Camino Winds

 

Camino Winds by John Grisham
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

We listened to this mystery on a road trip. It is the 2nd in the series. Grisham is great for keeping the driver awake on a road trip. (Not so much the passenger!) But I heard most of it. It was a good murder mystery. 3 stars

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The Tao of Pooh

 

Non-Fiction  Physical book

Being a Pooh fan, I really wanted to love this book.  I have always felt that Winnie-the-Pooh was written for adults and has so much simple wisdom in it.  But I felt this book was more about explaining Taoism than Poohism.  2 ½ stars .

Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man

 

Physical book   Historical Fiction

Not since Cee Cee Honeycutt have we had such a delightful, lovable young narrator to tell the story.  This is Daisy Fay’s coming of age story and it could not be told in a better way. Though Daisy Fay has a very difficult life and circumstances, she powers through with humor, courage, and aplomb.  As soon as I finished, I looked if there was a sequel, but there is not.  But I have several other Fannie Flagg books to read.  This was my first, but will not be my last!  5 shiny stars!

March Book Club: Theo of Golden

 We love our monthly google chat book club discussions with our daughters.  We always start with everyone reporting on what is happening in their lives.  

At our Thanksgiving gathering, I gave each of them a copy of my new favorite book: Theo of Golden.  They all usually only listen to audiobooks.  At that time Theo wasn't available on audio, so I bought them each a copy and challenged them to read it.  They all did and loved it.  All five of us loved it.  I have read hundreds of books in my life.  Right now, I would say this is my favorite book ever.  We had such a good discussion.  Ken had just finished it and shared many excellent quotes from the book.  Everyone provided amazing insights.  We love discussing books with our daughters.

If you haven't read or listened (it is available on audio now), we highly recommend it!   

A Twon Called Solace

 

A Town Called Solace by Mary Lawson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Modern Fiction Physical Book
I loved this book! This is my kind of book: Character-driven, modern fiction. It is set in northern Canada. It is the story of a distraught family whose teenage daughter has run away and her greatly disturbed little sister. A very depressed man moves in next door. He is going through a divorce. It is the beautiful story of how they help each other. There are other endearing characters as well, all of whom I am missing. I want a sequel to find out what happens to them. It teaches that our actions greatly affect others- sometimes in profound and long-term ways. It is such a good story and so beautifully written. 5+ stars.


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Born a Crime

Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Non-fiction memoir Physical book
This was an immersion in another country, culture, and race. I learned so much. I enjoyed Noah’s sense of humor and candid storytelling.


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I'm OK

 

The Blue Bistro

 Modern fiction/ Chic lit    Physical book  2 1/2 stars

It seems that the 3-star rating is a catch all for the medium books.  Some of the books I give 3 stars to I really quite liked.  Others, like this one, are okay, but in the lower part of the 3-star rating.

I didn’t like Thatcher.  What did Adrienne see in him?  I honestly didn’t love Adrienne that much either.  I spent a lot of time with these people.  I wish I had liked them. 

This book didn’t have much of a plot.  Trying to summarize the story made me realize there wasn’t much of a story.

Sipsworth

 

Modern Fiction    Audiobook 

What?  An old lady who is friends with a mouse?  It sounds like a book I would not want to read but it ended up being a delightful book about so much more.  The audiobook was very well done.

 

March, 2026

My husband and I just relistened to this on a road trip.  We both enjoyed it and lessons it teaches.

The Holy Sealing

 

Religious Non-fiction   Physical Book

I loved this little book that gives so many insights into the crowning sealing ordinance.

Practicing Medicine in My Hometown

 

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book written by Ken's good friend, a retired doctor.  He told many experiences of being a small town doctor- one who does everything.  It reminded me a lot of my own father and his life as a doctor before hospitals and insurance companies ruled the business.  I loved his attitude of truly wanting to help and heal others.

The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell

 

Fiction   Physical Book   2 1/2 stars.  Disappointing.

Orphan Train

 

Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Historical Fiction Physical Book
This well written book tells of a time in our American history that I knew nothing about. Orphans in New York City were put on a train destined for the Midwest where families adopted them. Many, maybe most, wanted them to be laborers and servants. That was the fate of Vivian. We meet Vivian when she is a 91 year old lady in need of help cleaning out her attic. Molly, a seventeen-year-old takes on the job as court-ordered community service.
As the two work together, Molly learns Vivian’s sad story. They develop an unexpected friendship as Molly’s present life parallels with Vivian’s. It is a sad story, but a powerful one. 5 stars from me.


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A Home Full of Books

 This pretty much describes our house:

The Housemaid

 

The Housemaid by Freida McFadden
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Physical Book Psychological Thriller
Oh my. This may not be my genre. It was scary. But it was very well-written and entertaining. It kept me turning pages. Will I continue with the series? No. 3 stars


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All Creatures Great and Small

 

Non-Fiction    Physical Book

I loved this delightful book.  My mom gave it to me as a Christmas gift in 1983 and I finally got around to reading it.  I am so glad.  It truly is a treasure.  It isn’t a page turner, but always a delightful read.  Each chapter is a story from Herriot’s first couple of years as a veterinary surgeon in the English countryside. I am excited to watch the series on PBS.  4 ½ stars

Pachinko

 

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Physical book Historical Fiction/ Family Saga
A beautifully written immersion into another culture with excellent character development. This describes the first part of the book. But then the beautiful language flow changes and the plot gets sorted and raunchy. It’s almost like two different books. Overall, I’m glad I read it. But I honestly can’t recommend it because of the raunchy scenes near the end. I did learn from the strong characters and of the history of these times in Korea and Japan.


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I Think That's My Dad!

 Ken was reading the book Saints at War.  It is stories of Latter-Day Saints that have fought in wars.  He read about a special conference held for Latter-Day Saint soldiers in Okinawa in 1945.  The story was accompanied by a picture of the large gathering.  He looked at it and exclaimed, "I think that's my dad!"  His father, Lavar Hinton, was stationed on Ie Shima island at that time.  Latter-Day saint soldiers from the islands all around were transported by boat to this conference.  Ken vaguely remembered reading in his dad's journal about him attending this conference.

The drawn line points to who we think is Lavar.

Ken then went to Lavar's journal and found the entry.  A man named Jack Lemmon is mentioned in the journal.  Jack was also from Hurricane.  We now serve in the temple with Jack's son Jim, who is also a sealer.  We are so glad both men were preserved in this war.

January Family Book Club: The Summer of Yes

 We recently held our virtual family book club.  Shonna was in charge and chose the book, The Summer of Yes by *Courtney Walsh.  It was a good discussion about the story which taught the importance of saying yes to ourselves instead of always saying no (which is so my nature- I'm not very adventurous.)  We had a good discussion on the book as well as getting caught up with each other.  We love these times with our precious, insightful daughters.

*Courtney Walsh is committed to writing "clean, no spice" books.  She is a "safe" author.

The Heart of Winter

 

Physical book   Fiction 5 stars

I loved this sweet story of an elderly couple.  The wife is diagnosed with cancer.  As she goes through that horrendous ordeal, there are flashbacks of their life together- the ups and downs of married life.  Is it action-packed?  No.  But it is exactly the kind of book I love, causing me to reflect on my own life and making me want to do better.  5 stars.