Believe it or not, Christmas is only two weeks away.  Yikes!  Are you ready?  I'm not even ready for tomorrow, so ... yeah.  I have, however, bought myself a number of gifts already.  Nothing for anyone else yet, but I can say with a surety that Santa is taking good care of me this year!  Since a lot of my purchases were books and this week's topic for Top Ten Tuesday is a holiday freebie, I'll show off the goods below.  Then, I better get going on Christmas shopping for the fam ... 

If you've never played along with TTT before, you really should.  It's a fun weekly event that helps book bloggers spread the love across our fabulous online community.  I love dropping in on favorite blogs, discovering new ones, and, of course, adding great-sounding reading recommendations to my TBR list pile mountain mountain chain.  It's a good time, I promise!  All you have to do is click on over to That Artsy Reader Girl, read a few instructions, create your own list, and start hopping around the Web.  Easy peasy.

Here we go with the Top Ten Books Santa Already Put Under My Tree (metaphorically speaking—they're actually on my festive red book cart):

*I should mention that I brought this haul home from my favorite local indie, Changing Hands Bookstore.  One of my favorite things about the place is that they offer their customers a yearly birthday discount.  They also let you trade in your old books in exchange for a generous store credit.  Since I have a December birthday, I made a trip to Changing Hands the other day.  I traded in some books and used both store credit and my birthday discount to get a whole stack of goodies.  If you live near me or are just visiting the Phoenix area, you should definitely visit one of their two locations.  I prefer the Tempe store (it's funky, fun, and has a lovely staff), but the Phoenix one is a treat as well.*


1.  The Line Between by Tosca Lee—In this post-apocalyptic novel, an eradicated disease reemerges from the melting permafrost in Alaska, causing its victims to go insane.  An escapee from a doomsday cult finds herself trying to navigate her way in a strange, new world while also learning the disturbing truth about the emergent virus.  Post-apocalypse + cults?  Count me in.

2.  The Women of the Copper Country by Mary Doria Russell—I haven't read anything by this author, but this historical novel, about a woman who defies convention to stand up for the rights of miners in turn-of-the-century Michigan, sounds intriguing.

3.  The Life and Death Parade by Eliza Wass—I realized after buying this book that it has pretty ho-hum ratings on book sites.  Oh well.  It sounds interesting.  The novel concerns a boy who visited a psychic who told him he had no future.  Now, he's dead.  His girlfriend vows to find out what really happened to him.

4.  My Bookstore by Ronald Rice—This gem was in the clearance section for super cheap, so I snatched it up.  It's a collection of essays by authors like John Grisham, Fannie Flagg, Ann Patchett, Carrie Ryan, etc. talking about their favorite bookstores.  Sounds fun!

5.  A Noël Killing by M.L. Longworth—After talking about holiday books I wanted to read in last week's TTT, I was immediately drawn to a display table full of just that.  I bought several titles I mentioned in that post, plus this one.  It's actually the 8th book in a mystery series set in France.  Maybe I'll be able to read the first seven before next Christmas.

6.  Before and After by Lisa Wingate—If you've read Before We Were Yours, Wingate's based-on-a-true novel about the horrifying Tennessee Children's Home Society orphanage, you might be interested in this one.  It's a collection of real-life experiences from people who lived at the orphanage.  Sounds fascinating.

7.  The Black Hour by Lori Rader-Day—I've enjoyed several novels by Rader-Day.  This one, about a college professor who's disabled after being shot by a student trying to come to grips with what happened to her and the graduate student who's obsessed with the event, sounds compelling.

8.  The Nature of the Beast by Louise Penny—I'm a rabid Penny fan, but I'm purposely reading her Armand Gamache series slowly so I can savor it.  This is the 11th installment and I'm sure I'll love it just as much as I have all the others.

I picked up these two at Deseret Book a few weeks ago:

9.  This Road We Traveled by Jane Kirkpatrick—I enjoy pioneer novels and this one, about a woman's journey across the Oregon Trail, sounds like a good one.

10.  Wildly Optimistic by Al Fox Carraway—Carraway, a convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints who calls herself "The Tattooed Mormon" is a popular speaker, writer, and online personality.  Her books are fun and inspiring.  I'm excited for this one, her newest. 

There you have it, ten books "Santa" already delivered.  Have you read any of them?  What did you think?  Have you been so good this year that Santa's already gifted you some fun books?  What intriguing titles are you hoping to find under the Christmas tree this year?  I'd truly love to know.  Leave a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog.

Happy TTT!

What does a Mormon look like?

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has a worldwide membership of over 15 million people, meaning there's no one answer to this question.  In general, though, LDS people strive to be clean, both on the inside and the outside.  We're taught that our bodies are sacred, God-given temples and should be treated accordingly.  We adhere to a health code called The Word of Wisdom, which cautions against the use of substances that can be harmful to the body (alcohol, tobacco, coffee, tea, too much meat, etc.).  From infancy, we're advised to keep our minds and souls pure, avoiding pornography, graphic movies, profanity, etc.  Likewise, we're told to maintain a clean-cut, well-groomed outside appearance.  Multiple piercings, extreme hairstyles, revealing clothing, and tattoos are discouraged.  This creates a tidy homogeny that has been widely criticized, but is nonetheless recognizable throughout the world.  What happens, then, when someone who looks different from the norm not only joins the church but also becomes one of its most recognizable spokespeople?  It can create a bit of a stir.  Just ask Al Fox Carraway.

Despite growing up less than an hour's drive from Palmyra, New York, where the LDS Church was formally organized in April 1830, Carraway knew nothing about Mormonism.  It wasn't until she met two very persistent missionaries that her interest in the religion was piqued.  Once ignited, her desire to know more couldn't be extinguished.  Carraway was soon baptized despite strong opposition from family and friends.  Feeling alone, the new convert received powerful spiritual promptings to move closer to the Church's hub in Salt Lake City, Utah.  Terrified of moving so far away and starting over in a foreign place where she knew no one, Carraway made the trip anyway.  Not realizing how much her colorful tattoos would make her stand out in Utah, let alone at church, she was shocked by the reactions she received, especially from other Mormons.  As Carraway struggled, she clung to her faith, which allowed her to see beyond the pettiness of people's judgments to the one thing that truly mattered—her relationships with God and Jesus Christ.

In More Than the Tattooed Mormon, Carraway recounts her conversion to the LDS faith as well as all she's learned because of it.  Told with her trademark humor and bubbly optimism, her story rings with warmth, authenticity, and truth.  Her enthusiasm for the Gospel is infectious, her faith inspiring.  Carraway's struggles taught me some great lessons about following the Spirit, trusting the Lord, withholding judgment, and never taking the Gospel for granted.  I loved this approachable little book, which touched my heart while simultaneously breaking it and warming it.  It's a stay-with-you story, beautiful in its simplicity, but profound in its power.

(Readalikes:  Hm, I can't think of anything.  Can you?)

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