Don’t let the
large size and pictures fool you: Girls Who Choose God: Stories
of Courageous Women from the Bible is an empowering read for
young women as well as a beautifully illustrated book.
Co-authors McArthur
Krishna and Bethany Spalding celebrate a dozen women from the Bible,
named and unnamed. Simply and clearly presented stories which
highlight the courageous choices these women made in difficult
circumstances are accompanied by Kathleen Peterson’s richly
colored and detailed illustrations.
Scriptural references
appear at the end of each two-page account, which is followed by
thought-provoking questions, such as “When have you chosen to
solve a problem peacefully?” and “What choices have you
made to show that God can trust you?”
Girls Who Choose
God: Stories of Courageous Women from the Bible is an appealing
book worthy of repeated reading, thought, and discussion. It’s
a keeper. (Deseret Book, 50 pages in hard cover, $17.99.)
Another beautiful book
is the coffee-table-size His Holy House, featuring a
lovely collection of photos by Robert A. Boyd. His images of 60
temples across the United States and in Canada reveal an artist’s
eye, as the photos of temple exteriors capture more than edifices,
landscapes, or stunning backdrops.
Details of windows,
stonework, doors, windows, and even hardware give a glimpse into the
detailed planning and craftsmanship that goes into each temple.
The varying seasons
lend interest. Personal favorites: my neighboring Mount Timpanogos
Temple and its grounds laden with snow; bright flowers flanking the
plaza in front of the Nauvoo Temple, which is set against a
spectacularly sunset-lit sky; the San Diego Temple covered by sheets
of rain; and various temples at Christmastime.
Readers will appreciate
seeing designs that have defined certain eras and the “variations
on a theme.” Sprinkled throughout the appealing layout are
scriptures referencing temples and temple work. His Holy House,
140 durable pages in hard cover, is published by Deseret Book at
$49.99.
John Bytheway addresses
young people approaching missionary age, responding to a vital
question in How Do I Know if I Know? (Deseret Book
2014, 138 pages in handy-size soft cover, $9.99). In his inimitable
style, Bytheway likens the process of gaining enlightenment to a
light with a dimmer switch.
The metaphor works as
he explores in short chapters four “wires” that together
create testimony: feeling, experience, evidences, and logic —
F.E.E.L. In addition to clear explanations, sound doctrine, and
real-life examples, he offers QR codes and links to videos and talks
by Church leaders that shed “more light” on the subject.
Laurie
Williams Sowby has been writing since second grade and getting paid
for it since high school. Her byline ("all three names, please")
has appeared on more than 6,000 freelance articles published in
newspapers, magazines, and online.
A
graduate of BYU and a writing instructor at Utah Valley University
for many years, she proudly claims all five children and their
spouses as college grads.
She
and husband, Steve, have served three full-time missions together,
beginning in 2005 in Chile, followed by Washington D.C. South, then
Washington D.C. North, both times as young adult Institute teachers.
They are currently serving in the New York Office of Public and
International Affairs
During
her years of missionary service, Laurie has continued to write about
significant Church events, including the rededication of the Santiago
Temple by President Hinckley and the groundbreaking for the
Philadelphia Temple by President Eyring. She also was a Church
Service Missionary, working as a news editor at Church Magazines,
between full-time missions.
Laurie
has traveled to all 50 states and at least 45 countries (so far).
While home is American Fork, Utah, Lincoln Center and the
Metropolitan Museum of Art have provided a comfortable second home.
Laurie
is currently serving a fourth full-time mission with her husband in
the New York Office of Public and International Affairs. The two
previously served with a branch presidency at the Provo Missionary
Training Center. The oldest of 18 grandchildren have been called to
serve missions in New Hampshire and Brisbane, Australia.
