Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling

8/10

Finished reading this with Mallory a few nights ago. We slogged through this one more so than the others. Not sure if it was just because we were busier with school starting back up or if we were just losing a bit of the Harry Potter steam. Either way, this one was a bit more of a drag at first than a lot of the others, but it finished pretty strong.

I did enjoy any time Harry and Dumbledore got together for their Voldemort hunting adventures. Most of the rest of the storyline wasn't as much fun compared to most of the other books. Didn't like all the romantic storylines. I felt like the Snape/Malfoy storyline wasn't played up enough and was a missed opportunity. Also, the Slughorn character seemed out of place and his role didn't have any sort of conclusion which makes me think he will maybe play a bigger role in Book 7. Or he was just there for the Voldemort-Horcrux revelation scene. I still enjoyed the book overall though as my rankings below shall show:

1. HP-4
2. HP-3
3. HP-6
4. HP-5
5. HP-2
6. HP-1

The Freedom Factor by Gerald N. Lund

5/10

I finished reading this a few days ago. It was exactly the type of book I needed after slogging through Madame Bovary - an easy read where I could just lean back and try my darnedest to enjoy the ride. I liked the book fine, but didn't love it. I liked it much more when I decided to try to not be too critical about everything and just enjoy it for what it was - a simple little fantasy tale with a nice little message about the importance of the Constitution.

I must say that the book was not at all what I was expecting. I did not know it was a fantasy book and was surprised when **Spoiler Alert** the Founding Father ghost character showed up. I was probably more surprised about it than the main character was, as he seems to take it pretty well in stride and was more annoyed with the inconvenience of it rather than being scared/shocked and in total disbelief. Then the story goes full It's a Wonderful Life mode where the main character gets sent to a time where life would be like if the Constitution had never been ratified. Things happen and the Constitution is proved to be important and valuable.

It was a fine read as long as you don't take it too seriously. Nothing spectacular, but enjoyable enough overall especially following a not-so-enjoyable book. Also, my first Gerald Lund book (although I remember my Dad reading The Alliance to my brother and I when I was a super youngster; I should revisit that one because I remember thinking it was pretty interesting; so stay tuned for that; maybe).

Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert

3/10

I finished reading this a little more than a week ago. I have procrastinated this post just like I procrastinated reading this book each night and for the same reasons. I just did not enjoy the book. And I don't really have too much to say about it. I have a hard time enjoying books with such dislikable characters. It reminded me a lot of Anna Karenina in a way where the leading lady was an unfaithful spouse who is just impossible to root for. Both were well written, but at least Anna Karenina had one likable character. This book had none. The husband has a few moments where you feel bad for him, but even he doesn't have many redeeming qualities. I wanted to like it but just couldn't.

My favorite part of the book by far was the transcript of the real-life trial that took place based on the decency of the book. It was pretty interesting stuff hearing the prosecution's reasonings (which seemed legit based on what appeared to be the laws of the time) and the defenses arguments (which seemed largely to stretch the truth but was the approach they had to take in order to succeed in the case, which they did). The trial was much more enjoyable to read than about lame-o Madame Bovary and her super lame and self-absorbed decision-making.

Discourses of Brigham Young

8/10

I finished reading this a couple weeks ago. It was interesting. Brigham Young had a lot to say about a lot of different topics. You has some very good insight into many aspects of the gospel and life. He also has a very blunt way of speaking that can be a turn off for many people, but I didn't really see anything in this book that was all that offensive. On the contrary, you could see that he had a great love for people and would do anything to help anyone. And I think that gets looked over when people talk about Brigham Young. He did have a lot of opinions and you wonder how much of what he said was true gospel principles or partly speculation on his part. I think that was more of a thing back in the day.

Also, I recently listened to a little podcast episode about the reliability of some of Brigham Young's speeches and whether they were accurately recorded. The original transcriptions are often many words different than the printed version. It is pretty interesting and can be listened to here: https://ldsperspectives.com/2017/02/15/in-brighams-words/ So we should be a little hesitant to totally 100% rely on Brigham Young quotations found in the Journal of Discourses.

Some quotes:

"And instead of our classing prayer among the duties devolving upon us as Latter-day Saints, we should live so as to deem it as one of the greatest privileges accorded to us."

"If I ask him to give me wisdom concerning any requirement in life, or in regard to my own course, or that of my friends, my family, my children, or those that I preside over, and get no answer from him, and then do the very best that my judgment will teach me, he is bound to own and honor that transaction, and he will do so to all intents and purposes."

"The first great principle that ought to occupy the attention of mankind, that should be understood by the child and the adult, and which is the main spring of all action, whether people understand it or not, is the principle of improvement."

"It is our privilege to say, every day in our lives, 'That is the best day I ever lived.'"

"It would be no blessing to you to be carried into the celestial kingdom, and obliged to stay therein, unless you were prepared to dwell there."

"No matter how good a government is, unless it is administered by righteous men, an evil government will be made of it."

"The mothers are the moving instruments in the hands of Providence to guide the destinies of nations."

"We should never permit ourselves to do anything that we are not willing to see our children do. We should set them an example that we wish them to imitate. Do we realize this? How often we see parents demand obedience, good behavior, kind words, pleasant looks, a sweet voice and a bright eye from a child or children when they themselves are full of bitterness and scolding! How inconsistent and unreasonable this is!"

"If you are ever called upon to chasten a person, never chasten beyond the balm you have within you to bind up."

"We do not wish a man to enter on a mission, unless his soul is in it."

"Now, sisters, I want you to vote also, because women are the characters that rule the ballot box."

"Is the spirit world here? It is not beyond the sun, but is on this earth that was organized for the people that have lived and that do and will live upon it."

"The men and women, who desire to obtain the celestial kingdom, will find that they must battle every day."

In Dubious Battle by John Steinbeck

8/10

I finished reading this one last night. I liked it as expected since it's a Steinbeck book. This one felt very Steinbeck from the get-go. Even the cover of this book screams Steinbeck. This one covered the familiar Steinbeck theme of the labor struggle and how those in power exploit the laborers (and even how those in power within the laborers exploit their own). This one was pretty interesting as it involves a labor activist from "the Party" who bounces around California pouncing on opportunities to get the laborers to start strikes. That whole delicate process of manipulating and using the men was pretty fascinating. He quite clearly doesn't care for the men as individuals but only for what they can do as a group to move forward the cause of the Party.

It's a pretty serious novel overall but very well done. The first half of the book was fantastic while the second half sizzles out a bit, sort of like the strike fizzles as those in power squash those poor helpless laborers. I think I enjoyed the first half most because it was super interesting how he got the strike started. The second half is mostly maintaining morale of the strikers while nothing really progresses for them in any meaningful way.

Also, I like the book title a lot. It is taken from Milton's Paradise Lost from a line about the war in heaven and the angels "in dubious battle on the plains of Heaven" with the forces of Satan. There's got to be some symbolism there. Probably about the battle between the Communists and Capitalists. I wonder which one Steinbeck thinks are the angels and which are the forces of Satan?

Time to rank my favorite Steinbeck books I've read:

1. The Grapes of Wrath
2. Of Mice and Men
3. East of Eden
4. In Dubious Battle
5. Tortilla Flat
6. The Winter of Our Discontent
7. The Pearl
8. The Long Valley

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling

8/10

Finished reading this with the daughter a couple days ago. We liked it. While Harry is slightly annoying in this book with his temper tantrums, a lack of any major plot twists and the pace of the book is a tad bit too slow, there is still enough here to like. I'm looking at you Dolores Umbridge, a character that very effectively plays her role as an infuriating, incompetent government official enforcing absurd ordinances at the school. But I enjoyed her character and the part she played in the story. I also enjoyed the introduction of the quirky Luna Lovegood. The gang's excursion to the Department of Mysteries near the end of the book and the action that took place in those chapters was also exciting. I liked getting to know more about Neville and we learned a bit more about the backstory and the prophecy about Harry which was the motivation for Voldemort to try and kill Harry as a baby. The book seemed to take more of a serious tone than any of the previous books; maybe it's Rowling's way of showing that her characters are growing up. Voldemort's return also has a lot to do with it as well.

Here are my rankings of the books I've read so far in this series:

1. HP-4
2. HP-3
3. HP-5
4. HP-2
5. HP-1

Night by Elie Wiesel

8/10

I finished reading this a few weeks ago. It is legit heartbreaking. I'm really at a loss of words on how to discuss it. It's the personal history of a young boy who experienced and survived the Holocaust. Just completely terrifying and horrific. And I almost got the feel that he was underselling the horror of the whole thing; nothing felt exaggerated of propped up for sympathy. Just a straight retelling of the most shocking experiences and sufferings imaginable. There are times where the descriptions seem a bit fragmentary or in not as much detail as I would prefer. But then other times the details are truly horrific - like the telling of the hanging of the young boy whose weight was not enough to kill him quickly and he just hung and suffered there for an extended period of time. Elie was a religious young boy who completely loses his faith in God through this ordeal and you can hardly blame him to be honest. Just another part of the tragedy.