Category Archives: Books

  The Work of Wolves by Kent Meyers (2004, Harvest Books. ISBN978-0-15-603123-4) I picked up this novel in a nice little bookstore in Hill City, SD when I was on vacation in the Black Hills. Other than the bookstore, Hill … Continue reading →

Mormonism for Dummies by Jana Riess and Christopher Kimball Bigelow (2005, Wiley Publishing, Inc., ISBN 0-7645-7195-8) Faith. Such a thin armor against the uncertainties of this world and what comes next. It would be easy to assail the faith of … Continue reading →

and the Wilderness Shall Blossom: Henry Benjamin Whipple by Anne Beiser Allen (2008, Afton Press, ISBN 978-1-890434-75-5) This book was a mistake from its inception: But don’t take that statement to mean this isn’t a thoroughly planned, well researched, and … Continue reading →

A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving (2009, Ballantine Books Edition, ISBN 978-0-345-41797-8) An apology to John Irving. I read, Until I Find You, his last published book until his recently released hardcover novel, Last Night in Twisted River. … Continue reading →

  Brigham Young by M.R. Werner (1925;  Hyperion, ISBN0-88355-254-x) The quintessential biography of Mormonism’s second president, self-proclaimed Moses, and most ardent polygamist, Brigham Young is written in somewhat antiquated language but is a well-researched, even-handed depiction of both the beginning … Continue reading →

  True Compass: a memoir by Edward M. Kennedy (2009; Twelve, ISBN 978-0-446-53925-8) OK. True confession time again. As a life-long Democrat, I grew up with a picture of President John F. Kennedy hanging in the den of my family’s … Continue reading →

The Blue Hour: A Life of jean Rhys by Lillian Pizzichini (2009; Norton, ISBN 978-0-393-05803-1) Sometimes, a good biography can read like a great novel. That’s the case with The Blue Hour. I would use the adjective “great” to modify … Continue reading →

Banned in Britain: Beating the Liberal Elite by Michael Savage (2009; Savage Productions, Inc., ISBN 978-4276-3401-6) Even an unabashed Liberal shouldn’t be afraid to learn something new. That’s why, when a Republican colleague of mine on the bench in Duluth … Continue reading →

The Shack: Where Tragedy Confronts Eternity by Wm. Paul Young (Windblown Media; 2007, ISBN 978-0-9647292-3-0) Whew! My wife handed me The Shack two days ago. I stuck up my nose at it because I knew the book by its reputation: … Continue reading →

Last Night at Twisted River by John Irving (Random House; 2009, ISBN 978-1-4000-6384-0) Cruising in the Caribbean is made for reading. Reading fiction. So, when my wife and I boarded the MS Noordam recently out of Ft. Lauderdale and headed … Continue reading →