Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

7/10

I finished reading this about a week ago. It is different than any book I have ever read. It was this weird mixture of being uncomfortable with the subject matter while simultaneously drawn in with the excellent writing. Also, I have mentioned previously how I enjoy novels that allow you access into the mind of a madman. And old Humbert Humbert is maybe the maddest of madmen I have ever read, probably even topping one of my favorites, Iago, from Othello. And the book is written from HH's vantage point, and he does not hold back on his deepest, darkest feelings, providing complete access to his twisted mind. And it's pretty messed up. There were parts, several parts, that are so realistic and convincing that I caught myself wondering from time to time if Nabokov was writing about himself. His writing really was impressive, especially since English is not his first language. Just really well done. There is even somehow some humorous moments in this book and Nabokov amazingly manages to trick you into sort of liking the main character until you again quickly realize that he is an absolute monster. Only masterful writing could accomplish this.

The book did start to get a little old after a while though. I wouldn't recommend this book or advise anyone to read this book because it's just too disturbing and kind of depressing and inappropriate. I didn't fully understand what I was getting myself into when I began this book.

Pro: Amazing writing; makes me want to read more of Nabokov.
Con: Crazy disturbing and I hope I can forget this story and never think about it ever again.

4:50 from Paddington by Agatha Christie

6/10

I finished reading this last night. It is my second Agatha Christie book, both Jane Marple ones. I liked this one much more than the other one I had read. This one started out pretty strong with a creative murder-witnessing and subsequent corpse-disposal mystery with Jane doing some nice detective work. Lucy and the characters at Rutherford Hall all had the makings of a really good whodunnit mystery. Unfortunately, about half way through the book it just loses steam, drags for a bit and finally comes to an underwhelming end.

The Miss Marple character in both of the books I have read has been surprisingly in the background. Although she was present in this one much more than the other one. I thought the Lucy character was going to be good but she ended up being a bit of a disappointment.

I liked the book overall but mostly felt letdown on how the story was squandered. It had all the makings of a good, fun murder-mystery story, but it was not to be. I also wish there were more dramatic moments involving the possibility of peril to one or more beloved characters. This book had the most boring murderer ever.

I think I need to try one of Christie's Hercule Poirot books next time to see if I like it any better.

Here are my Agatha Christie book rankings:

1. 4:50 from Paddington
2. At Bertram's Hotel

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.

The Pelican Brief by John Grisham

8/10

I just finished this book last night. I enjoyed it. I'd seen the Julia Roberts and Denzel Washington movie many years ago but only remembered bits and pieces from it. Looking back, I guess I really only remember Julia Roberts running away from bad guys a lot and the car bomb part.

The plot in this one was really good and the pace of it was really well done. It was pretty suspenseful throughout. It was what one would call a "page-turner." Except it took me forever to read because for some reason I fall asleep almost instantly now when I read at night. Probably because I'm way old.

Seems like the main flaw of the book is the huge overreaction by the bad guy Mattiece to try and knock off the Julia Roberts character after she wrote the brief that no one took seriously for one second. Obviously they should have just let it go and done nothing since no one was taking the brief seriously. But then they go on a killing rampage to draw tons of attention to it. Dumb criminals.

Here is my rankings of John Grisham books that I have read:

1. The Pelican Brief
2. The Client

It's Not About the Bunny It's About the Lamb by Ron Millburn

10/10

This book was so lame. Bo-ring. Just kidding. My Dad wrote it and he is the only person who reads this blog so I have to say that it was good. He gave it to me for my birthday a few weeks back and I quickly read it on the toilet in homage to him, the greatest toilet reader of our generation.

It really is good though and is a very solid doctrinal review of the atonement with some very good insights. It was fun for me to read because I've been reading this kind of stuff from him for years on his blog and it was nice to see his scriptural knowledge and storytelling on display in a published booklet. I have lots of favorite parts, such as the classic family home evening story I've heard told a number of times, the great story about David Stone which is a simple classroom lesson which brings to life how personal the Savior's atonement really is, or the informative story about the back of the statue at Winter Quarters and the Hebrew meaning of the atonement being "to cover."

A lot here to ponder. And I'm thankful for having a Dad who is such a good gospel teacher and proud of him for getting this published.

Believing Christ by Stephen E. Robinson

8/10

I finished reading this last night. I've owned this book forever and have wanted to read it for quite a while, probably dating back to my mission when I first became familiar with the great quote on the atonement that is in this book: "Atonement means taking two things that have become separated, estranged, or incompatible, like a perfect God and an imperfect me or you, and bringing them together again, thus making the two be 'at one.'"

It's a nice, uplifting book. I liked reading a book primarily dealing with grace, a topic that can be overlooked at times. I think my favorite part was a section in the book dealing with perfection and how the only way this can be accomplished is through the covenant relationship with Christ: "Taken together as a single entity, the two of us, Christ and I, are perfect." Another: "[I]n the covenant relationship, I am not judged separately and alone but as one with Christ." And: "Any two people who are joined together and have become one in a covenant unity are perfect as long as one of them is Jesus Christ." I learned some things and that's all I can ask for when reading a Church book.

Here are some other quotes:

"Normally, we think of only one winner in a race, but in the gospel race, all who finish win. In addition, the differences in their finishing times are irrelevant. Some people will have good times and some will not, but the only losers are those who give up and quit before they reach the goal."

"God may be predisposed in our favor, he may put within our reach what was once beyond us, and he may remove every obstacle in the way of our salvation, but he will not force us down the path he has cleared, nor will he save us without our consent. The gospel covenant is provided by sheer grace, but it must be entered into by choice."

"To insist that salvation comes by works alone, that we can earn it ourselves without needing the grace of God, insults the mercy of God and mocks the sacrifice of Jesus Christ in our behalf. On the other hand, to insist that salvation comes by belief alone and that God places no other obligations upon the believer insults the justice of God and makes Christ the minister of sin."

"Faith is always willing to try - and to try again and again. While success is not a requirement of the covenant of faith, my best attempts are."

"No one has ever been as alone as Christ in the Garden."

"In that infinite Gethsemane experience, the meridian of time, the center of eternity, he lived a billion billion lifetimes of sin, pain, disease, and sorrow."

"If you or I had gone into the press of Gethsemane and shouldered that load of sin and pain, it would have squashed us like bugs, snuffed us out instantly. But because he was the Son of God and had power over death, his life could not be taken until he laid it down of his own will.... Did his infinite agony tempt him to lay down his life and end his suffering before the price was fully paid? Was his greatest temptation to abandon his weaker brothers and sisters and seek relief from an infinity of pain by dying prematurely? Perhaps. All he had to do was let go, and the pain would stop, but you and I would be lost. And so second by second, hour by hour, he embraced his agony; he could not rest, but he would not die, not until it was finished, not until we were saved with him."

The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens

7/10

I finished reading this book a few days ago. I am still having Mallory pick my book for me (after giving her a choice of 4 books I have selected). This is the first book that Mallory has chosen based on the author. We read A Christmas Carol together last year and she remembered Charles Dickens being the author and enthusiastically selected this book for me based on that reason. Also, what an absurdly amazing book cover. How could she not have chosen this book?

After reading this book I can still say that I have not read a Dickens book that I didn't like. That being said, it was my least favorite Dickens book. Not because it was bad, but because I have really only read really great Dickens books so far. I still liked this book and its vast array of mostly enjoyable characters - I'm looking at you John Browdie, you sneaky scene stealer. Newman Noggs is probably my next favorite. Nicholas had a surprising mean streak in him which was unexpected (in a good way) for the hero of the book. I know I was supposed to like Mrs. Nickleby more, and I see why people do find her amusing, but her longwinded off-topic digressions were a little too frustrating for me to endure and I ended up finding her more annoying than comical. As for the villains, Dickens made some good ones. Both Ralph Nickleby and Wackford Squeers were great bad guys, each in their own way. There is quite a dark turn near the end that caught me slightly off guard but Dickens handles it masterfully as usual.

Overall, this book felt like a poor man's David Copperfield. So many characters and settings, but this one lacked the multiple storylines woven together like Copperfield did so well. Nickleby really has one main storyline and thus lacks the overall flexibility that could have made this be one of Dickens' greats. But it's still amazing to me that a 25-year old could write a book like this (having already written The Pickwick Papers and Oliver Twist no less).

My updated rankings of Dickens books I've read:

1. David Copperfield
2. A Tale of Two Cities
3. Great Expectations
4. Oliver Twist
5. Bleak House
6. A Christmas Carol
7. The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby

A few quotes:

"If anything could soothe the first sharp pain of a heavy loss, it would be - with me - the reflection, that those I mourned, by being innocently happy here, and loving all about them, had prepared themselves for a purer and happier world. The sun does not shine upon this fair earth to meet frowning eyes, depend upon it."

"[T]here is one quality which all men have in common with the angels, blessed opportunities of exercising if they will - mercy."

Teachings of Presidents of the Church: George Albert Smith

8/10

I finished reading this today. I have now read every Teachings of Presidents of the Church book. I wonder if they'll ever make a Monson one? The main takeaway from this book is that President G.A.S. was a man dedicated to moving the work forward. He was a dedicated, missionary-minded disciple. It's inspiring reading about people who are so committed to the Gospel. He was also a very loving man, which I suppose goes hand-in-hand with being a good missionary and being successful in advancing the Gospel.

Two Quotes:

"Your happiness will be in proportion to your charity."

"And whatever we do let us not make those who require assistance feel like paupers. Let us give what we give as though it belonged to them."

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling

10/10

Finished reading this a couple days ago and it is easily the lamest one so far... NOT! Lamest cover so far, though, probably. The series keeps building and building and has quite clearly hit its stride. Plot twists galore, weaving together more and more storylines and characters, and just really creative storytelling. There were some edge of your seat moments in this one, much more intense by far than we have encountered in any of the previous books in the series. The first chapter in this one was far superior to any of the others as it immediately jumped into the action and built the suspense from the get-go.

Rowling has really created a nice world full of lots of great characters which she can seemingly do anything with at this point. It must have been a thrilling time for J.K. as she had so much ammunition to work with in deciding what to do next. That being said, I just can't see how she can top this one. It was flawlessly executed. I'm not sure if reading these to my daughter has made me enjoy it more than I otherwise would, but nonetheless, this was very fun to read.

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

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

Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Lorenzo Snow

9/10

I finished reading this a few days ago. I'm finally getting around to finishing off the last few of these books that have sat half-read for the last several years. This is my second to last one that I have left.

I enjoyed this one. He is a really faithful guy and very intelligent. I think my favorite chapter in any of the Teachings of the Presidents book is Chapter 6 in this book. It is a must-read. It is titled: "Becoming Perfect before the Lord: 'A Little Better Day by Day.'" There are lots of good thoughts and quotes from this chapter, but I particularly liked this one:

"In all your acts and conduct ever have the consciousness that you are now preparing and making yourselves a life to be continued through eternities; act upon no principle that you would be ashamed or unwilling to act upon in heaven, employ no means in the attainment of an object that a celestial enlightened conscience would disapprove. Whilst feelings and passions excite you to action, let principles pure, honorable, holy, and virtuous, always rule and govern."