Spires of Stone by Annette Lyon

Are you a fan of Shakespeare? It seems he’s a guy you either love or gag at the thought of. Personally, I like the guy. He’s old school and can be cumbersome to read, but his writing is full of interesting tidbits.

If you’re like me and have a soft spot for Shakespeare, you’ll love Annette Lyon’s latest book, Spires of Stone. This is the third book in Annette’s historical temple series. The first two, House on the Hill and At Journey’s End are good reads as well, but Spires of Stone is my personal favorite. Why? Yep, you guessed it: Shakespeare.

Set against a backdrop of the construction of the Salt Lake Temple, Annette Lyon tells a story of love, pride, and the blessings of forever that result from living the gospel. In Spires of Stone, Annette puts an entertaining modern-historical twist on the play Much Ado About Nothing, which is just plain fun stuff in any form. You’ll meet Beth, who loves Ben but doesn’t want to forgive him for past wrongs. Ben has just returned from mission and finds Beth is still very much on his mind but he refuses to see a different side of the “truth” he knows about her. True to their predecessors Beatrice and Benedick, their only recourse of action is not to actually talk to each other about it but rather exchange witty and hurtful barbs at every turn. Enter Hannah and Phillip who are determined to set things right between their estranged siblings, while falling into their own set of contorted problems of the heart.

You can get a sneak peak at the book by going to Annette’s web site. You can even take a quiz to see how much you know about the Salt Lake Temple. You’ll find yourself laughing, crying, and cheering these character’s on far into the night. There, you have been forewarned. Schedule your reading time accordingly. This one definitely deserves to be coupled with candles and a bubble bath if you ask me. (By the way – when are they going to make waterproof books for us bubble bath and pool side readers?)

Spires of Stone has been recognized with the Utah Best of State 2007 Medal for Fiction and as a finalist in the category of Best Historical Fiction for the 2007 Whitney Awards.

As mentioned, this is Annette’s third novel based around a temple construction theme. Don’t let the fact that Spires of Stone is number three bother you. These books are not parts of a traditional series. You don’t have to start with House on the Hill, the books can stand independently. You will, however, get to say “hi” to other characters you’ve grown to love if you read more than one book. So, have a good time reading Spires of Stone, then be sure to pick up the other two. You’ll like them just as well. I do recommend reading House on the Hill and At Journey’s End in order however, as that follows the natural progression of the over-lapping character, Abe. But hey, if you’re one of those people who reads the end of the book first then swap them.

For me, I’m anxiously awaiting a peek at the next temple book.

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