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."