Carson Reads

The Hiding Place is a true story written by Corrie Ten Boom. She lived in Holland during the era of WWII, and she shares her story and how through it all, her faith in God acted as her "hiding place". This was my second time reading this book and it is brilliant.

I read the first installment of the Book of Mormon symposium papers and liked it!! In 1988 Jeffrey R. Holland gathered together scholars to write individual papers on an aspect of the Book of Mormon. This first book compiles the papers that teach about the Book of Mormon as a whole.

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves art and art history and who has a basic understanding of who Michelangelo was.

The first half of this reads like a MOVIE it was so well done. The second half moves a little bit faster as it covers many more years, but I really do feel like I know who Michelangelo is now. He is a genius and I am completely astounded by his perspective and contributions. Humbling to see the works in person over this summer

Pages- 700+

Published- 1981

Author- Irving Stone

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A Case for the Book of Mormon explores the truths of the Book of Mormon intellectually as well as spiritually. Tad R. Callister addresses the common arguments found against the Book of Mormon and looks at the pieces of evidence in favor of the Holy Scripture!

This book is a favorite for many! It was my third time reading it. Super simplistic writing and a vague cast of characters allow you to insert yourself into the story, which is why I think so many people are drawn to this story. It follows a boy living in the south of Spain who dreams of seeing the Pyramids one day and completing his Personal Legend, or his calling in life. Provides some cool insight into following your dreams, but I wouldn't say that this is a must-read.

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Christensen is a graduate of the Harvard Business School, after returning to his 5 and 10-year reunions he saw that many of the people that he graduated with were unhappy, whether that be in their marriages, in their jobs, or just with life in general. This confused him greatly because he knew these people and they were the most brilliant, wonderful people he had ever met. He set out to do a research project on how to have a meaningful life and thus this book materialized. He answers three questions over the course of this book, 1. How to find happiness in your career, 2. How to find happiness in your relationships, and 3. How to stay out of jail. I enjoyed this book! He acknowledges that "fundamental problems of life do not have a quick fix" but he teaches great principles throughout. Being the business man as he is, he also finds what makes businesses successful and how that can translate to our personal lives. Super interesting!

Published 2012

221 Pages

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The Trial by Franz Kafka was never supposed to be published. In fact, around the time of his death, Franz Kafka told one of his good friends, Max, that everything that was unfinished should be burned. Shortly after Kafka died at age 40, Max exerted much effort to make sure that his friend's dying wish was not upheld. The Trial was one of those unfinished works. And thank goodness Max disobeyed this straightforward direction! This was my first ever Kafka, and although it was unfinished and you can tell that it isn't finished, I am so glad that I read it. This book does such a good job of transporting you into the story and making you feel all of the anxiety and despair that the main character, Josef K. is going through. Josef K., without doing anything wrong, is arrested. The book shows his trial proceedings. Questions are unanswered, the court system and law are contradictory, and there is a sense of helplessness imbued in each word. It was a fantastic book and one that I think back to often. Would recommend it if you are wanting to dip your feet into the world of Kafka!

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The Devil's Arithmetic refers to the evils found in the concentration camps of Nazi Germany and the fragility of life. There are rules to stay alive, if they are kept you will see tomorrow. This book is heralded for its storytelling and has received the "National Jewish Book Award" and is deemed a "Puffin Modern Classic" right alongside Charlie and the "Chocolate Factory" and "Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry". I would recommend this to anyone needing another World War II book to read. I wouldn't say it is the most impactful World Ward II book I have ever read but that is just my opinion. It is a short and a quick read! I would compare it to The Boy in The Striped Pajamas. It follows this young girl named Hannah, she is Jewish and she complains that all they ever do during their holidays is "remember". She is transported to the year 1941 is a small Jewish town in Poland, and she learns why it is so important to keep this story alive and to continue remembering. Great book.

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This is my podcast's first "do not read" given to a book. Do not read it! The book is published as a "journal" that chronicles the two years of this girl's life. It begins when that girl is 15 years old and ends around the time of her seventeenth birthday. Early on in the first journal she is exposed to drugs while at a party. She trips off of LSD when someone gives her Coca Cola that was laced. The entire diary follows the aftermath of that incident. She dabbles in other drugs and eventually falls from grace and runs away from home, becomes homeless, practices prostitution for a second, etc. The whole 9 yards. It sounds intriguing but what I found out this time around is that NONE OF IT IS TRUE

I first read this book when I was a sophomore in high school (around the same age as the diarist) and I remember being so impacted by this. I would think back on it all the time and for the last seven years, I would even recommend it to people! I'd tell people it was a true story and that it was crazy and that they had to read it.

When I was about 150 pages in, I flipped to the front cover and I discovered that it was purely a work of fiction. I did some digging on the internet and sure enough. We have been deceived! I am still in complete disbelief, the entire book was made up by a middle-aged woman! wow.

The Four Agreements is a book published in 1997 by Mexican author Don Miguel Ruiz. I felt that I had seen this book everywhereee, I needed to see what the hype was about. It is a "wisdom book" and draws upon the teachings of ancient American peoples, the Toltecs, for inspiration on how to live life more fully. Ruiz and the Toltecs say that the human spirit has been domesticated and that we are all chasing a form of perfection that does not exist. It is impossible to attain and ruins the quality of our life by running after it. To come to any conclusion we have to make agreements with information. Ruiz's invitation is to break all other agreements that we have made previously and to agree with the four pieces of wisdom in this book.

These Agreements are:

1. Be Impeccable with Your Word

2. Don't Take Anything Personally

3. Don't Make Assumptions

4. Always Do Your Best

At times this book felt too radical for my domesticated spirit, but I enjoyed the read nonetheless! At the end of the day, Ruiz is inviting us all to live more fully, and that is something I can get behind. I would recommend it for any who feel they need a jumpstart or are in a funk.

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