New Biography for President Howard W. Hunter

We are excited to have just received copies of the new biography on President Howard W. Hunter, Howard W. Hunter, Man of Thought and Independence, Prophet of God, by Francis M. Gibbons. Elder Gibbons has made a lifelong study of the presidents of the Church and served for 16 years as secretary to the First Presidency as well as the First and Second Quorums of the Seventy. His love and respect for these men is evident in this biography of President Hunter whose path to becoming our prophet was unique among his peers.

January Reading

After recovering from the Christmas rush, I finally had more time to catch up a little on my reading. In no particular order here are some of the books that I read which I thoroughly enjoyed:

Undaunted by Gerald Lund
Smokescreen by Traci Abramson
The Water is Wide by Marianne Monson
Lucky Change by Susan Corpany

Books I am in the process of reading:
Divine Signatures by Gerald Lund
Return by Robert D. Hales

We have a lot of new books in which look interesting and intriguing--so much to read in so little time!

Recommendations heard in the store

Shared with us at the bookstore:

"No one has journals like Beehive Bookstore" came from a nonmember who had looked at Barnes & Noble and Borders but didn't like their selection and came to Beehive because she had purchased journals from us before. She wanted a bigger size where she could put pictures and descriptions on the same page. She took home a classic large blue journal with a smile on her face.

Indy Carter shared that Calling All Angels by Jessie Clark Funk, well-known LDS singer, had really helped her daughter after their family lost a baby. Even after explanations, her daughter kept asking "When will Jonathan come home?" This book helped her daughter understand better. This real-life story is written by Jessie Clark Funk, a well-known LDS singer-composer, from her own experience and is about a stillborn baby told from the viewpoint of her big sister. Included is a CD with 2 songs. Click here to read more about this comforting resource.

Surround Yourself with Greatness by Chad Lewis

Review by Jim

This book written by former BYU and NFL football star Chad Lewis is more than a memoir of his sports life. He attributes his success in all things to the great people and role models that he has been able to rub shoulders with over his lifetime. This book is a combination sports book and a book dealing with the challenges of life. He shares “We live in a world of relationships that are dynamic. We need each other. We need to choose, with conscious awareness, to open our eyes, heart, and mind to the great people who elevate life that are all around us.” I liked this book because I followed the career of Chad Lewis and was fascinated by the behind-the-scene stories that are rarely told to the public. This would be an especially good gift for a sports fan but could also appeal to anyone interested in self-improvement.

Women of the Old Testament by Camille Fronk Olson

Review by Susan

Camille Fronk Olson is an associate professor at Brigham Young University who has put together this amazing book focusing on the women of the Old Testament. This book could be mistaken at first glance for an art book because of the beautiful paintings by Elspeth Young which bring the women of the Old Testament visually alive, but there is so much more. The book evolved from institute and religion courses on women in the scriptures, and the introduction was very helpful in understanding the structure of the material. Each chapter focuses on a different woman or group of women, some well-known, some obscure and some unnamed. The stories of these women are put in the context of the customs of the time and enriched by background from archaeological discoveries, historical writings from contemporary sources, other Bible translations and Jewish traditions. Illustrations, chronologies and maps provide enriching clarifications. Scriptural texts are not included due to size limitations, but scripture references are listed at the beginning of each chapter as well as points to ponder at the end of each chapter.

At first I was drawn most to the stories of women I knew little about (who were Shiphrah and Puah or the daughters of Zelophehad?), but then I began to read about the familiar names—Eve, Sarah & Hagar, and Hannah to name a few. I was fascinated by the additional insight and background that gave additional breadth and substance to my understanding of these well-known and less familiar foremothers, the world in which they lived and the faithful testimonies and examples of their lives. The author states she hopes readers will develop greater confidence in studying the Old Testament (the Sunday School course of study for 2010). This book is a great contribution in expanding our vision of circumstances of these faithful women and what we can learn from them to help us be more faithful in our own lives.