Book for March - LUCKY CHANGE

-Did you know that Skye is on the Board of Directors at the Laie / Kohuku Public Library? Did you know that Skye, as the treasurer of the Library, is ultimately responsible for their finances and thus has to sign all of their checks? Did you know Skye is very, very involved in the Library and it is the first place she and Ryan took me when I arrived in Laie? Did you know that if Skye hadn't been so involved in her public Library I would know absolutely nothing about this fun and funny book that is in the genre of LDS fiction?

-Let me explain..... NO, Let me sum up. The public Library is adjacent to Kohuku High School. The Librarian had been contacted by an old student that he was on the Islands promoting his book and asked if he and his fellow author could come buy to do a promotion. Their seminar that they presented on Friday afternoon was a forum to answer questions anyone had about how to write a book and get published. Skye got called into work and couldn't go, so Ryan and I filled in for her. The authors gave their experiences and then opened it up for questions. They were both LDS authors. I enjoyed it so much I bought both of their books.

-Susan Law Corpany was the second author and as she talked about her new book, LUCKY CHANGE, it just sounded like fun. She mentioned the real life stories that were incorporated into her book. The person passing out at the pulpit comes from her actual experiencing of fainting in Sacrament meeting. She worked for 7 years in a law office and put many of those experiences in the book. I heartily enjoyed this book. It is not very long and is fun to read. Now for a little preview.....

Susan Donaldson is a character we can all relate to in someways. As you read about Susan, her disfunctional family and her adventures, you will find yourself thinking of friends and acquaintances that you know who are like her, her neighbors and ward members. The premise of the story is that she hits the Jackpot Lottery and wins Big! I actually am not a great fan of LDS fiction as I have been disappointed a few times, so I was a little skeptical when I started this book. I thought I had it pegged as a typical, ho-hum, mediocre book about Mormon life, but I was pleasantly surprised and found myself laughing as I read it. From the moment she steps into the bishops office in the opening chapter it surprised me and kept doing so. I will say that I have friends who would not appreciate this book because the author doesn't paint every Mormon in a perfect light. As an LDS community she shows us we are not yet perfect, but it is okay.
You can find the book on Amazon. I hope you enjoy it! Happy Reading.

Discussion in the Graveyard

I'm a little late posting this, but I hope everyone has had a chance to read February's book "The Graveyard Book" by Neil Gaiman. I read this book for the first time last fall as part of our church book club. It was different, but I really liked it and wanted to read it again. Somehow I missed some obvious things the first time around, like the fact that Silas is a vampire. (When they pointed it out in book club it all started making sense.) I love the idea of a boy being raised by a graveyard. It's interesting to hear or read other people's perception of life after death, even if it is ficticious. And of course you can't have a book about ghosts without adding all the other nightly creatures; werewolves, vampires, ghouls, sleers, and haunts. I loved that each time he introduced a new character from the graveyard that he used the epitaph. Other things I liked were the last names of the Jack's and the fact that Scarlett came back so that he had a (living) friend. And even though I was a little sad for Bod, I was glad that Silas erased her memory because no one should have to relive something like that. Usually ghost stories are not my thing, but I enjoyed this one and thought it was cleverly written. I liked how the author used the Jungle Book as inspiration and can see the many elements that he incorporated into The Graveyard Book.
So did anyone else read it? What are your thoughts? Your likes and dislikes? Anyone have March's Book?