Thursday, April 28, 2016

The Mormon Missionary by Robert Lively



Lively is a retired (non-LDS) religious studies professor who has written a non-judgmental, thorough, and fascinating study of the LDS missionary program. Every prospective missionary should read this; most members of the church and many non-members as well would find it well worth the time.

Tuesday, April 26, 2016

Subversive Jesus by Craig Greenfield



Part of this were phenomenal and parts really, really annoyed me.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel



So here's the thing: this is a decent read, but when the marketing people compare it to World War Z and The Martian, they set it up to fail by pegging the expectations way, way too high. 

Review copy provided by publisher.

Monday, April 25, 2016

The Mormon Jesus: A Biography by John G. Turner



Important and fascinating.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Saturday, April 23, 2016

Nim's Island by Wendy Orr



I listened to this with T for his book group. It's a decent story.

Tuesday, April 19, 2016

Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld



I completely enjoyed this. It was fun and funny--and I'm not even a Pride & Prejudice fan.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Before We Visit the Goddess by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni



I really, really liked this. It was well-plotted, not derivative, with complex characters.

Review copy provided by publisher.


Wednesday, April 13, 2016

The Submission by Amy Waldman



Phenomenally good.

Tuesday, April 12, 2016

Thirst by Benjamin Waner



Interesting premise, but it just seemed to drag.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Monday, April 11, 2016

Pandora's Lunchbox by Melanie Warner



Not terribly well-written, but interesting (and depressing).


The American Way of Eating by Tracie McMillan



Fascinating and depressing.

Tuesday, April 05, 2016

Glory Over Everything by Kathleen Grissom



There are some poignant moments and great suspense here. However, at several points, the plot flows only due to bizarre coincidences, and the ending was completely unrealistic.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Miller's Valley by Anna Quindlen



I really, really liked this. Very well done.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Keep Me Posted by Lisa Beazley



This was fun and funny. A great light read, even if the ending was a bit too perfect.

Review copy provided by publisher.


The Translation of Love by Lynne Kutsukake



I really enjoyed reading this (you could tell she did her research), but the ending was a little weak.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Friday, April 01, 2016

The Curious Case of Kiryas Joel by Louis Grumet



I was completely fascinated by this. If you are interested in constitutional law, religious minority practice and life, and how government works, you need to read this.

Review copy provided by publisher.

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