Book Club

"If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things." The 13th article of faith is the theme for the youth this year and I find it interesting how applicable it is to us who are past the Young Men/Young Women phase of our life. I'm not saying non-church books are horrible. Well, one I recently read for my ward's book club was, but that's just my personal taste, others liked it. But I realized, following Elder Ardern's talk this past Saturday, that time is an incredibly precious thing and that I need to use it wisely. Books are a great way to spend time. But I find that unless they uplift me, motivate me or educate me they are of no use to me. Oftentimes, the books that book clubs choose are very depressing and dramatic without happy endings or moral lessons in them. I don't care to read about out of touch women living in France with their cheating husbands or children raised by bohemian parents who neglected them and tried to "pimp" them out (according to the Amazon review of the book club's latest choice). If I want to be depressed I could just as easily look at the news.

Life is dramatic on its own and I am not a big fan of drama. There's a reason I never read the Twilight series and never will. There's a reason I abhor reality TV shows (The Voice and The Sing Off being exceptions). If I want drama I can go sit in the front of our office and listen to the life stories of half of the students that come through our doors. I want to spend my time looking after the things that matter most. Do these books bring me closer to God? Do they help me improve as a daughter with a divine purpose? Do they enrich my mind or uplift me? No. I'm not saying fiction is bad. There will always be room for J.K. Rowling and Jane Austen on my shelves. But I am starting to realize the importance of chosing my entertainment wisely.

So I've decided to stick with my historical non-fiction books and Anne of Green Gables. That way I can learn of other people who did exist or at least daydream about Anne Shirley and Gilbert Blythe. I'm not writing this to appear holier than others (unless your name is Brian Garcia in which case I am holier than you). But it's just something I feel I've taken too long to realize and now that I have I want to share it. The time I have is too short for me to read novels that don't enrich me. It's too short for me to waste it on books that bring me down. There are plenty of real, live people in this world whose stories I can listen to and in so doing I could actually be a benefit for a living, breathing person. Well, other than the librarian. I think I double their pay annually because of the fees I usually have to pay.

For those who weren't able to hear Elder Ardern's talk, I highly recommend it. Here's the link for it.