This week's Top Ten Tuesday topic (Top Ten Books When You Need Something Light and Fun) should be a simple one, but I had to really wrack my brain to come up with six books/authors that fit the category, let alone ten.  I guess it's because I don't actually read this genre often.  Maybe I should?  It would at least offset all those dark, depressing dystopians I like so much ...

Oh, and I forgot to tell you that this always popular meme is hosted by the lovely ladies over at The Broke and the Bookish.  If you haven't joined in the fun yet, give it a try.  It's a good time, I promise!

So, okay, here's what I came up with:

1.  Ally Carter—I recently read the first book in Carter's middle grade spy school series (I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You) and it was totally fun.  Heist Society, her YA series, is similar.  They're light, funny, enjoyable books that are perfect when you need a fast, breezy story to take your mind off the weighty things of the world!

2.  Melanie Jacobson—If you're into LDS fiction (and I'm not talking the so-cheesy-it-hurts kind), Jacobson is your new best friend.  Her new adult romances are contemporary, fun and better written than just about anything else you'll find at an LDS bookstore.

3.  Lindsey Leavitt—Leavitt's middle grade Princess for Hire series offers a lot of good, clean fun.  I also really liked Sean Griswold's Head, although it's a little more serious.  I've got Leavitt's newest, a YA novel called Going Vintage, on my Kindle, I just haven't gotten around to reading it yet ... better get on that!

4.  Janette Rallison—Fun, easy reads are Rallison's trademark.  Her Fairy Godmother books are especially charming (a little princess joke—hee hee).

5.  Meg Cabot—Okay, so I haven't actually read anything by Cabot, but I'm totally planning to.  I've heard her books fit this category super well ...

6.  Joanne Fluke—I'm not going to lie, Fluke's culinary mysteries are TERRIBLE.  But, if I'm in the mood for something that's entertaining while requiring very little from my always overtaxed brain cells, these books do the trick every time.

Since I obviously need lots of help in this category, throw out some suggestions.  Which light, fun books should I be reading?

If you're not sure what a Mormon is, let alone a Mormon Mention, allow me to explain:  My name is Susan and I'm a Mormon (you've seen the commercials, right?).  As a member of  The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (commonly known as the Mormon or LDS Church), I'm naturally concerned with how my religion is portrayed in the media.  Because this blog is about books, every time I see a reference to Mormonism in a book written by someone who is not a member of my church, I highlight it here.  Then, I offer my opinion—my insider's view—of what the author is saying.  It's my chance to correct misconceptions, expound on principles of the Gospel, and even to laugh at my (sometimes) crazy Mormon culture. 

I recently finished Evidence of Life, a mystery by Barbara Taylor Sissel set in the Texas Hill Country.  According to Wikipedia, this region in Central Texas includes parts of San Antonio, Austin and surrounding areas.  In the novel, Dennis Henderson, the sheriff of Bandera County, is discussing the history of the region with the main character, Abby Bennett:

They were crossing a field when he asked her if she was aware that Mormons were some of the first settlers around.

Abby answered she hadn't heard that.    

- (Page 138; text taken from an advanced uncorrected proof)

If you grew up in The United States, chances are you learned about the Mormon pioneers at some point in your schooling.  A quick refresher:  Because of intense—and often violent—religious persecution in some portions of the U.S., early members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints were forced to leave their homes in search of a place where they would have true freedom to worship as they pleased.  Joseph Smith, who the people respected not just as the church president, but also as a prophet of God, revealed that place to be far away in the Rocky Mountains.  Between 1847 and 1869, an estimated 70,000 Mormon pioneers from all over the country and the world made the exhausting (and often fatal) journey to the Salt Lake Valley.

Within weeks of arriving in the valley, groups of settlers were sent to colonize the whole area.  According to The Pioneer Story at LDS.org:

Within ten years of Brigham Young's death in 1877, Latter-day Saint colonies ranged from Cardston, Alberta, Canada to northern Chihuahua, Mexico; from Laie, Hawaii and San Bernardino, California to southern Colorado. Today monuments to such settlements—many of them the first nonnative communities in the state—dot the western landscape, throughout Utah, Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, California, Montana, Idaho, Texas, Wyoming, and Canada and Mexico.

As for central Texas, it appears (from a quick Google search) that it was settled by Lyman Wight, a disgruntled Mormon pioneer who left the main body of the church because of disagreements with Brigham Young, Joseph Smith's successor as president and prophet.  Along with about 200 of his followers (called "Wightites"), they arrived in Texas in 1845, where they established several colonies.

Not only are pioneers revered among their descendants (me included) for their great faith and bravery, but they're also recognized by historians for their hard work and perseverance in settling much of the country.  For more information on Mormon pioneers in general and their role in the settling of Texas in particular, please visit the following excellent sites:

- The Pioneer Story at LDS.org (the official church website)
- "Mormons" at the Texas State Historical Association's page
- Hill Country History from the Texas Historical Commission  

*Book image from Barnes & Noble; pioneer image from LDS.org