Enchanted Inc. Shanna Swendson

Well I just finished the 4th book in this series. I think they are enchanted I could not put them down thanks to "Sparkle" for recommending them to me. Again I am amazed at the stories people have in their heads. You will love the Heroine in this book her name is Katie and she is just so sensible and fun and the wizard she is in love with is adorable. The adventures are fun and the settings in New York and Texas are fabulous. These books are very up to date and so much fun to read I highly recommend them all. I now can't wait until the new one comes out. I love Series because I fall in love with the characters and want to stay in touch with them. This reminds me I also finished the second book in the Free Men and Dreamers series by L.C.Lewis the second book is Twilights last Gleaming. This is a much more serious book and historical fiction showing the state of the Union right before the church was restored to the earth. It just shows you that Heavenly Father is in charge and he knows what he is doing and the people in the book are very human and believable, well that is it for now not sure what is next to read so I welcome your suggestions

Second run through

Well I enjoyed the "Host" so much that I have reread Twilight and am half way through New Moon I am loving it. I can't tell you how much I am enjoying it the second time around I don't feel in such a hurry because I already know the outcome. If you are reading something good let me know I need something new.

The Host by Stephanie Meyer

Well I bought the book at Costco and walked around it for a few days. It just didn't sound like my kind of book I am not a science fiction fan and something taking over a body freaked me out. Well I finally read the prologue and then the first chapter and I was hooked. I loved the characters right away. I don't know how Stephanie Meyers has all that in her head and it is so different than the Twilight series. My advice is just read it and you will love it. You will hate it when it ends you fall in love with the characters and want more it is a long book but so very enjoyable.

It's going to be a While....

It is going to be a while until I write about a book again. I am reading The Fitzgeralds and the Kennedy's and it is an 800 page book. I am loving it and I am so glad that I am reading it. I heard about the book from Doug Wright on his show on KSL. He had the Author Doris Kearns Goodwin on and I was fascinated she was actually talking about her book about Lincoln and so I ordered it and this one from the library and it is fascinating. I already love family history and Irish history is a part of mine even though we didn't come here from Ireland we went to England. Anyway life is good and If you have some time on your hands you should pick up any book by Mrs. Goodwin.

My Darling Niece

My sweet niece Lisa left a comment on my last post and it just made me want to write about how much we can love those who are a part of us but not with us all the time. I think of her when she was small and so sweet and giving her mother a run for her money and now of the good decisions she is making and I am so pleased and proud of her. Is this how our Father in Heaven feels about us? I am sure it is just a small taste of his joy as he sees his children "Walk in righteousness" I know that nothing brings joy to a parents heart more than when their children make the right choices and live good lives and I am sure that nothing brings sorrow like watching a child who is hurting themselves by their wrong choices. How hard this life must be at times. I am realizing again how careful we must be when we judge others. We just have no idea what our brothers and sisters are going through. Why is it so easy to look at a situation and be so quick to judge. I am trying so hard to be a person who always gives others the benefit of the doubt. I need others to be gracious and forgiving with me and it is the least I can do with those I come in contact with. Well this was not meant to become preachy I just was thinking about Lisa and hoping that she knows how much I love her and how glad I am that we are in the same family.

Dark Sky at Dawn. L.C. Lewis

Well It's been a while and I am sorry. There has been so much going on around here. I realize that reading is my escape and the way I chose to escape things that are hard . so I am trying to keep the reading to a more manageable level. I have just finished the book "Dark Sky At Dawn." It is book one in a series that is called "Free Men and Dreamers." It is set in the United States in 1812 during a time when the young union is trying to survive and it is touch and go whether it will survive or not. The love Story is delightful and the characters leave you wanting more. L.C. Lewis is an L.D.S. author and this will turn into a story with Mormon themes however in this book it is not even mentioned it is before the Gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored. I loved this book at first it was hard for me as I read about the confusion and the back and forth of a nation preparing for war. Probably because I am sending my husband off to war and you want to think that those in control know what they are doing. However the overall theme is that Heavenly Father knows what he is doing there are no suprises to Him. My faith was strengthened and I came away ready for more. How long will I have to wait for the second book? I am not sure but I will be in line when it gets here.

Sorry for the confusion...

Sorry there has been a little confusion. The Water and the Blood by Nancy Turner is not a sequel to These is my Words It is a completely different book in a different time. However I now know that there are other books in this series so I will be running out to get them I can hardly wait. Over the weekend I read Sweet Revenge. This is from a series by Diane Mott Davidson and I absolutly love her books. The main character is a caterer from a small town in Colorado and she seems to come upon a dead body when she goes to cater an event. She then spends the rest of the book figuring it out. Goldie is her name and she is so much fun with a great supporting cast of family members. Mrs.Davidson has written 14 books in this series and the most delightful part is the recipes and the wonderful talk about food. The first in the series is called Catering to Nobody. As I said before I love a set of books because I hate to leave the heroine behind I miss them and It was so good to catch up with Goldie again. Go get it and enjoy.

adendum

Last night as I lay in bed and thought about all the books that I wrote about,I realized that in everyone of these books except "The Kitchen boy." the woman or women are so amazing and strong. I am so amazed at their strength and determination. I just want to immerse myself in the spirit of these women. As I watched and listened to all the coverage about President Hinkley last week I was impressed with his optimism and his work ethic. He used to say you just get up and put one foot in front of another and get to work. This was very apparent after the death of his wife. I felt impressed that I need to cling to this at this difficult time in my life.Corby is only going away for a year and we will be together again in this lifetime and we are so very blessed. My trials and tribulations are nothing compared to the things these women faced and I want to be as strong and determined and rely on my Savior as they do. Anyway if you want to feel empowered these books will do it for you. Camille have you read the other book by Nancy Turner? Let me know what you think it is quite different.

Overwhelmed....

I am overwhelmed by all the books I have read over the last few weeks I need to write right after I read. I am just so much better at reading than writing. Well lets get started. I read the book that Marilyn Williams recommend "These is my words" by Nancy Turner. I can't tell you how much I enjoyed this book about a strong woman who loves and overcomes such difficult things in her life. I love strong women who do the best they can in very difficult situations. I gain strength from them. Read this book and if you like it you should read her next book "The Water and the Blood." or the blood and the water. Sorry it's already been a while and the book is back in the library and I am six or seven books away from it. This book takes place in the deep south around the beginning of the 2nd world war. It is sobering and makes me so grateful for the time I live in. The prejudice is disapointing which is not a strong enough word for it. It deals with the relationship between Frosty and her mother and older sister. Her desire to move away from what she has known all her life and it is a very good read. I enjoyed it although not as warm a book as "These is my Words."
Next I read Two books about Russia I think that historical novels are my favorite. "The Kitchen Boy" and "Rasputins Daughter." both by the same author and both about the same time in russian history. It was fascinating to read about the Csar and his family and the amazing Rasputin told from two different points of view. I highly recommend both of these books. Then because I was on a Russian kick I stumbled on a book called " The midwife of St. Petersburg." again it takes place at the time of the Russian Revolution. This is more of a love story and I loved it. The Heroine is good and again making the most out of a difficult situation. I just didn't want this one to end so I emailed the author Linda Lee Chaikin and asked for more and she said she probably would write a sequel. How do they do it writers are amazing that all those stories are in their heads and all the research they do I am so grateful for their talents. Well I decided to read more of her books she is really prolific and has written many books and series of books. I love that because I have a tendency to fall in love with the characters and want more. Well I looked through her list and found this series... #1 Daughter of Silk. #2 Written on Silk. It wasn't the titles that attracted me but the subject matter. These books take place in France during the persecution of the Huguenots the Protestants of that time.Well I am descended from the Huguenots and have many stories that have been handed down. I wanted to read more about this time period and I was not dissapointed. The heroine is a dressmaker in the court of the Queen MOther Catherine De Medici. Just unbelievable wickedness but at the same time the faith of these good people who give up their lives so that we can read the bible in our language this may seem simple but we don't realize that the only reason we have the scriptures today is because of the blood that was shed by people who believed that everyone should be able to read the Saviors words in their own toungue. Yes I think I just got carried away but I for one am so grateful. Any way this love story is so beautiful. Mrs Chaikin is a christian writer and I just have to say how much I love her faith that comes shining through her characters. If you would like any more info about any of these books let me know.
I have also read some books by Shannon Hale who is from Salt Lake City and they are childrens books but so good. The first one is "The Goose Girl." again a very strong young lady who you want your daughter to emulate Abby and Meg love this book. The next in the series is Enna Burning and I haven't read this I am 41 on the list at the library it is in high demand. River secrets is number three and it is brand new. I got it because I volunteer at the school library and they just got it in so I checked it out. I loved this one as much as the first one and can hardly wait to go back to read Enna Burning. She also wrote Princess Academy this is a new set of people in a new country a whole different situation but still a strong kind heroine. Abby was the one who had me read this book. I am done I have three books waiting for me at the library so I am excited. I hope this has helped, again any questions email me at suzcampbell58@msn.com. Goodnight

Here we go again...

Well it is beginning to sink in after these weeks of not knowing and thinking maybe we would dodge the bullet it is happening. Corby has been called up to go to Afghanistan. He will train here for a month and then he goes to Fort Lewis Washington,that is the state of Washington. He will be there a couple of months and then off to Afghanistan. He will be back March of 2009. I have been praying for the right thing to happen and I am sure this is the right time for our family it still doesn't change the fact that I will be lonely. I am not sure if this is the right venue for me to whine and be honest or if I should just put a brave face on it all the time. Well today has been hard it is grey outside and I don't feel real good and so that makes it worse. I need to give myself time to process and not be hard on myself. I have the most wonderful friends and ward and I shall not want for anything I will just miss my precious husband who is everything to me. I am so blessed and spoiled he is always so good to me and I hate it when he is gone too long. I do however believe in what he is doing and know how much he loves doing it. I will support him and start thinking about all the things I will do to make the time go faster. I am surrounded by such wonderful people and I am grateful for their words of support that I have already recieved. Corby starts out at Camp Williams on tuesday.

The Ultimate Gift...

We rented the Ultimate gift and watched it tonight Abby Meg and I. We all really enjoyed it. Gave us so much to think about. It came highly recommended and now we in turn are going to recommend it. This holiday we also watched Hairspray and The new Harry Potter. I think I liked this Harry the best. Still two more shows to go for Harry I wonder if they will continue to be so good.I am still not sure what I thought about Hairspray great singing and dancing good message I just couldn't forget that John Travolta was the mother. Meg and Jesse started back to school today and Cooper tomorrow I got all the christmas stuff put away so I feel like I accomplished something. Such a beautiful day to be alive I love living in Draper and just being able to walk out the back door and walk for miles. Tomorrow will be a great day too because Angie is going to have her baby I am so excited for her.