Today I wanted to comment on a few books I have read in the past several weeks. Two of them I recommend highly and the other I had a hard time with even though the author is considered one of the best at writing new westerns.

The Western is Cormac McCarthy’s Blood Meridian. I am a fan of the western and was excited to read this book after my good friend Matt suggested it. However, I had a hard time getting into this novel. The main character, simply known as the kid, was difficult to understand and the character development was just not there. I should have known I would like this book when all the reviews compared him to Herman Melville and William Faulkner. I know these are both classic authors, but they are ones that I have never enjoyed reading, and McCarthy reads the way they do. I have always felt I was not smart enough to understand Faulkner, and that is the way I felt like reading this. One top of this McCarthy also wrote All the Pretty Horses, which I have heard was a good book, but it was one of the worst movies I have ever seen. So my conclusion is I did not enjoy the book, but Matt who is very intelligent very much enjoys McCarthy. So as with most things movies and books give them a try.


The other two did not need as much thinking. I read non-fiction all day, so maybe when I read for pleasure I want to turn off my brain. I just finished reading Stewart Mandel’s Bowls, Polls, and Tattered Souls. Mandel is the lead college football writer for SI.com and my personal favorite. So when he wrote a full book about college football (one of my favorite pastimes) I had to read it. Mandel explains some of the major controversies dealing with football today including chapters on the BCS, how the ranking system works with college football, why Heisman winners are failing at the next level, the issue of paying coaches too much money and than expecting them to win right away or fans call for their head, why Notre Dame is put on high, how Boston College and Clemson are somehow in the same conference, why there are so many bowl games, and how ever team cheats-expect yours. Basically Mandel loves the game, and you get how much through the book, but at the same time at the top levels it is corrupt and money runs everything. He is a funny writer and gives some very insightful details into the game I love. If you love college football this is a must read book.

The last book, I also highly enjoyed and found it very informative. It is Michael Winder’s Presidents and Prophets. I am very thankful to my grandfather for sending me this book. It is about the relationship between the LDS church and the US presidents. In a very detailed way Winder looks at different presidents views on God and as soon as the Church was founded, their views on this new religion. It begins with the hardships the Church had to face and the discrimination presidents had against this peculiar religion. He discusses the major issues the church had to face; especially polygamy and the Church’s fight for statehood. He also details important LDS leaders such as Reed Smoot who was in the Senate for years and made strong headways into the government understanding and accepting the Church. Finally in the 20th century Winder explores how many prophets and president developed a strong relationship, even including Mormons in high positions, many more that I ever know about. It was fascinating to learn many things I never know and how many prominent Mormons had served in politics. I immensely enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it to any member of the LDS Church who wants to learn more about their history.