Looking for a good book?

I'm always on the lookout for something good to read. By that I mean something that can hold my interest, is well written, and does not contain anything offensive. There are all kinds of books that could meet the first two criteria, but not the third. Too often, I am intrigued by the back blurb and get caught up in the story, only to find it's a "page skipper." You know, those books where you can tell a sex scene is coming up, skip two or three pages, and pick up the story again. Usually, the skipped pages are gratuitous. If I just ripped them right out of the book, it wouldn't make any difference to the plot. Some books have violence that is so graphic it just turns my stomach. I don't want to read things like that. It is commonplace for authors to have their characters use language I find offensive.

I don't like to waste my money or time on books I have to self-edit, or stop reading all together. Even worse is paying for a book that is poorly written. There are some books I have read, or struggled valiantly to read but couldn't finish, that should have had some major rewriting and editing before they were published. What were those publishers thinking?


But I have a great new source to find books worth reading. The second annual Whitney Awards were held last weekend in conjunction with the sixth annual LDStorymakers Writers Conference. The Whitneys were named for Elder Orson F. Whitney, an apostle of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who stated, "We shall yet have Miltons and Shakespeares of our own. . . . In God’s name and by His help we will build up a literature whose tops will touch the heaven, though its foundation may now be low on the earth.” The Whitney Awards recognize the best works by LDS writers each year. For a long list of books worth reading, here are the five finalists in each category:

Best Novel of the Year

Bound on Earth
by Angela Hallstrom

Fool Me Twice
by Stephanie Black

The Hero of Ages (Mistborn, Book Three)
by Brandon Sanderson

Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow
by Jessica Day George

Traitor
by Sandra Grey

Best Novel by a New Author

Bound on Earth
by Angela Hallstrom

The Reckoning
by Tanya Parker Mills

Spare Change
by Aubrey Mace

Traitor
by Sandra Grey

Waiting For the Light to Change
by Annette Hawes

Best General Fiction

Bound on Earth
by Angela Hallstrom

Fields of Home
by Rachel Ann Nunes

Keeping Keller
by Tracy Winegar

The Reckoning
by Tanya Parker Mills

Waiting For the Light to Change
by Annette Hawes

Best Historical

Abinadi
by H. B. Moore

Isabelle Webb, Legend of the Jewel
by N. C. Allen

Master
by Toni Sorenson

The Ruby
by Jennie Hansen

Traitor
by Sandra Grey

Best Speculative Fiction

Ender in Exile
by Orson Scott Card

The Great and Terrible: From the End of Heaven (Vol. 5)
by Chris Stewart

The Hero of Ages (Mistborn, Book 3)
by Brandon Sanderson

The Host
by Stephenie Meyer

The Wyrmling Horde: The Seventh Book of the Runelords
by David Farland

Best Youth Fiction

The 13th Reality
by James Dashner

Alcatraz vs. The Scrivner's Bones
by Brandon Sanderson

Fablehaven: Grip of the Shadow Plague (Book 3)
by Brandon Mull

Farworld: Water Keep
by J. Scott Savage

Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow
by Jessica Day George

Best Mystery/Suspense

Above and Beyond
by Betsy Brannon Green

Do No Harm
by Gregg Luke

Fool Me Twice
by Stephanie Black

Freefall
by Traci Hunter Abramson

Royal Target
by Traci Hunter Abramson

Best Romance

Seeking Persephone
by Sarah Eden

Servant to a King
by Sariah Wilson

The Sound of Rain
by Anita Stansfield

Spare Change
by Aubrey Mace

Taking Chances
by Shannon Guymon

And here are this year's winners!

2008 Best Novel of the Year

2008 Best Novel by a New Author

2008 Best General Fiction

2008 Best Historical

2008 Best Speculative Fiction

2008 Best Youth Fiction

2008 Best Mystery/Suspense

2008 Best Romance

Happy reading!

My Happy Picture

My husband took this picture one spring morning. It makes me feel like spring will come again, even though there are several feet of snow outside right now. Sometimes, I need the reminder.

Obama Watch 2009, So Far, So Good

I will admit up front that I did not vote for Barack Obama. I voted for Sarah Palin, because I wanted the type of change she embodied. (I'm a female, Christian, mother, and a compassionate conservative, just so you know.) However, I listened to the President's speech yesterday and was impressed. He is very eloquent. If he can live up to some of the things he spoke of, that will be a good thing. In hindsight, other presidents' inaugural addresses also sounded very good (*cough* Clinton *cough*), but the actual record is less than impressive. So I plan to watch what President Obama does in the next four years, and let my opinions be heard. I'm not a political activist (yet), but I'm learning.

Today, I read the news that President Obama has frozen the salaries of around 100 White House employees who make over $100,000 a year. (Hey, Mr. President, I know a few people who might be willing to work at the White House for less than $100,000 a year, if you're really wanting to tighten things up.)

Not raising salaries in this economic climate seems to be a sensible thing.

President Obama has also imposed some strict limits on lobbying. In a nutshell,if aides leave his staff, they are banned from lobbying the administration. New hires will be banned from working on matters they once lobbied on or with agencies they once worked for. Lobbyists are banned from giving gifts of any size to any member of Obama's administration. And if someone leaves his administration, they are not allowed to try to influence a former colleague for two years.

Has no one restricted lobbying before? That's just common sense.

And President Obama is also loosening up public access to information. He has instructed government agencies to not look for ways to prevent access, but to find reasons to give access. He stated, "For a long time now, there's been too much secrecy in this city."

You tell 'em, Mr. President.

I'm sure many people could make good arguments against some of these policies. To me, President Obama is making the first steps toward running the country like a good business. But this is only Obama's second (official) day in office. Let's wait and see what the fallout is, and what he does next. Remember Matthew 7:16-20. "By their fruits ye shall know them."

If you want to comment on what the President does, or tell him what you think needs to be done, follow these links.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/
or
The Office of Public Liaison & Intergovernmental Affairs (OPL-IGA)

Help an American Soldier

"The way to have good soldiers is to treat them rightly...
A private soldier has as much right to
justice as a major general."
Abraham Lincoln 1809-1865




Soldiers are trained to follow orders. Failure to follow orders is called insubordination. But what happens when a soldier follows orders, but then is used as a scapegoat for political reasons? This is what happened in the case of Sgt. Evan Vela, from Idaho. He was sentenced to 10 years for killing an unarmed Iraqi civilian on the order of his commanding officer. Sgt. Vela's family has been tireless in their pursuit of justice. Their last best hope is a pardon from President Bush. The following was on the local news tonight.

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (AP) - The father of an eastern Idaho soldier says he has received a letter from the White House confirming that his request that his son be pardoned by President Bush is being "seriously considered."

Curtis Carnahan says he received the letter last week.

Sgt. Evan Vela, a 24-year-old U.S. Army sniper, was convicted in February and sentenced to 10 years in prison for killing an unarmed Iraqi civilian who stumbled upon him and five other soldiers sleeping on May 11, 2007.

Vela also was convicted of planting an AK-47 on the dead man's body and of lying to military investigators.

Carnahan says he's hopeful the president will do something to free Vela.

(A note here: Sgt. Vela's team leader, Staff Sgt. Michael Hensley, admitted under oath that he had ordered Sgt. Vela to shoot the man, who he felt was a threat to the safety of their team, and that he, Sgt. Hensley, was the one who planted the AK-47 on the dead man's body.)

So far, President Bush has pardoned an embezzler, a moonshiner, a bootlegger, a drug runner, a poacher, a counterfeiter, and a car thief. He has pardoned mail fraud, food stamp fraud, armed bank robbery, unlawful disposal of hazardous waste, tax fraud, and making false statements on a bank loan. To date, President Bush has pardoned 191 people and commuted the sentences of 9 people.

Wouldn't it be a little more expedient for the President to pardon an American soldier who was following orders and was then used as a scapegoat for political reasons?


Go to www.freeevanvela.com to find out how you can help Sgt. Evan Vela and his family.

Happy New Year!

There is something empowering about New Year's Day, like anything is possible if I just start today. I'm still the same person I was yesterday. My socioeconomic status has not changed. My environment is pretty much the same, except our good neighbor used his new tractor to clear the knee-deep snow from our parking area and deposit it in a 5-foot pile on the lawn.

Everyone seems skeptical lately about New Year's resolutions, probably with good reason. But every year I have the feeling that THIS time, I will stick with the goals I make. I usually feel the thrill of success for a while. I make charts and graphs and detail my progress in my journal, which I vow to write in daily. Then somehow my real life intrudes on my ideal life and I abandon my grandiose ambitions and end up in the same old rut.

This year I am starting over again, but more realistically, I hope. For instance, I have set only three goals, instead of 15 or 20. I will record my progress, but not to the point that updating my charts and graphs consumes all my free time. A simple check mark on a calendar (or maybe a cute sticker) should be enough.

So to take it public, here are my goals for 2009 (so far).

I will read from the scriptures daily, probably each night before bed. But if the opportunity presents itself, I will read them in the morning or on my lunch break. I've done this before, sometimes for months without fail, but the habit is too easy to break. Life just seems to go better when I take the time to read God's word.

I will write every day, preferably for my current WIP, but I will give myself credit for journalling and blog posts. I have thought about recording word counts for the day, but that seems too close to the chart and graph territory.

I will record (honestly) what I eat every day. Notice I did not use the D word. I hate dieting. I've done at least three rounds with Weight Watchers, two with Diet Center. It all works, until I reach the screaming-with-frustration point. I don't like someone else telling me what I can and cannot do, and diet programs are no exception. And sometimes I just can't face another green leafy vegetable and I need a vacation. However, I have learned from WW and DC that simply paying attention to what I am eating and how much I am eating works for me. It circumvents mindless eating. I can go through half a bag of white corn tortilla chips in one sitting if I'm not paying attention. My real goal here is to take eating off autopilot and see what happens.

That's it so far. I've already earned two stickers today and I'm closing in on the third. I think I'll make it. Wish me luck.

Worthy Is The Lamb, Hallelujah - TNT orphanage, Aizawl India

Wouldn't you just love to take a bunch of these children home and adopt them? (Especially the two little guys falling asleep at the beginning.)

Silent Night - Enya (singing in Gaelic)