Originally Published March 2018 Easter is my favorite holiday. As a girl, I loved getting an Easter dress every year, dyeing eggs with my family, and then the egg hunt on Easter morning. I also remember the lessons at church about Jesus Christ and His resurrection. It has always been a much more balanced and peaceful holiday than Christmas. Over […]
Originally Published January 2018 I am a Christian. When I was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I made a promise to take Christ’s name. As far as Christlike character goes, though, I still have a lot of work to do. I remember the United States presidential election of 1988. I heard the name “Michael Dukakis” […]
For as long as I can remember, I have been a reader. I think I’ve always been in love with words. Books are a way for me to escape my ordinary life, but I’ve also realized that I use them as a way to learn about people—their personalities, their cultures, their origins. A famous line from the film Shadowlands says: […]
“Besides a couple of scenes of sensuality, this is a great book.” “There’s some profanity, but this is a good book overall.” I hear comments like this all the time. Many of my friends have the same values I have and warn me when a book’s content might be objectionable. Even in the Young Adult genre I’m not safe from […]
Originally Published December 2017 My faithful readers will know that Sense & Sensibility was the first of Jane Austen’s books that I read. For a long time it was my favorite book. I think that’s because, in many ways, I am like Elinor. I could identify with her desire to take care of her family, making sure that, no matter […]
Originally Published October 2017 I discovered Jane Austen during my sophomore year of high school, but not because of assigned readings in English class. In high school I had a crush on Hugh Grant and was excited to see him interviewed on a morning news show. He was promoting Sense & Sensibility. I had never heard of the book or […]