"...A tonic to the spirit, a salve to the soul." (The Undaunted, Lund) (5)

The Undaunted is a very powerful, insightful and enjoyable book as one follows David Draper as he grows and develops on these pages from a 6-year old child working in the coalmines of Yorkshire, England to a strong man of body and spirit, assisting the men and woman that left Cedar Cedar, Utah in October 1879 to establish a settlement in the Four Corners region of Utah/Arizona. An expedition that was supposed to take six week, but was so difficult it took six months.

While this incredible expedition to the Four Corners area does not start until page 514 of this 800 page book, the reader is able to enjoy the character development and life of David and John Draper and their journey through life.

Gerald N. Lund, does such an incredible job telling a story, and making "Historical Fiction" one of my favorite genres. I feel like I know the Drapers, the Mckenna's, Jen Neilsen, Platte D. Lyman and George Hobbs and various other in the book as he brings them to life through his story and the real story from the various writings from their journey.

The research and the calling out of the research in footnotes and chapter notes makes the book all the more enjoyable as it all helps you grasp that there really is a Hole in the Rock Trail, that this group of stall-worth people did what many called impossible.

Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars
Format: Hardcover

Checking In: The Undaunted

As I read The Undaunted, the story of the Hole-In-The-Rock Pioneers, which I am enjoying very much, I just had to note that finally on page 514 they are leaving on their journey to the four corners area.  Those 514 pages were rich in history and character development though.

The Reading List Queue

Just thought I would throw out some of the books that are currently in queue.  I have started to read, The Undaunted, by Gerald N. Lund,  all 800 pages of it.  I also received Under the Dome: A Novel with it's 1000+ pages for Christmas, so there is quite a bit of reading to do there.

All of these are in no particular order, and I usually read a couple of books at the same time.

Others on the list include:

• ChiRunning: A Revolutionary Approach to Effortless, Injury-Free Running 
• Counseling With Our Councils: Learning to Minister Together in the Church and in the Family
• Thunderstruck
• Ordinary Heroes
  

2. The Dog Poop Initiative, Kirk A. Weisler

I met Kirk Weisler and attended a lecture he gave at the Right Now Users Conference last year.  I was excited to obtain a couple of his books to read, as I enjoyed his outlook and theory on business leadership.  A quick read, as it teaches a great principle that we can all apply in our business life, personal life and for sure family life.

A true story of scoopers and poopers,

Of pointers and heroes.

Of those who score real goals,

And those who score zeros.

I have another one of his books, The Cookie Thief, all queued up to read in the next few days.  Again a simple read.  I call it a bathroom book, as it will take only the time of your next bathroom trip to take a few minutes and read while you are doing your thing in there.

1. The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins

     My first book of the year is The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.  This was recommended by many people as a good youth read so I wanted to check it out before allowing the kids to read it.  Not only is is fine for them and something I think they will enjoy, but I enjoyed it myself.  It's a real simple read, with like-able characters, and an interesting story.  If you have kids that enjoyed the The Twilight Saga Collection or Harry Potter Series you should enjoy the first book of the Hunger Games.

The second book Catching Fire (The Second Book of the Hunger Games) is out now and I will add to the list but probably won't get to it for a while.  The 3rd book The Hunger Games: Book 3 is due out in August.

The Resolution

I have always had an affinity for reading. I remember being in elementary school, finishing my class work early and being excused to go sit in the library and read so as not to interfere with the other students.

In the ongoing effort to better myself, I have taken decided to set a goal of reading 100 books in 2010.  This is a lofty goal, as I seem to usually average about 4 books a month.  I will need to double that amount and more in order to meet this goal, but I plan on doing this by reducing some of the other time-sinks to fulfill this goal.

One caveat that I want to throw out there, is that while I say read, I also will count the books that I listen to as I load up audio books on  my ipod to listen to while driving, walking/running etc.

Ready - Set - Go!