Harry Potter

I can't seem to get Harry Potter off my brain. I could re-read the 7th book. I just might have too. I have tried to read other books since I finished Harry last week and it is just so tough.

I just started Inkheart today. I got it from a friend of mine during the book swap and I've been so excited to read it, but now I'm just thinking of Harry.

I told my husband the night I finished it I felt a little like I did back in 2002. We lived in SLC during the winter Olympics and it was such a rush to be in the middle of the hype, but after they were over, well it was over. I know Harry Potter is not the same as the Olympics, but really I do feel so sad that they are over. Does anyone else feel the same way?

I suppose for now I will give Inkheart a few more days.

Magazines

I admit I have a problem. I love magazines. I love reading them. I love collecting them. I have a hard time throwing them away. I don't want to think about how many I would subscribe to if I had unlimited money and no library access.

If I had to narrow it down to a top 5 today, my favorites would be:
LDS Living
Creating Keepsakes
Simple Scrapbooks
Real Simple
Parents

I'm glad I don't have to narrow it to 5. I read way more than these. What are your favorites?

When Times Are Tough

When Times Are Tough: 5 Scriptures That Will Help You Get Through Almost Anything
John Bytheway
5 stars

This book was originally sent to my husband for Father's Day from my parents. It's been on my lists since then and I finally had a chance to pick it up for the past few days. It's a fast read and very inspirational. I could have spent one day reading it - or a week. I actually might re-read it now with a notebook in hand, taking notes.

Not only is John Bytheway such a great story teller and motivational writer, but he keeps doctrine interesting to read.

The book is comprised of 5 chapters, each a part of one's life and each chapter has 5 scriptures that will help you through that part of your life.

1. Five scriptures that will get you through almost anything
2. Five scriptures that will strengthen you marriage
3. Five scriptures that will improve your family relationships
4. Five scriptures that will strengthen your faith
5. Five scriptures that will motivate you to action

One suggestion from the book that I can't wait to start is to create a Hope Page. This is a page of all your favorite quotes, scriptures, hymns or whatnot that give you hope. After you create this store it someplace that can be easily accessed and read it often. It is such an easy suggestion and such a good idea.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
JK Rowling
5 Stars

Where do I begin!!?? I have been skeptical on how this series would end. Could JK Rowling make it as good as the series. Could this last book live up to all the hype?

I am not going to write a spoiler, but I'll just say it did live up to everything that I expected it too. I laughed at parts, I couldn't put it down at parts, and at parts I would have cried (if my husband would not have made fun of me for the rest of my life!). Did some of the characters have predicable outcomes? Yes, but let's remember that is this a children's series.

As I finished it last night I couldn't go to sleep. I laid in bed so excited for the characters. I usually experience a let down after finishing such a good series, but with Harry Potter I was so excited I wanted to start all over and read them again!

To those of you readers of this blog out there that haven't read these books, or only watch the movies, I beg you to read the books. They will give you SO much more satisfaction! (Besides you will get to know the outcome 2 years in advance!)

I give the entire HP series 5 stars. It was worth the time I spent reading and I will be re-reading them over and over to my kids and throughout my life.

Harry Potter

So I cannot believe that I'm taking time out of my kids nap to post about this book - but I am. I am so excited to be reading the last book of Harry Potter. I am so sad that it will be over. Half of me wants to skim read as fast as I can so I can know what happens. The other half of me wants to read as slow as possible and drag the book on and on so it never ends.

I tend to get attached to characters in book. Just like many avid readers the characters become real to me. I start to think of them as real people and I actually spend time thinking and worrying for them and their scenarios they must face. Of course I know Harry Potter, Ron and Hermonie aren't real, but for an hour and half each afternoon and each night after 8pm they become real to me as I read.

I am about 200 pages into the book. I am not going to spoil anything and I hope that no one else does the same. All I will say is that as I get to the ending pages of a chapter and tell myself I will fall asleep after I finish it, JK Rowlings finds a way to not let that happen. I have a very hard time putting this book down. But I'm a mother and a wife, so at times I must, and then the battle rages on inside me - finish it fast, or take my time.


I think for now I will take my time and savor each page of my friendship with HP.

Rebel Angels

Rebel Angels
Libba Bray
5 Stars

This book is the sequel to A Great and Terrible Beauty. I admit, it took me a few weeks to read this book - but only because of visitors and a vacation, because each time I sat down to read it I had such a hard time putting it down. I actually enjoyed this one much more than the first one.

If you loved the Twilight series, and Harry Potter then give this author a try. It's got other worlds, magic and romance too. Gemma's character is so fun to watch develop and grow.

I still can't get over how witty Libba Bray is. I love it. I wish I were that smart and witty - but if I were that fun I would probably have a couple novels written and not have just a book blog about them!

Book Swap

About a month ago I did a book swap on my other blog and it seemed to be a hit. In fact, the idea for this blog stemmed from the book swap. So while everyone has received their packages but my good friend Erica, I thought I would post some of the fun books below for everyone to see! (Erica will be returning home 2 days before I leave for vacation, so I will have to post about her fun package later!)

In no certain order, these are some of the books that everyone swapped:

Angels & Demons, by Dan Brown
Just Forgot, by Mercer Mayer

The Whales Go By

Charlotte's Web

Bake Sale

For One More Day
The Ballad of Frankie Silver
The Wee Free Men
Washington Square
Speak, by Laurie Anderson
Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind, by Ann B. Ross.
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, by Eric Carle
Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel, by Virginia Lee Burton
At First Site, by Nicholas Sparks
Simple Scrapbooks Magazine
The Secret Life of Bees
Where the Sidewalk Ends
Blueprint Magazine
The Christ Commision, by OG Mandino
Inkheart, by Cornelia Funke
The Five People you Meet in Heaven, by Mitch Albom
Take me out of the bathtub, by Alan Katz

I enjoyed the book swap so much and I hope that you all did too. I will be doing another swap in a few months, so please check back. If you have any suggestions on how we could make the swap better let me know. One suggestion I had would be to fill a questionnaire about yourself so the swapper could pick better suited books. Any others?

A Great and Terrible Beauty

A Great and Terrible Beauty
Libba Bray
4 Stars
A good clean read. Interesting storyline and a plot that pulls the reader in. The first book of a trilogy, the story revolves around Gemma, a 16 year old. After she sees her mother’s murder in a vision she is sent to a boarding school in England. She fights against understanding the continuing visions, finding friends and girl cliques. I usually don’t enjoy mystical books, but this one fascinated me. The first half of the book wasn’t as interesting to me as the second half, but during the last 200 pages I couldn’t put the book down.

It was reccomended to me by one of my sisters, whom I had convinved to read Twilight, which she read in one day. It's part of a trilogy, so if you aren't ready to get sucked in then you might want to wait a while on this one. You will get sucked right in once you pick this up!

You can read more on the authors website. She is such a witty woman. She begins the acknowledgements in her second book with this: "Books do not write themselves. If they did, I'd have have a lot more time to spend at Target."

In a nutshell the book is: A Victorian boarding school story, a Gothic mansion mystery, a gossipy romp about a clique of girlfriends, and a dark other-worldly fantasy--jumble them all together and you have this complicated and unusual first novel.

Yearning for the Living God

Yearning for the Living God

F. Enzio Busche

4 Stars

This autobiographical book of a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy was sent to me by my mother who has heard Edler Bushe speak. Once she saw it in the stores she was so excited to read the book.

F. Enzio was born in Germany in 1930, just three years before Hitlers rise to power. The story shows reflections of his life as a prisoner of war, being drafted into the German army and living his life full of questions about God.

F. Enzio made a commitment to himself that he would find answers to his question and in time he did find them. The book tells about his testimony and powerful experiences he has had in the church.

One other reason my mother was so excited to find this and found it so interesting was that we have German roots on both sides of her family. It was so interesting to think that my ancestors might have struggled with these same issues.

The Work and the Glory Series

The Work and the Glory Series
Gerald N. Lund
4 1/2 Stars

If you want to learn more about the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and you are not to big into reading straight history books, this is a good way to go about it. However, know that this might take you a long time to read, so I suggest block off an entire year for the first time through. There are 9 novels and each one is at least 500 pages.

The story revolves around a fictitious family, the Steeds. They come in contact with Joseph Smith and the story goes from there. Each chapter has citations where the author cites his sources of the events that really happened in history. If you can keep it straight that anything that happens to this particular family is fiction it is a good way to learn church history.

Most readers out there might know there are a few movies now that follow these books. I had picked up the first book in this series at least 4 times and failed in reading it until I watched the first movie. It really helped. I then plowed through all the books. I am not too fond of the second or third movie, however. The third one was a big disappointment if you have read the books. Entire characters were left out. I guess I just need to understand it's Hollywood and it will never be as good as my imagination.