Through His Eyes

By Virginia H Pearce


As anyone who has ever cleaned out a closet or a basement can attest, clutter is a reality of life. And it’s not just a physical reality. Our minds can become cluttered too, filled with beliefs about everything from our relationship with God to our feelings about our bodies to our housekeeping methods. Some of these beliefs are what author Virginia H. Pearce calls “Truths with a capital T.” They are eternal and will always be true, whether anyone believes them or not. The confusion in our lives comes because mixed in with those Truths are other beliefs, some of which might be useful but some of which are just plain harmful.
In this insightful new book, Sister Pearce invites us to become “inquirers after truth,” to examine all of our beliefs and try our best to see them in the light of the Truths we know to be eternal. By doing so, we can discard the half-truths and lies that may be hindering our progress. Our lives can be filled with greater happiness than we ever thought possible as we learn to see them Through His Eyes.


Read this book. Really. Read it. Doesn't matter if you're LDS or not. This is an awesome book to help you clean out the attic upstairs and gets some better ones in their place. This book is all about watching our thoughts and realizing that sometimes the things we take as truth can be outright lies and bad for our health and self esteem. It helps you to recognize truth with a captial 'T' and truth with a lowercase t and the outright lies that we tell ourselves daily that we hang onto without even realizing it. This is such a wonderful book full of great exercises to get you thinking and on the way to feeling better about yourself and rooting out the weeds in your mental garden.

Caleb's Creed

By Brent A. Barlow


Caleb had extraordinary character and impressive stamina. Although he endured many hardships, he kept a positive attitude and learned to create grand opportunities. Even at age eighty-five he was healthy, full of life, and hopeful about the future. His example is one from which all of us can draw great strength and courage. Renowned Church scholar Brent Barlow has formed six guidelines taken from Caleb’s biblical record for living a happy and exemplary life. Incorporated into your lifestyle, these simple guidelines can help you improve your way of life and overall well-being, whether you be eighteen or eighty-two.


This is another shorter LDS inspirational book about Caleb from the Bible. I don't know about you, but I didn't know hardly anything about Caleb simply because I didn't pay much attention to him when reading the Old Testament. After reading this book I can see why the author thought he would be a good inspiration for changing your life. The author gives 6 or so creeds to follow as the heading of each chapter of this book, which are all wonderful. My favorite feature is at the end of the chapter he gives questions to ask yourself to see what you need to improve on based on the specific creed he has just talked about. There were so many good suggestions and there are a lot of things that it gave me to work on. A great, quick read (about 80 pages) that I'll be going back to again and again.

The Continuous Atonement

By Brad Wilcox


“I’ll never do it again,” we say—and then we do it. In a world full of challenges, temptations, and even addictions, it is easy to lose hope for ourselves and those we love. During times of discouragement, we must remember that the purpose of the Atonement of Jesus Christ is not just to cleanse and console, but also to transform—and that takes time. Christ is not waiting at the finish line once we have done “all we can do.” He is with us every step of the way, and His Atonement will be available as long as the perfecting process takes—continually.
Most members of the Church acknowledge that perfection is a long-term process, but overlook the continuous nature of Christ’s Atonement that makes that process possible. Peace is found not by giving up or erasing the need to change, but by turning to the One who makes change possible and realizing that we get lots of chances to start again. So, if at fist you don’t succeed—if at second, third, or fourth you don’t succeed either, don’t find excuses. Find the Savior and the blessings of His continuous Atonement.

"Christ doesn't just make up the difference, He makes all the difference."

Reviewing this book is somewhat difficult, because the words to describe it are hard to find. It's inspiring, touching, and filled with hope and love. Everyone finds themselves wishing they didn't make some of the mistakes they made, or like the first line says, breaking promises to never do "it" again. There is so much to know about the Atonement of Jesus Christ, and so much that we misunderstand or simply never knew; for me this book brought to light many things that I just didn't understand or misconceptions that I had about regrets and repentence. If you struggle with anything in your life, pain, sin, sorrow, or loss; this book is for you; a labor of years of experience and collaboration from Brother Wilcox. I only wish with all my heart I could've read it about 10 years ago. It's a book that I know I'll return to with pen and paper in hand and love in my heart.

Party Of One

By Anneli Rufus

In this compendium of everyone who was anyone who ever spent a moment alone, readers bump fleetingly into Kurt Cobain, French Resistance fighters, the Lone Ranger ("Tonto notwithstanding"), Michelangelo, Alexander Pope, John Lennon, cowboys, Saint Anthony and other solo acts. Rufus, the books editor of East Bay Express, views Degas's plain-faced dancers as "pretty ballerinas" whom the artist leaves every time he exits his studio, and Warhol's biography as "tellingly titled Loner at the Ball." She chases her motif, not so much a manifesto as a cri de coeur, through an assortment of perspectives: religion, advertising, clothes, crime, art, eccentricity, environment, literature, religion and popular culture.

This book was entitled ‘the loners manifesto’. So, of course it caught my eye. It’s funny, what I did read of this book showed me that I’m not as much of a loner as I once thought. The lady who wrote this book was a hermit! Also, I didn’t read all the chapters, as there were a few that were pretty risqué. It was interesting though. I don’t recommend it though. It was just a curious book I picked up at the library.

Some Fruits of Solitude

By William Penn

When William Penn wrote these words in 1693, he had served as a Quaker preacher, minister, and missionary for over 20 years. He had been imprisoned for his faith half a dozen times. He had written dozens of books and pamphlets defending his faith and arguing for religious tolerance. He had founded Pennsylvania as a refuge for those persecuted for their faith, and he had been a friend and advisor to the King of England. But after being falsely accused of treason, he was forced into hiding for three years until he could clear his name. During those years of imposed solitude, he had time to think, to reflect, to reevaluate. This book is the product of that solitude. In it, Penn distills the essence of his spiritual idealism, combining it with practicality and common sense. His topics range from our choice of clothing to our choice of a spouse, from the benefits of a country life to the nature of virtue. He presents a practical morality, while also addressing the conditions of the heart that lie behind it.
For all of us who have at times gotten caught up in the values of the society we live in, for all of us who have gotten caught up in the maddening rush over things that really have no deep value, Penn's reflections offer us a needed point of reference and call us back to a place of sane spirituality.

So this is the first book I've read on my Harvard Classics list, and it was very wonderful. I've quoted it multiple times already and have gained some insight into my own life and peace of mind from Penn's words. It reminded me a lot of when I read Thoreau's Walden and all the experiences he had while living alone. While there were many things I smiled at, condoned, and believed were very true, there were also things that I felt missed the mark, if marginally. It still is a beautiful work, though sometimes hard to understand the language, and I would recommend it to any just to have with them to read at odd moments. The layout is such that it reads in verses, much like scripture, with each topic as a heading. It's a quick read, with a lot of worth in it, from a man who was rich in experience and good character. my favorite excerpt:

"He that lives in love lives in God...And to be sure a Man can live no where better...Love is indeed Heaven upon Earth; since Heaven above would not be Heaven without it: For where there is not love; there is Fear: But perfect love casts out fear. And yet we naturally fear most to offend what we most love. What we love, we'll hear; what we love, we'll trust, and what we love, we'll serve, ay, and suffer for too."

As a Man Thinketh

By James Allen

Throughout his life, James Allen sought an oasis of tranquility amidst the violent tides of change wrought by the Industrial Revolution in England. Inspired by his meditations, he composed a series of short, pointed essays on the power of thinking positively and its influence on character, circumstance, and health. Since its publication, As a Man Thinketh has put that power in the hands of millions of readers, and continues to provide inspiration in the twenty-first century.

In expanding on the aphorism "As a man thinketh in his heart so is he," Allen takes in the full range of natural philosphy. His message is that we are the architects of our own destiny, and that the tools for building a purposeful, satisfying life lie within us, "Only the wise man, only he he whose thoughts are controlled and purified, makes the winds and the storms of the soul obey him," writes Allen. As a Man Thinketh is a book of optimism, hope, and practical good sense for all those seeking wisdom and serenity in a turbulent, complex world.

I was first introduced to As a Man Thinketh in my institute class my freshman year of college. I had every intention of picking it up and reading the whole of his essays, but it has taken me three years to actually do it. I wish I would've read it sooner. Allen's book is full of great and powerful truths about the way we work and how our thoughts direct our lives. It is absolutely amazing. I read it and found out a lot about myself and have started putting many of its teachings into practice. Everyone should not only read this book, but they should go buy it, and read it again and again, marking it and treasuring it. It is one of those books that will make your life better by reading it! It went directly on my 'favorites' shelf, only to go right back into my purse to read whenever I get a moment. Again, it is fantastic!