Books I wish I would have read sooner...

After nearly 18 years of marriage and 8 kids I like to think I have learned a few important things. Many of them came through experience but many have come from books--books I wish I would have read earlier--a lot earlier! Here is the list of my favorites--the ones that I think were the cream of the crop:

Favorite Parenting and Relationship Books:

Raising Up a Family to the Lord by Gene R. Cook. This is a fabulous gospel-based book. Elder Cook also has a CD of the same title that is also highly recommended.

The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman

The Power of Positive Parenting by Glenn Latham. I think this is still available at Deseret Book but it may be out of print.

The Peacegiver by James Ferrell. This is one of the most profound books I have read on relationships and our personal responsibility in them.

The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands by Dr. Laura. Thanks, Lolly, for sending me a signed copy!

Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey

Wild at Heart by John Eldredge. This is a great book to read if you have a husband or sons.

25 Mistake Parents Make by Randall Wright. An excellent book.

Favorite Home and Gardening Books:

The Vegetable Gardener's Bible by Edward Smith. This is one of Dallin's favorite books. He put the author as one of his favorites who is right up there with Tolkien and Lewis (his words not mine!) Smith has a delightful writing style and sense of humor and the book is chalk full of good information. Thanks, Mom, for introducing me to this one!

Is There Life After Housework? and Clutter's Last Stand by Don Aslett. Both are hilarious books that teach basic and economical cleaning skills and habits. Clutter's Last Stand is a great book about junk and the stuff we collect and hold on to unnecessarily. Pack Rats will find help here!

Chickens in Your Backyard by Rick and Gail Luttman is another fun book Dallin loved. He read it a couple of times around the age of 12 and it started a passion for chickens that I think will last a lifetime. It was fun to see him sitting out by the chickens day after day just watching them and he quoted the Luttmans when he told me that chickens were more fun to watch than TV!

Favorite Financial Books:

The Richest Man in Babylon by George Clason. This book has a profound effect on all who read it. Dallin read it around the age of 12 and several times since then. He told me he "wanted a lot of copies so he could read it a lot" as he got older. It is written in short story form so it is easy to read and will hold your interest.

Five Secrets I Learned From a Millionare is by Richard Paul Evans and had an important effect on Douglas. I read it aloud to him in the car on one of our trips to Hurricane several years ago. It gave him insights that he applied to his business and helped him make it more successful.

Financial Peace University and any other books and seminars by Dave Ramsey. This one I wish would have been around sooner. But better late than never!

The Millionare Next Door by Stanley and Danko

Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki

Favorite Gospel Resources:

Along with the Standard Works, of course, these books have been very helpful in teaching my children the gospel--and in understanding it better myself!

Gospel Principles. This is the same book we are studying in Relief Society. I am reading it with my kids and it is an incredible resource to teaching them the gospel. I think we will go through this one again and again.

Our Heritage and For the Strength of Youth

Doctrinal New Testament Commentary by Bruce R. McConkie. This is a three volume series that is out of print, difficult to find, and worth owning. Douglas, who is currently teaching Gospel Doctrine, has this to say about it: "It is phenomenal. You will read this and you will learn things that you never knew. There are things here that will astound you...As a starting point read about the Parable of the Leven and the Parable of the Mustard Seed and see if you want to read the rest." It is also one of three books specifically named by Elder Oaks that we all should read. The other two were Believing Christ by Stephen Robinson and Life in Christ by Robert Millett. Believing Christ is a profound book but I have not read Life in Christ yet.

An interesting note: President Monson told us in a regional conference a few years ago that there are two books he reads every December: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens and The Mansion by Henry van Dyke. Both are great books.

Favorite Homeschool Books:

These books I would recommend to anyone who are parents of small children and/or are thinking of homeschooling. These are great to read before your kids get very old but they are helpful at any age. There are many different homeschooling philosophies out there and I have read a lot of books about them. These are the most helpful to me.

The Thomas Jefferson Education and other books by Oliver DeMille. This has influenced me more than any of the others. He explains the basic principles of education that have been used over the centuries to teach and train men who became the leaders of the world. It is a far more natural and fluid approach to education than our modern method of taking all the 5-18 year olds and cramming them into classrooms to be force fed what and when the administration thinks they should learn with a one-size-fits-all attitude.

The Well Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer is an excellent resource for all parents who wish to improve their child's education whether they attend public school or not. It is actually a very different approach to education than Oliver's works, but I think they go well together. Don't get this confused with the author's other book called The Well Educated Mind. This book is a guide to help you improve your own education. I have not read this but I hear good things about it.

The Charlotte Mason Companion by Karen Andreola is another excellent book that I would highly recommend to all parents of small children whether they homeschool or not.

The Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease. I have Angelyn to thank for introducing me to this one. It is great for parents of all ages and is entertaining and informative. Highly recommended!

How Children Learn by John Holt was one of the first books I read after deciding to homeschool when my oldest was in kindergarten--and I am so glad I did! It had a profound and welcome influence on how I view my children's activities. Thanks, Monterey, for showing me this one!

Favorite Health and Nutrition Books and Resources:

Nutrition and Physical Degeneration by Weston Price is a must read for anyone who wants to be healthy and have healthy children and grandchildren. It is a thick book but the many pictures are profound in and of themselves. I found it fascinating and I cannot say enough about this book and its importance to the human race.

Nourishing Traditions and Eat Fat, Lose Fat are nutrition/recipe books that will help you apply the principles you learn from Dr. Price. Both books are by Sally Fallon and Mary Enig. Highly recommended!

www.westonaprice.org is a fabulous resource for anyone who is seeking solid information about any health or nutritional topic.

The Detox Book by Bruce Fife is a very helful and informative resource. Thanks, Aunt Helen, for telling me about this book!

The Maker's Diet by Jordan Rubin is another helpful book.

How to Raise a Healthy Child in Spite of Your Docter is written by Dr. John Mendelsohn. It is a great book that was written before it's time.

Perscription for Nutritional Healing by Phyllis Balch is a great resource to have on hand.

Spontaneous Healing by Andrew Weil is another informative book.

Favorite Political and Philosophical Books:

The Law by Frederic Bastiat. Yes, he was French. If only his fellow citizens--and the rest of us--paid more attention to what he had to say!

"What is Seen and Not Seen" is an essay by Frederic Bastiat and worth finding. It is in his book called Selected Essays on Political Economy but may be available on the internet.

The 5000 Year Leap by Cleon Skousen is an excellent discussion of the history and principles of freedom.

The Proper Role of Government by Ezra Taft Benson is in booklet form. Another excellent resource.

I would love to hear about other people's favorite books. Perhaps we should dedicate a special section of the blog to book reviews.

Monica