Lost in Shangri-La by Mitchell Zuckoff

This was pretty good.

Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis

I read this to the boys. It was quite good.

Mark 1-8 by Joel Marcus

So if you are a long-time reader of this blog, you may have noticed that about a year ago, things changed around here. The number of books I read was cut roughly in half and I pretty much only read fluff.

Well, there's a reason for that: I started working on a big project and so my leisure reading was drastically cut back (to, basically, a few minutes before bed, doctors' waiting rooms, swimming pools, etc.). That big project involves reading about two dozen commentaries on the Gospel of Mark. This is the first review that's going up for those commentaries and I know you are dying of anticipation for the other ones, but it will probably be a few years: you're only getting this one now because it's one of the rare two-volume ones.

So: Of the roughly two dozen commentaries that I am reading on Mark, this one is in the top three because of his careful attention to literary issues, particularly resonances from the Hebrew Bible. I do detest the Anchor Bible format (it's redundant and redundant), but the content makes up for it.

Rereading Job by Michael Austin

There is something new under the sun! Michael Austin's reading of Job is faithful and critical, learned and accessible, serious and witty. And while his primary focus is on literary concerns, he doesn't neglect the historical development of the book. Austin has not only cracked open Job, but he has also set a new gold standard for Mormon writings about scripture by seamlessly blending serious biblical studies, the Western literary tradition, theological reflection, and personal insight into one remarkably well-written book.

Review copy provided by publisher.

A Tangle of Knots by Lisa Graff

Possibly the oddest book I have ever read. 

The Confessions of Frances Godwin by Robert Hellenga

Great premise here, lots of interesting ideas, but this just didn't come together.

Review copy provided by publisher.

One Plus One by Jojo Moyes

I liked this. Yes, I am a complete sucker for Jojo Moyes. You want British chick lit, she's your man!

Review copy provided by publisher.

The Girl with All the Gifts by M. R. Carey

And we have another exception to my "no books about zombies" rule (the other is World War Z): this book was excellent. And like WWZ, it isn't really about zombies; it is about ethics. And the character development was fabulous. And it was suspenseful and unpredictable. Recommended.

Review copy provided by publisher.

A Question of Honor by Charles Todd

I don't know why I keep reading this series. They are never that good.

Summer House with Swimming Pool by Herman Koch

I rarely get mad at books, but I'm mad at this one. The plot! The characters! The vulgarity! The pointlessness!

Review copy provided by publisher.

Mormon Christianity by Stephen Webb

Mormon Christianity: What Other Christians Can Learn From the Latter-day Saints

If you are interested in an appreciation of LDS theology from a non-LDS perspective, this is an interesting choice.

Remember Me Like This by Bret Anthony Johnston

Great potential, thick setting, but this book tried to be six different books and just didn't work.

Review copy provided by publisher.

The Brainy Bunch by Mona Lisa and Kip Harding

The Hardings are homeschooling parents who have prepared their children to start college by age 10-12. The book is written by both parents and contains essays written by the children.

If you think starting college before puberty is a good idea, the lack of organization, stylistic infelicities, generally poor writing skills, and illogical positions that pepper this book will convince you otherwise. I've reviewed over 1,000 books on this blog and I'd be hard pressed to find a half dozen that were as poorly written as this one.

The temptation to do a line-by-line response to this book is great, but I'm going to resist it because it just isn't worth the time. I will mention how jarring it is that they pivot from describing how terrible classroom-based instruction is to how quickly they encouraged their children to enter into it, from the financial difficulties of paying for college for ten kids to references to children taking intermediate algebra and Spanish in college, from the importance of spending time as a family to having mid-teens live away from home and pre-teens in college during the day. I will also say that they remind me of people who seem very proud that they traveled all the way through Europe in just three days, without considering that there might be some benefit to slowing down a little and spending more time exploring instead of trying to set a land-speed record.

If this book were simply describing their family's personal experience, I would hesitate to criticize their choices, but they are advocating this unusual path. It is a terrible idea explained in a terrible book.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Ruin Falls by Jenny Milchman

So this was very engaging, very suspenseful, but then the resolution was kind of lame.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Still Life with Breadcrumbs by Anna Quindlen

Enormously satisfying.

I Will Lead You Along: The Life of Henry B. Eyring by Henry J. Eyring

Things I liked:

1. More frank than your average LDS-leader-bio hagiography (but this isn't Rough Stone Rolling).

2. Lots of excerpts from President Eyring's journal, which provided lots of in-the-moment color.

3. Most church members know the leaders just as conference speakers which, of course, plays to the strengths of some but not to others. President Eyring's speaking style is not one of my favorites (I think it is that second person address thing), so it was good to see a different side of him.

4. His sketches. Wow.

Things I didn't:

1. I've said this about other bios, but it is disturbing to see how much time they spend away from their families, both in their professions and in their church callings.

2. There is something . . . vaguely unfortunate/unsettling . . . about the insularity of church leaders as portrayed in this book. It makes me feel like a Bad Person to say that, but you really get the feeling that they and their multi-generational LDS families and their overlapping educations/career/calling paths exist within a bubble that is largely separate from the rest of the church.

The Here and Now by Ann Brashares

Decent, but the characters were flat and it seemed too-obviously set up for a sequel.

Review copy provided by publisher.

The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

I can't remember the last time I enjoyed a book this much. I was just completely charmed by this one.

Letters to a Young Mormon by Adam Miller

I did a sort of joint review of this book at Times & Seasons.

Review copy provided by publisher.

The Mapmaker's Daughter by Laurel Corona

It really irks me when historical fiction forgets or ignores the fact that people in times past did not have the same mind-set (supporting feminism, individualism, self-determination, etc.) that we have today. But I can almost forgive this book for committing that most common of sins because the setting was so interesting. But the plotting and writing were pretty mediocre, and the setting wasn't enough to overcome all of those weaknesses.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Sycamore Row by John Grisham

I actually kind of liked this.

How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff

meh

We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler

I can't figure out why this book has won so many awards and why everyone seems to love it. There were a few bright spots here, but it really did nothing for me.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Growing Up Duggar by Jill, Jinger, Jessa, and Jana Duggar

So I'm not exactly the target audience for this book--that would be teen evangelical girls who don't find it odd to get advice from people barely older than they are. Instead, I read this with my anthropologist hat on; I am somewhat embarrassed to admit to my fascination with the Duggars, but I find their approach to Christianity/parenting/homeschooling/lifestyle to be lovely, compelling, and horrifying. 

Review copy provided by publisher.

Three Wishes by Liane Moriarty

I'm normally a huge Liane Moriarty fangirl, but there were way too many subplots here and this just didn't work.

Mr. Revere and I by Robert Lawson

I read this to the boys. Maybe my expectations were too high because Ben and Me was so good, but I didn't love this.