2018 Book review

And the total for 2018: 51 books read!  Not as many as I would have liked, but a good amount. This year I have utilized Audible more than ever and found a satisfaction in listening to books more than I have in the past.

I liked most of the books I read and/or listened to this year with only three ending up in the dislike pile. There were, of course, many books that I started and disliked them enough to quit after four of five chapters. I did not keep a list of those titles. I find it extremely freeing to be able to decide not to finish a book if I don't like it, maybe from the years of school where I didn't have a choice.

I haven't included The Book of Mormon on my list, having read it a couple of times this last year and as always, one of the most important books in my life.

So with that, here is my 2018 list.

Dislike (I hate to use the word hate!)

Talon by Julie Kagawa.
Fantasy dragon book published in 2014. This book got mediocre reviews, but I don't like to always trust the reviews as I have disagreed with some in the past. I took a chance and was disappointed. I listened to this audio book which is the only reason I finished it. I just let it keep playing as I was doing mundane tasks, too lazy to turn it off. The plot had problems. This is first in a series of 5 books. Thankfully I don't have to wade through the remaining four.

The Bishop's Wife by Robert Nathan.
This was an older book, published in 1928. I listened to the audio version and yes, this is the book the movie starring Cary Grant is based on. Take my advice and watch the movie. The book was depressing and nothing was resolved or made better. I felt sorry for the wife and was left very disappointed. This is one of those rare times the movie improved the book.

Soulless by Gail Carriger.
It is with great sadness that I put this one on my dislike list. I listened to this on Audible, as I have most of Gail Carriger's books. I absolutely love her steampunk fiction, but the immoral language got uncomfortable for me and I found myself skipping a large section. Her Young Adult novels don't have this problem, so I'm going to have to realize her adult fiction is just too racy for me. 

Middle ground books (or ones that are okay, not bad, but not a favorite either)

Adult Fiction
Becoming Lucy by Martha Rogers.
This was an historical Christian Romance novel and first in the series Winds Across the Prairie. The only thing I have to say about it is that it was slow and slightly boring.

Guide Me Home: A Novel by Kim Vogel Sawyer.
This was supposed to be a romance novel, but I would classify it more historical with a bit of flat romance. There were some interesting things about Mammoth Cave in Kentucky, but the romance aspect was not intriguing and a little dull.

Junior Fiction
The Darkdeep by Ally Condie.
I'm a big fan of Ally Condie, but this first book in a new series slightly disappointed me. It would be classified as horror, but it's not really that scary. The story did not flow well for me and I won't be reading the next installments.

Furthermore by Tahereh Mafi.
This is an adaptation of Alice in Wonderland. It contains all the strangeness of Alice, but it is so strange that I couldn't keep track of what was happening. The plot moved slowly as well which didn't help me follow where it was going.

The Girl in the Tower by Lisa Schroeder.
This fairy tale retelling of Rapunzel was a quick read with an easy plot and simple characters. Very predictable, of course, since we all know the story, but left me feeling as if I hadn't read anything. Too simple.

The Gallery by Laura Marx Fitzgerald.
This was an historical mystery, which sounded awesome to me since I'm a sucker for mystery books. A young girl becomes a maid in a home where the mistress is imprisoned in her room and the clues to help her are in the art work that hangs in the mansion where she lives. It was a fine story, I just didn't love it.

Non-Fiction
The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli.
My husband and I read very different books. He reads almost solely non-fiction. So one day we decided I would pick a book for him to read and he would pick one for me. I picked To Kill a Mockingbird for him. I knew he loved the movie and I wanted something he wouldn't have a hard time finishing. He loved it so much he decided to pick another work of fiction and read 1984 which he didn't love as much. He chose The Prince for me because it was short, surely I wouldn't have a problem finishing it, and because he knew it well having studied it in college as part of his degree in Political Science. Well. I had a very hard time finishing it and actually had to start over at one point to grasp all the people in history discussed in the book. Being written in 1532 didn't help me either. I am proud to say I finished it, but please don't ask me to carry on an intelligent conversation about the nuances of the book!  I can tell you that if you have aspirations to become an evil overlord you should read this book.

Young Adult Fiction
Wolves and Roses by Christina Bauer.
First in the series of Fairy Tales of the Magicorum.This was not a bad fairy tale retelling, had some good twists and turns that were not expected. I didn't make a connection with the characters and had no desire to read further books in the series.

The Novice by Taren Matharu.
This is book #1 of the Summoner series. Typical fantasy series involving war with orcs and elves and dwarves. A little too typical and I wasn't interesting enough to finish the series.

The Long Game: A Fixer Novel by Jennifer Lyn Barnes.
This is book #2 in the Fixer series. I listened to the audio version on Audible. It's about political intrigue and even though I liked the first book in the series, Fixer, this one was over the top for me with too much intrigue for it to believable and way too much angst.

Once and For All by Sarah Dessen.
I like most of Sarah Dessen's realistic YA books. This one had a good story, but the immorality distracted me from the story too much.

When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon.
Another teen dating book. This one is about two Indian teens whose parents are arranging a marriage for them. Good story, but like the previous one the immorality detracted from the story for me.

Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia.
I put this in the okay category and I can't remember why!  It's a realistic fiction book about a girl who is the creator of an online comic series that becomes wildly popular. She keeps her identity hidden until her parents innocently let it out of the bag and create huge problems for her since she is hugely famous for her comics. The parents in this story are a little clueless and naïve which could be why it made the okay list.

Scythe by Neal Shusterman.
This is first in the Arc of a Scythe series. It's dystopian science fiction, which I enjoy, but it was very violent with many deaths. In fact death is a subject of the book since to be a Scythe you must kill people to maintain population control. Great story telling, but the killing took the joy out of it for me.


Yes, I liked these

Adult fiction
Heir to Edenbrooke by Julianne Donaldson.
This short story is a prequel to the novel Edenbrooke which is a wonderful historical romance novel. This one is from the man's (Phillip) point of view. I highly recommend both of these books!

The Sheriffs of Savage Wells by Sarah M. Eden.
Sarah M. Eden is another historical romance writer whose books are a little predictable but highly enjoyable. This one is set in the West and was a nice relaxing read.

Romancing Daphne by Sarah M. Eden.
Another nice relaxing Regency romance read.

Sylvester by Georgette Heyer.
Heyer wrote historical romance novels in the 1950s. I listened to this one and it was pleasantly witty and was reminiscent of Jane Austen.

A Noble Masquerade by Kristi Ann Hunter.
First in the Hawthorne House series, a Regency romance. Another nice quick read.

The Vicar's Daughter: A Proper Romance Josi Kilpack.
Easy read. It seems I read a few historical romances this year!  This one was just as enjoyable as the others!

Miss Wilton's Waltz: A Proper Romance by Josi Kilpack.
This book's main character is the sister of Kilpack's previous book. I liked the first book better, but this one was nice too.

Still Life by Louise Penny.
My good friend recommended this author to me and I am forever grateful!  She is the Agatha Christie of Canada. Her mysteries take place just outside of Montreal with Inspector Gamache as the witty, bright, noble inspector. I listened to this on Audible and enjoyed every minute.

A Fatal Grace by Louise Penny.
Second book in the Inspector Gamache series. I love how the reader is led along with just enough knowledge to guess at the murderer, but never enough to get it right. Never predictable and always engaging.

Junior Fiction
The Golden Tower by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare.
This is the fifth and final book in the Magisterium series. I've read all of these out loud to my children and we love love them. Many times when I read the last in a fantasy series book I'm disappointed with how everything is resolved, but this one ended perfectly!  It wasn't predictable and it didn't tie everything up nice and neatly and unrealistically. Very satisfying ending to a wonderful series.

The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart by Stephanie Burgis.
This story is an interesting story about a young dragon who gets turned into a human. The plot moved along nicely and it was an overall enjoyable experience.

Goldeline by Jimmy Cajoleas.
A young girl is orphaned when her mother, who was a witch, is killed. I couldn't tell which direction this plot was going, but that wasn't a bad thing. Nice story.

Shadow Magic by Joshua Khan.
Lots of magic with mysterious deaths thrown in there to make an enjoyable story. Lots of action.

The War I Finally Won by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley.
This is a sequel to The War That Saved My Life. It's historical fiction and a wonderful story that takes place during World War II in England. I loved this book better than the first one that won a Newbery Honor Medal. This explores prejudice and shows the best sides of people facing hard times. Really a great book with lots of good things to discuss with others. Perfect book for a book group.

The Inquisitors Tale by Adam Gidwitz.
I listened to this story and thoroughly enjoyed it. A lovely story following several children who end up together because of very different unusual circumstances. The kind of book that left me smiling.

A Taste for Monsters by Matthew J. Kirby.
This is an historical novel based loosely on the lives of the real Elephant Man and Jack the Ripper. Very interesting!  I really enjoyed the main character, she had courage and spunk and was very believable.

Hello, Universe Erin Entrada Kelly.
2018 Newbery Medal winner. Told from the perspective of four middle school students as one of them becomes trapped in a well. Quick but good read.

Masterminds by Gordan Korman
I read all three of these books:  Masterminds, Criminal Destiny, and Payback out loud to my kids. Great adventure books that had me reading as fast as I could to find out what happened. I won't tell you the plot so it won't ruin it for those who want to read them. Great books.

Non-fiction
A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
My daughter recommended this book to me and it was laugh out loud funny. It follows Bryson as he hikes the Appalachian Trail. He shares the ups and downs and all the in betweens. A great look at a part of America I would like to visit someday.

Young Adult Fiction
Finding Sophie by Sophie Kinsella.
Audrey has an anxiety disorder and as she works through it with a counselor her brother's friend starts hanging around and helps her to deal with her feelings in a positive way. Nice story with family ties that are important and friends that help and don't judge.

Beauty and the Clockwork Beast by Nancy Allen Campbell.
Another steampunk novel that I enjoyed. Steampunk novels have that science fiction element I enjoy with a bit of fantasy thrown in as well. This is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, a well done one.

The Lost Frost Girl by Amy Wilson.
A girl discovers she is Jack Frost's daughter and is pulled into his world. Great story with a fun plot.

The Fixer by Jennifer Lyn Barnes.
I already talked about the sequel to this book that I didn't like. This first book in the Fixer series was great!  I loved the non stop action and the characters. Lot's of political intrigue.

Tell Me Three Things by Julie Buxbaum.
This is a realistic fiction with a nice amount of romance. It told a great story. There is a bit of immoral talk.

Letters to the Lost by Bridgid Kemmerer.
Two teens exchange letters about the loss in their lives without knowing who each other is and find strength in each other. Nice story about friendship and being there for people.

Geekarella by Ashley Poston.
This is a retelling of Cinderella, yet it isn't typical. I really enjoyed the twists and the strength of the main characters. Enjoyable read.

What You Always Wanted by Kristin Rae.
Gene Kelly is this teen's idol and also her ideal man. Next to him no one compares. Nice teen romance story.

This is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith.
This is a teen romance story about impossible love. It wasn't too trite so I enjoyed it.

The Distance Between Us by Kasie West.
Typical teenage romance novel. Poor girl and rich boy try to make it work together. It was a clean and a fun read.

By Your Side by Kasie West.
I liked the first book I read by Kasie West and so I tried two more. This one is about a boy and a girl who get locked in a library overnight.

Love, Life, and the List by Kasie West.
Again, typical teen romance, but I enjoyed it. It wasn't as sappy as some authors and kept me reading until the end.

There they all are. It seemed I was into romance novels more this past year than other genres. Here's to more books, wonderful time curled up on the couch immersed in a story, and discovering new ideas! 

Sister Edholm -- week 55

MERRY Christmas :)

Twas the night before Christmas and all the missionaries were staying in their flat, JOKES, we got those young dinner appointments!! Haha

We have some amazing members here that are willing to feed us!!

AZIN CAME TO CHURCH WITH HER TWO KIDS and WE GET TO WEAR TROUSERS. Best Christmas ever.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!!

Lighttheworld.org

Sister Edholm

Sister Edholm -- week 54

So here is a quick recap of my week.

We taught our friend Aizaz, it went well, he is struggling a bit, but we cheered him up with a bit of the Book of Mormon.

We also had a Christmas party and we dressed up as elves, but I forgot my camera, so I will send those pictures next week!!

We had this cool skype thing last night with the STLs and the other sisters they are over. Sister Linco did an instruction on memes, I attached some of them ahah. President Macdonald also skyped in for a bit, but ... we were stuck traveling and didn't get to see that part. 

I gave a talk in church yesterday as well :)

Have a very merry week!!

lighttheworld.org

LOVE YOU

SISTER EDHOLM

Sister Edholm -- week 53

So I have no time to email, but this week was so good. We had all-schotland conference and it was absolutely amazing!! We had some spiritual upliftment and then we watched incredibles 2, did some white elephant gifts, and had a snowball fight!! haha President Macdonald is so cool :)))

We taught Azin this week and while we were at her flat her daughter Diana was showing us music videos, literally grabbing our faces to look haha and she showed us this one called "I'm so lonely broken angel" yall should all look it up because it is hilarious and it has been stuck in my head all week.

LOVE YOU ALL

Hope that you are have a merry Christmas season!!

lighttheworld.org

Sister Edholm

Sister Edholm -- week 52

Guess what?? I hit my 1 year mark last week!! Isn't that crazy??

We had exchanges on my 1 year mark and they went really well, I don't think that I have ever had a normal exchange. We had to cut it short because we needed to go to our ward council. To celebrate we ate at Tim Hortons. It was grand!

Besides that not much else happened this week.

I do have a funny story though.

The other day we were at a dinner appointment with the elders with this single sister. In the middle of our conversations she points at one of the elders and I and says, "If you guys got married, where would you live?" *Silence* Us, "What??" "If you guys got married where would you live, Idaho or Wyoming?" obviously confused at her actual serious question, we still sat in silence and then finally just broke down laughing and did some joking answers. Lol. Ward members are trying to set us up.

That was my week! Hope that you guys had an enjoyable one as well!!

Love,

Sister Edholm <3

Sister Edholm -- week 51

Wow what a flipping week!!

We had so many miracles this week:

#1: On my first day here, we were walking past this pub and this guy said, "Are you finding anyone?" We said some passing by comment back and kept walking, on our way back we saw him again and he asked us again, so we stopped and talked to him and his partner. They bought us orange juice and we had a really good conversation with them. We are meeting them again this week :)

#2: We were chapping and ran into this family!! The parents don't speak very good English, so the kids translated the whole time, which helped them stay engaged.

#3: We found another family. They just barely moved here 10 days ago and she speaks English, but the kids don't. They are so cool. They came to our ward fireside last night and absolutely loved it! Pollok ward is really good at fellowshipping people and we never had to worry about her feeling alone!

Been a great week!! Hopefully yours has been as well :)

Sister Edholm -- week 50

Well, like the subject line says, I moved. I didn't move far though, I moved to Pollok!

I have now served in every area in the Pollok district.

My last week with Sister Elison was so good though! We didn't think that we were getting split up, so we set up all of our Christmas decorations. I am so excited for Christmas!!

I am sad to leave Paisley!! I have heard that Pollok is such a great ward and area though!!

Sister Edholm - week 49

HEY :))

We had a such a good week!!

We taught this cool chinese guy who when we gave him Book of Mormon he said, "What is the quickest way that I can come to know that this is true?" What a legend!!

Stewart is doing so well too!!! We watched the Restoration with him on Friday with some awesome joint teaches and it was so good! 

We also had the cutest remembrance day service yesterday for church, glad that I could see one while I am here.

Anyway have a great week!!

Love,

Sister Edholm

Sister Edholm -- week 48

"Hello all you lovely people" (Guess what movie that is from and you get 25 brownie points)

On Halloween we had exchanges. It was cut short because at 6 we weren't allowed to proselyte anymore and they drove us back to our area. It was a really good exchange though, I was with Sister McNamara, my last companion Sister McKay trained her so she had to be cool.

Raymond is a recent convert and he invited us along to his house to eat dinner with him and his mom and this other lady from Pollok ward. It went so well!! Member work is amazing! Raymond's mom went to his baptism and felt the Holy Ghost and we talked about that and read some scriptures with her. Raymond also turned on Elder Rasband's talk from this last conference. It was such a good night. Paisley is amazing, I love it :)

Well that is about it, so have a great week!!

P.S. We just did Relative finder and Sister Elison and are 10th cousins 1 time removed. 

Love,

Sister Edholm

Sister Edholm -- week 47

... Wow what a week...

Some of our friends got in some trouble this week, but that is really all I can say, my stress level has literally been a 10 this whole week. Luckily we have a great ward that is super supportive of missionaries and recent converts!! 

Now for the miracle part of the week.

On Friday we got a text from a recent convert that hasn't been in contact with missionaries for a few months because of anti things. He contacted us and asked us to meet. He told us that he wants to be re-taught all of the lessons!! He even came to the Ward Halloween Party and everyone was so excited to see him!!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

I hit my 11 month mark today, isn't that crazy??

Have a great week!!

Sincerely,

Sister Edholm

Silly pics and Cross Country Banquet

Cross country season ended and Eric attended the end of season banquet. The coach kidded him about forgetting things, which happened frequently, and brought a smile to his face.

It's small, but there is a smile there!

Andy had a few more senior pictures taken with things that represented all he loves and does in high school. 

Sister Edholm -- week 46

Hey!!

This week was amazing!! We had Scotland South Conference. Sister Elison and I were asked to do a roleplay in front of everyone about teaching with members. They made the AP's and STLT's and President Macdonald were our ward council and we roleplayed to them. Probably the most terrifying thing I have ever done, but it turned out better than I thought. 

We taught this cool guy named Stewart on Saturday and he came to church and told us that while they were talking about the Holy Ghost during Gospel Principles he felt two chills go down his back and then connect and then he felt warm and happy. We helped him to identify it to the Holy Spirit. It was so cool!!

Paisley is slaying it. PaiSLAY

Ps. I get to hangout with some people from Greenock today!! So excited. Stu is one of them, he is someone we taught when I was there and he is now baptised!! Also, while I was walking to email in Greenock I saw the branch president, President Cox. It was good to see him again!!

Sister Edholm -- week 45

It's raining, it's pouring the missionaries aren't snoring, they go to work and work all day and always get up in the morning.

Despite the rainy weather coming back, we saw some cool miracles!!

This guy responded to our church text on Friday and came to church on Sunday! His name is Volker and he is from Germany. It happened to be the Sunday that this missionary that served here 34 years ago from Germany was visiting with his son. We introduced Volker to him and it was such a cool experience to see him finally able to understand! Also, the German missionary has a niece that is coming to this mission next transfer, so he made his son take a picture with us and sent it to his niece! Such a small world!!

There is no such thing as coincidences.

On Friday, we were coming back from visiting a member who has been sick. We stopped in the city centre to GQ a bit. We stopped this polish guy named Michael and he said that he had received a Book of Mormon a couple of weeks ago from his friend Diane in Glasgow. He was super excited to see us and agreed to coming to church and meeting with us later in the week!

Paisley is literally on fire at the moment!! 

Sincerely,

Sister Edholm

Sister Edholm -- week 44

This is going to be the fastest email I have ever written, the time on my computer is about to run out..

So we got moves call and Sister McKay is becoming a STL in Aberdeen. I am getting Sister Elison.

We had such a miraculous week!! We had 3 on the spot lessons and they were all so cool!! Moves week literally brings all the miracles.

General Conference was so good!!! Boldness is key I guess. I definitely got a bit spiritually rebuked.

Sorry that this is a terrible email...

Love,

Sister Edholm

Autumn in Worland

Andy had his senior pictures taken in Worland out by the airport and the colors were lovely.

Of course with the color come the cold. We turned our fireplace on and it was immediately enjoyed!

We received warmth from the fire and from the words of the prophets during General Conference which you can see reflected in the glass of the fireplace.

Cross country season comes to a close

Friday was the conference cross country meet for the middle school and Lucy's last race of the season.

 

She passed this girl!

The high school ran at the same place-Powell Golf Course-and Eric got a P.R.!  His former PR was 21:58 and he ran this race in 21:23.  He has one more meet next week-region.

Andy's senior pics!

Sister Edholm -- week 43

Hey guys,

We had interviews with President Macdonald this week! They were so good!! I love him, he definitely cares so much about us and wants us to be successful and more importantly for us to feel successful. I asked him loads of questions. I also got to know Sister Macdonald while I was waiting for Sister McKay to be done with her interview. She is pretty cool, she reminds me a lot of my mom, which means I love her already!

I am so excited for General Conference, I literally can't wait!! 

Ross was confirmed yesterday, which was so cool!! It is amazing to see the change that happens each time we see him! He even got a haircut in preparation.

I hope that you all have a great week!!

Sister Edholm -- week 42

Hey!

Lots of exciting things this week!

1) All-Scotland. So good! Elder De Feo came. He talked about something called the Commitment Matrix. He said that we need to make sure that our love and our expectations for our investigators match up and that we aren't to buddy with them and that we aren't too strict with them. We need to be in the 'miracle quadrant' where both are the highest. He had us pray and seek for inspiration and then come up with a plan to help us bring one of our investigators there. 

2) Ross got baptized!! It was such a good service. Actually yesterday was probably one of the best church services that I have been too in a long time. We taught young women's. It was only one girl, but we read the story of Moses when he parts the red sea. It was so cool. She had some really good insight into that story. Gospel principles was good as well. One of the Elders gave the lesson and he had a couple of people bear their testimony and it really brought the Spirit. Sacrament was so good as well, we had some spectacular talks, just amazing (lol one of them was me). Ross was baptized right after church and after he was baptised you could see an immediate change in him. I am so happy for him! What a great experience!

And the dance...

Andrew asked his good friend, Caitlin Cottrell, to the Homecoming Dance. They had a wonderful time.

Great group of kids

Delicious dinner hosted by the Nelson's

Homecoming football game Worland vs. Riverton

33-30 Worland wins!!
Andy is #12 and he made the winning touchdown pass!  

Always fun to pose for pictures after playing football for the first half!