I'm coming to grips with the idea that not all books have to be considered classic literature to be good. There are books that are so amazing that they change your life and those are the books that I have long considered to be the ones worthy of my time. However, in doing book reviews, I am now reading more of the non-life shattering books. They may never make it to The New York Times Bestsellers, and that is perfectly o.k. As an aspiring author these books are giving me courage to get my stories onto a page.
The Alias is in the second category. It's a simple story. It will probably never make the New York Times Bestsellers because of its simplicity. It's short and sweet. It wasn't life shattering for me, yet it was a completely enjoyable read. I read the book in a few hours. As I read this book, my philosophy on book enjoyment changed. Novels don't have to be long with complex plots and words like honey to be good. They just have to tell a story that you are interested in reading. This story kept my interest throughout and by the end I found myself wanting to read more "simple" stories.
Not every author needs to be a JK Rowling or a Suzanne Collins. Mandi Slack is a small town Utah girl who loves the outdoors. She isn't pretentious, I can tell this about her from her writing. I think she will be perfectly o.k. with me saying that her book was simple in nature...or at least I really hope so! I am not saying it was simple to write, but just a simple read. Simple being the same as easy, enjoyable, quick, and fun. Mandi Slack is the kind of mom with whom I would love to sit down and enjoy a cup of hot chocolate. She's imaginative. She's deep. She has a great understanding of what kinds of inner struggles a women has when she is in an abusive relationship. I plan to go over to her blog and make a new online friend, just as soon as I finish this review.
Mandi Slack wrote a great short novel. It's the kind of book someone needs to have in their possession on a intercontinental flight or for a night off with no kids and a bubble bath. It's also the kind of book that a busy mom can squeeze in and enjoy in pieces between carpools, mealtimes, and before her head hits the pillow. Just look at the cover, and tell me it doesn't draw you in.
The storyline went something like this: there is this girl named Jacey. She has a best friend Melissa. Jacey is running away from her psychopath husband and doing everything she can to protect her darling son who is at that awkward age between boy and young man. She's a big city girl, but ends up in small-town Utah. The characters in Utah are so love-able that you will want them for your own distant relatives. There is a love interest that is just as dreamy as Jacob or Peeta. Two side story-lines are life on the small farm and life as a Mormon. Neither are overwhelmingly saturated, so I would recommend this book to all of my friends, even you Non-Mormons. I never like to give away too much of the plot. I hate spoilers. So, that is all you are getting from me. Just know that an alias is formed and the FBI is interested it and that this book will keep you in suspense.
I loved the book. It left me with characters who will go on with me through all the books I will read in the future. I looked deep inside myself to find that I share some insecurities with a fictional battered woman. Thank goodness I am married to a gentle giant. The Alias left me wanting to work on those insecurities. I loved the ending of the book. I am HUGE on the endings, as you all know. I got closure; that's important to me.
On page 158, I absolutely adored the descriptions of the close-by Provo Canyon. If you read the book, and have never been to Utah, you have to know that the descriptive narration here is all spot-on. The Provo Canyon is one of the most beautiful places on earth. I loved seeing it through Jacey's eyes.
Buy the book. Read it. And then come and visit me and I will take you to the Provo Canyon to see the awesome geological wonders as well as Mt. Timpanogos and Bridal Veil Falls.
Go here to buy it. It's only $3.99 for the e-version. That is a pretty amazing price.
I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for this review but as you all know I always give my true opinions. I can't help myself really. View all my reviews
My cousin DeAnne is my Mom Hero. There's no doubt about it. Look at her family!
I have four children and I think I am pretty heroic. Depending on the day of the week, I might tell you that I am an all-out Wonder Woman, but the mom that I think who deserves to win the most votes in this contest is not me. She is not even my amazing mother or mother-in-law. She is my cousin. I haven't seen her in person in about six years, but since the last time I saw her I believe she has added at least 10 more kids to her family.
My cousin DeAnne Walker and her husband Doug just got home from China where they say that they finally completed their family. Yes, they are finally done with numbers 15 and 16. They are truly an inspiration to me and so many others. They have motivated and assisted many with stateside and worldwide adoption. Check out DeAnne's blog appropriately called It's a Wonderful Life.
They have grown their own family biologically but more through adoption. Each child is as precious to them as the other. I can't imagine how huge their hearts have grown as they have made room for one child after another. DeAnne has one of the biggest momma hearts that I know. She can't stand the thought of any child being without a family or without a home. She advocates for every child of the universe in word and deed. She has children with every ethnicity and from the whole spectrum of capability. She knows all there is to know about bonding and caring for children with special needs.
I just personally don't know how she does it. I think I would be pooped after just one meal. I can't even think about the laundry or the taxi-ing that is required much less the time to love each one individually, but she does it. She also doesn't claim to know how to do it either, but I am sure her 16 children will have some of her secrets if you were to ask them.
Go and vote for DeAnne. Pretty please with sugar on top. $2,500 could give DeAnne's wonderful family one heck of a Christmas and I soooo want that to happen! It just takes two clicks. The link that says go vote and then all you have to do is scroll down and find my photo with a brief write up about DeAnne. Hit the vote button on the left. You can vote every 24 hours until November 4th.
You can also invite your friends to this facebook event started by DeAnne's daughter, Sereen (the bride in the photo), to encourage more voters.
I used to be a much more controlling mom. I'm not saying I'm cured or anything, but I have made some progress. Serious progress.
Progress not perfection.
It's amazing how my outlook on life has changed as I've incorporated this truth into my mentality.
Letting go of control is liberating. Extremely liberating. So liberating that liberating isn't even a good enough word to describe the freedom one feels.
This morning I caught Caroline with a box of Smurf cereal. She had gotten three measuring cups from the kitchen drawer and was pouring cereal into the cups. Or should I say she was attempting to pour cereal into the measuring cups? More was landing on the kitchen table's bench and floor than the measuring cups. As I went up to the cupboard to fetch a large measuring pitcher I reflected on the progress I have made as a mother with control issues. I poured little blue and white Smurf flakes into the plastix pyrex and handed it off to Caroline so she could go to town with her measuring cups. This way I contained the amount of cereal that would be wasted, but I didn't impede on my toddler's creativity or ingenuity.
It was a win/win. She was happy and I was happy. She was making a mess, but it was on the kitchen tile and could easily be cleaned whenever she decided she was done. Who knows when that will actually be? She is still content with her measuring cups as I type this post.
I may have just shot myself in the foot because this could become her favorite past-time. Smurf cereal measuring is all the rage nowadays. None of her friends get to do it, so it makes it all the more desirable.
It may turn into the new finger painting. Heaven knows we've been doing that five times a day for the past 2 months.
You won't believe this. Caroline just moved the trashcan (you can see it in the photo above) and grabbed the broom (also always readily available as shown in the photo above). She says, "I clean up the cereal." I am afraid to look, as I am sure her clean up will require even more clean up, but inside I secretly cheer myself for being less controlling.
Everyone is happier and I may even be allowing the girl to learn something on her own. Yeah for me.
She was the first one to need surgery
to remove an inanimate object from her finger.
aka known as a steel seat belt
(it was removed with a diamond saw)
She is also our first kid to break a bone.
Poor thing.
She did it at gymnastics.
If you saw her at gymnastics,
you would know, like us,
that it was bound to happen
eventually.
I'm just glad she didn't break her neck.
I can't imagine what it would have been like to shower with a casted neck for the past 6 weeks.
Well, the day has finally come
even though Sophia would have told you it was never gonna happen.
Yes, she's getting her cast off today.
Yippee.
She WILL get the cast off today
even if I have to arm wrestle her doctor.
I don't think I can handle her crying out of disappointment again.
Her last appointment was really rough
when the doctor insisted she keep the cast on.
We sure do love you Phia.
Notice dad's autograph there.
Mine is on the other side.
It can read
MOM
or
WOW
depending on how you look at it.
If you know me personally
or have been reading my blog
for any given amount of time
you are right to guess
that this is going to be a long post.
There are so many reasons
I love my church.
I love The Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints.
There are so many reasons why,
but the main reason is that is makes so much sense.
Intellectually, I have not found another religion that answers my questions
about the universe as well as mine does.
Another reason I love my church is
I believe it to be exactly what it claims:
The Church
of
Jesus Christ.
My 18 months as a full-time missionary
teaching people about the gospel of Jesus Christ
harbor some of my fondest memories.
Lately, the Mormons have been receiving a lot of national attention
and closed minded Baptist preacher any day. (his own words)
[SMILING]
Each of these stories were touching to me.
You see, I lived in Knoxville TN
for the past 8 years of my life.
And every day I had to defend my claim
to be a true Christian.
It's not the first time that politics have brought attention to the church.
I recently heard JFK's address from
way back when at
the Mormon tabernacle in Salt Lake City
and fell even more in love with the man.
A while back I sent an e-mail to a friend about my beliefs. I kept feeling God nudging me to do so. It didn't turn out so well. She got upset with me and I felt really bad. I don't go through my days trying to offend people, but I do try to follow the voice of God on a daily basis.
After her e-mails condemning me and my church I took comfort in the verse of the Bible that talks about how Christ was persecuted so why should we not be persecuted for His sake?
I can honestly say that I don't know of any church out there that today receives more persecution than mine? It's funny because in a way that is an even greater testimony builder for me.
I know I open a can of worms here, and I know that I lose readers on my blog because I talk openly about my faith, but I choose to lose readers because when this life is over and God asks me about my blog, I want to look at him with a clear conscience when I say that I tried to make every aspect of my life a testament to Him.
Here are some of the doctrines I love the most about my faith, straight from The Holy Bible.
1 Peter 5:22(Mine is the only church that I know of that no one receives any money for filling a ministry) aFeed the bflock of God which is among you, taking thecoversightthereof, not by constraint, but dwillingly; not for efilthyflucre, but of a ready mind
John 20:17 (Jesus and His Father are seperate) Jesus saith unto her, aTouch me not; for I am not yetbascended to my cFather: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my dFather, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.
John 17 (Why would Jesus pray to His father if they weren't distinct individuals?) The Intercessory Prayer
Amos 3:7 (God designed a pattern of dealing with his children on earth by calling prophets if he is the same forever why would he change that?) Surely the Lord God will do nothing, abut he brevealethhiscsecret unto his servants the dprophets.
1 Corinthians 15:29 (baptism for the dead - do you know any other church who practices it) Else what shall they do which are abaptizedbfor the dead, if the dead crise not at all? why are they then baptized for the ddead?
1 Corinthians 15:40-41 (three degrees of glory compared to the sun moon and stars - any other church you know of talk about this) aThere are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the bcelestialis one, and the glory of the cterrestrialis another. There is one glory of the asun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the bstars: for one star cdiffereth fromanother star in dglory.
Hebrews 5:5-6 (Do you know any other church that has the lesser priesthood Aaronic and the higher priesthood Melchizedek?)And no man taketh this ahonour unto himself, but he that isbcalled of God, as wascAaron. So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my aSon, to day have I begotten thee. As he saith also in another place, Thou art a apriestbfor ever after the order of cMelchisedec.
Malachi 4 (this talks about the prohet Elijah appearing to open the work of sealing - the hearts of the children turned to their fathers - sealings can only be performed in God's temple - do you belong to a church with a temple? What if I told you that Elijah already appeared and that this work was already happening preparing the way for the Second Coming? You wouldn't believe it because it is just way too spectacular, right?) Behold, I will asend you bElijah the prophet cbefore the coming of the dgreat and dreadful eday of the Lord:And he shall aturn the bheart of the cfathers to the dchildren, and the heart of the echildren to their fathers, lest I come and fsmitethe gearth with a hcurse.
Here is another little ditty that has been in my filing cabinet for years. If it doesn't get you thinking, I don't know what will.
The true church must have the same organization as Christ's Church (Ephesians 4:11-14) The true church must have a foundation of Apostles and Prophets (Ephesians 2:19-20) The true church must claim divine authority (Hebrews 5:4) The true church must baptize by immersion (Matthew 3:13-16) The true church must bestow the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands (Acts 8:14-17) The true church must practice divine healing (Mark 3:14-15) The true church must be a missionary church (Matthew 28:19-20)
By their fruits ye shall know them. (Matthew 7:20)
The fruits:
I don't know of any other church that has grown as fast. From 1 to 12 million members in 200 years.
I don't know of any other church that gives as much community service or humanitarian service.
I don't know any other church that has teenage kids that go to Bible study at 6 am on school days worldwide.
I don't know of any other church with 10's of thousands of missionaries serving throughout the world at any given time.
I know a whole lot of really good people (the best) who are members of my church.
I don't know of any other church that is completely run by unpaid volunteers.
I don't know of any other church that teaches self-reliance and emergency preparedness like mine.
Our church welfare system is a-maz-ing. Heads of states and countries look to it as an ideal.
Mormons are known for their focus on family and the strength of their families.
How about that Mormon Tabernacle choir?
Anyhow, that is probably enough for today. I could go on and on about all the great things about my church. I could sit here for weeks and talk scripture and philosophy, but if I know one thing it is that when it comes to God, nothing can teach a person better than the Holy Ghost. He testifies of all truth. So I will leave you with the testimony that I have gained through the power of The Holy Ghost. I have prayed, fasted, and studied diligently to receive answers from God, ever since I was a kid. My testimony is a culmination of my life's efforts and with this I will leave you.
My testimony is this I do belong to The Church of Jesus Christ I believe that Christ's original church was lost in apostasy when Christ himself was crucified and all of his original apostles were murdered.
I believe that this same Jesus Christ, the Savior of mankind, appeared to a 14 year old boy named Joseph Smith in a grove of trees in upstate New York in 1820. Jesus Christ told Joseph Smith to join no existing church because as prophesied they all draw close with their hearts but not with their hearts. Christ then called Joseph Smith to be a modern day prophet and modern day prophets have been on the earth ever since then. I listen intently to the words of these living prophets and apostles every 6 months and try to change my actions according to the counsel that they give. They are truly inspired leaders and testify of Christ in word and deed.
I get mocked for these beliefs, but I could never deny them because my religion is true. The Holy Ghost testifies this to me repeatedly.
We are nicknamed Mormons because we have The Book of Mormon, The Book of Mormon is a second witness of Jesus Christ and takes nothing from the Bible but adds to it. It is through the teachings of both the Bible and The Book of Mormon that I have tried to build my life on the rock, who is Christ. One of the scriptures in The Book of Mormon prophesies of a day when people would say, "Bible Bible, we've got a bible", as an argument against The Book of Mormon, but to me all one needs to do is consider that The New Testament built on the Old Testament and think about the hundreds of sects that all believe differently from that same Bible to know that additional revelation is needed for clarification.
I believe that one of the greatest blessings I have as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ, besides eternal salvation through Christ, is that my family has been sealed together for time and all eternity in the temple of the Lord. I can't imagine living a day without this knowledge. It buoys me up and has helped so many stand strong in faith after they've lost a loved one.
Most of all, I believe in Christ. He is my King. He is my Jesus. He lives. He is my best friend. He has given me a flawless example of how to live my life and he atoned for my sins by giving His own life. He thought of me and my struggles and worries while he bled from every pore in the Garden of Gethsemane. He suffered so I don't have to. I have witnessed Jesus Christ work miracles in my life and the lives of many others and I would be lost without Him, in this mortal life and in the immortal life to come.
The Alias by Mandi Slack
