Skip to main content

The Best Books

In Doctrine and Covenants 88: 118, the Lord advises us to “seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom.” Besides the scriptures and doctrinal Church books, there are so many good books out there to enjoy. But finding them can be difficult. Often the bestsellers are overflowing with profanity and promiscuity. And other books are unheard of and hidden on library shelves. I wish there were edited books or a website that screens books like movies (if you are aware of one, let me know!). The best I can do for now is to recommend some very uplifting books and inspirational authors.

Richard Paul Evans—Most famous for his book The Christmas Box, Evans writes inspiring stories about change and growth. His characters are realistic and relatable. Although his books are not written for only an LDS audience, you can sense the influence of the gospel in his writing.

Josi S. Kilpack—Her books focus on serious trials LDS families experience, such as infidelity, the pressure of perfection, and abuse. I like that she ventures into more untouched territory to show her audience she understands that LDS family life is not all rainbows and “Love at Home,” like it often is portrayed and expected to be, and that blessings always await those who endure to the end.

Susan Law Corpany—She wrote a series about a young LDS widow, someone she once was. She explains the grief young widows feel and the reactions they get from other Church members. Her books are very humorous.

C.S. Lewis—Lewis’s most famous works are The Chronicles of Narnia. I love that he uses so much religious symbolism. His other works are great reads, too. I definitely recommend The Screwtape Letters. His understanding of the gospel is profound—I wouldn’t be surprised if he had no problem accepting the fullness of the gospel on the other side.

I also recommend reading children’s literature, which is full of innocence, fun, and life lessons. Unbeknown to its author, Lois Lowry, The Giver promotes agency and condemns Satan’s plan. Her other award-winning novel Number the Stars tells of heroism in the face of personal danger. Francis Hodgson Burnett's The Secret Garden and A Little Princess focus on personal development and are sweet and warming. Holes, by Louis Sachar, is about self-acceptance and choice and accountability. Bridge to Terabithia, by Katherine Patterson, explores the imagination and hard reality. Natalie Babbitt’s Tuck Everlasting discusses mortality versus immortality. Countless other books offer clean, imaginative entertainment. We have no excuse not to be seeking out of the best books!

Sharing Time: What are your favorite good books and authors?
Labels:

Comments

Anonymous said…
I wlll send you an invitation to Goodreads.com. The website says:
•Get great book recommendations from people you know.
•Keep track of what you've read and what you'd like to read.
•Form a book club, answer book trivia, collect your favorite quotes.
Let me know what you think.
Mom
September 13, 2009 at 9:37 PM
Anonymous said…
my dear daughter between you and Mom and Conti we would never have a peep in the house - you'd all be in your reading zones
September 23, 2009 at 2:09 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Callings

lds.org The Church runs on volunteered time and service, organized through callings. We choose to accept or reject these callings when Church leaders extend them to us. When we are faced with this choice we must remember the following: Church leaders truly are inspired from heaven. They know where we need to serve. We must not doubt them even if it is difficult not to. There are many reasons why a certain calling is right for us. Most obvious, we have the necessary qualities and skills for that position or, conversely, we need to develop the needed qualities and skills. Other reasons may not even be related to the calling. In my case, I needed to meet a certain person, who shared the same calling. We have since become close friends and blessings in each other's lives. When we magnify our callings, everyone benefits. We grow and the ward grows; we learn and the ward learns; we love and the ward loves us back. Every calling in the ward is important. 1 Corinthians 12:12-27 e...
3 comments
Read more

Pray Always

Last week I shared powerful scriptures to remember when faced with temptation. However, the devil is very powerful as well. We need a lot more tools than just a scripture to defeat him. The most powerful tool available to us is prayer. Brigham Young said, “Prayer keeps a man from sin. Sin keeps a man from prayer.” Prayer keeps a man from sin The Lord admonishes throughout the scriptures to pray always to avoid sin: “Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak” (Mark 14:38) “Pray always, that you may come off conqueror; yea, that you may conquer Satan, and that you may escape the hands of the servants of Satan that do uphold his work” (D&C 10:5) “Therefore let the church take heed and pray always, lest they fall into temptation” (D&C 20:33) “Pray always, lest ye enter into temptation and lose your reward” (D&C 31:12) “Pray always that you enter not into temptation, that you may abide the day of his coming, whether in lif...
3 comments
Read more

Little Girls No More

Read this article . And we wonder why girls as young as eleven are losing their virginity and why there are so many sexual predators out there. The company argues the padding is for modesty. On the one hand, that is understandable. My little sister went through puberty very early, and my mom had a hard time finding a little-girl bathing suit that covered my sister completely. On the other hand, if parents are so worried about modesty, why are they letting their little girls wear bikinis, especially if they are starting to blossom at a young age? Why can't little girls just be little girls? They'll have the rest of their lives to be grown women. Childhood lasts only for a brief moment. And once it's over, most everyone wishes at some time or other that they could go back. I apologize this isn't actually a doctrinal post. But this problem of sexualizing our little girls really bothers me. As members of the Church, we must set the example and dress our children modestly fr...
2 comments
Read more