The Christmas Sweater

#1 New York Times bestselling author and renowned radio and television host Glenn Beck delivers an instant holiday classic about boyhood memories, wrenching life lessons, and the true meaning of the gifts we give to one another in love.We weren't wealthy, we weren't poor -- we just were. We never wanted for anything, except maybe more time together....When Eddie was twelve years old, all he wanted for Christmas was a bike. Although his life had gotten harder -- and money tighter -- since his father died and the family bakery closed...Eddie dreamed that somehow his mother would find a way to have his dream bike gleaming beside their modest Christmas tree that magical morning.What he got from her instead was a sweater. "A stupid, handmade, ugly sweater" that young Eddie left in a crumpled ball in the corner of his room.Scarred deeply by the realization that kids don't always get what they want, and too young to understand that he already owned life's most valuable treasures, that Christmas morning was the beginning of Eddie's dark and painful journey on the road to manhood. It will take wrestling with himself, his faith, and his family -- and the guidance of a mysterious neighbor named Russell -- to help Eddie find his path through the storm clouds of life and finally see the real significance of that simple gift his mother had crafted by hand with love in her heart.Based on a deeply personal true story, The Christmas Sweater is a warm and poignant tale of family, faith and forgiveness that offers us a glimpse of our own lives -- while also making us question if we really know what's most important in them. 

My Dream of Heaven by Rebecca Ruter Springer

Have you ever tried to imagine what heaven will be like? Originally published in 1898, this classic offers one woman's vision of her eternal home. You'll find new confidence that God has prepared a place for you and excitement at a future reunion with loved ones who have gone on before

Rich Dad, Poor Dad

It is a SHORT, easy-reading financial book that helps us at least consider a few financial mentalities that could help us. It is a worthwhile read. Robert was raised with two different father figures, one that thought "poor" and had "poor" financial strategies. The other thought "rich", not just positive thinking, but smart. He brings out the point that sometimes we teach ourselves to think and act "poor" and therefore keep ourselves that way.

- Chad Morris

Undaunted Courage

Written by Stephen Ambrose, is a 1996 biography of Meriwether Lewis and the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The book is based on journals written by Lewis and Clark, along with others in the expedition, and also offers additional insight into the travelers and their thoughts. The book outlines the expedition in great detail, from encounters with Native Americans, trading, wildlife, what the explorers ate, and the route the expedition took. The text is supplemented by maps, and illustrations drawn by Lewis himself. Brief biographies of the major members of the expedition (Lewis, Clark, Sacagawea, etc.) are also offered.

Left To Tell

Left to Tell by Immaculee Ilibagiza

Immaculée shares her miraculous story of how she survived during the Rwanda genocide in 1994 when she and seven other women huddled silently together in the cramped bathroom of a local pastor’s house for 91 days! In this captivating and inspiring book, Immaculée shows us how to embrace the power of prayer, forge a profound and lasting relationship with God, and discover the importance of forgiveness and the meaning of truly unconditional love and understanding—through our darkest hours. 

1776 by David McCullough

How do you bring seat-of-the-pants excitement to events that took place 229 years ago? And when the ending is known to all? Master historian and Pulitzer Prize-winning author David McCullough answers these questions emphatically by putting a human face to the events of 1776, when a valiant rag-tag bunch of American farmers, plumbers, and blacksmiths fought the British to secure independence for America. McCullough combed through mountains of historic documents on both sides of the Atlantic to write the narrative of this most important period in American history. His efforts pay off in spades because the reader is caught up with the people and the events, which are portrayed in such fine detail that the excitement is palpable until the very end, even though the outcome is known.

Colonial leaders in America were determined to free themselves of British rule. They charged George Washington to lead an army to force the British off American land. For Washington, the task was easier said than done. His army, if an untrained, underfunded group of people of varying age groups and physical ability can be called one, was up against arguably the greatest army in the world. The British had professional soldiers - well trained, well clothed and well fed - and a crack team of leaders who had fought many wars and were keen military strategists. Perhaps this is the genesis of America’s enduring love and support of the underdog, for the American army was definitely the underdog and few gave any chances for their success. King George III, the English ruler, considered the Americans’ fight for freedom a minor uprising by ingrates and did not see the necessity for a large army to fight them. What Washington’s troops did and did successfully is told in riveting detail by McCullough, who makes every attempt to be fair to both sides.

Heroes abound in McCullough’s telling. There is Henry Knox, a bookseller by trade, who braved the elements to trek three hundred miles in harsh winter to bring much needed ammunition from Fort Ticonderoga to Boston. There is Nathanael Greene, a Rhode Island Quaker, who was made a general at the young age of thirty-three and had to pit his brains against astute British strategists.

And above all, there is George Washington. McCullough does not deify this icon of the American revolution. Instead, he portrays him warts and all, and Washington emerges as a fallible human, full of self-doubts when his strategies fail quite miserably in thwarting the British and the morale of the Americans plummet. Yet in the end, we see Washington as a true hero, as he does not give up on the American cause and forces; by sheer will of his personality, his troops soldier on, eking out small victories that cumulatively break the British spirit.

The book is history at its very best. It is a compelling read as we are ushered into ground zero of this pivotal moment in American history.

The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

She was born with her eyes closed and a word on her tongue, a word she could not taste. Her name was Anidori-Kiladra Talianna Isilee, Crown Princess of Kildenree, and she spent the first years of her life listening to her aunt’s stories and learning the language of the birds, especially the swans. And when she was older, she watched as a colt was born, and she heard the first word on his tongue, his name, Falada. 

From the Grimm’s fairy tale of the princess who became a goose girl before she could become queen, Shannon Hale has woven an incredible, original, and magical tale of a girl who must find her own unusual talents before she can lead the people she has made her own.

Leadership & Self-Deception

 

The "disease" of self-deception (acting in ways contrary to what one knows is right) underlies all leadership problems in today's organizations, according to the premise of this work. However well intentioned they may be, leaders who deceive themselves always end up undermining their own performance.This straightforward book explains how leaders can discover their own self-deceptions and learn how to escape destructive patterns. The authors demonstrate that breaking out of these patterns leads to improved teamwork, commitment, trust, communication, motivation, and leadership.

Fate Is The Hunter

Just to get you excited and captivated

"This fascinating, well-told autobiography is a complete refutation of   
the comfortable cliche that 'man is master of his fate.' As far as   
pilots are concerned, fate (or death) is a hunter who is constantly in   
pursuit of them.... There is nothing depressing about Fate Is the   
Hunter. There is tension and suspense in it but there is great humor   
too. Happily Gann never gets too technical for the layman to   
understand."- saturday review 

" This purely wonderful autobiographical volume is the best thing on   
flying and the meaning of flying that we have had since Antoine de   
Saint-Exupery took us aloft  on his winged prose in the late 1930's   
and early 1940's.... It is a splendid and many-faceted personal memoir   
that is not only one man's story but the story, in essence, of all men   
who fly."- Chicago sunday tribune

The Princess Bride by William Goldman

The Princess Bride is a timeless tale that pits country against country, good against evil, love against hate.  This incredible journey and artfully rendered love story is peppered with strange beasties monstrous and gentle, memorable surprises both terrible and sublime, and such unforgettable character as...
       Westley, the handsome farm boy who risks death (and much worse) for the woman he loves; Inigo, the Spanish swordsman who lives only to avenge his father's death; Fezzik, the gentlest giant ever to have uprooted a tree with his bare hands; Vizzini, the evil Sicilian, with a mind so keen he's foiled by his own perfect logic; Prince Humperdinck, the eviler ruler of Guilder, who has an equally insatiable thirst for war and the beauteous Buttercup; Count Rugen, the evilest man of all, who thrives on the excruciating pain of others; Miracle Max, the King's ex-Miracle Man, who can raise the dead (kind of); and of course, Buttercup...the princess bride, the most perfect, beautiful woman in the history of the world!

The Peacegiver

Our book for February is The Peacegiver: How Christ Offers to Heal Our Hearts and Homes. This is a profound and insightful book in story form. It teaches us to look deep within ourselves, to repent and change, drawing closer to our Savior Jesus Christ. In a world where blaming, rationalizing, and justifying are the norm; this book brings insight, understanding and truth. May this book renew your conviction to draw closer to the Savior and accept his atoning sacrifice in your life is my prayer. I hope you find it to be as influential and moving as I have found it to be. 

For a great background of the author as will as articles exploring the meaning and writing of The Peacegiver see www.deseretbook.com/authors under James L. Ferrell.

Peter and the Star Catchers/Peter Pan

Read either or both of these books for the month of January.  Peter Pan is of course a well known classic, while Peter and the Star Catchers is a prequel written after Peter Pan by the son of Barrie.  This should be an enjoyable read to kick off the new year.  Have fun and share your thoughts!!  We have had only limited discussion so far on this site.  Jenny and Shelly get gold stars but everyone else gets gray spots. ;-)