Eve And The Choice Made In Eden

Eve And The Choice Made In Eden by Beverly Campbell

This was not my first reading of this book so I may be more critical this time. There was nothing wrong with the book first off. I am just not a go get em' feminista. I have never thought that one gender was any more important than the other. I do believe that each gender has some unique and specific roles better played by them. I do not want to be a man. I have never thought Adam and Eve made a mistake. I have never thought it was all Eve's fault (although I have had a poorly educated religious leader tell a group of young women that......boo hiss! I promptly corrected his male chauvinist attitude.).

The back cover states, "Understanding what happened in the Garden can change your life." I guess that is possible if you have any misconceived notions such as the ones stated above. Considering that I don't.........my life is still the same.

The book does try to pump up Eve which I don't have a problem with. She certainly rocked or she wouldn't have been Eve. I would only hate for anyone to read and feel superior. Adam and Eve were equal in intelligence and power. They were just different.....which is why it is so great. I feel like hopefully Campbell put this across.

I do however LOVE that Campbell explains through doctrine the difference between sin and transgression AND the fact that there was transgression in the Garden......not sin. She also hits on mercy vs. justice which is a topic I always enjoy. And the information also covers the thought that Adam and Eve probably had a trying time contemplating what to do. This may have taken years, not like one afternoon. The author also delves into the difference in ways that men and women assess morality, decision making and risk taking. To round it all out she makes us aware that this was all part of the Plan and not a mistake or whim. Adam and Eve had to use their own agency to leave the Garden and the presence of God. God made a Plan whereby this would take place and then there would be a way already in the works to be able to return. Campbell also puts forth the thought that although Satan tried to thwart the Plan, he really just helped the right thing to happen.

In all I really enjoyed the book especially the points with doctrine to uphold it. My life wasn't changed because I already believed I am divine in my own right......and that women are just as great as men. I do like that this may strike a chord with those thinking that women of our faith submit like a beaten puppy. Not so. We make our own choices and only follow men of faith.

Rating 5 I give it a five because I feel like this is something you could read every few years. Mostly my favorite parts were the ones about the difference between transgression and sin. This is something I like to keep straight in my mind and I need to brush up on the specifics.

Rating G

Kissed by an Angel

Kissed by an Angel by Elizabeth Chandler

This book is actually a trilogy..Kissed by an Angel, The Power of Love and Soulmates. I would really classify this as a three part story, not really three separate books.

Ivy and Tristan are teen sweethearts. After a short but intense romance Tristan and Ivy are in a fatal car wreck. Tristan dies and becomes an angel. Ivy lives on but suffers the loss of Tristan. Before Tristan's death Ivy had a strong belief in angels.....Tristan did not. Now Ivy no longer believes. If angels exist they would have saved Tristan. Tristan now must fight against Ivy's disbelief in order to make contact with her and assure her of his undying love.
As Tristan tries to work through those around Ivy to make her aware that he still exists, he finds that his death was not an accident. Ivy was the original target and now her life is in danger.
Tristan gets help from a sassy angel named Lacey. Together they finally break through Ivy's disbelief and help her to see the peril all around her.

The opening scenes of the book did not inspire me. I quickly concluded that the characters were shallow and unlikeable horny teens.......completely without depth. I pressed on. I wish the author had begun somewhere else and skipped the whole first chapter. Eventually I came empathize with the characters.......I even shed more than one tear. I ended up really liking the book but the flaws seemed to intensify because of the opening scene. At times I felt like the editor may have been smashed. Places and conversations seemed choppy. Ivy's 8-9 year old brother seemed more like he was 5. All of the parents were disgusting idiots. And I am not sure that the whole 'mystery' held much water once it was resolved.

However.......you know my penchant for soulmate love. I had to push on. Once the characters began to develop I really liked what I was reading. They were definitely 'characters' but I guess they have to be in order to keep you entertained for nearly 700 pages. Gregory ......rich and insane step-brother. Ivy.... sweet, intelligent victim of circumstance. Eric....high as a kite. Beth....semi psychic, bleeding heart wanna be authoress. Suzanne......shallow stunning beauty with an ugly name. Will.......mysterious and underplayed boy next door. Tristan......the perfect boyfriend, full of undying love. Lacey.....spunky, flaky actress turned angel looking for a mission. At one point I felt like it was being narrated by the narrator of Arrested Development....why I don't know but it pushed me over the edge and then I really liked it! Put it all together and it wraps up in a fairly nice bow.

Rating 4 Once the characters develop there is enough investment in them to get you through to the end. Plus you know.....you can't go wrong with a soulmate.
Rating PG Even though the opening scene (which was a mistake) seemed to be the end of a dirty teen scene.....it never became explicit. And the stepbrother thing was weird but not graphic.

Blue Moon

Blue Moon (#2 the immortals) by Alyson Noel

I was like what?......and then I was like huh?.........

Ever and Damen are now immortal together. Damen has waited hundreds of years to have a relationship with Ever. It looks like he will have to keep waiting. Not long after the book begins, Roman comes on scene. Everyone in Ever's high school seems to like him except Ever. Roman gives her the creeps. For all of her psychic powers she can't seem to get a true read on him. And then just when Ever decides to give in to Damen and go all of the way (this was an irritating part.....it seemed one sided which I didn't like) Damen up and leaves her and begins acting strange. I could go on and on about what happened but since I was semi bored and a little confused........I won't.

Roman is there to ruin everything and Ever has to save the life that she and Damen have waited so long for. The answers lie in Summerland where Ever jumps in and out of.

I really loved Evermore (book 1) despite the fact it did seem Twilightish. I still felt it was unique enough to hold its own. Blue Moon however.........although unique....did not do anything for me. What I liked about the first book was the relationship between Ever and Damen and I was excited for that to progress. It died in the water in the second book. Roman was not a clear character to me. He and his purpose even when sort of explained still seemed ambiguous. Summerland just rots my mind. It seemed like every character changed so much that I wasn't even reading about the same people. I am truly sorry that I spent money on this book.

Rating 3

Rating PG 13 Some make out.......but more for the pressure to give in to sex. I disliked that the relationship seemed one sided on this one subject.

Standing For Something

Standing for Something by Gordon B. Hinckley

This is not a first time read for me. If this book were ever timely when first published, is now extremely timely. President Hinckley lays out the road less traveled. A road that he professes can save humanity if we will all begin the journey in our own lives and homes. Only can we change the world if we start with ourselves.
Although written by the former President of the LDS church, the book is one that should hold great value for all Judeo/Christian sects. Hinckley simply lays out ten virtues that he believes should be our ground work. These virtues may seem to many of us, now lay by the way side in modern society. The ten virtues are love, honesty, morality, civility, learning, forgiveness and mercy, thrift and industry, gratitude, optimism, and finally faith. He goes on to talk of the guardians of these virtues which are marriage and the family. Hinckley has it right when he says that 'we can save our nation by saving our homes'.
Standing for Something is uplifting although it speaks of serious topics and brings to mind our duty to make life better in a time where virtue and morality seem to be quickly fading from our forethought's.
I would recommend this book to anyone whether LDS or not. I didn't feel like any religious sect was at the forefront, only basic Christian principles.
Rating 5 I spent a lot of time underlining thoughts since this was not my first reading.
Rating G

The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-time

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon

Christopher is a fifteen year old British boy with autism. Wandering the neighborhood in the middle of the night.....as he is prone to do, he finds the neighbor's dog stabbed with a garden fork. Christopher likes dogs and not people because you can always tell what a dog means, but people have confusing faces. So Christopher decides he must find the dog's killer.
Christopher lives with his father and attends a special school during the day. His mother has recently died of a heart attack. Father begs him not to pursue 'other people's business' and leave the dog mystery alone. But once Christopher mentally latches onto something he can't let go.
Christopher proceeds with his detecting. Life altering events come from his perseverance. He finds that he is capable of more than he thought possible.
I found Christopher's dry and straight forward wit hilarious. I so enjoyed this book. Christopher seemed real and refreshing from the self absorbed characters that are recently popular. He does complicated math problems to calm down and help him focus...which he writes in the book. He loves red food and will dye his food if it is a color that he won't eat. He hates the colors brown and yellow and he gives his reasons, which are pretty good.
I was a bit freaked when he gave a list of his behavior problems.........and I didn't think they were a problem!
A. Not talking for a long time.
B. Not eating or drinking anything for a long time.
C. Not liking being touched.
D. Screaming when I am angry or confused.
E. Not liking being in really small places with other people.
F. Smashing things when I am angry or confused.
G. Groaning (he does this when he has sensation overload)
H. Not liking yellow things or brown things and refusing to touch yellow things or brown things.
I. Refusing to use my toothbrush if anyone else has touched it.
J. Not eating food if different sorts of food are touching each other.
K. Not noticing that people are angry with me.
L. Not smiling.
M. Saying things that other people think are rude.
My only complaints were the use of the word poo, which is a word that is stricken from the vocabulary in our house. It is a sick and nasty word and even worse when used by an adult. Yuck! Also the F word was pervasive throughout the book. Not cool.

Rating 5 I own this book and have read it more than once. I like it just as much every time.
Rating R There were enough F words to warrant this rating. Nothing else is too bad. For this reason I can't really recommend this as a book to read if you are very sensitive or posses a better moral high ground than I do.

I Capture The Castle

I Capture The Castle by Dodie Smith

Cassandra is seventeen and living in a run down castle. Her once famous father leased the castle with the money from his one and only published book. Her lovely sister Rose is moody and depressed with no positive outlook for marriage. Her witty and bright little brother Thomas is still in school. Stephen is the maid's son, left with the family after her death. Stephen deeply loves Cassandra.....she does not return the love. Cassandra's stepmother Topaz is eccentric and breathtaking. And her father, suffering from writer's block is holed up in a bitterly cold room doing crosswords.

The new owners of the castle turn up. Simon and Neil Cotton and their mother. All American, they soon fall in love with the English countryside and Cassandra's famous father. Rose hopes this is her chance to change the family's financial situation. She immediately tries to capture the heart of Simon. The Cotton family is wealthy and friendly. They seem a perfect match for the monetarily and socially challenged Mortmain family.

Cassandra desires herself to be a writer. The book is her journal. From first glance of the Cotton boys until the bitter and surprising end of the Mortmain's relationship with them....Cassandra details it all in sweet with sweet and witty writing.

Rating 4 I loved the writing style and how Cassandra would build up to what she felt was an exciting turn of events. She was also very introspective and truthful about herself.
Rating G Clean.....although I thing the English use of 'making love' really meant something much less drastic.

Love's Enduring Promise

Love's Enduring Promise (#2 Love Comes Softly series) by Janette Oke


This is the sequel to Love Comes Softly. Marty and Clark are settled in their marriage and in their small frontier community. Their children are thriving and the settlement has decided to build a school and find a teacher. The family continues to grow. This includes Marty taking in two neighbor girls after their mother dies and their father feels that they will slow him as he continues with his life.
The school is completed, a teacher procured and a parson found. Land is cleared for a new cemetery. Marty's children grow quickly. Marty tries to help Tommy the neighbor boy after he falls in love with an Indian squaw. Marty's older girls marry. Marty and Clark build a new house.

The tale is sweet and gentle. I wish that Tommy and his love ended up together, it would have made for a better story with more depth. The fact that he ran off and found a white girl was a let down. I had a hard time telling how much time had passed at the beginning of the chapters. Sometimes it was days, or months, or years. By the end of the book time began flying and Marty's daughter Missy had grown up and moved away. There were endearing parts that brought a tear to the eye. I wasn't wildly entertained.
Rating 3 But this is a low 3. It was clean and sweet but not spectacular. It didn't have anything I hated about it so I hesitate to rate it lower.
Rating G

Generation Dead

Generation Dead by Daniel Waters

First off........I love the cover.

Teens all over America are returning from the dead. With so many 'differently biotic' stumbling around new ways of tolerance and rights must be navigated.
Phoebe and Adam (Goth girl and Lame Man) have been best friends and neighbors for year. Their high school has a good undead program and is attracting the undead from all around. Phoebe takes a shine to Tommy, one of the undead boys. Tommy joins the football team that Adam plays for. Attention is quickly drawn to Tommy and the rights of the undead are challenged.
By cover appearances you get the feeling this will be teen fluff and giggles over the 'corpsicles, wormburgers, zombies....etc.......'. Turns out that even though the language is timely, witty, and spunky, the core issues are not light reading. It is a new age battle over equality. Once the living die, their death certificate strips them of all the rights Americans take for granted.....even the right to go on living.
I would have loved it if the book delved further into the reason for the dead returning to life. It felt like a gaping hole not knowing what made the zombies tick......although I guess it leaves it open for imagination. The civil rights movement in a fresh way was definitely something to think about. Although you could surely see the tides washing ashore in the same paths taken by the former civil rights movement.....peaceable vs. violent.
By the end of the book I was surprised and sad. This was a great read. It was light enough verbally to still be a fun read despite the depth it touched on.
Rating 4.5
Rating PG violence

The Angel

The Angel by Carla Neggers

Keira has a deep Irish history. She is an American artist that illustrates Irish folklore. Keira decides to pursue one mysterious legend about an angel statue all of the way to Ireland. As she delves into the legend of fairies, three Irish brothers and a missing angel statue, a chain of events is set off in Boston and Ireland. Ultimately eerie murders and mysterious happenings are soon attributed to the devil himself. Keira's uncle a Boston detective and her new found love interest Simon try to unveil the murderer........

Loved the Irish setting. I've always found Ireland and its folklore intriguing. I also really liked the detectives. I always have a soft spot for the uniforms. It was a hair scary when you began to wonder if the devil really was the one killing everyone.

Rating 3.5 Great summer read. I liked the romantic parts and the mystery. Nothing breath taking or super unique.

Rating R Murder and sex but not overwhelming amounts.

Evermore

Evermore by Alyson Noel

Ever's family is swiftly taken from her in a tragic car crash. She is the only one to survive. Along with the guilt she also walks away with psychic power and the ability to read auras. She is whisked away to live her her rich lawyer aunt in Laguna Beach. Ever has a hard time dealing with the psychic noise and her changed life. She befriends the kids on the fringe knowing they are the only ones to accept her strange behavior.
Ever's life falls into a predictable pattern......go to school in hoodie/ipod to drown out psychic noise, sit through classes full of information she now already 'knows', go home to empty spacious house and wait for visit from dead little sister Riley. Even though it isn't what it used to be, Ever's life is as calm as she can make it. Then Damen arrives. Hot and lusted after by the whole student body for his Italian good looks. And despite the hoodie and mood swings he still likes Ever.
Damen seems hot and cold toward Ever. The touch of his hand makes all of the psychic noise go away and she feels normal again. Eventually Ever learns Damen's story. He is immortal and he has been searching for her.....his lost love. Ever is faced with letting Damen go and resuming her life...making it as normal as possible or sticking with Damen and choosing to possibly never see her family again in heaven.

So.......I was sucked in. I am now officially obsessed with immortal love of all kinds. I now really want to read the next book in this series......Blue Moon which will be released on July 7th.

Rating 5 Yes I will read this again........and now I have to buy it because I borrowed it from my neighbor. Love true/soul mate love.........I really do. I am in love with love.

Rating PG 13 Ever takes to alcoholism for a brief time when she realizes that when she is toasted she can't hear the thoughts of others or see their auras. Also she and Damen get frisky but don't go all of the way. I wouldn't be really happy to have my teen reading something like this that gave them the same kind of desires however it is probably clean compared to many teens real lives. So even though this is a young adult series I would hesitate to recommend it to a young teen..........but mom's go right ahead and get your fix.

The Girl Who Could Fly

The Girl Who Could Fly by Victoria Forester

This sweet little book was recommended by my neighbor and Stephenie Meyer. It brought to mind The Mysterious Benedict Society/X-men/with a dash of Little House.

Piper is born to a straight laced up tight farm family. She is their only child, born late in life. Not long after Piper is born, the McClouds discover that she is not as 'normal' as they are. First Piper can float and hover. By the time she is nine she learns she can fly. Once this discovery is made by the whole farming community, Piper is whisked away to a school for 'special children with special talents' where she can be kept safe.

Once in the new safe place, things don't go how you think they would. Instead of fostering their special abilities, they do the mundane. Why? It takes time but Piper finally makes friends and they help her shee what kind of 'special' place she is really in.

Sweet story that I think my nine year old would love. Also entertaining enough with foreshadowing and acceptance dilemmas that it also held me captive. I love to pick up a good clean book and this surely fit the bill.

Rating 4 Good story, good characters, not super fast paced.

Rating G Clean