K.C. and Michelle Woolf

Family blog

Friday, April 27, 2012

Book Review: When Souls Had Wings: Pre-Mortal Existence in Western Thought - Terryl L. Givens

I was 17 years old when I first found out that other Christians didn’t believe in the pre-existence of the human soul. It was doing a 2 week mini-mission with some elder’s in far east Mesa and we were teaching the discussions to a Catholic kid about my age (who was eventually baptized) When we got to the part about the plan of salvation and our pre-mortal spirits, it blew his mind, and I was shocked that he was shocked. The concept seemed so intuitive, I was surprised that other Christian’s didn’t believe it. It turns out Mormons are not the only ones in Western history who have found the idea of the Pre-existence compelling. In When Souls Had Wings, Terry L. Givens documents how ancient the pre-existence permeated ancient Jewish and early Christian thought, as well and classical Greek philosophy. Although the church would suppress this blasphemy, which it saw as diminishing the sacred gulf between God and man, it continued to pop up as a compelling explanation for the existence of evil in the world. (If man is co-eternal with God, then God can no longer be held responsible for creating evil men.) This ancient idea stubbornly reappears throughout western history in such diverse thinkers as Plato, Origen DeCartes, Henry More, Nicholas Berdyaev, and Joseph Smith. Apparently the concept of pre-existence is almost invariably linked to deification (if man is co-eternal with God, what hinders him from becoming more like God), which makes it an even more dangerous idea for Christian orthodoxy. Since idea of a pre-mortal existence reconciles the infinite goodness of God with a world of pain even better than even C.S. Lewis, I’m surprised that more theists have not embraced the doctrine, and I’m glad I was raised to take it for granted. ========================================================= Books I Can Remember that I’ve Read (In no particular order) I'm only counting text books if I read the entire thing. I'm counting books that I read more than half of, but stopped because I couldn't stomach it (Lolita) or just because I hated it(Moby Dick). I'm not counting books that are mostly pictures (The Cat in the Hat), although they are still some of my favorite books. I'm counting books twice if I read them both in English and in Spanish. Also, I'm not counting the Bathroom Readers; mostly because I'm ashamed of how much time I spend on the pot. I've read almost all of them though. ***** - I really liked **** - I liked *** - OK ** - I didn’t like * - It sucked. (W) - Read with Whitney (D) - Read to Dane 1. The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald**** 2. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man - James Joyce** 3. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen**** 4. Walden - Henry David Thoreau** 5. Claudius the God - Robert Graves***** 6. One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez*** 7. A Clockwork Orange - Anthony Burgess**** 8. As I Lay Dying -William Faulkner*** 9. Animal Farm - George Orwell**** 10. The Book of Mormon - Written by the Hand of Mormon. Translated by Joseph Smith Jr.***** 11. The Holy Bible - King James Version***** 12. The Doctrine and Covenants - Joseph Smith, others**** 13. The Pearl of Great Price - Moses, Abraham, Joseph Smith**** 14. Travels with Charley (In Search of America) - John Steinbeck**** 15. A Series of Unfortunate Events. The Bad Beginning - Lemony Snicket*** 16. A Series of Unfortunate Events. The Reptile Room - Lemony Snicket*** 17. A Series of Unfortunate Events. The Wide Window - Lemony Snicket*** 18. Les Liaisons Dagereuses - Pierre Choderlos de Laclos**** 19. Tom Sawyer Abroad - Samuel Clemens*** 20. The Monkey Wrench Gang - Edward Abbey**** 21. The Hero With a Thousand Faces - Joseph Campbell*** 22. The Faith of a Scientist - Henry Eyring**** 23. The Power of Myth - Joseph Campbell**** 24. What are People For - Wendell Berry*** 25. The Miracle of Forgiveness - Spencer W. Kimball**** 26. The Greatest Salesman in the World - Og Mandino*** 27. 1984 - George Orwell**** 28. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - Samuel Clemens***** 29. On the Road - Jack Keroac**** 30. David Copperfield - Charles Dickens**** 31. Catch-22 - Joseph Heller**** 32. Don Quixote - Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra**** 33. Uncle Tom’s Cabin - Harriet Beecher Stowe*** 34. Deliverance - James Dickey**** 35. The Best of Edward Abbey*** 36. Rosaura a las Diez - Marco Denevi**** 37. Ragtime - E.L. Doctorow**** 38. Tom Sawyer Detective - Samuel Clemens*** 39. The Iliad -Homer**** 40. The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkein***** 41. Notes from the Underground - Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky*** 42. The Double - Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky*** 43. The Trial -Franz Kafka*** 44. Moby Dick - Herman Melville** 45. Invisible Man - Ralph Ellison*** 46. Principles of Surgery Companion Handbook - Schartz, Shires, Spencer* 47. Standing for Something - Gordon B. Hinckley*** 48. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe - C.S. Lewis***** 49. The Sound and the Fury -William Faulkner** 50. The Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck**** 51. Slaughter House-Five - Kurt Vonnegut**** 52. Tender is the Night - F. Scott Fitzgerald**** 53. Under the Volcano - Malcolm Lowry** 54. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer -Samuel Clemens***** 55. Darkness at Noon - Arthur Koestler***** 56. The Call of the Wild - Jack London**** 57. Kim - Rudyard Kipling*** 58. A Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens**** 59. Howards End - E.M. Forster**** 60. Sons and Lovers - D.H. Lawrence*** 61. Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad*** 62. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance -Robert M. Pirsig**** 63. The Stranger - Albus Camus**** 64. To the Lighthouse - Virginia Woolf*** 65. The Lonely Men - Louis L’Amour*** 66. Sacred Clowns - Tony Hillerman*** 67. The Covenant - James A. Michener**** 68. Prentice Alvin - Orson Scott Card**** 69. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy -Douglas Adams**** 70. The Quick and the Dead - Louis L’Amour*** 71. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee***** 72. The Gift of the Jews - Thomas Cahill**** 73. The Last Battle - C.S. Lewis**** 74. The Christ Commission - Og Mandin**** 75. Ender’s Game -Orson Scott Card***** 76. People of Darkness - Tony Hillerman**** 77. The Horse and His Boy - C.S. Lewis**** 78. The Silver Chair - C.S. Lewis**** 79. Memory of Earth - Orson Scott Card*** 80. The Odyssey - Homer**** 81. The Source - James A. Michener***** 82. The Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger**** 83. How to Satisfy a Woman Every Time - Naura Hayden** 84. A Farewell to Arms - Ernest Hemingway**** 85. The Changed Man - Orson Scott Card**** 86. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl**** 87. El Milagro del Perdon -Spencer W. Kimball**** 88. Frankenstein - Mary Shelley**** 89. A Marvelous Work and a Wonder - LeGrand Richards**** 90. A Treasury of Classical Mythology - A.R. Hope Moncrieff**** 91. The Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring - J.R.R. Tolkien**** 92. Pure Drivel - Steve Martin*** 93. Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens**** 94. Great Expectations - Charles Dickens**** 95. Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone - J.K. Rowling***** 96. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - J.K. Rowling***** 97. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban -J.K. Rowling***** 98. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire -J.K. Rowling***** 99. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - J.K. Rowling***** 100. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - J.K. Rowling***** 101. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - J.K. Rowling***** 102. The Screwtape Letters - C.S. Lewis***** 103. The Magician's Nephew - C.S. Lewis***** 104. Out of the Silent Planet - C.S. Lewis**** 105. Prince Caspian - C.S. Lewis***** 106. The Voyage of the 'Dawn Treader - C.S. Lewis***** 107. Mere Christianity - C.S. Lewis**** 108. That Hideous Strength - C.S. Lewis**** 109. The Sun Also Rises - Ernest Hemingway*** 110. Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov** 111. Brave New World - Aldous Huxley**** 112. I Claudius - Robert Graves***** 113. Anthem - Ann Rand*** 114. Lord of the Flies - William Golding**** 115. As I Lay Dying - William Faulkner*** 116. The Secret Agent - Joseph Conrad*** 117. Starship Troopers - Robert Heinlein**** 118. A Room With a View - E.M. Forster**** 119. Lord Jim - Joseph Conrad*** 120. Citizen of the Galaxy - Robert Heinlein**** 121. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - Ken Kesley**** 122. Tunnel in the Sky - Robert Heinlein**** 123. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz - L. Frank Baum**** 124. Speaker for the Dead - Orson Scott Card**** 125. Xenocide - Orson Scott Card**** 126. Songmaster - Orson Scott Card** 127. Saints - Orson Scott Card**** 128. Red Prophet - Orson Scott Card**** 129. Cruel Shoes - Steve Martin*** 130. The Great Brain - John Dennis Fitzgerald**** 131. Me and My Little Brain - John Dennis Fitzgerald**** 132. Jesus the Christ - James Talmage***** 133. The Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas**** 134. Dracula - Bram Stoker**** 135. The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown*** 136. Angels and Demons - Dan Brown**** 137. Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West - Gregory Maguire**** 138. Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator - Roald Dahl** 139. How the Irish Saved Civilization - Thomas Cahill*** 140. Fundamentals of Family Medicine - Robert B. Taylor*** 141. Medical Physiology - Rodney A Rhoades and George A Tanner** 142. D'aulaires Book of Greek Myths - Ingri and Edgar Parin D'Aurlaire**** 143. El Libro De Mormon - Un Relato Escrito por la Mano de Mormon. Traducido de las Planchas por Jose Smith, Hijo***** 144. Generation X - Douglas Coupland*** 145. Robinson Crusoe - Daniel Defoe**** 146. Interview with the Vampire - Anne Rice**** 147. The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde**** 148. Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen**** 149. History of the English-Speaking Peoples - Winston Churchhill**** 150. A Guide to Physical Examination and History Taking - Barbara Bates** 151. Complete History of the World - Richard Overy**** 152. The American Religion - Harold Bloom*** 153. The Good Earth - Pearl S. Buck**** 154. In Cold Blood - Truman Capote**** 155. A Rumor of War - Philip Caputo**** 156. Religion in the New World - Richard E. Wentz*** 157. The Moon Is Down - John Steinbeck**** 158. The Pearl - John Steinbeck**** 159. Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck**** 160. The Spy Who Came in from the Cold - John le Carré**** 161. The Education of Little Tree - Forrest Carter***** 162. The Chosen - Chaim Potok**** 163. The Work and the Glory, Pilar of Fire - Gerald N. Lund***** 164. The Work and the Glory, Like a Fire if Burning - Gerald N. Lund***** 165. The Work and the Glory, Truth will Prevail - Gerald N. Lund***** 166. The Work and the Glory, Thy Gold Refine - Gerald N. Lund***** 167. The Work and the Glory, A Season of Joy - Gerald N. Lund***** 168. Stepen King On Writing, A Memoir of the Craft - Stephen King*** 169. Me Talk Pretty One Day - David Sedaris**** 170. Book of Mormon Authorship Revisited, The Evidence for Ancient Origins - Edited by Noel B. Reynolds. **** (March '08) 171. The Millionaire Next Door - Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko**** 172. Naked Ape : A Zoologist's Study of the Human Animal - Desmond Morris**** 173. Johnny Tremain - Esther Forbes**** 174. Mormons and Masons, Setting the Record Straight - Gilbert W. Scharffs* (March '08) 175. San Manuel Bueno, mártir - Miguel de Unamuno**** 176. Critiquing the Critics of Joseph Smith - Hartt Wixom**** (March '08) 177. Mormon Country - Wallace Stegner**** 178. The House of God - Samuel Shem** 179. The Way of All Flesh - Samuel Butler****(March '08) 180. The Clan of the Cave Bear - Jean M. Auel**** (April '08) 181. Religions of the World - A Latter-day Saint View - Spencer J. Palmer, Rober R. Keller, Dong Sull Choi, James A. Toronto**** 182. Julius Caesar - William Shakespear**** 183. Romeo and Juliet - William Shakespeare**** 184. Hamlet - William Shakespeare**** 185. Macbeth - William Shakespeare**** 186. One Minute Answers to Anti-Mormon Questions - Stephen W. Gibson*** (May '08) 187. Jay's Journal - Beatrice Sparks** 188. Blueprints in Obstetrics and Gynecology - Tamara L. Callahan, Aaron B Caughey and Linda J Heffner*** 189. Clinical Microbiology Made Rediculously Simple - Mark Galdwin and Bill Trattler**** 190. Prescription for the Boards USMLE Step 2 - Radhika Breaden, Charyl Denenberg, Kate Feibusch, Stephen Gomperts*** 191. The Instant Exam Review for the USMLE Step 3 - Joel s. Goldberg** 192. Appleton & Lang's Review of Pediatrics - Martin I. Lorin** 193. Pathology - Arthur S. Schneider and Philip A Szanto** 194. Internal Medicine - Edward D. Frohlich** 195. The Lord of the Rings - The Two Towers - J.R.R. Tolkien**** 196. The Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King - J.R.R. Tolkien**** 198. The Mountain Meadows Massacre - Juanita Brooks**** 198. A Thief of Time - Tony Hillerman**** 199. Naked Pictures of Famous People - Jon Stewart** 200. La Casa de Bernarda Alba - Federico García Lorca*** 201. Why Things Are and Why Things Aren't - Joel Achenbach**** 202. Why Things Are - Joel Achenbach**** 203. Why Do Clocks Run Clockwise? And Other Imponderables - David Feldman**** 204. First Aid for the Family Medicine Boards - Tao Le, Christine Dehlendorf, Michael Mendoza, and Cynthria Ohata**** (May '08) 205. Why Don't Cat's Like to Swim - David Feldman**** 206. The Naked and the Dead - Norman Mailer**** (June '08) 207. Encounters with the Archdruid - John McPhee*** 208. Desert Solitaire - Edward Abby*** 209. Family Medicine Board Review - Robert L. Bratton, MD**** (July '08) 210. View of the Hebrews - Ethan Smith** (August '08) 211. A Wrinkle in Time - Madeleine L'Engle**** 212. A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens**** 213. The Book of Mormon and DNA Resarch - Edited by Daniel C. Petersen**** (Sept '08) 214. The Great Divorce - C.S. Lewis**** (Sept '08) 215. Treasure Island - Robert Louis Stevenson**** (Sept '08) 216. The Great Angel - A Study of Israel's Second God - Margaret Barker**** (Sept '08) 217. The House of the Seven Gables - Nathaniel Hawthorne**** (Sept,08) 218. The Scarlett Letter - Nathaniel Hawthorne**** (Oct, '08) 219. Twilight - Stephanie Meyer** (Oct, '08) 220. Sophie's Choice - William Styron*** (Nov, '08) 221. Revolt of 2100 - Robert Heinlein**** 222. Farnham's Freehold - Robert Heinlein**** 223. Between Planets - Robert Heinlein**** 224. The Giver - Lois Lowry****(Nov, '08) 225. History of Joseph Smith by His Mother Lucy Mack Smith**** 226. Stranger in a Strange Land - Robert Heinlein** (Nov, '08) 227. Joseph Smith - Rough Stone Rolling - Richard Lyman Bushman**** (Dec, '08) 228. The Work and the Glory - Praise to the Man - Gerald N. Lund**** (Dec, '08) 229. Tinkling Cymbals and Sounding Brass - The Art of Telling Tales about Joseph Smith and Brigham Young - Hugh Nibley****(Dec, '08) 230. The Happy Prince and Other Tales - Oscar Wilde***(Dec, '08) 231. The Tales of Beedle the Bard - J.K. Rowling****(Dec, '08) 232. A High Wind in Jamaica - Richard Hughes*** (Dec, '08) 233. Celsus on the True Doctrine - A Discourse Against the Christians - translated by R. Joseph Hoffmann**** (Jan, '09) 234. Brigham Young: American Moses - Leonard J. Arrington**** (Jan, '09) 235. Atlas Shrugged - Ann Rand***** (Jan, '09) 236. Sophie's World - Jostein Gaarder*** (Feb, '09) 237. Silas Marner - George Eliot**** (Feb, '09) 238. Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte*** (Feb, '09) 239. Mormonism and Early Christianity - Hugh Nibley**** (March, '09) 240. Our Mutual Friend - Charles Dickens*** (March, '09) 241. The Abolition of Man - C.S. Lewis*** (April, '09) 242. The Communist Manifesto - Karl Marx** (April '09) 243. Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoevsky**** (April '09) 244. Till We Have Faces - C.S. Lewis**** (April '09) 245. Return from Tomorrow - George Ritchie and Elizebeth Sherrill*** 246. President Kimball Speaks Out - Spencer W. Kimball*** 247. The World's Last Night and Other Essays - C.S. Lewis**** (April '09) 248. Everything's Eventual - Stephen King**** 249. Dubliners - James Joyce**** (April '09) 250. Capitalism and Freedom Milton Friedman**** (May '09) 251. Texas - James Michener*** 252. Massacre at Mountain Meadows - Ronald W. Walker, Richard E. Turley Jr. and Geln M Leonard**** (May '09) 253. Where the Sidewalk Ends - Shel Silverstein**** 254. Hawaii - A Novel - James Michener*** (June '09) 255. Billy Budd - Herman Melville*** 256. Tales of the South Pacific - James Michener*** 257. Nicholas Nickleby - Charles Dickens*** (June '09) 258. The Last Kingdom - Bernard Cornwell**** (July '09) 259. For Whom the Bell Tolls - Ernest Hemingway *** (August '09) 260. Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury **** (August '09) 261. The Pilgrim's Progress - John Bunyan*** (Sept '09) 262. Stonehenge - Bernard Cornwell*** (Sept '09) 263. Leap of Faith: Confronting the Origins of the Book of Mormon - Bob Bennett**** (Sept '09) 264. New Moon - Stephenie Meyer** (Sept '09) 265. Shaken Faith Syndrome - Michael R. Ash**** (October '09) 266. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter - Carson McCullers**** (October '09) 267. Lehi in the Desert - Hugh Nibley**** (October '09) 268. The World of the Jaredites - Hugh Nibley**** (October '09) 269. There Were Jaredites - Hugh Nibley *** (November '09) 270. How to be the Jerk Women Love - F.J. Shark** 271. Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte*** (November '09) 272. The Story of England - Christopher Hibbert**** 273. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies - Jane Austen and Seth Grahame Smith**** (November '09) 274. The Work and the Glory - So Great a Cause - Gerald N. Lund**** (December '09) 275. Caribbean - James A. Michener**** (December '09) 276. 1776 - David McCullough**** (December '09) 277. Exploring the Connection Between Mormons and Masons - Matthew B. Brown** (December '09) 278. The Temple - Where Heaven Meets Earth - Truman G. Madsen*** (December '09) 279. The Divine Comedy: Inferno/Purgatorio/Paradiso - Dante Alighieri. Tranlated by Carlyle Okey Wicksteed** (January '10) 280. When You are Englulfed in Flames - David Sedaris*** (January '10) 281. The Elements of Style - William Strunk, Jr.**** (January '10) 282. The Year of Living Biblically - A.J. Jacobs**** (February '10) 283. The Autobiograph of Parley P. Pratt**** (February '10) 284. The Viper on the Hearth: Mormons, Myths, and the Construction of Heresy - Terryl L. Givens***** (February '10) 285. Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters - Jane Austin and Ben Winters*** (February '10) 286. The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins**** (February '10) 287. Catching Fire - Suzanne Collins**** (February '10) 288. Arguing with Idiots - Glen Beck*** (March '10) 289. The Godfather - Mario Puzo*** (March '10) 290. Remembering Kirtland - Grant L. Stevens and Richard Stevens*** (March '10) 291. By the Hand of Mormon - The American Scripture that Launched a New World Religion - Terryl L Givens***** (April '10) 292. The LDS Family Travel Guide: Sharon, Palmyra and Kirtland - Becky Cardon Smith*** (April '10) 293. The Work and the Glory, All is Well - Gerald N. Lund**** (April '10) 294. The Four Agreements - A Toltec Wisdom Book - Don Miguel Ruiz*** (April '10) 295. The Pirate Hunter - The True Story of Captain Kidd - Richared Zacks**** (April '10) 296. Persuasion - Jane Austen**** (May, '10) 297. The Lost Symbol - Dan Brown*** (May, '10) 298. The Maltese Falcon - Dashiell Hammett**** (May '10) 299. Abraham in Egypt - Hugh Nibley**** (June '10) 300. Patriots: A Novel of Survival in the Coming Collapse - James Wesley, Rawles**(June '10) 301. Native Son - Richard Wright*** (June '10) 302. Odds Are You're Going To Be Exalted - Alonzo L Gaskill*** (June '10) 303. The Sword in the Stone - T.H. White*** (July '10) 304. The Kingdom and the Crown Vol. 1: Fisher's of Men - Gerald N. Lund **** (July '10) 305. The Once and Future King - T.H. White**** (August '10) 306. The Kingdom and the Crown Vol. 2: Come Unto Me - Gerald N. Lund**** (August '10) 307. 365 Read-Aloud Bedtime Bible Stories - Daniel Partner*** (August '10)(D). 308. People of Paradox: A History of Mormon Culture - Terryl L. Givens**** (Sept. '10) 309. Of Faith and Reason: 80 Evidences Suporting the Prophet Joseph Smith - Michael R. Ash**** (Sept. '10) 310. The Kingdom and the Crown Vol. 3: Behold the Man - Gerald N. Lund**** (Oct. '10) 311. Mockingjay - Suzanne Collins*** (Oct. '10) 312. Peter and the Starcatchers - Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson**** (Oct. '10)(D) 313. Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith - compled by Joseph Fielding Smith - (Oct. '10)**** 314. The Early History of God: Yahweh and the Other Deities of Ancient Israel - Mark S. Smith*** (Oct. '10) 315. They Lie In Wait to Deceive Volume I - Robert L and Rosemary Brown**** (Oct. '10) 316. The Hunchback of Notre Dame - Victor Hugo***** (December '10) 317. Peter and the Shadow Thieves - Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson**** (Dec. '10)(D) 318. Emma - Jane Austen*** (December '10) 319. People Who Deserve It: Socially Responsible Reasons to Punch Someone in the Face - Casey Rand and Tim Gordon*** (January '11) 320. Angle of Repose - Wallace Stegner**** (January '11) 321. Yucatan Before and After the Conquest - Friar Diego de Landa**** (January '11) 322. Greek Myths Western Style: Toga Tales with an Attitude - Barbara McBride-Smith**** (February '11) 323. Peter and the Secret of Rundun - Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson **** (February '11)(D) 324. How Greek Philosophy Corrupted the Christian Concept of God - Richard R. Hopkins**** (March '11) 325. Ulysses - James Joyce*** (March '11) 326. Over the Edge of the World: Magellan's Terrifying Circumnavigation of the Globe - Laurence Bergreen**** (March '11) 327. Fablehaven - Brandon Mull**** (April '11)(D) 328. The Theological Foundations of the Mormon Religion - Sterling M. McMurrin***** (April '11) 329. King Solomon's Mines - H. Rider Haggard**** (April '11) 330. The Wit and Wisdom of Abraham Lincoln - edited by Anthony Gross*** (April '11) 331. Jurassic Park - Michael Crichton*** (April '11) 332. The Heart of the Matter - Graham Greene**** (April '11) 333. On Fiji Islands - Ronald Wright**** (May '11) 334. The Snark Handbook, Insult Edition - Comebacks, Taunts and Effronteries - Lawrence Dorfman*** - (May '11) 335. Henderson the Rain King - Saul Bellow**** (May '11) 336. The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood - Howard Pyle*** (June '11)(D) 337. The Power and the Glory - Graham Greene**** (June '11) 338. They Lie in Wait to Deceive - Volume 2 - Robert L. and Rosemary Brown*** (July '11) 339. Who Cut the Cheese? A Cultural History of the Fart - Jim Dawson***(July '11) 340. Peter and the Sword of Mercy - Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson*** (July '11)(D) 341. Science and the Book of Mormon - Wade E. Miller*** (August '11) 342. Little-Known Evidences of the Book of Mormon- Renton G. Yorgason*** (August '11) 343. Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief - Rick Riordan**** (August '11)(D) 344. Plates of Gold: The Book of Mormon Comes Forth - Matthew B. Brown****(August '11) 345. The Sea of Monsters - Rick Riordan**** (September'11)(D). 346. They Lie in Wait to Deceive - Volume IV - Robert L. and Rosemary Brown*** (September '11). 347. The House of the Lord: A Study of Holy Sanctuaries, Ancient and Modern - James E. Talmage*** (September '11) 348. 400 Questions & Answers About the Life and Times of Jesus Christ - Susan Easton Black**** (October '11) 349. The Titan's Curse - Rick Riordan**** (October '11)(D) 350. Investigating the Book of Mormon Witnesses - Richard Lloyd Anderson***** (October '11) 351. An American Tragedy - Theodore Dreiser***(October '11) 352. From Man to God: An LDS Scientis Views Creation, Progression and Exlatation - William E. Harris** (October '11) 353. Peter Pan - J.M. Barrie**** (October '11)(D) 354. Water For Elephants - Sara Gruen**** (November '11) 355. A Passage to India - E.M. Forster****(Novemver '11) 356. Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything - Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner**** (November '11) 357. Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Battle of the Labyrinth - Rick Riordan*** (December '11)(D) 358. The Miracle of Freedom: 7 Tipping Points That Saved the World - Chris Stewart and Ted Stewart**** (December '11) 359. Apocrypha - King James Version **** (December '11) 360. Boomerang: Travels in the New Third World - Michael Lewis**** (December '11) 361. The Brincess Bride - William Goldman**** (January '12)(D) 362. Percy Jackson adn the Olympians: The Last Olympian - Rick Riordan*** (February '12)(D) 363. The L.D.S. Family Travel Guide: Independenc, Nauvoo and Winter Quarters - Becky Cardon Smith**** (March '12) 364. Matilda - Roald Dahl*** (March '12) (W) 365. Where the Conflict Really Lies: Science, Religion, & Naturalism - Alvin Plantinga**** (March '12) 366. Celebrating Passover: A Guide to Understanding the Jewish Feast for Later-day Saints - Marianne Monson-Burton**** (March '12) 367. The Book of Mormon: The Original Text - Edited by Royal Skousen***** (March '12) 368. Fire of the Covenant: A Novel of the Whillie and Martin Handcart Companies - Gerald N. Lund**** (March '12) 369. The Mormon People: The Making of an American Faith - Matthew Bowman**** (April '12) 370. The Lost Hero - Rick Riordan*** (April '12) 371. 7 Miracles That Saved America - Chris and Ted Stewart**** (April '12) 372. When Souls Had Wings: Pre-Mortal Existence in Western Thought - Terryl L. Givens**** (April '12) 373. Fablehaven - Rise of the Evening Star - Brandon Mull*** (June '12) 374. Fablehaven: Grip of the Shadow Plague - Brandon Mull*** (Sept '12) 375. Earth Unaware - Orson Scott Card and Aaron Johnston**** (Sept '12) 376. The Family Corleone - Ed Falco**** (Oct '12) 377. The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling - Henry Fielding*** (Oct '12)

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Whitney's Bird Nerd List

I took Whitney and Dane to Farmington Bay bird watching today. Eight year old Whitney enjoyed seeing the birds and four year old Dane enjoyed jumping in mud puddles. Whitney came home and made pictures of the birds she saw and I think they are very good - better than anything I could do. Enjoy.
(We saw a butt-load of birds. I saw 3 new ones - see my list.)

1. Killdeer

2. American Kestrel

3. Canada Goose

4. Great Blue Heron

5. Franklin's Gull

6. Long-billed Curlew

7. Caspian Tern

8. American Coot

9. Red-winged Black Bird

10. Cinnamon Teal

11. Black-necked Stilt

12. American Avocet

13. American White Pelican

14. Yellow-headed Blackbird

15. Snowy Egret

16. Black-billed Magpie

Friday, April 13, 2012

Updated Bird Nerd List

Dane and I want out to Antelope Island today and saw 8 new species of birds. I passed 100 birds since I started birding in February, and I think I've seen just as many birds in Utah now as I did in Costa Rica. We also saw another black necked stilt, a sanderling, and lots of meadowlarks, shovelers, and coots.

1. Muscovy Duck (CR)
2. Neotropic Cormorant (CR)
3. Anhinga (CR)
4. Bare-troated Tiger-Heron (CR)
5. Little Blue Heron (CR)
6. Great Egret (CR)
7. Great Blue Heron (CR)(Farmington Bay, Ut., April '12)
8. Cattle Egret (CR)
9. Snowy Egret (CR)(Farmington Bay, Ut., April '12)
10. Green Heron (CR)
11. Tricolored Heron (CR)
12. Yellow-crowned Night-Heron (CR)
13. Black Vulture (CR)
14. Turkey Vulture (CR)
15. Broad-winged Hawk (CR)
16. Common Black-Hawk (CR)
17. Merlin (CR)
18. Northern Jacana (CR)
19. Black-necked Stilt (CR)(Farmington Bay, Ut., April '12)
20. Sanderling (CR)
21. Least Sandpiper (CR)
22. Red-lored Parrot (CR)
23. Mealy Parrot (CR)
24. Squirrel Cuckoo (CR)
25. Groove-billed Ani (CR)
26. Band-tailed Barbthroat Hummingbird (CR)
27. Violaceous Trogon (CR)
28. Green Kingfisher (CR)
29. Belted Kingfisher (CR)
30. Amazon Kingfisher (CR)
31. Chestnut-mandibled Toucan (CR)
32. Keel-billed Toucan (CR)
33. Collared Aracari (CR)
34. Chestnut-backed Antbird (CR)
35. Yellow-bellied Elaenia (CR)
36. Yellow-bellied Flycatcher (CR)
37. Boat-billed Flycatcher (CR)
38. Great Kiskadee (CR)
39. Social Flycatcher (CR)
40. Tropical Kingbird (CR)
41. Mangrove Swallow (CR)
42. Clay-colerd Robin (CR)
43. Northern Parula (CR)
44. Summer Tanager (CR)
45. Passerini's Tanager (CR)
46. Great-tailed Grackle (CR)
47. Scarlet-rumped Cacique (CR)
49. Baltimore Oriole (CR)
50. Chestnut-headed Oropendola (CR)
51. Montezuma Oropendola (CR)
52. European Starling (Ut)
53. Read-winged Blackbird (Pineview Reservoir, Ut., March '12)
54. Black-billed Magpie (Ut)
55. Osprey (Pineview Reservoir, Ut., March '12)
56. Pine Siskin (Ut)
57. House Finch (Ut)
58. American Tree Sparow (Ut)
59. Cassin's Finch (Ut)
60. White-crowned Sparrow (Ut)
61. Mourning Dove (Ut)
62. Mallard (Ut)
63. Northern Pintail (Pineview Reservior, Ut., March, '12)
64. Northern Shoveler (Pineview Reservoir, Ut., March, '12)
65. Northern Harrier (Antelope Island, Ut., March, '12)
66. Black-capped Chicadee (Ut)
67. American Robin (Ut)
68. Eurasian Collared-Dova (Ut)
69. Rock Pigeon (Ut)
70. Canada Goose (Pineview Reservior, Ut., March '12)
71. Common Merganser (Pineview Reservior, Ut., March '12)
72. California Gull (Ut)
73. Western Meadowlark (Antelope Island, Ut., March, '12)
74. Wood duck(Ut, March, '12)
75. Gambel's Quail - (Ogden Nature Center - March, '12)
76. House Sparrow - (Ut., March, '12)
77. Dark Eyed Junco (Ut., March, '12)
78. American Goldfinch (Layton, Ut., March, '12)
79. Sandhill Crane (Farmington Bay, Ut., March, '12)
80. Killdeer (Farmington Bay, Ut., March, '12)
81. Bufflehead (Farmington Bay, Ut., March, '12)
82. American Coot (Farmington Bay, Ut., March, '12)
83. American Avocet (Farmington Bay, Ut., March, '12)
84. Chipping Sparrow (Farmington Bay, Ut., March, '12)
85. American Kestrel (Farmington Bay, Ut., March, '12)
86. American White Pelican (Farmington Bay, Ut., March, '12)
87. Green-Winged Teal (Farmington Bay, Ut., March, '12)
88. Cinnamon Teal (Farmington Bay, Ut., March, '12)
89. Gadwall (Farmington Bay, Ut., March, '12)
90. Downy Woodpecker (Layton, Ut., March, '12)
91. Double Crested Cormorant (Jensen's Nature Park, Ut., April, '12)
92. Yellow-headed Blackbird (Jensen's Nature Park, Ut., April, '12)
93. American Wigeon (Jensen's Nature Park, Ut., April '12)
94. Barn Swallow (Antelope Island, Ut., April '12)
95. Horned Grebe (Antelope Island, Ut., April '12)
96. Eared Grebe (Antelope Island, Ut., April '12)
97. Redhead (Antelope Island, Ut., April '12)
98. Greater Scaup (Antelope Island, Ut., April '12)
99. Lesser Scaup (Antelope Island, Ut., April '12)
100. Chukar (Antelope Island, Ut., April '12)
101. Willet (Antelope Island, Ut., April '12)
102. American Crow (Ut.)
103. Common Raven (Ut.)
104. Ring-billed Gull (Ut.)
105. Long-billed Curlew (Famington Bay, Ut., April '12)
106. Franklin's Gull
107. Caspian Tern
108. White-faced Ibis (Farmington Bay, Ut., April, '12)
109. Forster's Tern (Farminton Bay, Ut., April, '12)
110. California Quail (Jordan River Temple, Ut., May, '12)
111. Wilson's Snipe (Antelope Island, Ut., May '12)
112. Black Bellied Plover (antelope Island, Ut., May '12)
113. Bonaparte's Gull (Antelope Island, Ut., May '12)
114. Brewer's Black Bird (Antelope Island, Ut., May '12)
115. Red Tailed Hawk (Ogden Nature Center, Ut., May, '12)

Thursday, March 29, 2012

The Book of Mormon: The Earliest Text - Edited by Royal Skousen

We read this during our family scripture study for the last year, often with others reading along in the latest edition of the BoM. Most of the differences you wouldn't notice just reading it by itself, except for the frequent, blaring gramatical errors. I remember discussing the Book of Mormon with an evangelical friend back in high school and he told me that there were 200 something changes in the current BoM compared to the original text, expecting that to shock me into disbelief. He was wrong, of course; there are way more than 200 changes in the text. However, now that I have read them, I can attest that none of the differences change the narrative or message of the Book of Mormon, but merely correct bad and awkward English. I had the opportunity to speak with Royal Skousen, the editor of this volume, at a conference a few years ago and he said that several of the most "awkward English" verses in the original text are not so awkward if you consider it as a direct translation from a Semetic text. I wouldn't know, having only taken a year of Hebrew in college, but it makes sense. I know how weird somethings sound when I try to translate directly from Spanish to English. So in short, there's certainly nothing sinister about the text changes through the years in the Book of Mormon, but the original text is very interesting to study.

=========================================================

Books I Can Remember that I’ve Read (In no particular order)

I'm only counting text books if I read the entire thing.
I'm counting books that I read more than half of, but stopped because I couldn't stomach it (Lolita) or just because I hated it(Moby Dick). I'm not counting books that are mostly pictures (The Cat in the Hat), although they are still some of my favorite books. I'm counting books twice if I read them both in English and in Spanish. Also, I'm not counting the Bathroom Readers; mostly because I'm ashamed of how much time I spend on the pot. I've read almost all of them though.

***** - I really liked
**** - I liked
*** - OK
** - I didn’t like
* - It sucked.
(W) - Read with Whitney
(D) - Read to Dane


1. The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald****
2. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man - James Joyce**
3. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen****
4. Walden - Henry David Thoreau**
5. Claudius the God - Robert Graves*****
6. One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez***
7. A Clockwork Orange - Anthony Burgess****
8. As I Lay Dying -William Faulkner***
9. Animal Farm - George Orwell****
10. The Book of Mormon - Written by the Hand of Mormon. Translated by Joseph Smith Jr.*****
11. The Holy Bible - King James Version*****
12. The Doctrine and Covenants - Joseph Smith, others****
13. The Pearl of Great Price - Moses, Abraham, Joseph Smith****
14. Travels with Charley (In Search of America) - John Steinbeck****
15. A Series of Unfortunate Events. The Bad Beginning - Lemony Snicket***
16. A Series of Unfortunate Events. The Reptile Room - Lemony Snicket***
17. A Series of Unfortunate Events. The Wide Window - Lemony Snicket***
18. Les Liaisons Dagereuses - Pierre Choderlos de Laclos****
19. Tom Sawyer Abroad - Samuel Clemens***
20. The Monkey Wrench Gang - Edward Abbey****
21. The Hero With a Thousand Faces - Joseph Campbell***
22. The Faith of a Scientist - Henry Eyring****
23. The Power of Myth - Joseph Campbell****
24. What are People For - Wendell Berry***
25. The Miracle of Forgiveness - Spencer W. Kimball****
26. The Greatest Salesman in the World - Og Mandino***
27. 1984 - George Orwell****
28. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - Samuel Clemens*****
29. On the Road - Jack Keroac****
30. David Copperfield - Charles Dickens****
31. Catch-22 - Joseph Heller****
32. Don Quixote - Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra****
33. Uncle Tom’s Cabin - Harriet Beecher Stowe***
34. Deliverance - James Dickey****
35. The Best of Edward Abbey***
36. Rosaura a las Diez - Marco Denevi****
37. Ragtime - E.L. Doctorow****
38. Tom Sawyer Detective - Samuel Clemens***
39. The Iliad -Homer****
40. The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkein*****
41. Notes from the Underground - Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky***
42. The Double - Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky***
43. The Trial -Franz Kafka***
44. Moby Dick - Herman Melville**
45. Invisible Man - Ralph Ellison***
46. Principles of Surgery Companion Handbook - Schartz, Shires, Spencer*
47. Standing for Something - Gordon B. Hinckley***
48. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe - C.S. Lewis*****
49. The Sound and the Fury -William Faulkner**
50. The Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck****
51. Slaughter House-Five - Kurt Vonnegut****
52. Tender is the Night - F. Scott Fitzgerald****
53. Under the Volcano - Malcolm Lowry**
54. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer -Samuel Clemens*****
55. Darkness at Noon - Arthur Koestler*****
56. The Call of the Wild - Jack London****
57. Kim - Rudyard Kipling***
58. A Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens****
59. Howards End - E.M. Forster****
60. Sons and Lovers - D.H. Lawrence***
61. Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad***
62. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance -Robert M. Pirsig****
63. The Stranger - Albus Camus****
64. To the Lighthouse - Virginia Woolf***
65. The Lonely Men - Louis L’Amour***
66. Sacred Clowns - Tony Hillerman***
67. The Covenant - James A. Michener****
68. Prentice Alvin - Orson Scott Card****
69. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy -Douglas Adams****
70. The Quick and the Dead - Louis L’Amour***
71. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee*****
72. The Gift of the Jews - Thomas Cahill****
73. The Last Battle - C.S. Lewis****
74. The Christ Commission - Og Mandin****
75. Ender’s Game -Orson Scott Card*****
76. People of Darkness - Tony Hillerman****
77. The Horse and His Boy - C.S. Lewis****
78. The Silver Chair - C.S. Lewis****
79. Memory of Earth - Orson Scott Card***
80. The Odyssey - Homer****
81. The Source - James A. Michener*****
82. The Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger****
83. How to Satisfy a Woman Every Time - Naura Hayden**
84. A Farewell to Arms - Ernest Hemingway****
85. The Changed Man - Orson Scott Card****
86. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl****
87. El Milagro del Perdon -Spencer W. Kimball****
88. Frankenstein - Mary Shelley****
89. A Marvelous Work and a Wonder - LeGrand Richards****
90. A Treasury of Classical Mythology - A.R. Hope Moncrieff****
91. The Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring - J.R.R. Tolkien****
92. Pure Drivel - Steve Martin***
93. Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens****
94. Great Expectations - Charles Dickens****
95. Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone - J.K. Rowling*****
96. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - J.K. Rowling*****
97. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban -J.K. Rowling*****
98. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire -J.K. Rowling*****
99. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - J.K. Rowling*****
100. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - J.K. Rowling*****
101. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - J.K. Rowling*****
102. The Screwtape Letters - C.S. Lewis*****
103. The Magician's Nephew - C.S. Lewis*****
104. Out of the Silent Planet - C.S. Lewis****
105. Prince Caspian - C.S. Lewis*****
106. The Voyage of the 'Dawn Treader - C.S. Lewis*****
107. Mere Christianity - C.S. Lewis****
108. That Hideous Strength - C.S. Lewis****
109. The Sun Also Rises - Ernest Hemingway***
110. Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov**
111. Brave New World - Aldous Huxley****
112. I Claudius - Robert Graves*****
113. Anthem - Ann Rand***
114. Lord of the Flies - William Golding****
115. As I Lay Dying - William Faulkner***
116. The Secret Agent - Joseph Conrad***
117. Starship Troopers - Robert Heinlein****
118. A Room With a View - E.M. Forster****
119. Lord Jim - Joseph Conrad***
120. Citizen of the Galaxy - Robert Heinlein****
121. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - Ken Kesley****
122. Tunnel in the Sky - Robert Heinlein****
123. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz - L. Frank Baum****
124. Speaker for the Dead - Orson Scott Card****
125. Xenocide - Orson Scott Card****
126. Songmaster - Orson Scott Card**
127. Saints - Orson Scott Card****
128. Red Prophet - Orson Scott Card****
129. Cruel Shoes - Steve Martin***
130. The Great Brain - John Dennis Fitzgerald****
131. Me and My Little Brain - John Dennis Fitzgerald****
132. Jesus the Christ - James Talmage*****
133. The Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas****
134. Dracula - Bram Stoker****
135. The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown***
136. Angels and Demons - Dan Brown****
137. Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West - Gregory Maguire****
138. Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator - Roald Dahl**
139. How the Irish Saved Civilization - Thomas Cahill***
140. Fundamentals of Family Medicine - Robert B. Taylor***
141. Medical Physiology - Rodney A Rhoades and George A Tanner**
142. D'aulaires Book of Greek Myths - Ingri and Edgar Parin D'Aurlaire****
143. El Libro De Mormon - Un Relato Escrito por la Mano de Mormon. Traducido de las Planchas por Jose Smith, Hijo*****
144. Generation X - Douglas Coupland***
145. Robinson Crusoe - Daniel Defoe****
146. Interview with the Vampire - Anne Rice****
147. The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde****
148. Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen****
149. History of the English-Speaking Peoples - Winston Churchhill****
150. A Guide to Physical Examination and History Taking - Barbara Bates**
151. Complete History of the World - Richard Overy****
152. The American Religion - Harold Bloom***
153. The Good Earth - Pearl S. Buck****
154. In Cold Blood - Truman Capote****
155. A Rumor of War - Philip Caputo****
156. Religion in the New World - Richard E. Wentz***
157. The Moon Is Down - John Steinbeck****
158. The Pearl - John Steinbeck****
159. Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck****
160. The Spy Who Came in from the Cold - John le Carré****
161. The Education of Little Tree - Forrest Carter*****
162. The Chosen - Chaim Potok****
163. The Work and the Glory, Pilar of Fire - Gerald N. Lund*****
164. The Work and the Glory, Like a Fire if Burning - Gerald N. Lund*****
165. The Work and the Glory, Truth will Prevail - Gerald N. Lund*****
166. The Work and the Glory, Thy Gold Refine - Gerald N. Lund*****
167. The Work and the Glory, A Season of Joy - Gerald N. Lund*****
168. Stepen King On Writing, A Memoir of the Craft - Stephen King***
169. Me Talk Pretty One Day - David Sedaris****
170. Book of Mormon Authorship Revisited, The Evidence for Ancient Origins - Edited by Noel B. Reynolds. **** (March '08)
171. The Millionaire Next Door - Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko****
172. Naked Ape : A Zoologist's Study of the Human Animal - Desmond Morris****
173. Johnny Tremain - Esther Forbes****
174. Mormons and Masons, Setting the Record Straight - Gilbert W. Scharffs* (March '08)
175. San Manuel Bueno, mártir - Miguel de Unamuno****
176. Critiquing the Critics of Joseph Smith - Hartt Wixom**** (March '08)
177. Mormon Country - Wallace Stegner****
178. The House of God - Samuel Shem**
179. The Way of All Flesh - Samuel Butler****(March '08)
180. The Clan of the Cave Bear - Jean M. Auel**** (April '08)
181. Religions of the World - A Latter-day Saint View - Spencer J. Palmer, Rober R. Keller, Dong Sull Choi, James A. Toronto****
182. Julius Caesar - William Shakespear****
183. Romeo and Juliet - William Shakespeare****
184. Hamlet - William Shakespeare****
185. Macbeth - William Shakespeare****
186. One Minute Answers to Anti-Mormon Questions - Stephen W. Gibson*** (May '08)
187. Jay's Journal - Beatrice Sparks**
188. Blueprints in Obstetrics and Gynecology - Tamara L. Callahan, Aaron B Caughey and Linda J Heffner***
189. Clinical Microbiology Made Rediculously Simple - Mark Galdwin and Bill Trattler****
190. Prescription for the Boards USMLE Step 2 - Radhika Breaden, Charyl Denenberg, Kate Feibusch, Stephen Gomperts***
191. The Instant Exam Review for the USMLE Step 3 - Joel s. Goldberg**
192. Appleton & Lang's Review of Pediatrics - Martin I. Lorin**
193. Pathology - Arthur S. Schneider and Philip A Szanto**
194. Internal Medicine - Edward D. Frohlich**
195. The Lord of the Rings - The Two Towers - J.R.R. Tolkien****
196. The Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King - J.R.R. Tolkien****
198. The Mountain Meadows Massacre - Juanita Brooks****
198. A Thief of Time - Tony Hillerman****
199. Naked Pictures of Famous People - Jon Stewart**
200. La Casa de Bernarda Alba - Federico García Lorca***
201. Why Things Are and Why Things Aren't - Joel Achenbach****
202. Why Things Are - Joel Achenbach****
203. Why Do Clocks Run Clockwise? And Other Imponderables - David Feldman****
204. First Aid for the Family Medicine Boards - Tao Le, Christine Dehlendorf, Michael Mendoza, and Cynthria Ohata**** (May '08)
205. Why Don't Cat's Like to Swim - David Feldman****
206. The Naked and the Dead - Norman Mailer**** (June '08)
207. Encounters with the Archdruid - John McPhee***
208. Desert Solitaire - Edward Abby***
209. Family Medicine Board Review - Robert L. Bratton, MD**** (July '08)
210. View of the Hebrews - Ethan Smith** (August '08)
211. A Wrinkle in Time - Madeleine L'Engle****
212. A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens****
213. The Book of Mormon and DNA Resarch - Edited by Daniel C. Petersen**** (Sept '08)
214. The Great Divorce - C.S. Lewis**** (Sept '08)
215. Treasure Island - Robert Louis Stevenson**** (Sept '08)
216. The Great Angel - A Study of Israel's Second God - Margaret Barker**** (Sept '08)
217. The House of the Seven Gables - Nathaniel Hawthorne**** (Sept,08)
218. The Scarlett Letter - Nathaniel Hawthorne**** (Oct, '08)
219. Twilight - Stephanie Meyer** (Oct, '08)
220. Sophie's Choice - William Styron*** (Nov, '08)
221. Revolt of 2100 - Robert Heinlein****
222. Farnham's Freehold - Robert Heinlein****
223. Between Planets - Robert Heinlein****
224. The Giver - Lois Lowry****(Nov, '08)
225. History of Joseph Smith by His Mother Lucy Mack Smith****
226. Stranger in a Strange Land - Robert Heinlein** (Nov, '08)
227. Joseph Smith - Rough Stone Rolling - Richard Lyman Bushman**** (Dec, '08)
228. The Work and the Glory - Praise to the Man - Gerald N. Lund**** (Dec, '08)
229. Tinkling Cymbals and Sounding Brass - The Art of Telling Tales about Joseph Smith and Brigham Young - Hugh Nibley****(Dec, '08)
230. The Happy Prince and Other Tales - Oscar Wilde***(Dec, '08)
231. The Tales of Beedle the Bard - J.K. Rowling****(Dec, '08)
232. A High Wind in Jamaica - Richard Hughes*** (Dec, '08)
233. Celsus on the True Doctrine - A Discourse Against the Christians - translated by R. Joseph Hoffmann**** (Jan, '09)
234. Brigham Young: American Moses - Leonard J. Arrington**** (Jan, '09)
235. Atlas Shrugged - Ann Rand***** (Jan, '09)
236. Sophie's World - Jostein Gaarder*** (Feb, '09)
237. Silas Marner - George Eliot**** (Feb, '09)
238. Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte*** (Feb, '09)
239. Mormonism and Early Christianity - Hugh Nibley**** (March, '09)
240. Our Mutual Friend - Charles Dickens*** (March, '09)
241. The Abolition of Man - C.S. Lewis*** (April, '09)
242. The Communist Manifesto - Karl Marx** (April '09)
243. Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoevsky**** (April '09)
244. Till We Have Faces - C.S. Lewis**** (April '09)
245. Return from Tomorrow - George Ritchie and Elizebeth Sherrill***
246. President Kimball Speaks Out - Spencer W. Kimball***
247. The World's Last Night and Other Essays - C.S. Lewis**** (April '09)
248. Everything's Eventual - Stephen King****
249. Dubliners - James Joyce**** (April '09)
250. Capitalism and Freedom Milton Friedman**** (May '09)
251. Texas - James Michener***
252. Massacre at Mountain Meadows - Ronald W. Walker, Richard E. Turley Jr. and Geln M Leonard**** (May '09)
253. Where the Sidewalk Ends - Shel Silverstein****
254. Hawaii - A Novel - James Michener*** (June '09)
255. Billy Budd - Herman Melville***
256. Tales of the South Pacific - James Michener***
257. Nicholas Nickleby - Charles Dickens*** (June '09)
258. The Last Kingdom - Bernard Cornwell**** (July '09)
259. For Whom the Bell Tolls - Ernest Hemingway *** (August '09)
260. Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury **** (August '09)
261. The Pilgrim's Progress - John Bunyan*** (Sept '09)
262. Stonehenge - Bernard Cornwell*** (Sept '09)
263. Leap of Faith: Confronting the Origins of the Book of Mormon - Bob Bennett**** (Sept '09)
264. New Moon - Stephenie Meyer** (Sept '09)
265. Shaken Faith Syndrome - Michael R. Ash**** (October '09)
266. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter - Carson McCullers**** (October '09)
267. Lehi in the Desert - Hugh Nibley**** (October '09)
268. The World of the Jaredites - Hugh Nibley**** (October '09)
269. There Were Jaredites - Hugh Nibley *** (November '09)
270. How to be the Jerk Women Love - F.J. Shark**
271. Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte*** (November '09)
272. The Story of England - Christopher Hibbert****
273. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies - Jane Austen and Seth Grahame Smith**** (November '09)
274. The Work and the Glory - So Great a Cause - Gerald N. Lund**** (December '09)
275. Caribbean - James A. Michener**** (December '09)
276. 1776 - David McCullough**** (December '09)
277. Exploring the Connection Between Mormons and Masons - Matthew B. Brown** (December '09)
278. The Temple - Where Heaven Meets Earth - Truman G. Madsen*** (December '09)
279. The Divine Comedy: Inferno/Purgatorio/Paradiso - Dante Alighieri. Tranlated by Carlyle Okey Wicksteed** (January '10)
280. When You are Englulfed in Flames - David Sedaris*** (January '10)
281. The Elements of Style - William Strunk, Jr.**** (January '10)
282. The Year of Living Biblically - A.J. Jacobs**** (February '10)
283. The Autobiograph of Parley P. Pratt**** (February '10)
284. The Viper on the Hearth: Mormons, Myths, and the Construction of Heresy - Terryl L. Givens***** (February '10)
285. Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters - Jane Austin and Ben Winters*** (February '10)
286. The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins**** (February '10)
287. Catching Fire - Suzanne Collins**** (February '10)
288. Arguing with Idiots - Glen Beck*** (March '10)
289. The Godfather - Mario Puzo*** (March '10)
290. Remembering Kirtland - Grant L. Stevens and Richard Stevens*** (March '10)
291. By the Hand of Mormon - The American Scripture that Launched a New World Religion - Terryl L Givens***** (April '10)
292. The LDS Family Travel Guide: Sharon, Palmyra and Kirtland - Becky Cardon Smith*** (April '10)
293. The Work and the Glory, All is Well - Gerald N. Lund**** (April '10)
294. The Four Agreements - A Toltec Wisdom Book - Don Miguel Ruiz*** (April '10)
295. The Pirate Hunter - The True Story of Captain Kidd - Richared Zacks**** (April '10)
296. Persuasion - Jane Austen**** (May, '10)
297. The Lost Symbol - Dan Brown*** (May, '10)
298. The Maltese Falcon - Dashiell Hammett**** (May '10)
299. Abraham in Egypt - Hugh Nibley**** (June '10)
300. Patriots: A Novel of Survival in the Coming Collapse - James Wesley, Rawles**(June '10)
301. Native Son - Richard Wright*** (June '10)
302. Odds Are You're Going To Be Exalted - Alonzo L Gaskill*** (June '10)
303. The Sword in the Stone - T.H. White*** (July '10)
304. The Kingdom and the Crown Vol. 1: Fisher's of Men - Gerald N. Lund **** (July '10)
305. The Once and Future King - T.H. White**** (August '10)
306. The Kingdom and the Crown Vol. 2: Come Unto Me - Gerald N. Lund**** (August '10)
307. 365 Read-Aloud Bedtime Bible Stories - Daniel Partner*** (August '10)(D).
308. People of Paradox: A History of Mormon Culture - Terryl L. Givens**** (Sept. '10)
309. Of Faith and Reason: 80 Evidences Suporting the Prophet Joseph Smith - Michael R. Ash**** (Sept. '10)
310. The Kingdom and the Crown Vol. 3: Behold the Man - Gerald N. Lund**** (Oct. '10)
311. Mockingjay - Suzanne Collins*** (Oct. '10)
312. Peter and the Starcatchers - Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson**** (Oct. '10)(D)
313. Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith - compled by Joseph Fielding Smith - (Oct. '10)****
314. The Early History of God: Yahweh and the Other Deities of Ancient Israel - Mark S. Smith*** (Oct. '10)
315. They Lie In Wait to Deceive Volume I - Robert L and Rosemary Brown**** (Oct. '10)
316. The Hunchback of Notre Dame - Victor Hugo***** (December '10)
317. Peter and the Shadow Thieves - Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson**** (Dec. '10)(D)
318. Emma - Jane Austen*** (December '10)
319. People Who Deserve It: Socially Responsible Reasons to Punch Someone in the Face - Casey Rand and Tim Gordon*** (January '11)
320. Angle of Repose - Wallace Stegner**** (January '11)
321. Yucatan Before and After the Conquest - Friar Diego de Landa**** (January '11)
322. Greek Myths Western Style: Toga Tales with an Attitude - Barbara McBride-Smith**** (February '11)
323. Peter and the Secret of Rundun - Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson **** (February '11)(D)
324. How Greek Philosophy Corrupted the Christian Concept of God - Richard R. Hopkins**** (March '11)
325. Ulysses - James Joyce*** (March '11)
326. Over the Edge of the World: Magellan's Terrifying Circumnavigation of the Globe - Laurence Bergreen**** (March '11)
327. Fablehaven - Brandon Mull**** (April '11)(D)
328. The Theological Foundations of the Mormon Religion - Sterling M. McMurrin***** (April '11)
329. King Solomon's Mines - H. Rider Haggard**** (April '11)
330. The Wit and Wisdom of Abraham Lincoln - edited by Anthony Gross*** (April '11)
331. Jurassic Park - Michael Crichton*** (April '11)
332. The Heart of the Matter - Graham Greene**** (April '11)
333. On Fiji Islands - Ronald Wright**** (May '11)
334. The Snark Handbook, Insult Edition - Comebacks, Taunts and Effronteries - Lawrence Dorfman*** - (May '11)
335. Henderson the Rain King - Saul Bellow**** (May '11)
336. The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood - Howard Pyle*** (June '11)(D)
337. The Power and the Glory - Graham Greene**** (June '11)
338. They Lie in Wait to Deceive - Volume 2 - Robert L. and Rosemary Brown*** (July '11)
339. Who Cut the Cheese? A Cultural History of the Fart - Jim Dawson***(July '11)
340. Peter and the Sword of Mercy - Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson*** (July '11)(D)
341. Science and the Book of Mormon - Wade E. Miller*** (August '11)
342. Little-Known Evidences of the Book of Mormon- Renton G. Yorgason*** (August '11)
343. Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief - Rick Riordan**** (August '11)(D)
344. Plates of Gold: The Book of Mormon Comes Forth - Matthew B. Brown****(August '11)
345. The Sea of Monsters - Rick Riordan**** (September'11)(D).
346. They Lie in Wait to Deceive - Volume IV - Robert L. and Rosemary Brown*** (September '11).
347. The House of the Lord: A Study of Holy Sanctuaries, Ancient and Modern - James E. Talmage*** (September '11)
348. 400 Questions & Answers About the Life and Times of Jesus Christ - Susan Easton Black**** (October '11)
349. The Titan's Curse - Rick Riordan**** (October '11)(D)
350. Investigating the Book of Mormon Witnesses - Richard Lloyd Anderson***** (October '11)
351. An American Tragedy - Theodore Dreiser***(October '11)
352. From Man to God: An LDS Scientis Views Creation, Progression and Exlatation - William E. Harris** (October '11)
353. Peter Pan - J.M. Barrie**** (October '11)(D)
354. Water For Elephants - Sara Gruen**** (November '11)
355. A Passage to India - E.M. Forster****(Novemver '11)
356. Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything - Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner**** (November '11)
357. Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Battle of the Labyrinth - Rick Riordan*** (December '11)(D)
358. The Miracle of Freedom: 7 Tipping Points That Saved the World - Chris Stewart and Ted Stewart**** (December '11)
359. Apocrypha - King James Version **** (December '11)
360. Boomerang: Travels in the New Third World - Michael Lewis**** (December '11)
361. The Brincess Bride - William Goldman**** (January '12)(D)
362. Percy Jackson adn the Olympians: The Last Olympian - Rick Riordan*** (February '12)(D)
363. The L.D.S. Family Travel Guide: Independenc, Nauvoo and Winter Quarters - Becky Cardon Smith**** (March '12)
364. Matilda - Roald Dahl*** (March '12) (W)
365. Where the Conflict Really Lies: Science, Religion, & Naturalism - Alvin Plantinga**** (March '12)
366. Celebrating Passover: A Guide to Understanding the Jewish Feast for Later-day Saints - Marianne Monson-Burton**** (March '12)
367. The Book of Mormon: The Original Text - Edited by Royal Skousen***** (March '12)
368. Fire of the Covenant: A Novel of the Whillie and Martin Handcart Companies - Gerald N. Lund**** (March '12)
369. The Mormon People: The Making of an American Faith - Matthew Bowman**** (April '12)
370. The Lost Hero - Rick Riordan*** (April '12)
371. 7 Miracles That Saved America - Chris and Ted Stewart**** (April '12)

Saturday, March 17, 2012

Where the Conflict Really Lies: Science, Religion and Naturalism - Alvin Plantinga

Where The Conflict Really Lies: Science, Religion, & Naturalism - Alvin Plantinga

Plantinga's conclusion in this book: That there is only superfical conflict between science and theistic belief (really nothing more than metaphysical add-ons to the sound theories of evolution, the big bang, ext.), but actually deep concord between science and theism. On the other hand, there is superficial concord and deep conflict between science and naturalism. He defends his conclusion eloquently, and helps show once again (if there ever was any serious doubt) that religious belief is completely compatible with science, and defendable and respectable in philosophy.

Bird Nerd List

When I went to Costa Rica last month I became a bird watcher. Evidentally, it's not very hard; all you need is a pair of binoculars and a field guide. Of course, since Costa Rica has more species of birds than all of North America put together, birds might not be as abundant now that I'm back in the States. But I'm making a list of the birds I saw there and that I've seen since here in Utah. I'll try to link videos, and if I got a picture myself I'll try to post that too. I have no idea what makes for a respectable life list, but for only doing this for the last 1 1/2 months, I think I'm off to a good start.

(CR) - seen in Costa Rica
(Ut) - seen in Utah

(First part is pretty much in the order of how they are listed in The Birds of Costa Rica: A Field Guide by Richard Garrigues and Robert Dean, which I highly recommend.)

1. Muscovy Duck (CR)
2. Neotropic Cormorant (CR)
3. Anhinga (CR)
4. Bare-troated Tiger-Heron (CR)
5. Little Blue Heron (CR)
6. Great Egret (CR)
7. Great Blue Heron (CR)
8. Cattle Egret (CR)
9. Snowy Egret (CR)
10. Green Heron (CR)
11. Tricolored Heron (CR)
12. Yellow-crowned Night-Heron (CR)
13. Black Vulture (CR)
14. Turkey Vulture (CR)
15. Broad-winged Hawk (CR)
16. Common Black-Hawk (CR)
17. Merlin (CR)
18. Northern Jacana (CR)
19. Black-necked Stilt (CR)
20. Sanderling (CR)
21. Least Sandpiper (CR)
22. Red-lored Parrot (CR)
23. Mealy Parrot (CR)
24. Squirrel Cuckoo (CR)
25. Groove-billed Ani (CR)
26. Band-tailed Barbthroat Hummingbird (CR)
27. Violaceous Trogon (CR)
28. Green Kingfisher (CR)
29. Belted Kingfisher (CR)
30. Amazon Kingfisher (CR)
31. Chestnut-mandibled Toucan (CR)
32. Keel-billed Toucan (CR)
33. Collared Aracari (CR)
34. Chestnut-backed Antbird (CR)
35. Yellow-bellied Elaenia (CR)
36. Yellow-bellied Flycatcher (CR)
37. Boat-billed Flycatcher (CR)
38. Great Kiskadee (CR)
39. Social Flycatcher (CR)
40. Tropical Kingbird (CR)
41. Mangrove Swallow (CR)
42. Clay-colerd Robin (CR)
43. Northern Parula (CR)
44. Summer Tanager (CR)
45. Passerini's Tanager (CR)
46. Great-tailed Grackle (CR)
47. Scarlet-rumped Cacique (CR)
49. Baltimore Oriole (CR)
50. Chestnut-headed Oropendola (CR)
51. Montezuma Oropendola (CR)
52. European Starling (Ut)
53. Read-winged Blackbird (Pineview Reservoir, Ut., March '12)
54. Black-billed Magpie (Ut)
55. Osprey (Pineview Reservoir, Ut., March '12)
56. Pine Siskin (Ut)
57. House Finch (Ut)
58. American Tree Sparow (Ut)
59. Cassin's Finch (Ut)
60. White-crowned Sparrow (Ut)
61. Mourning Dove (Ut)
62. Mallard (Ut)
63. Northern Pintail (Pineview Reservior, Ut., March, '12)
64. Northern Shoveler (Pineview Reservoir, Ut., March, '12)
65. Northern Harrier (Antelope Island, Ut., March, '12)
66. Black-capped Chicadee (Ut)
67. American Robin (Ut)
68. Eurasian Collared-Dova (Ut)
69. Rock Pigeon (Ut)
70. Canada Goose (Pineview Reservior, Ut., March '12)
71. Common Merganser (Pineview Reservior, Ut., March '12)
72. California Gull (Ut)
73. Western Meadowlark (Antelope Island, Ut., March, '12)
74. Wood duck(Ut, March, '12)
75. Gambel's Quail - (Ogden Nature Center - March, '12)
76. House Sparrow - (Ut., March, '12)
77. Dark Eyed Junco (Ut., March, '12)
78. American Goldfinch (Layton, Ut., March, '12)
79. Sandhill Crane (Farmington Bay, Ut., March, '12)
80. Killdeer (Farmington Bay, Ut., March, '12)
81. Bufflehead (Farmington Bay, Ut., March, '12)
82. American Coot (Farmington Bay, Ut., March, '12)
83. American Avocet (Farmington Bay, Ut., March, '12)
84. Chipping Sparrow (Farmington Bay, Ut., March, '12)
85. American Kestrel (Farmington Bay, Ut., March, '12)
86. American White Pelican (Farmington Bay, Ut., March, '12)
87. Green-Winged Teal (Farmington Bay, Ut., March, '12)
88. Cinnamon Teal (Farmington Bay, Ut., March, '12)
89. Gadwall (Farmington Bay, Ut., March, '12)
90. Downy Woodpecker (Layton, Ut., March, '12)
91. Double Crested Cormorant (Jensen's Nature Park, Ut., April, '12)
92. Yellow-headed Blackbird (Jensen's Nature Park, Ut., April, '12)
93. American Wigeon (Jensen's Nature Park, Ut., April '12)

Sunday, February 26, 2012

Costa Rica, February 2012


































































































We took a family vacation to the Caribbean Coast of Costa Rica Earlier this month. My mother came and stayed with us for 4 days. We flew into San Jose and stayed the first night there. We found the San Jose Temple the next day. Then we drove to Playa Chiquita, Limon, Costa Rica, which is just a few miles south of Puerto Viejo on the Caribbean Coast. We stayed rented house called Casa Las Brisas. It was up in the canopy of the rain forest. Michelle and I slept in a loft bedroom which was open all the way around. It had an open air bathroom, so you could bath and poop while enjoying nature. We went to church at a branch up in Limon and met some very nice people and missionaries. We went to the Jaguar rescue center Monday where we saw lots of native animals. Dane, Grandma and I had monkeys crawl all over us there. We then went to a Bribri Indian woman's house where she and her family showed us how they prepare chocolate. We then hiked to a waterfall. (My waterproof camera broke, so I don't have pictures of this.) Tuesday we took a boat tour of Tortugero and saw lots of birds, monkeys, sloths and crocodiles. Wednesday Michelle and I went snorkeling in Cahuita National Park. We had a good time until we saw a nurse shark and Michelle swam as fast as she could back to the boat. A guide then took us on a hike through the park where we saw monkeys, eyelash vipers, several species of birds, and some more sloths. Thursday we took the kids back to Cahuita to go to the beach there. Friday we went to the Sloth Sanctuary, where they teach you about sloths, and also take you on a jungle river canoe ride. Saturday we went to a Cocoa plantation and factory and learned more about how they make chocolate. Then we spent the rest of the day down at Playa Chiquita, just swimming, snorkeling and playing in the Sand (probably the nicest beach I've ever been on). Sunday we went to church again in Limon and then drove back to San Jose. Monday Morning we drove home.

I'll post some pictures now, and videos if I can figure out how. I'll try to get some links and GPS coordinates on here eventually. (GPS coordinates would have been very helpful while we were there, since Costa Rica doesn't have street names or addresses.)