October Reading Roundup

I completed seven books in October, 2024. Only one was fictional, and only one got less than 4/5 stars on Goodreads. Here is a short review and my thoughts about each book.

When Harry Became Sally by Ryan T. Anderson ****

Genre:  Science/Social/Political

Format:  Paperback - Own book

This book was “banned” from Target and Amazon, so of course I had to get a copy and read it. The book is billed as a “response to the Transgender Moment” in our society.  The book is dense and not an easy read as it details the scientific, medical, social and political aspects of transgenderism and all it entails.  The author’s position is that it is literally impossible for boys to become girls and girls to become boys and he explains in detail that while it is neither possible nor desirable, it is becoming more and more commonplace in our society.   I  got this book about a year ago and started reading it, then stopped because it was so dense and difficult to get through.  I started it up again earlier this year and found that it was very interesting and informative and I am glad I decided to finish it.  I gave it 4 out of 5 stars on Goodreads. 

The Founder of Our Peace by John Hilton III *****

Genre:  Christian/Latter-day Saint/Mental Health

Format:  Hardbound - Own book

This is an excellent book by John Hilton III who is one of my favorite Gospel teachers. This is an excellent book that can help us both with our spiritual and mental health. The book is highly readable and interesting, and contains lots of stories and anecdotes from the scriptures, as well as followers of Christ dealing with anxiety and depression in our society today. I enjoyed and learned much from the book and highly recommend it for the Latter-day Saint reader. I gave it 5/5 stars on Goodreads.

Pagan America by John Daniel Davidson **

Genre:  Socio Political

Format: Audiobook - Libby Library App.

This book was recommended by a Christian podcaster I enjoy listening to. It is about what is happening to the United States of America as religiosity, especially Christianity, declines. Much of what is written about is clearly evident to anyone in our society today. What bothered me about this book was the severe negativity of everything. There was no hope in this book, right down to the prediction that all American Christians will be persecuted and even killed as part of the abandonment of Christian values and principles. I don't disagree with the voice of warning but it really seemed that the author was saying all is completely lost unless all Christians completely withdraw from society, take their children out of school, leave their jobs and go live in their own cloistered communities. I think the book is probably fear mongering at it's very best, so for that reason, I gave it 2/5 stars on Goodreads.

Charlotte’s Rose by Ann Edwards Cannon *****

Genre:  Historical Fiction

Format:  Paperback - Own book

This was a touching story about a young Welsh immigrant girl, Charlotte, who, with her father (her mother is dead), is crossing the plains to the Salt Lake Valley to be with others who had joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. When a young mother dies on the trail leaving a newborn infant, and the baby's grief stricken father refuses to care for her, Charlotte volunteers to care for and carry the baby all the way to Utah. This was a lovely well-written story, and while it is a work of fiction, many of the events were based on the experiences of real Mormon pioneers. When I finished this book, I had a lump in my throat and a tear in my eye, and that means it gets 5/5 stars.

For Love of Country by Tulsi Gabbard ****

Genre: Society/ Politics/Biography

Format:  Audiobook - Library Hoopla app.

In this book,, Tulsi Gabbard, who served as a member of Congress from Hawaii, then later ran for president as a Democrat, explains why she left the Democrat party and just recently became a Republican.  The book is quite interesting, and Gabbard is good at articulating her positions.  I would consider voting for her if she ever decides to run for president again. She is only 43, so she may. If she really believes what she wrote in her book, she would be a breath-of-fresh-air from the current MAGA dominance of the Republican party. I gave this book 4 out of 5  stars on Goodreads. 

The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt *****

Genre:  Social Science

Format:  Hardbound - Own book

I have read other books by social scientist Jonathan Haidt and have found most of his analysis to be spot on. This is the best of his books that I have read.  It explains how the advent of smartphone technology in the 2010s had a profound effect on our society, and that effect has been extremely negative for the mental health of young people, especially millennials (those born between 1981 and 1996)  and members of Generation Z (those born from 1997 to 2010). Haidt tracks the rise of anxiety, depression, suicidality and other anti-social behaviors and shows how they correlate to smartphone use, particularly with regard to social media, online gaming and pornography.  This is a well-written, fascinating and unsettling book that should be read by everyone who works with young people in any way, including parents, grandparents, teachers, counselors, clergy, therapists, etc.   This book contains important information for the future of our children, grandchildren and society.  Highly recommended.  I gave it 5/5 stars on Goodreads.

The Amplified Bible *****

Genre:  Scripture

Format:  Hardbound - Own

I have been working on reading this translation of the Bible for a while, but I finished it on the last day of October.  This Amplified Bible translation gave a slightly different and clearer perspective than the King James Version that I usually read. Of course, I gave it 5/5 stars on Goodreads.  

That's my Reading Roundup for October. What have you been reading in the past month? Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time,

📚Deb📚

"Reading is essential

for those who seek to rise

above the ordinary. ~Jim Rohn

Final Weekend of October

 Here are the highlights of our final weekend of October 2024.  

Friday, I took the day off and Charly and I went to an apologetics conference in an area about 30 miles from where we live.  We attended classes on such various topics as science and religion, understanding scripture through the archeology and the Hebrew language, apocryphal books and how they relate to the scripture canon and falling marriage and birth rates and the negative impact on our society.  We enjoyed all of the presentations and discussions and learned a lot.  I also got to meet and talk to some of my favorite Christian Youtubers and Podcasters.  Charly and I were completely spent at the end of the day, but we enjoyed the conference and plan to go to the next one which will be in April 2025. 

Saturday was a beautiful, sunny, cloudless day. The weather was perfect.  Since we didn't have anywhere we needed to be on Saturday, it turned into an errand running day. 

After going to the rec. center to walk, we worked outside in the garden, cleaning things up for fall.  I dug up the carrots I planted in the spring. They aren't huge, but they are very tender and sweet. 

In the afternoon, we went to one of our favorite thrift stores, and look at all the Hardy Boys books they had there. There were more, but these are the volumes I needed for my collection.  They were only $1 a book, which is a real bargain. 

My collection of Hardy Boys books is growing.  I am also keeping my eye out for more Nancy Drew books, but they are a little harder to find. 

Sunday began with this beautiful, pink sunrise.  I took this picture from my front porch because I still in my jammies and didn't want to venture into the middle of the street for a better shot, but you can see how beautiful the morning sky was. 

By the time we got to the church in time for the 9 a.m. service, the sky was cloudy and dreary.  Our service was excellent though, and the surprise of the day was that Charly's younger brother came to church.  There is a bit of a back story there, but basically Charly's brother has not been to church for several years, and hasn't spoken to Charly in any meaningful way for about that long.  We both made an effort to talk to Charly's brother and welcome him to church, and he was receptive and responsive to both of us.   We are hopeful that this may lead to a thawing in the relationship between the brothers. Charly's brother is a nurse, but told Charly that he has retired, so his schedule may allow him to attend church more now.  Charly's sister was also at church (yes, also in our congregation) but she still will not speak to either Charly or I and seemed put out that the younger brother was talking to Charly.  Families! (Sigh!)  We are praying that God will soften hearts.   

After the main worship service, Charly and I went to the separate men's and women's classes.  The lesson and discussion in the woman's class was excellent as usual. 

After church, I ate lunch, then took a short nap. When I got up, I went out for my Sunday afternoon walk.  I walked two miles. There are quite a few houses in our area decorated for Halloween.  Here are a few that I passed. 

It was cloudy but not cold and my two mile walk was pleasant. 

For Sunday dinner, I made this super easy and delicious chicken recipe.  This is a recipe I made quite often a few years back, but I always used the oven back then. Today, I combined California Honey French Dressing, apricot preserves and onion soup mix in the crock pot then added three chicken breasts and cooked on high for four hours.  

Here is the finished product. The chicken was tender and juicy and there was plenty of tasty sauce to go over the rice. I had green beans and green salad with mine. 

I tried this new dessert recipe that was also quite good.  This is recipe I got from a video I saw on Facebook.  Here is the typed out recipe.  I would make this one again!  It would be even better with vanilla ice cream, which we did not have. 

Apple Pie Bake

From Facebook

3 eggs

¾ cup of sugar

1 cup of milk

2 ⅜ cup of flour

3 apples cut up

1 TSP cut up apples

Bake at 360 for 40 minutes

Sprinkle sugar on top

Sunday was our little granddaughter's sixth birthday! We will see her and take her out to lunch next Saturday. She is home sick today and we sent her a Happy Birthday Marco Polo. This is the response we got from her. She was feeling better in the evening, which we are grateful for. We love her and all of our grandchildren so much.

In the evening, we watched a couple of scripture study Youtubes to end our Sabbath Day.

Weekend Gratitude:

• Attending the apologetics "Firm Foundations" conference.
• Getting a lot done on Saturday.
• Seeing and talking to Charly's younger brother at church.
• Hearing excellent messages/lessons at church.
• Enjoying some new recipes.
• Having good phone conversations with Josh.
• Receiving Marco Polo Messages from our granddaughter.

Coming Up This Week:

Monday - Contractor coming to winterize our sprinkling system.

Tuesday - Appointment after school.

Thursday - Halloween

Friday - Teacher meet and training day at school - no students.

Saturday - Taking our six-year-old granddaughter out to eat for her birthday.

That's all for now. Thanks for stopping by for a visit. Have a great week!

Until next time,

😊Deb💖

"Now the God of hope fill you

with all joy and peace

in believing, and ye may abound in hope,

through the power of the Holy Ghost."

~Romans 15:13 KJV

Good Things Friday

Here are some of the good things that happened in my world this past week.  To look back with gratitude, I am joining again with Susanne over at Living to Tell the Story for Friday's Fave Five. 

😊 Earlier this week, Charly went to our daughter's house during the day.  Of course, I was at school, so I couldn't go, but Charly went to take the kids some Halloween crafts.  My daughter texted me this picture of our grandchildren, (who were out of school that day), and their friends working on the Halloween crafts.  My daughter said they had a lot of fun.  I am grateful that Charly could spend the day with our daughter and the grandchildren, even though I couldn't go. 

😊 As Charly left our daughter's home, he took a picture of these jack-o-lanterns carved from pumpkins from our garden that we gave to our grandchildren.  I am grateful that the pumpkins from our garden could bring some Halloween fun and joy to our grandchildren. 

😊 Our grandchildren sent home some little "gifts" for Charly and I - Love Rocks and a painting for the almost six-year-old.  I am so grateful for these little tokens of love from our sweet grandchildrens.

😊 When I went to our school district's benefit fair the first week of October, I entered a drawing that was being held.  I don't usually win drawings and contests, so I was very surprised when I was asked to come to the office yesterday, handed this 40 oz. Stanley Tumbler and told that I had won a prize in the drawing.  This was the perfect prize for me, because I use hydration tumblers like this every day.  It keeps the water icy cold and is a convenient way for me to stay hydrated.  I am grateful for this prize and will use it alot! 

😊 One night last week, we came out of the rec. center after our evening work out, and was greeted by stunning purple and orange sunset.   The photo does not do it justice, but trust me, it was beautiful.  I am alway grateful for gorgeous sunsets and the beauty of God's creation.

😊 I am taking tomorrow (Friday) off to attend a history, theology, and apologetics conference with Charly, at the venue shown above. We haven't been to a conference like this before, but I am grateful that I could get the time off to go check it out.  We are both looking forward to learning many faith affirming interesting things and I am grateful for this opportunity. 

Thanks for stopping by to share the good in my week.  Have a good weekend. 

Until next time, 

😊Deb💖

"One single grateful thought raised to heaven

is the most perfect prayer."

~Gotthold Ephraim Lessing

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Tuesday 4 and Wednesday Hodgepodge

Welcome to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4. If you would like to join in and answer this week's questions, please do so!  Here is the link!

"And when October goes

The same old dream appears

And you are in my arms

To share the happy years

I turn my head away to hide

The helpless tears

Oh, how I hate to see October go".. Barry Manilow

1. What do you hate to see go?

I have always felt a bit melancholy at the end of summer.  As a teacher, now the end of summer means the end of summer break and a return to school.  That doesn't make me happy, as I am now looking forward to retiring and moving on with life. Before I taught, the end of summer meant that my children would be back in school and I always missed having them around.  The end of October signals the unofficial begin of the cold, dark and snowy season where I live, so I also hate to see October go. 

2.  How's the autumn weather in your part of the world right now? 

We have had a beautiful autumn so far.  With the exceptions of a couple of cold and rainy days last weekend, we have had warm and sunny days.  You can see from our ten-day forecast above, we are expecting cooler days in a few days, so winter is on the way. 

3.  Anything on your reading list for autumn? What are you reading/watching right now that you would share with us.

I always seem to be reading several books at same time, but the two main books I am reading right now are the excellent nonfiction book, The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt, and the historical fiction book about the Vietnam War, Dust Child by Nguyen Phan Que Mai. I hope to have both of these books finished by the end of the month, but we shall see.  

4.   For many, religion keeps them going with promises of better things to come.  What things/people/thoughts, keep you going on your way?

My faith is very important to me. It gives me hope when I'm down or times are hard.  Jesus Christ is my hope and salvation. Prayer is my main source of peace and comfort. My husband, family and friends are my strength and support, and they bring me much happiness and joy.  

Now for some Wednesday Hodgepodge Questions:

1. Monday was National Apple Day...did you eat an apple or enjoy something made with apples on Monday? Do you like apples? Do you prefer your apples raw, baked, or in cider? Do you have a favorite variety of apple? 

I like apples, but they aren't my favorite fruit.  I have been eating more apples - mostly raw for breakfast.  I also like apple pie, but don't have it often.

2. Do you think there's any truth to the saying 'an apple a day keeps the doctor away'. Of the following healthy habits which do you find easiest to incorporate into your life and which is the most difficult for you to adopt-

adequate sleep, a balanced diet, plenty of water, eat breakfast, don't smoke, exercise, limit alcohol,  include fruits and vegetables in your diet, manage stress, limit screen time

My husband and I are trying to improve out diet by limiting sugar, eating more fruits and vegetables and reducing red meat.  We've been quite successful and I have even lost a little weight. We exercise (mostly by walking) every day.  I try to drink 40 or more ounces of water a day.  We don't drink alcohol at all and have never smoked.  My main health challenge is getting enough sleep because I have to get up at 5 a.m. to be at school by 7 a.m..  I usually don't go to bed as early as I should.  Another challenging is limiting stress and while I have made strides with that, I need to do even better at dealing with stress and anxiety, especially as the election nears.  

3. Who taught you how to drive? Do you enjoy driving? Would you rather be the driver or the passenger?  Do you have a favorite scenic drive near you? 

My dad taught we to drive.  I never took Driver's Ed in high school. When Charly and I go somewhere, I usually drive. Before he had a brain aneurysm in 2017, he always drove when we went somewhere together. While he can and does drive every day, I just got into the habit of driving when we went somewhere together, and now I have found that I enjoy driving, especially when we go on longer road trips.  My favorite scenic drive is down the I-15 to St. George, Utah. 

4. What small habit has had a big impact on your life?

Reading, especially reading my scriptures every day, and writing in a journal are things that have had a major, positive impact on my life

5. Tell us about something nice that happened to you recently.

I received many kind birthday cards, gifts, texts, emails, calls and other messages on my birthday earlier in October. Our daughter had Charly and I over for a birthday dinner, and of course, my husband made my day very special. I felt so loved and appreciated. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

This isn't positive, but it has been on my mind for the past several days. A friend of mine from Arizona lost her 30-year-old son to a motorcycle accident last summer.  Then, a few weeks ago, her 28-year-old daughter died.  I cannot imagine how hard that would be to lose two children in such a short time.  We knew the family very well (they were in our church congregation and lived just down the street) and I feel so bad for my friend, her husband and family. Truly a tragedy.  I am praying for her to feel God's love and comfort as she goes through a very difficult time. 💔

That's all for now. 

Until next time,

😊Deb💖

"We must accept finite disappointment,

but we must never lose infinite hope."

~Dr. Martin Luther King

A Weekend in the Middle of October

Here are some of the highlights and happenings of our October weekend. 

Friday was a cold and cloudy day.  The day started out rainy. Although the rain stopped by noon,  clouds were low on the mountains all day.  This is the view as I walked to my car in the school parking lot after school.

After dinner Friday night, Charly and I went to our local CVS for our Covid vaccines.  Charly also got his flu shot.  I got mine a couple of weeks ago at the benefits fair for the school district. 

After the vaccine, we took the car to get gas and run it through the car wash.

Later we went by Walmart to get a few things for the weekend. 

Saturday morning, it was the women's group turn to clean up our church building and get everything ready for church on Sunday. Lots of people came to help out and I helped out by cleaning the windows on the big class entryway doors.  

Later, Charly and I did something we've never done together before. We got pedicures!  We have both been having some problems with our feet, as we get older, and decided that maybe we should take better care of  them, so we made an appointment and we both got pedicures.  It felt so good, and was very helpful, I think we will be going in for pedicure every few weeks! 

After the pedicure, we went to our favorite shoe store.  We had a couple of coupons for some $$ off that were only good during October. We both needed some new casual shoes. We found what we wanted, then went over to the hobby store Michaels to get some Halloween crafts which Charly will take down to the grandchildren tomorrow while I am at school.

After we got home, I worked in my garden for about an hour, pulling up dead and dying plants.  I also trimmed down a bush in our front yard.   By the time I was finished, I was exhausted. 

Later in the evening, we watched part of a movie on Netflix, then I finished reading this book, Charlotte's Rose, a historical fiction book by A.E. Cannon.  It was a touching coming-of-age story and I gave it 5/5 stars on Goodreads.  I'll include it in my end of the month Reading Roundup. 

Sunday morning, we were up early and off to church for the 9 a.m. worship service. After the service, we stayed and visited with some friends before coming home. 

Mid-afternoon, I took a walk around the neighborhood.   It was sunny but cool.  There was a little breeze blowing and while it wasn't cold, I was glad I was layered.  

As I walked around the neighborhood, I noticed many campaign signs, but I was surprised that most of the signs on the streets where I walked were for Kamala Harris.  This surprised me because Utah is a deep red state, but apparently there are parts of Salt Lake City and County are quite blue.

Our Sunday evening dinner was a crockpot Tex-Mex dish, Taco Hashbrown Casserole, with green salad and chocolate chip muffins. 

I found the Taco Hash Brown Casserole recipe on FaceBook and it was quite good.  

After dinner, we watched our scripture study class, as we usually do on Sunday evenings.  It was a nice way to end the Sabbath.   As soon as post this, I plan to shower, get my jammies on and read until I can't keep my eyes open. 

Weekend Gratitude:

• Having a productive weekend.
• Getting our Covid vaccinations.
• Enjoying time with Charly.
• Finishing another book.
• Having inspirational messages at church.
• Listening to a young man's very moving testimony.
• Enjoying nice weather over the weekend.

Coming Up This Week:

Monday - Charly is going to our daughter's to see the grandkids and take them some Halloween crafts. We will then take our granddaughter for her birthday breakfast or lunch on Saturday, November 2.

Friday - I am taking the day off to attend an apologetics/archeology conference

That's all for this weekend.  Thanks for stopping by.  Have a great week!

Until next time,

😊Deb💖