Restoration: God's Call to the 21st-Century World

Restoration: God's Call to the 21st-Century World by Patrick Q Mason
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I don't read a lot of books about faith and religion. I just can't seem to finish most of them, but Patrick Mason's Restoration is exactly the type of book we need right now. Mason pares back anything extra and deep dives into what members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints should and can be doing to lift themselves and others.

When I was in college, Bonnie Parkin, the then-Relief Society General President said, "If I could have one thing happen for every woman in this Church, it would be that they would feel the love of the Lord in their lives." That became one of my core beliefs - if people could feel our Heavenly Parents' love daily, so many of the world's ills could be cured. Mason's words give me hope that the core of what the church does could one day focus again on things that are that simple and profound, and that the culture of the church that so often takes over our faith could be restored to something better. I look forward with hope until that day.

Happy reading--

View all my reviews

Incense and Sensibility

Incense and Sensibility by Sonali Dev
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Sense and Sensibility is my favorite of Jane Austen's books - mainly because of Elinor Dashwood's character and the bond between the Dashwood sisters. This meant that I was extra excited to hear the Sonali Dev's newest Austen adaptation would be a take on Sense and Sensibility. Just like Dev's first two books, Incense and Sensibility is clever in its adaptation. I still love the Bay Area ties and the portrayal of the Indian-American community. It's not a perfect book - certain phrases and commentary gets a little repetitive, but I loved the update to Elinor as India Dashwood and the modernization of the issues facing the characters. As in all of Austen's novels, you know that Dev will always give her characters a happy ending, and we could all use a little more of that in this world.

Happy reading--

ps. 3.5 rounded down.

View all my reviews