David A. Christensen’s
Missionary Questions of the Soul isn’t just for
missionaries. Using his years of experience in the Church Education
System and at BYU-Idaho, the author poses questions many young people
(and old) ask, such as how to balance work, life, studies, and Church
responsibilities or how to know God’s will.
And then he answers
them through scriptures found in the Book of Mormon, adding his own
brief commentary and leaving space for the reader’s personal
notes. It’s all in 230 pages in durable softcover (Cedar Fort
Press 2014, $17.99).
Nicole Carpenter’s
52 Weeks to Fortify Your Family: 5-Minute Messages grew
out of a blog (MOMentity.com), particularly her pointers called
“Armor Your Children.”
What readers will find
in the square-shaped paperback are daily scriptures, thoughts, and
discussion questions intended for short family devotionals
Monday-Sunday, organized by a theme for every week of the year (Cedar
Fort 2015, 190 pages, $9.99). For busy families who need a place to
start or continue, here it is.
Covenant Communications
has teamed printed books with its DVD series History of the
Saints, both media featuring the talents of Glenn Rawson and
Dennis Lyman. Unabridged audio books of both are
available on CD.
Tragedy and
Truth: What Happened at Hawn’s Mill is based on the
extensive research of general editor Alexander Baugh, co-director of
research for the Religious Studies Center at Brigham Young
University.
He has called the
October 1838 massacre that killed 17 Mormons and injured 14 more the
"singular most tragic event in terms of loss of life and injury
enacted by an anti-Mormon element against the Latter-day Saints in
our entire church's history." The book provides background and
context as well as great detail about the massacre and its aftermath
(2014, 122 pages in hard cover $24.99).
Lyman and Rawson are
general editors of The Mormon Wars in the same series,
with contributions from a number of historians. The volume covers a
broad range of Church history, including early persecutions, the
Nauvoo War, conflicts in Missouri, Johnston’s Army, and the war
on polygamy, as well as Hawn’s Mill.
Nice illustrations by
modern-day LDS artists add visual appeal, and historic photographs,
maps, and end notes bolster the scholarly tone (2014, 140 pages in
hard cover, $24.99).
Popular LDS author
Gerald N. Lund offers the first volume of a new historical fiction
series, A Generation Rising, which will
introduce two new fictional families, one from a farm in Bavaria and
another from a ranch in rural Utah, and cover a period from the
technological explosion that began in the late 1800s through the
Holocaust.
Although not a fan of
historical fiction (never read the popular series The Work and the
Glory), I found Lund’s storytelling masterful as Fire
and Steel introduces the German family, the Eckhardts,
against the backdrop of European history. A relatively easy but
engaging read, it’s a good start to a new series and a painless
way to absorb the facts (Deseret Book 2014, 282 pages in hardcover,
$21.99).
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.
