Sheep's Clothing

I always say that I am not the biggest fan of Mormon fiction that is not historical fiction. However,  I have recently decided that I need to stop giving this genre such a bad rep simply because of the two authors who for some mystifying reason are the "Mormon fiction poster children"(Stansfield and Weyland) ugh. Anyway, for our book club this month we were asked to read something written by Josi Kilpack. When I first received this assignment I inwardly cringed a little, but my misgivings about this author, who I definitely thought was going to be another Stansfield in the making, were completely off base. I decided to read one of her stand alone books so that I wouldn't be stuck with an entire series to read. I scrolled through some of her books, she has a lot!, and decided to read 'Sheep's Clothing'.

'Sheep's Clothing' is about an online predator trying to find the perfect teenage girl to seduce. He poses as a teenager and slowly and patiently earns his victims trust by subtly manipulating them. The very first chapter of the book begins with him dumping the body of his last victim, so the fact that you already know what is going to happen to the next girl is terrifying and completely enthralling. I spent WAY too many late nights reading this book. It was such a page turner! The story is told from different points of view too so it kept it interesting. You see the predator, the victim, the victim's mother, and the murdered girl's families point of view.

I was completely caught up in this book because ohhhhh my freaking heck this kind of thing happens EVERY SINGLE DAY! This book scared the crap out of me. Not because it was intense or scary, but because it was REAL. And being a mother made it a little TOO REAL. As I closed the book I fretted over the conversations I would need to have with my children in the future--- I do not look forward to that day. This book helped me get a little more internet smart for my future children. If you are a parent- or will be- or know teenagers-  or ARE a teenager, then read this book!

Heaven is Here

'Heaven is Here' by Stephanie Nielson was another great read from my book club. This book was both heartbreaking and uplifting at the same time, and I don't even know how that is possible. I enjoyed reading Stephanie's thoughts so much, she had me completely captivated by her story and I spent too many nights reading her words late into the night. 

Stephanie Nielson is the creator of the Nie Nie Diaries blog, She is a Mormon girl from Provo, Utah whose greatest aspiration is to be the best wife and mother she can be. When her husband gets a job in New Jersey a family member of her introduces her to blogging as a way to keep her family updated on what is going on in their lives. Stephanie absolutely falls in love with blogging and pretty soon she has many, many followers. 

Stephanie and her family find themselves moving to Arizona where her husband decides to take flying lessons. When her and her husband are in a terrible plane crash it is a miracle that she survives at all. 80% of her body was severely burned and this is the story of her recovery from that accident. As a wife and mother myself, her struggles to do and relearn every day tasks were heart wrenching. But Stephanie is a survivor in every sense of the word.

'Heaven is Here' taught me many valuable life lessons. Don't take what you have and what you can do for granted. Stop making excuses for yourself. Trust in the Lord and everything will work out. Never give up. Do the best you can, and then forgive yourself for your shortcomings. Needing and asking for help is okay. Be grateful for the tender mercies. Treasure your loved ones, for life is short, and you never know what might happen. There are so many more!

This is filled with so much goodness. After I read it I wanted nothing more than to meet Stephanie in real life and thank her for this book. She only lives two hours south of me, maybe I will meet her someday, who knows? I sure hope so. I just want to give her a hug!