The fictional McKensies of Scotland and the fictional Pedersons of Norway are among the converts who, late in the season, set out for Zion during the inaugural year of the great Latter-day Saint handcart migration.  Three previous companies have made the trip without undue incident, but the lateness of the last two-one captained by James G. Willie and the other by Edward Martain-eventually causes them to be trapped by early winter snows in what is now Wyoming.  The disaster that results also provides the circumstances for people driven by the fire of their covenants with God to rise to heights of unsurpassed courage and endurance.  Part of the mixture of tragedy and triumph is the rescue effort that Brigham Young mounts when he finally learns of the emigrants' plight.  


This is officially my new favorite book right now.  If you are into mormon pioneer history, you are going to absolutely love this story about the Willie and Martain Handcart companies.  But a fair warning to all of you who cry easily...I was getting choked up in the Preface when author Gerald N. Lund was talking about how he came to write this book.    He took pioneer journals from those companies and used the stories in them to create this story, set to fictional characters.  This book seriously has something for everyone...romance, history, action, tragedy, and triumph.  One of my favorite parts of the book is at the end of every chapter, the author put chapter notes with stories from the pioneer journals, as well as history tidbits to give readers a better understanding of what was going on in that time period with the saints. I would highly recommend this book to any Latter-day Saint or even just anyone interested in history.  


Recommended by: Scott


Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Sorry there was no new post today...I've been feeling under the weather so reading was the last thing on my mind.  I will do better next week!  I've got some great books in the next few weeks coming up!


Any recommendations for books you would like to see reviewed or ones that you have read that you would recommend?


Sincerely,
Kylee Brown

An underground classic since its first publication in 1996, Fight Club is now recognized as one of the most original and provocative novels published in this decade.  Chuck Palahniuk’s darkly funny first novel tells the story of a godforsaken young man who discovers that his rage at living in a world filled with failure and lies cannot be pacified by an empty consumer culture.  Relief for him and his disenfranchised peers comes in the form of secret after-hours boxing matches held in the basements of bars.  Fight Club is the brainchild of Tyler Durden, who thinks he has found a way for himself and his friends to live beyond their confining and stultifying lives.  But in Tyler’s world there are no rules, no limits, no brakes.

I've never seen the movie, but I'd always heard it was a pretty good movie.  This book is WAY different than I thought it would be.  I wouldn't really call this book good or bad.  It was in a few words, different, disturbing, and dark.  There is a pretty good twist at the end that really ties the entire thing together and a lot of things make sense.  The author's writing style is kind of hard to follow at first, and it took a while for me to get into.  But this is a short read, only about 200 pages, and for people that liked the movie, you will probably really like the book.  NOTE:  There is a lot of graphic language in this book for people who don't like to read books with that in it.  You can find this book new on Amazon.com for about $8.00 or used on Half.com for under $2.00.  

Recommended by:  Jess

My Rating:  3 out of 5 stars

When a hurricane unexpectedly blows up off the coast of Nicaragua, a giant floating hotel lies in its path. With no escape for the helpless passengers and crew, it’s left to Dirk Pitt and NUMA to launch a rescue and save the day. But in the storm’s wake, Pitt and his team discover clues that point to an ancient mystery with shocking implications for today.

As Pitt investigates further, he uncovers a plot by a mysterious billionaire called Specter to dramatically alter the Earth’s climate, leaving him in control of the only solution. With foes attempting to stop him on every side, Pitt is in a race against time to prevent global catastrophe…

First of all, this author has written a whole Dirk Pitt series, and this is not the first, but I was not lost at all not having read the others. For an adventure junkie, this book is a jewel. It is 650 pages of NONSTOP adventure! But I loved this book because it was such an easy read. Plus, I loved that it incorporates Homer's Iliad story (the story of Odysseus) with the modern day time. There were some great twists all the way til the end. I definitely will be picking up more Dirk Pitt novels in the future! Plus, this book was totally clean as far as language and sex goes, which is always nice to have. You can buy it used on Amazon for less than $1, or brand new for only $2.50.

Recommended by: Bart

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Fifteen-year-old Sean hates the world. After all, with two deadbeat parents, he’s got no one to look up to and nothing left to lose—so why not trash everything? Then he gets caught. Suspended from school and with a mounting police record, the only way for Sean to pay his dues is to do community service on Mr. Hassler’s farm. He can do just what he has to do, or he can confront the mess his life has become. It’s his choice…

First of all, this book is only like 150 pages, so it's a very quick read. Although this is from the viewpoint of a 15 year old boy, it has a fascinating story line. I would really recommend it for any teenager or someone looking for a quick read. It has a great plot, an interesting ending, and talks about a life that you don't like to think a kid of having. I found this book on Amazon.com used for less than a dollar. Its a great last minute gift for your teenager.

Recommended by: Eric

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

This stunning novel begins on a winter night in 1964, when a blizzard forces Dr. David Henry to deliver his own twins. His son, born first, is perfectly healthy, but the doctor immediately recognizes that his daughter has Down Syndrome. For motives he tells himself are good, he makes a split-second decision that will haunt all their lives forever. He asks his nurse, Caroline, to taker the baby away to an institution. Instead, she disappears into another city to raise the child as her own.

Although this book took me a few chapters to get into, it gives a riveting story of separate lives that are intertwined by guilt, secrets, and love. I think the best thing about this book, for me, was how it ended. Obviously I won't tell you the end, but know that this book ends with a kind of "Happily Ever After" feeling. I found myself emotionally connected to the characters, and often empathizing with them. Side note, I know they made this book into a movie, although I haven't seen it, so I would recommend, as usual, reading the book before seeing the movie. You can find this book used or new on Amazon.com for less than $3, or at WalMart for about $10.

Book Recommended by: LuAnn

My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Set within the hidden chambers, tunnels, and temples of Washington, D.C., The Lost Symbol accelerates through a startling landscape toward an unthinkable finale. As the story opens, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is summoned unexpectedly to deliver an evening lecture in the U.S. Capitol Building. Within minutes of his arrival, however, the night takes a bizarre turn. A disturbing object — artfully encoded with five symbols—is discovered in the Capitol Building. Langdon recognizes the object as an ancient invitation . . . one meant to usher its recipient into a long-lost world of esoteric wisdom.

When Langdon's beloved mentor, Peter Solomon—a prominent Mason and philanthropist —is brutally kidnapped, Langdon realizes his only hope of saving Peter is to accept this mystical invitation and follow wherever it leads him. Langdon is instantly plunged into a clandestine world of Masonic secrets, hidden history, and never-before-seen locations—all of which seem to be dragging him toward a single, inconceivable truth.

My Review: This book is the 3rd book in the "Da Vinci Code" series. If you haven't read Angels and Demons, or Da Vinci Code, I highly recommend them. You don't even have to read them in sequence, because although they are in a series, they do not refer to the other stories really, so you won't be missing any important information to the plot. Dan Brown's writing style is a great one. He does so much research on each of his books, so when you are reading them, you are getting a touch of history as well as a novel. In this book, nearly every government entity, scientific fact, conspiracy theory, and idea is true. Dan Brown just uses fictional characters and creates an amazing story that seems to fit perfectly within these parameters. This book starts right off with action and intrigue. Every chapter in this book ends with the reader anxious to start the next. I found this book on Amazon.com for about $10.00 or if you are so anxious to read it that you can't wait for it to ship, you can get it on sale at WalMart for about $12.00 right now. This book would make an excellent christmas present for anyone, including those that don't pick books up very often to read.

My Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars