Saints (Volume 1)

This is now available on the Gospel Library app and on www.lds.org  It is easy to read and touches on many things that people have had trouble accepting in church history. I am eager to read the following volumes! It will be useful for seminary next year, I'm sure.

There is no summary on Goodreads - but other people have written interesting things about it. I'm sure more will be added to Goodreads in time.

Meghan: A Hollywood Princess (Andrew Norton)

Let the summer reading begin!! This was a fun and relaxing way to start my summer reading.

I am a royal follower, for sure.  I hope what the author write is true. Meghan sounds like a lovely person who will be a wonderful wife for Harry.

Goodreads says:
 From Andrew Morton, the New York Times bestselling author of Diana: Her True Story, comes a revealing, juicy, and inspiring biography of Meghan Markle, the American actress who won Prince Harry's heart.

When Meghan Markle and Prince Harry were set up by a mutual friend on a blind date in July 201, little did they know that the resulting whirlwind romance would lead to their engagement in November 2017 and marriage in May 2018.

Since then, our fascination with the woman who has smashed the royal mold has rocketed. So different from those coy brides of recent history, Meghan is confident, charismatic, and poised; her warm and affectionate engagement interview won the hearts of the world.

In this first-ever biography of the duchess-to-be, acclaimed royal biographer, Andrew Morton, goes back to Meghan's roots to uncover the story of her childhood growing up in The Valley in Los Angeles, her studies ta an all-girls Catholic school, and her fraught family life - a painful experience mirrored by Harry's own background. Morton also delves into her previous marriage and divorce in 2018, her struggles in Hollywood as her mixed heritage wasa time and again used against her, her big break in the hit TV show Suits, and her work for a humanitarian ambassador - the latter so reminiscent of Princess Diana's passions. Finally, we see how the royal romance played out across two continents but was kept fiercely secret, efore the news finally broke and Meghan was thrust into the global media's spotlight like never before.

Drawing on exclusive interviews with her family members and closest friends, and including never-before-seen photographs, Morton introduces us to the real Meghan as he reflects on the impact that she has already had on the rigid traditions of the House of Windsor, as well as what the future might hold.

Quiet Power: The Secret Strengths of Introverts (Susan Cain)

Every teacher and parent should read this book. I can't tell you how often I've had conversations with people about what we should do about a kid who is a loner recess. Embarrassingly, I've also talked to parents and their children about how their child doesn't participate in classroom discussions. This book gives great ideas for ways to include and honor kids who are introverts. Kids would do well to read this book too. She has a lot of ideas for ways to do things that are hard for kids that lead towards the introvert life.

Goodreads says:

The monumental bestseller Quiet has been recast in a new edition that empowers introverted kids and teens 

Susan Cain sparked a worldwide conversation when she published Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking. With her inspiring book, she permanently changed the way we see introverts and the way introverts see themselves.

The original book focused on the workplace, and Susan realized that a version for and about kids was also badly needed. This book is all about kids' world—school, extracurriculars, family life, and friendship. You’ll read about actual kids who have tackled the challenges of not being extroverted and who have made a mark in their own quiet way. You’ll hear Susan Cain’s own story, and you’ll be able to make use of the tips at the end of each chapter. There’s even a guide at the end of the book for parents and teachers.

This insightful, accessible, and empowering book, illustrated with amusing comic-style art, will be eye-opening to extroverts and introverts alike.

IMWAYR

I started this book on the weekend. I was sick this weekend so I didn't do as much reading as I would have liked to. I should try to get it finished this week:



But first....I want to read The Accusation: Forbidden Stories from North Korea! The Calgary Public Library has these "cafes" where they get together and discuss a great book. This discussion is on Wednesday. Can I read it in two days? Time will tell!



And then I should get started on next month's book club book, Three Day Road - a great Canadian novel:

FINISH: Give Yourself the Gift of Done (John Acuff)

It's kind of ironic that it has taken me a couple of attempts to read this book. I was introduced to it by a Better Than Before group I'm in on Facebook. Initially, I was turned off by the title. My mom always poo poo-ed the word 'done' unless it was used with baking. I don't even know if that is correct or not. My mother's voice is always in my head though when someone says, "Are you done?" or "When will this be done?" It's sure to earn a scowled look, even if it's just in my mind.

I got past the title and read the first chapter. His first chapter talks about cutting your goals in half. My goal-oriented (feverish?) self was totally turned off. How is a person supposed to accomplish anything if they cut their goals in half? I put the book away.

Today I had a bunch of cleaning and cooking to do and wanted something to listen to and it had come up on my audio books borrowed from the library so I decided to give it a go again. I quite enjoyed it this time! He has a great sense of humor and really doesn't like perfectionist tendencies - something I totally agree with. I liked his ideas for getting rid of distractions, tracing progress (he calls it keeping data), not being afraid to finish and looking out for other goals to work on once you meet your goal.

I really am a starter. I have a ton of ideas, but I get mired down in the doing. I really enjoyed his book. He had some good ideas for me.

Goodreads summary:

Year after year, readers pulled me aside at events and said, “I’ve never had a problem starting. I’ve started a million things, but I never finish them. Why can’t I finish?
According to studies, 92 percent of New Year’s resolutions fail. You’ve practically got a better shot at getting into Juilliard to become a ballerina than you do at finishing your goals. 

For years, I thought my problem was that I didn’t try hard enough. So I started getting up earlier. I drank enough energy drinks to kill a horse. I hired a life coach and ate more superfoods. Nothing worked, although I did develop a pretty nice eyelid tremor from all the caffeine. It was like my eye was waving at you, very, very quickly. 

Then, while leading a thirty-day online course to help people work on their goals, I learned something surprising: The most effective exercises were not those that pushed people to work harder. The ones that got people to the finish line did just the opposite— they took the pressure off. 

Why? Because the sneakiest obstacle to meeting your goals is not laziness, but perfectionism. We’re our own worst critics, and if it looks like we’re not going to do something right, we prefer not to do it at all. That’s why we’re most likely to quit on day two, “the day after perfect”—when our results almost always underper­form our aspirations. 

The strategies in this book are counterintuitive and might feel like cheating. But they’re based on studies conducted by a university researcher with hundreds of participants. You might not guess that having more fun, eliminating your secret rules, and choosing something to bomb intentionally works. But the data says otherwise. People who have fun are 43 percent more successful! Imagine if your diet, guitar playing, or small business was 43 percent more suc­cessful just by following a few simple principles. 

If you’re tired of being a chronic starter and want to become a consistent finisher, you have two options: You can continue to beat yourself up and try harder, since this time that will work. Or you can give yourself the gift of done.

IMWAYR

I'm re-reading The One and Only Ivan because it is our grade 3 book club choice. I love this book.



I am reading A House in the Sky again for my community book club:



And last of all, I plan to finish Once We Were Shadows, a book written by a lady I know!

Wishtree (Katherine Applegate)

Katherine Applegate has done it again. This is a beautiful book! The narrator is a tree. The tree's neighboorhood has a "newcomer" family move into the neighborhood and someone carves the words "leave" into her trunk. The tree is resourceful and communicates with animals and other trees and they gather their resources to solve some of the friendship issues. Unfortunately, someone wants to cut down the tree, so their time is limited.

This is a great book to talk about empathy as well. What would it be like to be the family that is being threatened or to have no friends?

Activity ideas:

• Make a big tree (on paper) and make wishes
• one for yourself, one for someone else

Goodreads says:

Trees can't tell jokes, but they can certainly tell stories. . . .

Red is an oak tree who is many rings old. Red is the neighborhood "wishtree"—people write their wishes on pieces of cloth and tie them to Red's branches. Along with her crow friend Bongo and other animals who seek refuge in Red's hollows, this "wishtree" watches over the neighborhood.

You might say Red has seen it all. Until a new family moves in. Not everyone is welcoming, and Red's experiences as a wishtree are more important than ever