying to save jumpers still haunt her. When she's asked to write a history about the bridge, her research uncovers a secret journal hidden in her father's desk, pages of familiar advice penned by the hand of a stranger. The scribbled words tell of a promise ring and a distant love, clues that Katie hopes may answer her own unresolved sorrow.

This book follows two different stories and oftentimes that can be a little bit confusing. What I loved though is that the stories were written in different fonts/italics, so it was much easier to decipher which story you were in and get to know the characters more quickly. I also love books you can make connections with! In this book, one of the bridge workers is from Ireland and has a Claddaugh ring that belongs to his wife. My Claddaugh ring is one of my favorite pieces of jewelry so as soon as he started describing the ring, I knew exactly what he was talking about. The other connection I had with the book is the bridges!! The Golden Gate Bridge was the longest suspension bridge at the time. The next one built was The Narrows Bridge which is right in my hometown.

The discussion questions for this book were fascinating and focused mainly on bridges and the significance they have and metaphors for life. Growing up near lots of bridges, I fully understood that they were a connector. A connector of people, land, and sometimes even continents. 

Whether you're building bridges, crossing bridges, or burning bridges, it often involves your relationships with other people or just progression of life. Once you are on a bridge, you have to make it to the other side to get off. If you are burning a bridge, a connection of some sort is lost. If you are building a bridge, you are building something new and moving forward. Isn't it interesting how common phrases we use connect much deeper to our life's journey? 

In the book, all of the characters are looking for something. For one, it's closure, another is going through a mid-life crisis, and the last is trying to be with his family again. But they all go to the bridge to find their answers. 

What significance do bridges hold for you? As you are crossing the bridge of life, what supports do you have? What keeps you moving forward on the bridge? What is waiting for you on the other side?

book review: a wrinkle in time

A Wrinkle in Time is the story of Meg Murry, a high-school-aged girl who is transported on an adventure through time and space with her younger brother Charles Wallace and her friend Calvin O'Keefe to rescue her father, a gifted scientist, from the evil forces that hold him prisoner on another planet.

So I actually saw the movie when it came out on Netflix and was like, what is this story?? It's SOOOO weird! Anyways, I'm just really into reading those books that have always been super popular or meaningful either by being classics or being read in school. So obviously I had to read it to say that I had. 

I still think the story and idea is super weird. But I'm also not a lover of utopia/sci-fi books. However, I thought there were some great messages in the story. In our book club discussion, the girls were surprised that it had been read in schools because there is talk of the bible and other religious ideas. But the overall message of love is the answer to everything and good will conquer evil was memorable walking away from the book.

The characters are not lovable characters though! There is not a lot of character development. The author just jumps right in without explaining a lot or giving a lot of background. So I didn't grow any great attachment to any of the characters. 

I'm glad I read it, but it's not one of my all-time fav books. Which is fine! I think it's important to read books from a variety of genres and time periods to really make you appreciate the books you do love!

book review: emma

Emma, by Jane Austen, is a novel about youthful hubris and the perils of misconstrued romance. The novel was first published in December 1815. As in her other novels, Austen explores the concerns and difficulties of genteel women living in Georgian-Regency England; she also creates a lively comedy of manners among her characters. Before she began the novel, Austen wrote, "I am going to take a heroine whom no one but myself will much like." In the very first sentence she introduces the title character as "Emma Woodhouse, handsome, clever, and rich." Emma, however, is also rather spoiled, headstrong, and self-satisfied; she greatly overestimates her own matchmaking abilities; she is blind to the dangers of meddling in other people's lives; and her imagination and perceptions often lead her astray.

Classics are such a doozy to get through, but it is always so rewarding once you've finished! Emma was one of those books that took me an entire MONTH to get through. Not because I wasn't reading it, or because I didn't enjoy it, but just because if I read for 20 minutes I would get through a maximum of 5 pages. I promise I'm a faster reader than that! It was one of those books that because of the language, it took a good page or so to really get immersed back into it, remember what was going on, and also start to understand the language again.

I was told before I read the book that a lot of the things that happened involving dating definitely still applied to today and I totally agree! Those college dating days were filled with fun, awkwardness, over-zealousness, and heartbreak and it turns out that this regency period was filled with pretty much the exact same things. Humans are human, I suppose.

I enjoyed the book, but I wouldn't list it as one of my favorites. I definitely wouldn't read it again (I hardly ever do read books again). I didn't feel like anything really exciting happened until the last 50 pages!! There was a major plot twist (I'm also horrible at predicting things ha!) and then I was hooked for the last little bit. But the rest was just your typical travel to the neighbors and gossip sesh for literally the entire book.

I did and always do enjoy our book club discussions though. We really analyzed the character of Emma. Apparently Jane Austen wrote her as a character that was not supposed to be loved. She is a little bit self-centered, speaks her mind when she shouldn't, and even though she may have had good intentions, she got herself in a lot of trouble because of things she said or did. Some of the other characters are not easy to love either! Their lives were simple, yet also superficial.

As per usual, Jane Austen is amazing at creating a swoon-worthy male lead that makes you believe in true love and in perfect matches. Mr. Knightley is no exception to that. He might have been my favorite character in the book as well.

I've also heard that watching a rendition of the movie is super helpful in keeping the characters straight and understanding the story line.

book review: a bend in the road

Miles Ryan’s life seemed to end the day his wife was killed in a hit-and-run accident two years ago. Missy had been his first love, and Miles fervently believes she will be his last. As a deputy in the North Carolina town of New Bern, Miles Ryan not only grieves for Missy, but also longs to bring the unknown driver to justice. Then Miles meets Sarah Andrews. The second grade teacher of his son, Jonah, Sarah had left Baltimore after a difficult divorce to start over in the gentler surroundings of New Bern. Perhaps it’s her own emotional wounds that make her sensitive to the hurt she first sees in Jonah’s eyes, and then his father’s.

Tentatively, Sarah and Miles reach out to each other. Soon they are both laughing for the first time in years . . . and falling in love. Neither will be able to guess how closely linked they are to a shocking secret—one that will force them to question everything they ever believed in . . . and make a heartbreaking choice that will change their lives forever.

I read this book for the first time in 2009 as a sophomore in high school. I was on a Nicholas Sparks kick and this was by far my favorite of his books. I was so disappointed that they never made a movie out of it! 

Reading it 10 years later for the second time, I still loved it! I was surprised by this book though due to the fact that it does not follow suit with the rest of Nicholas's novels in being full on romance, because this one was more on the side of thriller/murder mystery with some love thrown in. 

I could NOT stop turning the pages trying to solve the mystery and I had forgotten over the 10 years and I will admit that I did walk around my house for a couple days being slightly paranoid turning the corners or walking up the stairs in the dark.

Our book club discussion was filled with deep conversation analyzing the character of Miles and the mysterious narrator of the story, who is guilty of hitting Missy. As you can imagine, due to the nature of the incident, there is plenty of room for deep-seeded emotions to take over the demeanor of the individual characters as they deal with both love lost and guilt. 

I don't think we can blame Miles for how he reacted in multiple scenarios throughout the book or blame the narrator for how they responded to the accident. Everyone had to deal with the event in their own way and longingly search for a way to move on, seemingly without any answers which is an unbearable thing to do.

The theme I loved the most was that love really does change everything. It affected Miles' decision to keep searching for answers, it was the love that Sarah had for her student to take the extra time to tutor him which eventually led to her relationship with Miles, and it allowed for Miles to forgive Sarah and come to terms with her connection to the accident.

This was a great read!

A Year of Reading

This is one of my goals for 2019 and I'm so excited about it! As soon as I decided on my list, I started filling in all the books. I kept a few slots open so that I could fill them in with any of the books for book club we read in the fall and any others I might happen upon.

Here's a list of books I plan on reading in case you need some ideas. 

1. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
2. Chasing Freedom
3. Emma
4. This is Where You Belong
5. Beyond Basketball
6. A Wrinkle in Time
7. Power to Become
8. Becoming
9. The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs
10. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine
11. To Kill A Mockingbird
12. Educated
13. The Lilac Girls
14. When Breath Becomes Air
15. Divergent
16. Wuthering Heights
17. I'll Push You
18. Where the Crawdads Sing
19. Catcher in the Rye
20. Bridge of Clay
21. The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
22. And Then There Were None
23. The Lincoln Hypothesis
24. The Smartest Kids in the World
25. The cask of Amontillado
26. A Bend in the Road
27. My Own Words
28. The Keeper of Lost Causes
29. Lord of the Rings
30. The Read Aloud Family
31. The Kite Runner
32. Honor Lost
33. The Great Gatsby
34. 1984
35. The Pelican Brief
36. At Home in the World
37. The Alchemist
38. The Rest of the Story
39. Bread and Wine
40. Just Mercy
41. Make Your Bed
42. Happy Like Jesus
43. The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate
44. Orphan Monster Spy
45. The Great Alone
46. I'd Rather Be Reading
47. Shoe Dog
48. I Owe You One
49. Peter and the Starcatchers
50. As You Wish
51. The Bright Hour
52. Girl, Wash Your Face

You are totally invited to join in with me!

You can download a printable copy of this list HERE. 

And if you've read any of them or if you read any of them with me, please let me know!! Comment on this post, email me, text me, whatever! I LOVE talking about books! I also keep a running list on the reading list page on my blog so you can look at what I'm reading there.

I can't wait! Happy reading!

book review: the power to become

As followers of Christ, our desire is to become like Him. In fact, we have been commanded to do so. But how? 

In Power to Become, Elder David A. Bednar explores how the Savior makes possible His divine commission, "Therefore I would that ye should be perfect even as I, or your Father who is in heaven is perfect" (3 Nephi 12:48).

Chapters in this thought-provoking book highlight the importance of the Atonement, the spiritual gift of personal peace, the importance of priesthood ordinances, and the responsibility owe have to obey willingly and endure valiantly.

"As we increase in learning about the Savior and His gospel, Elder Bednar writes, "as we strive with ever greater consistency to act in His doctrine, ordinances, and covenants, then we are blessed with power through His Atonement to increasingly become like Him." Power to Become introduces vital tools we all can use to invite these eternally significant blessings into our lives. 

This was the perfect book to read at the beginning of the year! Right when everyone is making resolutions and reflecting on the past year and what they can do better. At our book club discussion, we were talking about how there wasn't a ton of new information in the book but how the whole book was filled with little reminders that we so often need.

Something that really stuck out to me was about OBEDIENCE. He talked about how it's one thing to perform the outward actions of obedience and obey the institution, public, and shared commandments, but a greater thing to respond to the individual, private, and personally revealed commandments. I have definitely seen this in my own life when I have been increasingly righteous and the Lord has revealed personal things for me to do even better so that I can become something greater.

I also loved the reminder that the Holy Ghost is the true teacher and that our responsibility as teachers of the gospel is to preach by the spirit and then the responsibility falls on the students to let the spirit enter their hearts and act on their learning.

Elder Bednar has two other books that he wrote before this one, Increase in Learning and Act in Doctrine. I am looking forward to reading the other two and putting all of insight into practice in my own life!

book review: the mistletoe promise

Elise Dutton dreads the arrival of another holiday season. Three years earlier, her husband cheated on her with her best friend, resulting in a bitter divorce that left her alone, broken, and distrustful. 

Then, one November day, a stranger approaches Elise in the mall food court. Though she recognizes the man from her building, Elise has never formally met him. Tired of spending the holidays alone, the man offers her a proposition. For the next eight weeks - until the evening of December 24 - he suggests that they pretend to be a couple. He draws up a contract with four rules:

1. No deep, probing personal questions
2. No drama
3. No telling anyone the truth about the relationship.
4. The contract is void on Christmas Day

The lonely Elise surprises herself by agreeing to the idea. As the charade progresses, the safety of her fake relationship begins to mend her badly broken heart. But just as she beings to find joy again, her long-held secret threatens to unravel the emerging relationship. But she might not be the only one with secrets. 

If you're in the need for a super easy, Hallmark-type Christmas book, look no further!! Richard Paul Evans comes out with a new Christmas novel every single year and I look forward to spending a few hours reading it over break.

I love books that are set in places that you've been to or can connect with because it automatically makes the book more personable for you. I get so excited about things I recognize in books! This one takes place in Salt Lake and the main character eats a Cafe Rio pork salad for lunch each day. I don't know if I could eat it that much, but I love myself a Cafe Rio pork salad. After reading the book when it first came out, I took a trip up with friends and we went to Asian Star which is another restaurant they go to.

Of course in these Hallmark-type stories, the plot is fairly predictable. Heartbroken girl goes on a quest to find herself, meets extremely attractive and wealthy man that for some reason takes interest in her, they start dating, they have some sort of miscommunication which causes one of them to leave usually from another city or in an airport, and then miraculously they understand the information that they failed to listen to the first time, and they live happily ever after.

Even though we know what's going to happen, for some reason they never get old!!

This one has some deeper content that I hadn't remember before but it totally adds depth to the characters and makes them real people and I love what we get to learn from them about forgiveness and self-love. Also about finding ways to cope, move on, and become a better person.

I highly recommend this book to anyone!

book club brunch

I must have got this from my mom, but I LOVE hosting people and cooking for them! Our book club is a refreshments kind of book club because most of us work so we hold it in the evenings. But our schedules didn't work out this month so we got to do it on a Saturday which called for BRUNCH.

I wanted the ladies to have options so I went a little overboard on the food, but I loved it! Now I'm just dying to throw a Christmas party!

book review: swimming to antarctica

At age sixteen, legendary swimmer Lynne Cox reached her lifetime goal of setting a new world record for an English Channel swim. So she set her goals even higher. She became the first to swim the Strait of Magellan, narrowly escaped a shark attack off the Cape of Good Hope, and was cheered across the twenty-mile Cook Strait of New Zealand by dolphins. Her daring eventually led her to the thirty-eight-degree waters of the Bering Strait, which she crossed in her usual out-fit - just a swimsuit, cap, and goggles. She even swam a mile in the iceberg-choked seas of the Antarctic. 

Apart from being an amazing swimmer, Lynne Cox is also a fantastic writer. This book is so fascinating! Growing up in a pool and loving the ocean as well, I cannot even fathom the idea of swimming miles in 50 degree water on top of currents and waves crashing on you, let alone swimming in 30 DEGREE WATER. She is insane, but also incredible in so many ways.

At book club, we discussed how often times, we learn of our talents when they are pointed out by someone else. For Lynne, it was a parent that watched her swimming when she was a young girl and told her she was going to swim the English Channel someday. I thought it was really interesting that others can often see things that we haven't seen in ourselves and inspire us to accomplish dreams we didn't know we had!

We also talked about how Lynne's body was absolutely perfect for long-distance ocean swimming. It is actually incredible how she was just made for this. She was also able to help many researchers with their projects of cold-water and how the human body responds to it.

I had no idea how much went in to these long, deep water swims! There are so many logistics and it requires a TEAM of people. Plus, when you account for weather, tides, currents, food, time of day, and direction, it is a seriously intense endeavor!

This book was amazing! I almost had to put it down when she goes to Egypt though! I won't share why in case you read it, but just be warned! Lynne's voice is entertaining and informative and I loved hearing her thoughts throughout her journey and how she accomplished her goals. 

book review: before we were yours

So far we are 2/2 for amazing books this book club year. If you haven’t read Before We Were Yours, it is a must-read! It’s been on my list ever since it came out last year. Historical fiction has always been one of my favorite genres and this captivating story made my love for this genre grow even stronger, I felt like I was flipping through pages so quickly because I just couldn’t wait to find out what happens.

It is taken from a real-life scandal that happened in Memphis, Tennessee where Georgia Tann would take children from poor families and adopt them to wealthy families all over the country. It is shocking that this went on from 1924-1950 and the records were not opened until 1990. She treated the children horribly, killed some of them, and would have mothers sign papers while they were sedated in the hospital, telling them their children had died and taking them instead.

So some of it was a bit difficult to read but it switches back and forth between a modern day story and the historical story of Georgia Tann with a little bit of mystery so it's not all devastating.

At our book club meeting we talked about how it was possible for Georgia to get away with this and how she even had the audacity to do it, but then realized that selling of children who may or may not have parents has happened numerous times throughout our world’s history.

Similar stories include The Orphan Keeper by Camron Wright and the movie Lion which both tell about children taken in India and adopted to other places in the world.  Human trafficking is also  prevalent in our world today. You can learn more about Timothy Ballard's mission to end trafficking here.

We also talked about the resilience of children and how adaptable they can be to new situations and overcoming horrible things.

It's crazy to think about how because of this scandal, there are so many people who don't know who their real ancestors are or that they are even adopted at all!

That's why journaling is so important! Keeping a record of our lives and the lives of our families helps to preserve memories and understand links between generations. There is something so powerful about knowing where you come from and who you belong to.

book review: the gifts of imperfection

I don’t know if I love the genre title “self-help” but I love books that inspire you to be a better version of yourself. Our first book for book club this year was The Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown and I loved it! It was very thought provoking and allowed for self-reflection. I also loved it because she made each of her points seem doable.

The tag line of the book is a guide to whole-hearted living. She doesn’t trick you into thinking this is some easy fix. She shares her experience and research in embracing the gifts of imperfection and stresses how this is a life-long work. We constantly have to be mindful of it and changing our thinking.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to live more intentionally and be more authentic.

We each picked one of the guideposts to work on for the next month. Mine was creativity. I feel like my schedule is always so jam-packed full of things that I never get to sit and create. I wanted to be more conscious of how I was spending my time and choose to produce more things for the internet instead of just being a consumer. It is so easy to waste time on social media getting good ideas that you never actually put any of them to use! I am currently working on a gallery wall for my downstairs and a guide to Disneyland at Halloween. These are my goals for being more creative! They are definitely still works in progress but they are coming along!

I would love to work on a different guidepost each month!

MAY

This month went by so fast (it seems like every month is) but with school coming to  close, things were quite busy!

First, we took Jake to birthday dinner! It was fun to celebrate him!

It was also our last book club meeting before the summer! I have absolutely loved having book club every month and be able to discuss the things I'm reading! Plus, it's built-in time to spend with my friends!

These are just a few of the books that we read. You can see the whole list here.

Then it was the last day of school! These little people sure were ready for summer!

Last was Memorial Day. I will be the first to tell you that cemeteries are not my most favorite place on the planet (they really freak me out!) but I was so glad to be part of this family tradition with the Rapps/Robins. Both sets of grandparents are buried in the Spanish Fork Cemetery so we headed down there, wrote notes to them on balloons, and then let our messages travel up to heaven just for them! They all passed away several years ago, so I never got the chance to meet them.  

I also went to a super fun paint night where a local artist came to teach us how to do a piece. I love developing new talents!

It was interesting to see how unique they all were even though we were all taught the same thing!

book review: boys in the boat

What a good read!! I am absolutely fascinated by this time period and Daniel James Brown does a phenomenal job at making a narrative in a nonfiction, historical context. 

We always share a little bit about the author in part of our discussion and I loved hearing about how he even heard about this story.

His neighbor was the daughter of one of the crew members and he had been reading one of Daniel's other books. She asked if he would mind meeting her father and he agreed. As Daniel talked to Joe Rantz, he learned about his life and said, 

“It was when he tried to talk about 'the boat' that his words began to falter and tears welled up in his eyes...Finally, watching Joe struggle for composure over and over, I realized that 'the boat' was something more than just the shell or its crew. To Joe, it encompassed but transcended both - it was something mysterious and almost beyond definition. It was a shared experience - a singular thing that had unfolded in a golden sliver of time long gone, when nine good-hearted young men strove together, pulled together as one, gave everything they had for one another, bound together forever by pride and respect and love. Joe was crying, at least in part, for the loss of that vanished moment but much more, I think, for the sheer beauty of it.” 

Of course when you devote yourself to something so fully you are bound to have attachments with it, but these boys beat the odds in so many different ways that the boat truly became a part of them. Growing up in the Great Depression, they had so little but were more determined and hardworking than anyone I know.  It is truly remarkable everything they accomplished especially as college age young men. I truly think that people were made out of different stuff back then! It’s so hard to find people that are willing to work and to persevere through broken families, working all through school, not ideal living conditions, playing a collegiate sport, nurturing relationships, and keeping up with school. Joe Rantz and many of the other crew members are amazing examples of these attributes and the inner desire to keep moving forward and accomplish goals, while working as a team. 

The process of the teammates being chosen and then learning to trust one another and work seamlessly on the boat was captivating. Being a Washington native, I also had a personal connection to the book and loved being able to recognize names of places and even picturing the beautiful University of Washington campus. I can’t wait to go back home and check out the boathouse and take in the lake where they practiced! 

There are an insane amount of books written about this time period (about three or four of our nine books this year were around the time of WWII) which makes for amazing stories of incredible people. I love that at the same Olympics, Jesse James competed and won three gold medals. The United States was well represented at the 1932 Olympics in Berlin. This is incredible all on its own because with rising political agendas and prejudice building, the US almost dropped out of the Olympics. If you have the opportunity to watch the movie, RACE, you will get a little taste of what it was like to be in these Olympics and the discussion that ,ed up to them. Also, with both of these stories you get to learn about what it was like to be a collegiate athlete at this time. I absolutely ate it up! 

Overall, I highly recommend this riveting story of the 1936 Olympic crew team.

book review: i am malala

If you don’t already know the story of Malala, you MUST look it up!

She is amazing! I knew a little of her story, but absolutely loved reading the whole thing! I also read the children's story when I was babysitting and loved that as well! Especially the illustrations. You can find it here.

Since I am a teacher, a lot of her words deeply touched me. I even shared her story with my students because I was constantly in awe at how much she valued education insomuch that she would have given her life for it. Because she lived, she now has more power to make a difference in the lives of others and to provide them with education. We take so much for granted here in America where we have endless materials, books, desks, and teachers whereas in many places around the world only boys can go to school or they have to walk such far distances or don't have the proper materials to learn.

I hope that we can all have an attitude like Malala where we cherish the opportunities that are given to us and are grateful even for homework because it is a sign that we are gaining an education. When her family was taken from their home, she couldn't even imagine a world where she couldn't take her books.

She did an interview on The Ellen Show that I loved here

In the interview, Malala talks about how going to school really allows you to learn about yourself and opens your eyes to what talents you have, your strengths and weaknesses, and how you can then go on to bless your community.

I wholeheartedly believe in this! Brigham Young University's motto is:

I feel so grateful to have gone to a school that embodies this as well! The things we learn really do influence who we become and the influence we have on the world. We can be such a force for good if we remember what we have learned and share that with anyone that crosses our path.

Our discussion during book club revolved a lot around education in all forms. As a room full of GIRLS that are all college graduates, the life that Malala lives seems  so far distant from anything we have ever experienced, but we talked about how there are those who earn a college degree to get a piece of paper and don't do a lot of learning and there are those that earn a college degree and come away with an education.

However, education can take on many different forms. It is not just sitting in a lecture hall taking notes about economics or writing papers about personal philosophies of psychology.

Education can be
-reading good books
-traveling and seeing different cultures
-having conversations with others
-going to museums and admiring art
-taking art or cooking classes
-trying something new
-hiking a mountain
-going on tours of government buildings

The list could go on and on! There are so many valuable skills we can acquire! I think it really is more about being open to new ideas and using what we learn that really qualifies someone for being educated. And sometimes learning from life can teach us far more than a formal degree ever could.

I think it is important for us all to be advocates for education and to support our government in allowing its people to become educated, as well as taking opportunities for ourselves, and inspiring our children to do the same.

Having an education is by far the greatest asset any of us can have as we use our knowledge to further our success and character, as well as contribute to society.

As a side note, there was also a political side to this book. I find that it is just as important as the education part because the government was the reason for Malala's fight for education. The law restricted girls from attending school.

When I was in Jerusalem, I grew such a love for the people there and for their commitment to their religions. However, I know that in other parts of the Middle East, there is no freedom. I was very humbled as I read Malala's side of what was happening in her world as the War on Terror ensued. I saw that America didn't always do that right thing and that even though their end goal was justified, they way they went about it was not right. The people in Pakistan had nothing to do with Sadam Hussein and Osama bin Laden, yet their world was being turned upside down, their cities destroyed, their houses abandoned as our country fought so violently to have these men destroyed. Majority of the people in these Middle Eastern countries were completely innocent bystanders. People who loved their country, the lives, families, and even their culture despite some of the restrictions based on gender.

I just hope that we can see people for who they are and to focus more on individuals, rather than clump whole races of people together and claim that they all believe the same things and would act radically. Mostly, we just need to L O V E and come together as we fight for things that really do matter in this world.

book review: mere christianity

I had an old, old copy that used to be my grandpa's and I loved reading it because the pages were yellowed, they were falling out, and it had markings from my grandpa which was so cool to see what stuck out to him!

This has been on my reading list for yeeeaarrrss, so I was beyond thrilled to finally be reading it and it totally lived up to all its expectations. Bryan gave a talk in church last week about the scripture in Doctrine and Covenants that says, "And as all have not faith, seek ye diligently and teach one another words of wisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith." 

He spoke about the first phrase in this scripture which implies that at times we all lack faith and that it's OK. And rather than letting our questions go unanswered or losing our faith altogether it is our responsibility to seek diligently and gain more knowledge. Ultimately the best resource is the scriptures where the words of our Savior and His prophets are written. 

But I also believe that there are many books that contain words of wisdom and that as we listen to the promptings of the Holy Ghost guiding us, we will be able to find truth.

A member of the high council got up after and started talking about how C.S. Lewis is the most quoted non-LDS member to be quoted in General Conference.

As I was reading this book it was very evident to me that this is a man who knows of God. He was inspired and sought out truth. I am grateful for all those who promote faith and share of their knowledge throughout the world regardless of what religion they belong to.

I know that this book is one of the "best books" and that words of wisdom and found throughout. I truly felt like my faith was strengthened as I read about topics that are very near to my heart and the spirit testified of the truth I have come to know. i am also grateful for the additional knowledge that I have by being a member of Christ's true and living church on the earth and that there are a multitude of books that we can seek learning from. 

I highly recommend this book to anyone.

My favorite part was his explanation of the atonement which can be found in Book 2 Chapter 4.

book review: man’s search for meaning

My favorite thing about book club this year is that I've been crossing off books that have been on my list forever!! It has been so nice to make the time to finish them each month. You really feel so accomplished!

This book was definitely a thinking one. Once you hit the psychology part it starts to totally go over your head unless you really pay attention to what you're reading. 

I just think it is so fascinating how our minds work and that we really do have so much power over how we react to circumstances and situations that life throws at us. I don't think I could've done what Victor Frankl did but I love reading about these amazing humans who overcome so much. They are such great examples of how to rise up and fight for life no matter what. It still blows my mind that such a tragic event happened in our world's history. I honestly cannot fathom how the whole thing even transpired. But, I'm thankful for the documentation we have of it so we can learn from it and come to know people who made a difference. 

“Don't aim at success. The more you aim at it and make it a target, the more you 

are going to miss it. For success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it must ensue, and it only 

does so as the unintended side effect of one's personal dedication to a cause greater than 

oneself or as the by-product of one's surrender to a person other than oneself."

book review: the scarlet letter

It always seems exciting to me to read a classic. And then you get into it and you think, “Why am I reading this?” There are often big words, they talk different than we do now, their culture is different, and it just seems so foreign.

So what do we learn from reading classics?

Well as far as this book goes, you learn some history! This book was densely immersed in Puritan society where they had such strict moral codes. I think there are some things that our current society could learn from having any sense of morality.

This book also taught a lot about consequences of choices and how we must either suffer for bad choices or benefit from good choices. Either way we have to accept the reality of our current situation.

We didn’t get to know a lot of the redemption that happened, but I think we decided that this book may not be beneficial to high school students but it is worth reading at some point.

For some reason, I still am interested in reading classics just for the fact of saying I’ve done so haha but also because if you accept them for what they are then you really can connect to tales and characters of the last.

People are just people. And whether you live in 2018 or 1836 you still have thoughts and feelings and talents and relationships. And that is the beauty of writing. Stories that last for hundreds or thousands of years just purely because of the human existence and our desire to connect.

book review: the paper bag christmas

This was such a cute story! It was perfect to have a nice, easy read for such a busy month!

Our discussion focused on the character development of these children and really how they grew and the lessons they learned.

This story takes place in the children’s ward of a hospital and I think that so many valuable lesson can be learned from Jose who are sick. They have such a different perspective on life and although they are struggling, they always seem to have a positive attitude.

Through this book you learn the true meaning of Christmas and also of the good that can be done at this time of year. The rest of our discussion focused on service. We always say that we want to be more involved in service and yes, there are things you can do weekly or monthly that are planned out, organized acts of service. But just as meaningful are those acts of service that are simple, kind, and unplanned.

So I think that it’s more about being mindful of service and just searching for opportunities in our every day life and accept the opportunities that are presented before us.

I highly recommend this book for all!