Influential and Favorite Books

There have been several books which have impacted me a lot over the past few years:

The Book of Mormon
And other various books and commentaries about the Book of Mormon, especially Book of Mormon Authorship Revisited put out by F.A.R.M.S. and By the Hand of Mormon by Terry L. Givens. I've lost count of the number of times I've read this book -- pretty much every year once or more since I was a small child. It has affected me at every stage of my life... it always has something I need. I am listening to it in German also, while I clean the kitchen... reading it in other languages brings a greater depth to my understanding, though I am still far off from understanding it all fully. I really like the two above mentioned books because they helped deepen my appreciation of this book and its complexity. I know this book contains God's words and it has increased my appreciation of my Savior and His knowledge of me.


Michael Pollan's books: The Omnivore's Dilemma and In Defense of Food.
These books made me re-think what I eat, and what I want my family to eat. In addition to these, Animal Vegetable Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver, and Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser also impacted me, but this one did so the most. I have been connecting many of these things to the gospel, so take it for what it's worth -- if you agree with me, fine... if not, fine. I think God meant for us to enjoy food, but the obesity epidemic which is not only a problem of the U.S. but many other countries seems to tell me that things are out of whack.
One very simple problem is we don't tend to eat our bread by the sweat of our brow anymore. Exercise is so important -- I know sometimes it can be hard to squeeze it in, but there are many ways to fit it, if we make it a priority. In the Strength of Youth pamphlet and the Gospel Principles manual printed by the church, we are encouraged to exercise at least 30 minutes a day. I don't think the farmers had as many issues with weight related health -- they could eat 'farmers' breakfasts with huge pancakes and eggs and bacon, because they were going to go out and work hard in the field.
Another problem is we eat too many processed foods -- a friend told me when her daughter asked her for a Fruit Snack she handed her a pear. Her daughter started wining -- 'No, I want a fruit snack'. A pear is a fruit snack -- it doesn't get any fruitier than the real deal. Too many kids are growing up not even knowing where certain foods come from -- the supermarket is not the source. This I think also is in line with the prophets counsel for us to plant a garden... I think it is helpful for us to know where our food comes from. On this note, FOOD INC (a film) shows the very disturbing truth about most of the meat we eat. Watching it always makes me want to follow the Word of Wisdom better and 'Eat Meat Sparingly'. Thomas Jefferson said that meat was supposed to be like a condiment to the vegetables, not the other way around. I feel that the way most meat is bred, grown, and slaughtered in our country is not in keeping with the gospel -- yes, we can eat meat, but we are also supposed to be good stewards and have a respect for life and God's beautiful creations.
The effect that these books have had on me is that I don't want to use as much meat; I've learned to make more things from scratch; I've bought more local and organically grown foods; I've started learning how to plant stuff and have a better garden. I also recommend Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfield (essentially learning how to use pureed veggies and fruits in what you make to boost nutritional content for your family and especially your kids).


The Small House Book by Jay Shafer
When I was on my mission in Germany, I lived in small 1 bedroom apartments. Sometimes, when we had mission conferences, there were 3 or 4 missionaries packed in one room. Most of the people I met in Germany lived in small apartments... some had large families. They lived happily in a lot less square footage than what the normal house in America has. The idea of the small house movement is that if we downsize some of our possessions and don't try to "keep up with the Jones'" we can save money and have more liberty to travel or do fun things with our family. Along these lines, Ryan and I also love the movies Holiday with Kathrine Hepburn and Carey Grant and You Can't Take it With You with Jimmy Stewart.
Ryan and I were going to move to a 3 bedroom apartment, but we decided to stay here. We moved both girls into the same bedroom last week after having spent a month in the living room. We'll save money being here, and can afford to take a small vacation this summer.


A Mom Just Like You by Vickie Farris
I have wondered for a while about home-schooling, because I was never impressed with the public school in my home-town and attended a little private school. It was a school where the roof leaked, the gym had tile and not a nice floor for sports, and the heaters seemed to work in the summer but not the winter. I went to this little school from kindergarten till I graduated and attended the university. It was a school where the teachers were experts in their field and taught pretty much without pay because they either had children attending, or believed passionately in education. My teachers were my friends., and many of them are still friends. This book has made me feel that home schooling, while difficult, could be possible... and at least taking a much more valiant effort to educate my children is possible.


Protecting the Gift by Gavin De Becker
Since we've had Amy I've wondered how we can protect them in this world that is becoming more lewd. This book, written by a leading expert on violence in America, is at times difficult to read, but made me feel much more empowered and that it can be possible to protect your children. I highly recommend it to anyone with children. He often calls it intuition, but the main jist is follow the spirit, be smart, and vigilant, and don't feel like you owe anyone an apology if you don't feel comfortable having your kid around them or if your child doesn't feel comfortable around them.


Better Basics for the Home
A cleaning book with tons of recipes for things you can make at home yourself -- for example, clove/cinnamon all purpose cleaner (makes my house smell like Christmas), lavender soap, shampoo and lotions. I really like it. I've always liked the idea of being able to make things myself -- guess it's the historian in me that wishes I could experience a small bit of what it was like roughing it as a pioneer, hewing the wood and drawing the old wet stuff. I've made some things I really like -- like home-made lotion with coconut oil, avocado oil, and jasmine essential oil, or the all purpose cleaners, or using straight vinegar instead of windex to clean my windows. I also have become a fan of BONAMI cleaner, though it's not home-made, but it gets the job done on the toilet and other surfaces better than vinegar. Others, like my time making my own toothpaste and shampoo haven't gone so well and I prefer buying them, until I can find a better recipe or if there's a natural disaster and no one can buy Crest anymore.


Now for fun:
The Guernsey Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shafer

Bellwether by Connie Wells

Funny in Farsi by Firoozeh Dumas

Yearning for the Living God by F. Enzio Busche

In the Eye of the Storm by Elder Groberg