I was asked to recommend some books. I am going to first discuss some of what I’ve read over the years.
The first year after joining the church I was eager to learn what the religion was about. I began reading whatever I could find to inform me about the new faith. I started with the following, which I obtained from a bookstore inside the home of a woman in the ward:
A Marvelous Work and a Wonder, by LeGrand Richards.
The Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt
Life of Heber C. Kimball
Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith
Jesus the Christ
Documentary History of the Church by Joseph Smith (all volumes)
I was transferred by the Air Force to Texas, and continued to read there until my discharge from the military. While there I read the following:
The Life of John Taylor
Comprehensive History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints by BH Roberts (all volumes)
Evidences and Reconciliations
The Gospel Kingdom
Mormon Doctrine
The Promised Messiah
The Articles of Faith
The House of the Lord
The Mortal Messiah (all volumes)
Ensign, Conference Report and Journal of Discourses (not all volumes read)
Doctrinal New Testament Commentary
The History of Joseph Smith by His Mother Lucy Mack Smith
Discourses of Brigham Young
Brigham Young: American Moses
Doctrines of Salvation (3 volumes)
Answers to Gospel Questions (5 volumes)
Gospel Doctrine by Joseph F. Smith
Messages of the First Presidency (6 volumes)
By the time I arrived at BYU, I thought I was beginning to understand the faith, at least as it was taught and understood at the beginning. There was a debate between BH Roberts and the Chaplin of the United States Senate which I really liked. It was titled “The Mormon Doctrine of Deity: The Roberts and Van Der Donckt Debate.” Nibley’s book The Timely and the Timeless came out and I still have my original copy. During law school I also discovered Hugh Nibley, and found an actual Deseret Book store. Back then Deseret Book sold doctrine. In fact, almost everything they sold or printed was doctrine or history. I bought and read until I couldn’t find an early or contemporary work about church history or doctrine I hadn’t read. I have acquired a library since joining the church that includes every significant LDS doctrinal book as it became available in print. I still try and keep up with all the current reading that I believe is worthwhile. But the new stuff is getting thinner and thinner in material, importance and doctrine. In fact, it is quite rare that a new book isn’t disappointing to me; particularly when it comes from Deseret Book. The Joseph Smith Papers project is the exception; however it is coming out under the Church’s new publication arm (a division of Deseret Book.) A good example of the foolishness to which Deseret Book has descended is that Odds Are You’re Going to be Exalted book that came out a couple of years ago.
That having been said, I was asked by someone what I thought was absolutely essential reading. Here’s my list:
The scriptures (first, foremost and without peer)
Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith
Lectures on Faith
Words of Joseph Smith
Approaching Zion, by Hugh Nibley
The Second Comforter: Conversing With the Lord Through the Veil
I think if you study those six books, you will understand the Gospel.