1776 (David McCullough) ***

294 pages. Excellent book. It follows the Continental Army, George Washington, and important events (like the Declaration of Independence) during the year 1776. I enjoyed it more than "John Adams", possibly because it's shorter, but also because there's a little more action. I finished with the impression of how miraculous it is that we won the Revolutionary War, considering all the difficulties and disadvantages that had to be overcome in the early years.

The Peacegiver (James L. Ferrell) ***

199 pages. This is a story about the Atonement, and how it can be applied in our daily lives. Specifically, it was about a man in a troubled marriage, being taught lessons by his Grandfather. Basically it seemed like the author was putting his institute lessons about the Atonement into a story format. I enjoyed it.

Wish You Well (David Baldacci) ***

This is about a 12 year old girl and her 7 year old brother who live in New York in 1940, then move to the mountains of Virginia with their great-grandmother after a family tragedy. It was a fun read, imagining the family learning to live off the land and all the struggles that go along with it. I got pretty wrapped up in it. My ward book group read it last month, and again, I'm behind. 400 pages.

O'Henry's Short Stories - part 1

I've been reading a collection of O'Henry's short stories. I'm about a third of the way trough and I thought I'd share a list of the ones that are best:

The Gift of the Magi - Story about true giving.

The Trimmed Lamp - Story about what makes people truly happy.

The Social Triangle - Ironic story about people's perspective of social status.

The Guilty Party - The responsibility of parents to children.

The Last Leaf - I read this as an interesting metaphor for the Atonement. Christ makes the ultimately sacrafice for us, even though we act silly.

Marley and Me

This was a great story about a family and their crazy dog. We follow the dog and the family as they grow up. Very well written: made me laugh and cry. I'd recommend it. 3 stars.

Freakonomics

This book was recommended to my by a few people -- I think Mom was one of them. It was pretty good. Basically an economics guys' theories on why people do certain things. Some of the ideas were interesting and I found it entertaining. I have to admit, I'm a little skeptical of some of his theories, however. He seems to say other ideas are unbelievable, and the propose his own idea as the truth. I guess I wasn't easily convinced. But it was still a good book. 2 stars.

These is my Words (Nancy E. Turner) ***

555 pages. It's a story about a woman living in the Western frontier during the late 1800s. Written as journal entries, it goes through 20 years of her life and all her adventures, excitement, romance, sorrows and heartache. My ward book group read it a couple months ago and I'm just catching up. I had a hard time putting it down. It was well written and totally pulled me into the story of this woman. The only negative is it ended kind of sad, but at the same time made me want to be a better mother, wife, and woman.