Even As I Am by Neal A. Maxwell

9/10

Seems like an appropriate Christmastime book to post right about now. This was my first Maxwell book that I read (on my mission) and I think it is my favorite of the four books of his that I have read.

It's interesting subject matter. Maxwell points out how during his mortal ministry Christ gave "the startling commandment" to "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." Then, after having been resurrected and becoming fully perfect himself, he gives the Nephites the same command, but slightly different: "I would that ye should be perfect even as I, or your Father who is in heaven is perfect." And he also later says, "What manner of men ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, even as I am." I found it an interesting insight that Christ could add himself alongside his Father only after he was resurrected. Other insights are also contained in classic Maxwell writing style about how to fulfill such a daunting command (and how it was not given to taunt us).

After this post I will have posted all four Maxwell books that I have read. I have four more on my "need to read shelf" that I will get to in a coming day, so stay tuned.

Few quotes of the many:

"What He is presses in upon me in relentless reminder of what I should be."

"Lucifer is best dispatched at the doorstep - not after he's been invited in and has unpacked his things."

"Remember, Lucifer is an incurable insomniac."

"Never has anyone offered so much to so many in so few words as did Jesus when He said, 'Here am I, send me.'"

Superstud by Paul Feig

3/10

I just finished reading this today. After the terrible experience of reading Ulysses I felt like my "choosing my next book privileges" should be revoked. So I had my four year old daughter Mallory stand in front of my bookshelf and pick my next book. I felt like Robert Redford in The Natural when  he asks the batboy to choose a bat for him by saying "pick me out a winner, Bobby." Mallory chose Superstud and when I asked her why, she said "Because of the funny boy." But what both Mallory and I didn't know was that this book was pretty perverse and even had some fairly blasphemous moments that were not at all enjoyable to read. Thus, Mallory did not pick me out a winner like Bobby did when he gave Roy Hobbs the "Savoy Special."

It seems like I should have known that the book would be raunchy based on the language of the cover. I guess I thought there would be some of those moments here and there, but it ended up comprising quite a large portion of the book. I was mostly hoping the book would be about awkwardly embarrassing dates and getting rejected by girls in humiliating fashion. There is some of that, but not enough as it is outweighed by the raunchy approach instead.

I wanted to read it because I'm a bit of a Paul Feig fan. He's the creator of Freaks and Geeks which is one of the greatest shows of all time. He has also directed several episodes of Arrested Development and The Office, amongst other things. I had also read his book Kick Me (previously posted in this blog) which I found to be extremely hilarious and entertaining. Unfortunately, this book didn't contain the humorous innocence of Kick Me but rather contained his clueless attempts at pursuing his deviant thoughts about girls. There are funny bits here and there, but not enough to overcome the shame I felt from reading this kind of book. I would not recommend you read this book. Read Kick Me instead.

Five Classics by Truman G. Madsen

8/10

I read this on my mission. I really liked it. Probably not as much as his Joseph Smith the Prophet book, but I still remember liking it. It's your typical Truman G. philosophically heavy stuff. I feel like Eternal Man was the hardest, but perhaps most enjoyable of the five books. Christ and the Inner Life is also very excellent, as is Four Essays on Love which I remember not looking forward to reading and then being pleasantly surprised by it.

Read this if you want to do some deep thinking. You should also commit to spending some time on it because it reads slower than most books and is just shy of 400 pages.

A few of the many quotes:

From Eternal Man: "[O]ne can only justify a belief in free agency by a belief in pre-existence.... Every mortal, to reverse the popular statement, did 'ask to be born.'... We might have avoided mortality. Billions did, and thus drastically limited their possibilities."

From The Highest in Us: "He turns no penitent one away. Would you, if you had paid so much in suffering? Would you ever give up? All doors that are locked against the Lord are locked by us."

From The Radiant Life: "[I]t is psychologically impossible to really believe that you are forgiven of the living God if you are still nurturing unforgiveness toward others."

On Beauty by Zadie Smith

4/10

This book was ok. I read it back in 2008 I believe. I remember not enjoying it that much but I was on a streak of bad books at the time which made this one seem better than it probably was. The storyline wasn't terrible, but whenever a story has college professors as some of the main characters then I am usually slightly annoyed because I feel like it's the writer's favorite dream to finally get to fully display how intelligent they are through the super smart professor(s). And professor characters are usually boring. I remember the characters not being very likable but that the writing was pretty decent. I wouldn't recommend this book but wouldn't discourage anyone from reading it either.

Ulysses by James Joyce

1/10

I finished this book today. It was the worst book I have ever read in my life. And I dare say that it is the worst book that I will ever read in my life. It is pure nonsensical gibberish. For 768 pages. I was amazed that a person could write so incomprehensibly. When you think about it, it is probably pretty hard to write sentences without having them make any sense. So to do that for 768 pages is a pretty spectacular feat. The book reads like it was written by a mentally challenged person who is drunk. It's bad. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. In fact, if you like this book, I cannot be friends with you. It's that simple. A person who likes this book is not a person I ever want to have a conversation with. Chapter 13 was the least terrible chapter. If every chapter were written like chapter 13 then it would still be the worst book I have ever read, but I could maybe be friends with a person who liked that kind of book. Chapter 17 started with some potential but quickly spiraled downward into the all-too-familiar pointless gibberish. I'm excited to move on and read my next book. This one wasted two months worth of reading. And it wasted two minutes worth of posting this on my blog.

Perelandra by C.S. Lewis

4/10

So here's part 2 of the C.S. Lewis space trilogy books. I posted about the first book not long back. I read this some eight or nine years ago and don't really remember too much about it. I remember being slightly disappointed which is probably why I still have not read the third book. Seems like I should just read the third book already, but I haven't been able to bring myself to do it. I remember thinking this book was better than the first as far as the story line and the cool Christian symbolism that Lewis does. But I also remember thinking it was worse than the first book because it was twice as long as the first. And the third book appears to be twice as long as the second which is probably another factor scaring me away from it. Seems like other people like these books much more than me though, I must say.

Some quotes:

"As long as he did his best...God would see to the final issue."

"A stone may determine the course of a river."

"He died not for men, but for each man. If each man had been the only man made, He would have done no less."

The Tolkien Reader by J.R.R. Tolkien

4/10

This book is a collection of essays and short stories. I read it back in the fall of '05. I remember because the binding of my book has a crack in it after I slammed my fist on it after BYU lost to Boston College after one of the worst offensive performances I've ever witnessed and when Bronco Mendenhall inexplicably decided to punt halfway through the fourth quarter when they were down by three scores. It's true.

I wasn't crazy about most of it. My favorite short story in here was "Leaf by Niggle" which is about this artist who makes this beautiful and perfect painting. But he just can't stop adding to it. He keeps adding more and more trees and individual leaves to the painting. As I read it I couldn't help but think that it was kind of an allegory to his Lord of the Rings stuff and his Middle Earth creation. He writes these amazing books and he is so obsessed that he cannot help but keep adding to it by creating this world with an insane amount of detail. Just look at the Silmarillion with it's extreme amount of detail about the creation of Middle Earth, etc. It was an interesting short story and more happens in it beside him just painting.

This book also contains Tolkien's famous essay, "On Fairy-Stories." It's pretty interesting at times, but  I'm just not much of an essay guy.

I recall liking parts of the short story "The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth Beorhthelm's Son" as well.

Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Heber J. Grant

7/10

Another church manual book. I think this one was in use while I was on my mission. I think I read it shortly after my mission. And I think Heber J. Grant looks like Sean Connery. "Indiana, let it go."

Not much more for me to say other than that I continue to believe that these books are awesome.

Some quotes:

"You will find that those who do not do their duty, are always complaining about somebody that does"

"The real secret of happiness in life and the way in which to prepare ourselves for the hereafter is service."

"If the devil applies for baptism, and claims that he has repented, I will baptize him."

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

10/10

One of the all-time greats. Just great story-telling and some very likable characters. Atticus Finch is one of my favorite characters ever. What a good guy. Also made into a great movie with Gregory Peck playing a perfect Atticus.

I won't go into the storyline at all but just want to point out how interesting it is that the book can be so light-hearted and childlike yet deal with some serious themes. It's all just so well done.

As I thumbed through my book I was surprised how many good quotes are in this book. I had to make some cuts to my selected quotes which I usually don't have to do for novels. Many of the quotes are just Atticus being Atticus. Wisdom personified.

Quotes:

"Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing."

"[S]ometimes the Bible in the hand of one man is worse than a whiskey bottle"

"Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird."

"[B]efore I can live with other folks I've got to live with myself. The one thing that doesn't abide by majority rule is a person's conscience."

"It's not okay to hate anybody."

"Before Jem looks at anyone else he looks at me, and I've tried to live so I can look squarely back at him."

"Atticus, he was real nice." "Most people are, Scout, when you finally see them."

One More Strain of Praise by Neal A. Maxwell

7/10

Maxwell, he is a personal fave. I read this on the mish. The title of the book comes from a line in Hymn No. 156, "Sing We Now at Parting." Not only that, but all seven chapter titles are lines from that same hymn. Pretty cool idea for a book to take lines from a hymn and have each chapter's theme based on the particular line. At least I think so. I don't have much else to report other than it's fun to read Maxwell. His style is so unique and enjoyable.

Few quotes:

"[T]he larger and the more untamed one's ego, the greater the likelihood of his being offended"

"[O]ur shortcomings are too often caused by our short-sightedness"

"Mercy rejoices in every step taken toward righteousness. Mercy is not easily offended and will gladly give place for such first, faltering steps."

"[W]hile a person may not always be able to keep an impure thought from entering his mind, he needn't offer it a chair and invite it to sit down."

"Even the first tiny droplets of decision suggest a direction. Then the little inflecting rivulets come, merging into small brooks, and soon into larger streams; finally one is swept along by a vast river which finally flows into the 'gulf of misery and endless wo'."

Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Harold B. Lee

7/10

This is a Priesthood/Relief Society manual that was produced pre-mission but which I read post-mission as I was trying to get caught up on all of the Presidents of the Church books. I really enjoy these manuals and love that the Church has been producing them.

The best part about these books is getting to know a little bit about these men who served before I was born. I would know basically nothing about President Lee if not for this book. I still don't know much but it's better than nothing.

Also, as I was looking over this book I noticed that all throughout the book I had underlined words that I didn't know the definition to and I had written the definition of the word in the margins. I don't remember doing that and this is probably the only book I have ever done that with, so I thought it deserved a shout out.

To the few selected quotes:

"The most important of all the commandments of God is that one that you are having the most difficulty keeping today."

"Testimony is as elusive as a moonbeam; it's as fragile as an orchid; you have to recapture it every morning of your life. You have to hold on by study, and by faith, and by prayer."

"[I]f you want to know the last revelation that has come to this people, you get down the last conference report and read carefully especially what the First Presidency said."

"It is not the function of religion to answer all the questions about God's moral government of the universe, but to give one courage, through faith, to go on in the face of questions he never finds the answer to in his present status."

Twelfth Night by Shakespeare

6/10

Here's another one of the few remaining Shakespeare plays that I had read before I took on the Complete Works, but which I had not posted about on the blog. According to my rankings, this is my 22nd favorite out of his 37 plays. Middle of the road Shakespeare in my opinion. Not bad for a comedy play. It invokes Shakespeare's go-to routine of having a girl dress as a boy which I picture as being about as hilarious as it gets back in the day. I liked this play overall though. It had a nice little plot and the characters were interesting.

Quotes:

Fool: "Good madonna, why mourn'st thou?"
Olivia: "Good fool, for my brother's death."
Fool: "I think his soul is in hell, madonna."
Olivia: "I know his soul is in heaven, fool."
Fool: "The more fool, madonna, to mourn for your brother's soul, being in heaven. Take away the fool, gentlemen."

"Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon 'em."

"Love sought is good, but given unsought is better."

"In nature there's no blemish but the mind;
None can be called deformed but the unkind."

Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt

9/10

I have wanted to read this book for years. Years. I finally did so and finished it earlier this week. I had high expectations going in and they were met and then some. I really loved reading this book. Especially the first 200 pages. Extremely fascinating. And very well written too, coming from a guy who authored many books, poems and hymns. He knew how to use the pen.

Parley said, "Should the author be called to sacrifice his life for the cause of truth, yet he will have the consolation that it will be said of him as it was said of Abel:...'He, being dead, yet speaketh.'" And that is what is cool about this book. A man who dedicated his life to the gospel and the preaching of it continues to testify of it through this book.

He was an amazing missionary full of faith and the power of the priesthood. He had total and complete confidence in his priesthood power and authority. I wish I would have read this book before or during my mission. It would have helped me see how a missionary should be.

I could talk more about this amazing book and amazing disciple, but I'll leave it there. Also, I could share many a quote from this book, but will only share this long one which is also the most famous story from the book:

     "In one of those tedious nights we had lain as if in sleep till the hour of midnight had passed, and our ears and hearts had been pained, while we had listened for hours to the obscene jests, the horrid oaths, the dreadful blasphemies and filthy language of our guards, Colonel Price at their head, as they recounted to each other their deeds of rapine, murder, robbery etc., which they had committed among the "Mormons" while at Far West and vicinity. They even boasted of defiling by force wives, daughters and virgins, and of shooting or dashing out the brains of men, women and children.
     "I had listened till I became so disgusted, shocked, horrified, and so filled with the spirit of indignant justice that I could scarcely refrain from rising upon my feet and rebuking the guards; but had said nothing to Jospeh, or any one else, although I lay next to him and knew he was awake. On a sudden he arose to his feet, and spoke in a voice of thunder, or as the roaring lion, uttering, as near as I can recollect, the following words:
     "SILENCE, ye fiends of the infernal pit. In the name of Jesus Christ I rebuke you, and command you to be still; I will not live another minute and bear such language. Cease such talk, or you or I die THIS INSTANT!"
     "He ceased to speak. He stood erect in terrible majesty. Chained, and without a weapon; calm, unruffled and dignified as an angel, he looked upon the quailing guards, whose weapons were lowered or dropped to the ground; whose knees smote together, and who, shrinking into a corner, or crouching at his feet, begged his pardon, and remained quiet till a change of guards.
     "I have seen the ministers of justice, clothed in magisterial robes, and criminals arraigned before them, while life was suspended on a breath, in the Courts of England; I have witnessed a Congress in solemn session to give laws to nations; I have tried to conceive of kings, or royal courts, of thrones and crowns; and of emperors assembled to decide the fate of kingdoms; but dignity and majesty have I seen but once, as it stood in chains, at midnight, in a dungeon in an obscure village of Missouri."

A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis

6/10

I read this about nine years ago. It is very short and an interesting look into the heart and mind of C.S. Lewis. This book was written shortly after the death of his wife. It is basically his thoughts and the struggles he faced in dealing with this loss. It is very honest and it is always interesting to get into the mind of C.S. Lewis.

I didn't quite enjoy it as much as some of his better stuff, but that's probably because the topic "Grief" is not really supposed to be all that enjoyable. But like I said, it is interesting and short (only 89 pages not counting the Afterword) and so I would recommend others to give it a look.

There are several quotes I could share, but I chose to only post this one:

"If I had really cared, as I thought I did, about the sorrows of the world, I should not have been so overwhelmed when my own sorrow came."

The Third Thousand Years by W. Cleon Skousen

6/10

This is the second book in Skousen's Old Testament trilogy. I read this one about ten years ago-ish. I think. I still haven't finished "The Fourth Thousand Years," the final book. Very reminiscent of my actual Old Testament reading where I can get through much of it with relative ease and then I get to Ezekiel and stay there for the next ten years. Fun fact: There are three different book series that I haven't finished. I haven't finished the Ender series (I've read seven of the however many there are now). Haven't finished the C.S. Lewis science fiction trilogy (I've read two of the three). Haven't finished this one. Maybe that's why I haven't picked up Harry Potter yet, I need to knock these ones out first. Or I just suck at reading series.

Anyway, much like "The First 2,000 Years," this book was enjoyable. Provides good and interesting insight into the Old Testament. It covers from Abraham to Samuel and Saul. Lots of cool stuff during this period.

Quotes:

"Not only was it a desperate and challenging time for men to endure, but also for God to govern."

"God doesn't change, but circumstances do, and God's commandments will vary accordingly."

"Except Jesus Christ, there is more information concerning the prophet Moses and the works of his hands than any other personality in the Bible."

"[W]e have learned from experience that periods of apostasy do not usually produce good historians."

Revelations of the Restoration by Joseph Fielding McConkie and Craig J. Ostler

10/10

I love, love this book. It is a 1,000-plus page book that I read on my mission. It should also be noted that I bought it on sale for extremely less than the original price. It was like a $50 dollar book that I got for $15. You may not believe it, but it's true. Anyway, this book is so great. This is one of the few books that seems to be on my night stand more than it is on my bookshelf due to constantly looking things up for personal study/Sunday School lessons.

A sticker on the front cover of the book that has remained on my cover for 10-plus years says that it is "THE MOST Comprehensive Single-Volume Resource on the D&C" which I accept as a true statement. I haven't read other D&C resource books, but I do know that this one is very in depth and amazing, providing incredible background to each revelation. Although, I must point out that it is more than a D&C resource book. As the title of the book suggests, it is about the revelations of the restoration, not just the revelations contained in the D&C. So, in addition to discussing all 138 sections of the D&C, the book also discusses the Joseph Smith History, Pearl of Great Price, Joseph Smith Translations of the Bible, Lectures on Faith, the Wentworth Letter and the Articles of Faith, The King Follett Discourse, and the Official Declarations of the Church.

It is all so very good. I enjoyed when they would make statements about certain sections, such as:
- About Section 19: "This section ranks among the most instructive of our doctrinal revelations."
- About Section 76: "Doctrine and Covenants 76 stands unrivaled as the greatest revelation of our dispensation."
- About Section 93: "Section 93 is one of the greatest doctrinal revelations given in this dispensation."
- About Section 110: "This revelation...records some of the most significant events of this dispensation, indeed, of the history of the earth"

I would for sure recommend this book as a book to read alongside a study of the D&C and Pearl of Great Price.

Some good quotes about revelation:

"[R]evelation is the arch enemy of false religion. Nothing so threatens the prince of darkness as the light of heaven. Continuous revelation is as important to true religion as breath is to life or constant nourishment is to the body."

"Just as we cannot with consistency say we love the Father while rejecting the Son, neither can we profess to love the Son while rejecting those whom he has sent in his name to do his bidding. To accept his servants is to accept him, to reject them is to reject him."

"The Lord has never had a people he acknowledged as his own to whom he would not speak. Revelation is the sure sign of the true Church; it is the foundation upon which the kingdom of God must rest."

And then one of my favorites: "When Joseph walked away from the grove of trees near his home, he knew more about the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ, than any other living soul."

The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky

7/10

I just finished reading this book tonight. It is my third Dostoevsky book (Crime and Punishment and The Brothers Karamazov are the others and have already been posted on this here blog). It is my third favorite of the three. That being said, I enjoyed this book. Dostoevsky is just so, so good.

The book is about this guy who, as one character in the book explains, "anyone who chose could deceive him, and...he would forgive anyone afterwards who had deceived him..." I think that line sums up the hero of this novel best. Another line, from the same character, describes him as "Don Quixote, only serious and not comic."

Dostoevsky stated in letters to others while writing this book that he was attempting to create "a perfectly beautiful man." He is a "holy fool" and a Christ-type figure. Everyone views him as an idiot because of his simpleness. But at the same time everyone recognizes his compassion and tendency to sympathize with all and see the good in others no matter what. He is viewed as an idiot because he is different than the rest of society. He seemed to me to be quite intelligent and a man with a pure heart.

There were ups and downs in the book. The book is split into 4 parts. All of Part One is simply fantastic. It started so good that I thought that I would maybe like it as much as or more than the other two books of his that I have read. Part Two dropped off a bit for me as our hero takes somewhat of a backseat to other characters. I really liked the last few chapters of Part Two and the first few chapters of Part Three. The book ends tremendously as the second half of Part Four is very well done. That's how I see it anyway.

There is also this extremely tremendous bit of a guy describing a painting he saw of Christ in the tomb and how it made him feel. It is pure Dostoevsky awesomeness. I want to quote it in here verbatim but it's pretty long. It's just something that you won't read in any book anywhere else other than in a Dostoevsky book. Oh, and here's a picture of the painting:

 I guess Dostoevsky saw this painting in a museum and stood there and stared at it forever until his wife had to finally pull him away.

There's also interesting parts about what goes on in the mind of a man who is on the verge of being executed. Dostoevsky would know because he was sentenced to death when he was 28 and was let off the hook at the last second. And by let off the hook, I mean sent to a prison in Siberia for four years and then forced into the Russian military for six years.

This is a good book and worth a looksie. But if you haven't read Dostoevsky then I would recommend you read Crime and Punishment and The Brothers Karamazov first.

I've gone on surprisingly long, so I will limit the quote selections:

"Grown-up people do not know that a child can give exceedingly good advice even in the most difficult case.... The soul is healed by being with children."

"God has just such gladness every time he sees from heaven that a sinner is praying to Him with all his heart, as a mother has when she sees the first smile on her baby's face...; that is the whole conception of God as our Father and of God's gladness in man, like a father's in his own child"

"[F]rom my numerous observations, our Liberals are never capable of letting anyone else have a conviction of his own without at once meeting their opponent with abuse or even something worse."

"In scattering the seed, scattering your 'charity,' your kind deeds, you are giving away, in one form or another, part of your personality, and taking into yourself part of another; you are in mutual communion with one another, a little more attention and you will be rewarded with the knowledge of the most unexpected discoveries. You will come at last to look upon your work as a science; it will lay hold of all your life, and may fill up your whole life. On the other hand, all your thoughts, all the seeds scattered by you, perhaps forgotten by you, will grow up and take form. He who has received them from you will hand them on to another. And how can you tell what part you may have in the future determination of the destinies of humanity?"

Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis

4/10

This was one of the first books I read after my mission. I remember because it is the book that I brought with me to Zion's National Park which I went to two weeks after coming home. I remember being really excited to read it and had extremely high expectations. Unfortunately, my expectations turned out to be too high and I was a bit disappointed overall with this book.

It is the first book of a science fiction trilogy (science fiction has never really been my thing for the most part). I have read the second book (which I will post about in a future day) but have still not gotten around to reading the third one. Mostly because of lost interest I believe.

The book is about this guy who is abducted by aliens and brought to some planet. He spends most of the book on the run and there are interesting parts here and there. And, as always with C.S., there is some interesting Christian allegory woven in.

I wouldn't necessarily recommend this book to anyone, but wouldn't persuade anyone to avoid it either. It's a quick 160 pages, so a person could give this book a try without much commitment and then decide if they want to move forward with the other books in the series.

The Gunslinger by Stephen King

1/10

I read this over nine years ago and I disliked it so much. The best part about having read this book nine years ago is that I no longer remember anything about it. But even while I was reading it and immediately afterward I still had no idea what I was reading/had just read. It was pure gibberish to me from the get-go. It was just two guys chasing each other around in the wilderness and mountains or something. The story was just super jumpy and disorienting. Weird. Pointless. This is definitely one of my least favorite books of all time. Probably bottom 5. Or even bottom 3. And it is to this day the only Stephen King book that I have read. Swing and a miss Mr. King, swing and a miss.

Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith

9/10

I read this many years ago. I selected the most common book cover photo above because I couldn't find anywhere online a picture of my more obscure, classic book cover. Oh wells.

So Joseph Smith is the man. This is a chronological compilation of his quotes from his sermons and writings, put together by Joseph Fielding Smith. He talked about so many things. But one thing that stood out is how often he spoke about obtaining knowledge and how important that is. And it is impossible to read this book and not recognize how incredibly knowledgeable Joseph Smith was. So intelligent. I love reading his words and learning from him. My book is marked up on pretty much every single page where I underlined great quotes.

Quotes, some of the many:

"He that can mark the power of Omnipotence, inscribed upon the heavens, can also see God's own handwriting in the sacred volume: and he who reads it oftenest will like it best, and he who is acquainted with it, will know the hand wherever he can see it"

"Men who have no principle of righteousness in themselves, and whose hearts are full of iniquity, and have no desire for the principles of truth, do not understand the word of truth when they hear it."

"Ever keep in exercise the principle of mercy, and be ready to forgive our brother on the first intimations of repentance, and asking forgiveness; and should we even forgive our brother, or even our enemy, before he repent or ask forgiveness, our heavenly Father would be equally as merciful unto us."

"It is no more incredible that God should save the dead, than that he should raise the dead."

"Suppose that Jesus Christ and holy angels should object to us on frivolous things, what would become of us? We must be merciful to one another, and overlook small things."

"Nothing is so much calculated to lead people to forsake sin as to take them by the hand, and watch over them with tenderness."

"Happiness is the object and design of our existence; and will be the end thereof, if we pursue the path that leads to it; and this path is virtue, uprightness, faithfulness, holiness, and keeping all the commandments of God."

"He never will institute an ordinance or give a commandment to His people that is not calculated in its nature to promote that happiness which He has designed."

"There is no salvation between the two lids of the Bible without a legal administrator."

"No man can receive the Holy Ghost without receiving revelations. The Holy Ghost is a revelator."

"[T]here are so many fools in the world for the devil to operate upon, it gives him the advantage oftentimes."

Articles of Faith by James E. Talmage

8/10

I have already mentioned this book a few times in other Missionary Reference Library book posts. So it has been well documented that I like this book. I did in fact read it on the mission like a good little boy.

It's just more Talmage being Talmage. Meaning it's awesome. Not Jesus the Christ awesome, but very good nonetheless. It is just sweet getting his extremely intelligent viewpoints on the Articles of Faith which encompass the beliefs of the Church.

Quotes:

"God has never refused to accept an offering made by one who is authorized on behalf of those who are in any way incapable of doing the required service themselves."

"Faith is the secret of ambition, the soul of heroism, the motive power of effort."

"The spoken prayer is but empty sound if it be anything less than an index to the volume of the soul's righteous desire. Communications addressed to the Throne of Grace must bear the stamp of sincerity if they are to reach their high destination."

The Taming of the Shrew by Shakespeare

5/10

"But you just posted about Shakespeare's Complete Works" you say. "Hold on, let me explain" I say. I had read 8 or 9 of his plays prior to attacking his Complete Works. I had posted about a few of them throughout this blogs history. This book with this identical hilarious book cover is sitting on my shelf. Who am I to deny this book its right and privilege to be posted on the blog? I have a few more individual plays to post as well. Also, yes, when I read the Complete Works I did re-read all the plays I had previously read.

So I read this back in 2005 I believe when I took a Shakespeare class at University. It is, according to my official rankings,  the 30th best out of his 37 plays. It's true, it's not my favorite. But I don't dislike it either. It's just kind of a weird storyline. Guy tames girl and girl submits, big time. I think I would have liked it more if he helped her go from crazy spaz to normal wife. But instead she goes from crazy spaz to ultra obedient borderline slave servant with no hint whatsoever of her former personality. Not that I was offended by it, but just found her to be a little annoying both pre-taming and post-taming.

I am less of a fan of his comedies than any of the other genres. I think I liked it slightly more the first time I read it. Also, in my Complete Works post this was one of the few plays where I couldn't locate a quote to use. But as I thumbed through this book I did find one thing I highlighted and I will now share the quote:

"No profit grows where is no pleasure ta'en;
In brief, sir, study what you most affect."

Strengthen Your Brethren

7/10

I read this in February, 2004. I know because I wrote the date of completion inside the front cover.

This is an old (1991) Priesthood manual. I acquired three out of the four of these manuals from this series that were used back then. I got it on the mission, I don't really remember from where. They seem to have been pretty good manuals, providing concise lessons consisting of quotes and scripture references. The name of this book comes from D&C 108:7 by the way. It's true, look it up.

And now, a quote from the book and two quotes from people quoted in the book:

"The first and most important way that a priesthood bearer can share priesthood blessings with his wife is to marry her in the temple. The temple is the place where the most holy and sacred priesthood ordinances are bestowed."

From Marion G. Romney: "Desiring, searching, and pondering over 'the words of Eternal Life,' all three of them together, as important as they are, would be inadequate without prayer."

From David O. McKay: "I know of no virtue that helps to contribute to the happiness and peace of a home more than the great quality of self-control in speech."

The History of Joseph Smith by His Mother, Lucy Mack Smith

9/10

My Dad sent me this book while I was on my mission over ten years ago, but I never got around to reading it. I just finished this book two days ago. I really liked it.

The book is not accurately titled. It is the history of the Smith family more than anything. Joseph is discussed often, but surprisingly not really more than anybody else. I liked that even though he was the Prophet, his mom didn't seem to play favorites between him and his siblings. And to confirm my stance that the book is not properly titled, the Introduction to the book informs us that it was originally titled "The History of Lucy Mack Smith, by Herself." I suppose they re-titled it to get more readers?

This book just has so much to offer. As Joseph F. Smith says in the Introduction, this book "contains much interesting and valuable information, found in no other publication, relating to the life of the Prophet Joseph Smith" There are lots of cool details and stories that don't get the publicity that they perhaps more rightly deserve.

I want to mention just a few of some of the things I found of interest:

- Lucy had three sons in a row born on March 13th. It's true. She doesn't point this out directly, but had merely provided an Old Testament-style genealogy of her family as well as Joseph Smith Sr.'s family listing names and birth dates. Samuel born March 13 1808, Ephraim born March 13 1810, and William born March 13 1811. Crazy. Got to be some kind of record.

- Also listed in the genealogy chapter is the fact that Joseph Smith had a son born like 5 months after he was killed. I didn't realize Emma was pregnant when he was killed.

- Joseph Smith Sr. was quite the spiritual giant, even before Joseph being called as a Prophet. I guess that's why he was chosen to be the church's first patriarch of this dispensation. He would have these spiritual dreams and even had a very 1 Nephi 8 Tree of Life-esque dream. I bet he was pretty pumped when he read that chapter in the Book of Mormon.

- Hyrum is amazing. Here's this about when Joseph was a boy and had his way bad leg infection: "Hyrum sat beside him, almost day and night, for some considerable length of time, holding the affected part of his leg in his hands, and pressing it between them, so that his afflicted brother might be enabled to endure the pain"

- Another detail I didn't know about was how much Joseph was going through during the time when Martin Harris lost the 116 translated pages. Martin Harris took the pages home for 3 weeks. During those three weeks, Joseph had his first child born. This child also died before this three week period expired. I've always heard how the ordeal with losing those pages was one of the most trying experiences of his life. I just never knew that, on top of that, he was also dealing with the death of his firstborn baby. Unreal.

- The whole Smith family was just so amazing. As Joseph Smith Sr. said to Lucy right before he died: "Mother, do you not know, that you are the mother of as great a family as ever lived upon the earth?" I enjoyed learning about the other family members. Like Samuel. He was sent on missions non-stop. The story about the Book of Mormon he first gave away which led to the conversion of several people, including Brigham Young, is great.

- There is this epic 22-page chapter that is entirely Hyrum Smith's testimony before a Municipal Court in 1843 detailing the trials and sufferings suffered at the hands of the Missouri mobs. The abuse and persecution is pretty mind-boggling.

- I also didn't know that Samuel Smith died a month after his brother's Hyrum and Joseph were killed.  He died from over-exertion after fleeing for several hours from the mob who killed his brothers. He got this pain in his side that night and was confined to his bed for a month and then died. As Lucy says, "I had reared six sons to manhood, and of them all, one only remained." For those keeping score, that's Alvin who died before Joseph received the plates after receiving treatment from a "quack doctor", Don Carlos who died of consumption after working in a damp room for long periods to produce the Times and Seasons, Hyrum and Joseph killed by a mob, and Samuel died a month later. William was the one who remained. Interestingly enough, when Joseph Sr. was giving his final blessings to his children, he told William that he would "live as long as thou desirest life."

- Eliza R. Snow wrote really cool poems upon the deaths of Joseph Smith Sr., Don Carlos Smith, and Hyrum and Joseph. I share a snippet from the poem upon the deaths of Hyrum and Joseph:
"Great men have fallen, and mighty men have died;
Nations have mourned their favorites and their pride;
But two, so wise, so virtuous, great, and good,
Before on earth, at once, have never stood
Since the creation. Men whom God ordained
To publish truth where error long had reigned,
Of whom the world itself unworthy proved.
It knew them not, but men with hatred moved,
And with infernal spirits have combined
Against the best, the noblest, of mankind."

- One final quote: "Joseph continued to receive instructions from the Lord, and we continued to get the children together every evening, for the purpose of listening while he gave us a relation of the same. I presume our family presented an aspect as singular as any that ever lived upon the face of the earth - all seated in a circle, father, mother, sons and daughters, and giving the most profound attention to a boy, eighteen years of age, who had never read the Bible through in his life: he seemed much less inclined to the perusal of books than any of the rest of our children, but far more given to meditation and deep study."

What is Buddhism?

2/10

I figure, following on the heels of my last post, that I would post the last book given to me by that nice Buddhist lady. Again, I couldn't find a picture of the book cover. I think these books were just distributed within the local church or something. I read this back in 2004 I believe. Just another short book (only 56 pages) on basic Buddhist beliefs and practices. I have no further insight or commentary.

Buddhism For Beginners by Thich Thanh Tu

2/10

Another Buddhist book post. I think it's a pretty obscure book because I can't find the book cover or anything about it or it's author online (granted I only looked for a few minutes). So I posted this awesome picture instead.

So this is another book given to me by that nice Buddhist lady I met on my mission (I mentioned her in a previous post about a different Buddhist book). I also read this one on my mission and don't remember anything about it. It's a short 79 page book and doesn't seem to have as many good quotes as the other Buddhist book already posted. With all my Buddhist reading, I still don't really know what's going on there.

But here's some quotes from this book:

"The first period is for beginners, to learn the fact that life basically is suffering."

"A true Buddhist should not lie under any circumstances, unless when he has to save the innocent from a devil. In this latter case, the individual determines to go to hell in order to save the innocent."

"The three-poisons (greed, anger, and stupidity)..."

This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald

8/10

Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald that is. It's true, that's his real name. His Dad was some distant relative of the writer of the national anthem. But if you really want to learn more about Fitzgerald, you should read This Side of Paradise, which I just finished today.

It is a semi-autobiographical novel, and Fitzgerald's first novel, where the main character Amory Blaine is the fictional version of Fitzgerald. It's kind of a riches to rags tale where Amory goes from wealth and comfort to eventual poverty despite the fact that he's really intelligent and capable. He's just lazy. Fitzgerald wrote the book when he was 23, so his life hadn't gone to "rags" yet, but it ironically did as well as he struggled with alcoholism and eventually died at the early age of 44.

I found the story sufficiently enjoyable, again on the strength of the writing quality. He just writes so lyrically, yet effortlessly. It's worth a read. I have now read two of his novels, the other being his superior masterpiece The Great Gatsby. Don't expect it to be as good as Gatsby, but do expect to be impressed with the quality of the writing, especially when considering it was his first novel at such a young age.

Quotes:

Amory speaking to his friend: "I hate to get anywhere by working for it. I'll show the marks, don't you know." His friend's reply: "Honorable scars."

"I know I'm not a regular fellow, yet I loathe anybody else that isn't."

"So engrossed in his thoughts was he that he was scarcely surprised at that strange phenomenon - cordiality manifested within fifty miles of Manhattan"

Pride an Prejudice by Jane Austen

6/10

I read this probably about eight years ago. I guess it's supposed to be a girly book. But I liked it for the most part anyway. Mostly because of the writing. The writing is what gives this book it's "classic" status (but for some reason it is still the only Jane Austen book that I have read). So, while attending balls and the upper-class courtship of a family full of girls aren't my favorite things to read about, she was able to eloquently describe all situations so that I enjoyed it enough nonetheless. It is also surprisingly funny in a few different spots. Plus, that poor Mr. Darcy. People didn't like him and thought he was prideful and rude just because he had a shy personality. This is the great curse of being shy.

I'm a big fan of a good opening line in a novel. This one is good and sets the tone nicely: "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife."

Another quote:

"Till I have your disposition, your goodness, I never can have your happiness."

William Shakespeare's Star Wars by Ian Doescher

7/10

So I figured I'd read this book since I just finished reading all of Shakespeare's stuff. I finished it today. It is a book for Star Wars nerds and Shakespeare nerds. What a combo. In other words, it is for the hugest nerds on the planet.

I was somewhat hesitant to read it. I knew it was going to be silly but thought that the writing would be sort of embarrassing. I was wrong. It was very well written - in iambic pentameter no less - and remained sufficiently amusing. It contained some good word play and some insightful soliloquies. It was a very quick read, and the joke of doing Star Wars lines in Shakespearean language didn't wear off, much to my delightful surprise.

Turns out that "The Empire Striketh Back" recently came out and that "The Jedi Doth Return" is coming out in about one month. I'm sure I will read those somewhere down the line.

Seven Miracles That Saved America by Chris Stewart and Ted Stewart

6/10

So after finishing Shakespeare's Complete Works, I decided to read the shortest book that I had in the house. After looking, I found this little 25ish page coffee table style book and read it all on Saturday.

It's a good little book that briefly discusses some important events in U.S. history and takes the viewpoint that these were miracles, meaning God had a hand in assuring the nation's survival. This small illustrated version was published by taking the concepts from the authors' original full-length book titled Seven Miracles That Saved America: Why They Matter and Why We Should Have Hope. I haven't read it but it seems like it would be good.

Also, the Seven miracles discussed are:

1. Christopher Columbus and the Discovery of the New World
2. The Miracle at Jamestown
3. The Battle of New York during the Revolutionary War
4. The Miracle of Our Constitution
5. The Miracle of Abraham Lincoln and the Battle of Gettysburg
6. The Miracle at Midway during World War II
7. The miracle that saved Ronald Reagan's life, who went on to play a major role in defeating Communism.

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare

8/10

We did it! I started reading this a little over 2 years ago and finally finished it last night. A lot of things have happened since I began reading this, namely: the birth of my son, graduating from law school, studied for, took, and passed the bar exam, got a job, and moved all the way across the country. And I finished it just before the birth of my next son. We've seen, and been through a lot together, Shakespeare and I.

Anyway, it was mostly a fun and enjoyable experience. I really liked a number of his plays and usually at least slightly enjoyed most of the others. There were a few that I wasn't so keen on, but that's ok. I also decided to rank his plays and poems. Trust me, this is impossible to do. And I feel that if I re-read all his stuff again then the rankings could look quite differently. Plus, I think the rankings would look entirely different if I was ranking the actual play performances instead of just reading the plays. Nevertheless, below are the rankings. I also provide only one quote selected from each play, which was usually very difficult to narrow down. But a few plays I couldn't really even pinpoint a good one to use.

But one word before I present my rankings. My favorite is Othello. Yes, this is probably not ever listed as #1 of Shakespeare's plays, but I just love it. Mainly for 2 reasons: First, it was his first play I read that I enjoyed and realized that he's cool to read. And second, the main reason, I just can't get enough of Iago. Greatest. Shakespeare. Character. Ever.

1. Othello, The Moor of Venice

"To mourn a mischief that is past and gone
Is the next way to draw new mischief on.
What cannot be preserved when fortune takes,
Patience her injury a mockery makes.
The robbed that smiles steals something from the thief;
He robs himself that spends a bootless grief."

2. Hamlet, Prince of Denmark

"What a piece of work is man! How noble in reason! how infinite in faculties! in form and moving, how express and admirable! in action, how like an angel! in apprehension, how like a god!

3. Julius Caesar

"There is a tide in the affairs of men
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;
Omitted, all the voyage of their life
Is bound in shallows and in miseries.
On such a full sea are we now afloat;
And we must take the current when it serves,
Or lose our ventures."

4. Titus Andronicus

"Sweet mercy is nobility's true badge"

5. Romeo and Juliet

"Confusion's cure lives not
In these confusions. Heaven and yourself
Had part in this fair maid; now heaven hath all.
And all the better is it for the maid:
Your part in her you could not keep from death;
But heaven keeps his part in eternal life.
The most you sought was her promotion;
For 'twas your heaven she should be advanced:
And weep ye now, seeing she is advanced
Above the clouds, as high as heaven itself?
O, in this love, you love your child so ill
That you run mad, seeing that she is well...
For though fond nature bids us all lament,
Yet nature's tears are reason's merriment."

6. King Lear

"Time shall unfold what plighted cunning hides:
Who cover faults, at last shame them derides"

7. Pericles, Prince of Tyre

"One sin I know another doth provoke;
Murder's as near to lust as flame to smoke"

8. Cymbeline

"Be cheerful; wipe thine eyes:
Some falls are means the happier to arise."

9. Macbeth

"I am in this earthly world; where to do harm
Is often laudable; to do good, sometime
Accounted dangerous folly"

10. The Life and Death of King Richard III

"True hope is swift, and flies with swallows' wings;
Kings it makes gods, and meaner creatures kings."

11. Coriolanus

"'twas pride,
Which out of daily fortune ever taints
The happy man"

12. King Henry V

"No, my fair cousin:
If we are mark'd to die, we are enow
To do our country loss; and if to live,
The fewer men the greater share of honor.
God's will! I pray thee, wish not one man more.
By Jove, I am not covetous for gold;
Nor care I who doth feed upon my cost;
It yearns me not if men my garments wear;
Such outward things dwell not in my desires:
But if it be a sin to covet honor,
I am the most offending soul alive.
No, faith, my coz, wish not a man from England:
God's peace! I would not lose so great an honor,
As one man more, methinks, would share from me,
For the best hope I have. O do not wish one more!
Rather proclaim it, Westmoreland, through my host,
That he which hath no stomach to this fight,
Let him depart; his passport shall be made,
And crowns for convoy put into his purse:
We would not die in that man's company
That fears his fellowship to die with us.
This day is call'd the feast of Crispian:
He that outlives this day, and comes safe home,
Will stand a tip-toe when this day is nam'd,
And rouse him at the name of Crispian.
He that shall live this day, and see old age,
Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbors,
And say, To-morrow is Saint Crispian:
Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars,
And say, These wounds I had on Crispin's day.
Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot,
But he'll remember with advantages
What feats he did that day: then shall our names,
Familiar in their mouths as household words, -
Harry the king, Bedford and Exeter,
Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloster, -
Be in their flowing cups freshly remembered.
This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remembered, -
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition:
And gentlemen in England now a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap while any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day."

13. King Henry VI. Third Part

"Wise men ne'er sit and wail their loss,
But cheerly seek how to redress their harms."

14. The Life and Death of King Richard II

"For gnarling sorrow hath less power to bite
The man that mocks at it and sets it light."

15. The Comedy of Errors

16. The Merchant of Venice

"The devil can cite scripture for his purpose.
An evil soul producing holy witness
Is like a villain with a smiling cheek -
A goodly apple rotten at the heart:
O, what a goodly outside falsehood hath!"

17. King Henry VI. First Part

18. Much Ado About Nothing

"O, what men dare do! what men may do! what men daily do! not knowing what they do!"

19. Measure for Measure

"Heaven doth with us as we with torches do,
Not light them for themselves: for if our virtues
Did not go forth of us, 'twere all alike
As if we had them not."

20. King John

"How oft the sight of means to do ill deeds
Make ill deeds done!"

21. The Winter's Tale

"Do as the heavens have done, forget your evil;
With them, forgive yourself."

22. Twelfth Night; Or, What You Will

"Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them."

23. The Tempest

"Look thou be true: do not give dalliance
Too much the rein: the strongest oaths are straw
To the fire i' the blood"

24. King Henry VI. Second Part

"What stronger breastplate than a heart untainted!"

25. King Henry VIII

"Cromwell, I charge thee, fling away ambition:
By that sin fell the angels; how can man, then,
The image of his Maker, hope to win by it?
Love thyself last: cherish those hearts that hate thee;
Corruption wins not more than honesty.
Still in thy right hand carry gentle peace,
To silence envious tongues. Be just, and fear not:
Let all the ends thou aim's at be thy country's,
Thy God's, and truth's; then, if thou fall'st, O Cromwell,
Thou fall'st a blessed martyr! Serve the king;
And, - pr'ythee, lead me in:
There take an inventory of all I have,
To the last penny; 'tis the king's: my robe,
And my integrity to heaven, is all
I dare now call mine own, O Cromwell Cromwell!
Had I but served my God with half the zeal
I served my king, he would not in mine age
Have left me naked to mine enemies."

26. Two Gentlemen of Verona

"Fire that is closest kept burns most of all."
"They do not love that do not show their love."
"O, they love least that let men know their love."

27. King Henry IV. First Part

"If all the year were playing holidays,
To sport would be as tedious as to work"

28. Merry Wives of Windsor

"Better three hours too soon than a minute too late."

29. A Midsummer Night's Dream

"Disparage not the faith thou dost not know"

30. The Taming of the Shrew

31. Timon of Athens

"'Tis not enough to help the feeble up,
But to support him after."

32. Antony and Cleopatra

"We, ignorant of ourselves,
Beg often our own harms, which the wise powers
Deny us for our good; so find we profit
By losing of our prayers."

33. King Henry IV. Second Part

"O thoughts of men accurst!
Past, and to come, seems best; things present, worst."

34. Troilus and Cressida

"He that is proud eats up himself: pride is his own glass, his own trumpet, his own chronicle; and whatever praises itself but in the deed devours the deed in the praise."

35. As You Like It

"Your gentleness shall force
More than your force move us to gentleness."

36. All's Well That Ends Well

"The web of our life is of a mingled yarn, good and ill together: our virtues would be proud if our faults whipped them not; and our crimes would despair if they were not cherished by our virtues."

37. Love's Labour's Lost

"All pride is willing pride."


And now to rank the Poems:

1. Venus and Adonis

"Love comforteth like sunshine after rain,
But lust's effect is tempest after sun;
Love's gentle spring doth always fresh remain,
Lust's winter comes ere summer half be done.
Love surfeits not; lust like a glutton dies:
Love is all truth; lust full of forged lies."

2. The Rape of Lucrece

"What win I if I gain the thing I seek?
A dream, a breath, a froth of fleeting joy:
Who buys a minute's mirth to wail a week?
Or sells eternity to get a toy?
For one sweet grape who will the vine destroy?
Or what fond beggar, but to touch the crown,
Would with the sceptre straight be stricken down?"

3. Sonnets to Sundry Notes of Music

"He that is thy friend indeed,
He will help thee in thy need;
If thou sorrow, he will weep;
If thou wake, he cannot sleep:
Thus of every grief in heart
He with thee doth bear a part.
These are certain signs to know
Faithful friend from flattering foe."

4. Sonnets

"Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove:
O no; it is an ever-fixed mark,
That looks on tempests, and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wandering bark,
Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.
Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle's compass come;
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error, and upon me proved,
I never writ, nor no man ever lov'd."

5. The Passionate Pilgrim

6. A Lover's Complaint

7. The Phoenix and the Turtle

The Broken Heart by Bruce C. Hafen

7/10

Another church book post? How righteous can I get? So I read this about 9 years ago. I got this book because Bruce C. Hafen is one of my favorite members of the Seventy of all time. Every General Conference talk of his is gold (seriously, look up his talks). Plus, he was always my pick to become a member of the Twelve in the local office betting pools. Of course I lost a lot of mula. Jay kay.

The book focuses on the atonement, or as the smaller print on the book cover would say, applying the atonement to life's experiences. At the very beginning of the book is a quote from the great James E. Talmage, indicating where the book gets it's title: "The Lord Jesus died of a broken heart." The book is really good and helpful in gaining a greater understanding and appreciation for the atonement. I would recommend it to anyone looking to read a good church book.

Quotes:

After quoting Boyd K. Packer who points out that the word 'atonement' only appears once in the English New Testament (Romans 5:11), and, by contrast, appears in the Book of Mormon 55 times, says: "And beyond word usage, the Book of Mormon contains without question the most profound theological treatment of the Atonement found in any book now available on any shelf anywhere in the world."

"The gospel was given us to heal our pain, not to prevent it."

"Only those whose own sacrificial attitude resembles his, even if only slightly, are prepared to be endowed with his grace."

The great Mediator asks for our repentance not because we must 'repay' him in exchange for his paying our debt to justice, but because repentance initiates a developmental process that, with the Savior's help, leads us along the path to a saintly character."

True to the Faith

8/10

I read this 9 or 10 years ago but kind of forgot how good it is until looking through it again for this post. It's not so much a book as it is an A-Z reference resource for gospel topics. It's pretty solid and can be used easily for church lesson prep and the like. Each term discussed has a number of additional scripture references for further study. It is always a little strange reading straight through a dictionary-styled book though. Not much else to expound upon, so to a couple quotes:

In the "Humility" topic: "To be  humble is to recognize gratefully your dependence on the Lord - to understand that you have constant need for His support.... It is not a sign of weakness, timidity, or fear; it is an indication that you know where your true strength lies."

In the "Prayer" topic: "When you make a request through prayer, do all you can to assist in its being granted."

The Beloved Works of C.S. Lewis

7/10

Another Clive Staples Lewis post? There's a lot more where that came from.

This book gathers 4 of his books. They are: Surprised by Joy, Reflections on the Psalms, The Four Loves, and The Business of Heaven. I read Surprised by Joy probably about 9 years ago. I then read the other three about 7 years ago. It's good stuff, and it really, honestly, truly doesn't get better than C.S. Lewis when it comes to Christian writing.

I remember not loving Surprised by Joy (his biography which focuses on his conversion from atheism to Christianity) for some reason, which was a surprise indeed. But looking over it again, I'm not sure what's not to like. I probably fell victim to the trap of unrealistically high expectations after having somewhat recently read Mere Christianity and The Screwtape Letters. I should read it again. Maybe some day. The others were good too as far as I can remember. The Business of Heaven is probably the best for classic C.S. Lewis quotes because it is actually various writings of his presented in small samplings for each day of the year, calendar-quote style. So there's lots of good ones from lots of different sources.

As per usual, many good quotes. I'll try not to go overboard.

From Surprised by Joy:

"I was at this time living, like so many Atheists or Antitheists, in a whirl of contradictions. I maintained that God did not exist. I was also very angry with God for not existing. I was equally angry with Him for creating a world."

"Where courage is not, no other virtue can survive except by accident."

"What I like about experience is that it is such an honest thing. You may take any number of wrong turnings: but keep your eyes open and you will not be allowed to go very far before the warning signs appear. You may have deceived yourself, but experience is not trying to deceive you. The universe rings true wherever you fairly test it."

From Reflections on the Psalms:

"Where we find a difficulty we may always expect that a discovery awaits us." (I've actually kept this quote written on a piece of paper and carried it in my scripture case ever since reading this quote. I think it's great).

"Of all bad men religious bad men are the worst."

"I am inclined to think a Christian would be wise to avoid, where he decently can, any meeting with people who are bullies, lascivious, cruel, dishonest, spiteful and so forth. Not because we are 'too good' for them. In a sense because we are not good enough. We are not good enough to cope with all the temptations."

From The Four Loves:

"A man's spiritual health is exactly proportional to his love for God."

"When we see the face of God we shall know that we have always known it."

From The Business of Heaven:

"Faith, in the sense in which I am here using the word, is the art of holding on to things your reason has once accepted, in spite of your changing moods.... That is why daily prayers and religious readings and churchgoing are necessary parts of the Christian life. We have to be continually reminded of what we believe. Neither this belief nor any other will automatically remain alive in the mind. It must be fed. And as a matter of fact, if you examined a hundred people who had lost their faith in Christianity, I wonder how many of them would turn out to have been reasoned out of it by honest argument? Do not most people simply drift away?"

"We should, I believe, distrust states of mind which turn our attention upon ourselves. Even at our sins we should look no longer than is necessary to know and to repent them; and our virtues or progress (if any) are certainly a dangerous object of contemplation. When the sun is vertically above a man he casts no shadow: similarly when we have come to the Divine meridian our spiritual shadow (that is, our consciousness of self) will vanish. One will thus in a sense be almost nothing: a room to be filled by God and our blessed fellow creatures, who in their turn are rooms we help to fill."

"Wherever the will conferred by the Creator is thus perfectly offered back in delighted and delighting obedience by the creature, there, most undoubtedly, is Heaven, and there the Holy Ghost proceeds."

Lectures on Faith

8/10

I read this in September, 2003. I know this because there was a very brief time where I wrote the date that I completed the book on the inside of the front cover. Not sure why I stopped doing that, but I did. And we have all had to live with the consequences.

This here is a nice little compilation of seven lectures originally prepared in connection with the school of the elders and was even published as part of the 1835 D&C. The preface discusses the mystery of who authored these lectures and says that there is strong evidence that the majority of the writing was by Sidney Rigdon.

It is actually only 78 pages but feels like it's twice that length (not in a bad way) because of the depth of the doctrinal discussion. Some of it can drag (I'm looking at you Lecture Second), but it is worthwhile and most definitely worth a perusal. It is also from these lectures that comes one of the greatest quotes of all time which I will here quote prior to and apart from the other quotes because of its awesomeness: "A religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things never has power sufficient to produce the faith necessary unto life and salvation."

Some more quotes about faith:

"It is faith, and faith only, which is the moving cause of all action."

"Let us here observe, that three things are necessary in order that any rational and intelligent being may exercise faith in God unto life and salvation. First, the idea that he actually exists. Secondly, a correct idea of his character, perfections, and attributes. Thirdly, an actual knowledge that the course of life which he is pursuing is according to his will. For without an acquaintance with these three important facts, the faith of every rational being must be imperfect and unproductive."

"Those who know their weakness and liability to sin would be in constant doubt of salvation if it were not for the idea which they have of the excellency of the character of God, that he is slow to anger and long-suffering, and of a forgiving disposition and does forgive iniquity, transgression, and sin. An idea of these facts does away doubt, and makes faith exceedingly strong."

"It is in vain for persons to fancy to themselves that they are heirs with those, or can be heirs with them, who have offered their all in sacrifice, and by this means obtained faith in God and favor with him so as to obtain eternal life, unless they, in like manner offer unto him the same sacrifice, and through that offering obtain the knowledge that they are accepted of him."

"And what constitutes the real difference between a saved person and one not saved is - the difference in the degree of their faith - one's faith has become perfect enough to lay hold upon eternal life, and the other's has not."

"If we find one saved being in all existence, we may see what all others must be, or else not be saved. We ask, then, where is the prototype? Or, where is the saved being? We conclude, as to the answer of this question, there will be no dispute among those who believe the Bible, that it is Christ: all will agree in this, that he is the prototype or standard of salvation."

"[The] teaching of the Savior most clearly show unto us the nature of salvation, and what he proposed unto the human family when he proposed to save them - that he proposed to make them like unto himself, and he was like the Father, the great prototype of all saved beings; and for any portion of the human family to be assimilated into their likeness is to be saved; and to be unlike them is to be destroyed; and on this hinge turns the door of salvation."

Answers for Young Latter-Day Saints

4/10

This little ditty is a book I randomly unearthed in a box full of odd and ends inside the closet of some missionaries apartment on the mission. And I said, "Don't mind if I do." My favorite is the cover.

So it's a collection of 108 questions, to be exact, which were answered in the New Era by Church leaders and random members I've never heard of. There are some big name dudes who provide their wisdom, namely: Spencer W. Kimball, Gordon B. Hinckley, and Stephen R. Covey, among others. It's got some good stuff, but mostly ok stuff mixed in with funny topics. Some of my favorites being the classic 1977-era concerns about playing cards, hypnotism, and hitchhiking. Ha ha.

One quote from a question about temple recommend requirements:

Person's answer quoting Harold B. Lee, "When you enter a holy temple, you are by that course gaining fellowship with the Saints in God's eternal kingdom."