Reading Books For Pleasure

I have almost finished the 19th Wife by David Ebershoff.

Its the modern day tale of a member of the Firsts (the first latter day saints who btw are not the same as the latter day saints), the 19th wife of a man who is convicted of murdering him.
The story runs concurrently with the historical account of Ann Eliza Young, the 19th wife of Brigham Young, second prophet of the mormon church and tells how she battled for her freedom from her powerful husband, to lead a crusade to end polygamy in the USA.

I think many people, certainly within religious circles see Ann Eliza as a bitter, revengeful woman whose marriage to her husband didn't work out. They paint her as already a divorcee who married Brigham for money. They will tell you to feel free to read it, but to keep in mind the veracity of a bitter, disillusioned woman. Marriage isn't her thing some scoff.

But from reading her accounts and the findings from other research, you come to understand that Brigham granted the the divorce from her first brutish husband, planning to marry her himself. She had always loathed plural marriage having seen how her mother was affected and continued to resist until threats were made to her brother.

Yes she was angry but she also showed an incredible amount of courage.

Next I am gonna read Ann Elizas book.
 
Sounds facinating!

:rose:

I have almost finished the 19th Wife by David Ebershoff.

Its the modern day tale of a member of the Firsts (the first latter day saints who btw are not the same as the latter day saints), the 19th wife of a man who is convicted of murdering him.
The story runs concurrently with the historical account of Ann Eliza Young, the 19th wife of Brigham Young, second prophet of the mormon church and tells how she battled for her freedom from her powerful husband, to lead a crusade to end polygamy in the USA.

I think many people, certainly within religious circles see Ann Eliza as a bitter, revengeful woman whose marriage to her husband didn't work out. They paint her as already a divorcee who married Brigham for money. They will tell you to feel free to read it, but to keep in mind the veracity of a bitter, disillusioned woman. Marriage isn't her thing some scoff.

But from reading her accounts and the findings from other research, you come to understand that Brigham granted the the divorce from her first brutish husband, planning to marry her himself. She had always loathed plural marriage having seen how her mother was affected and continued to resist until threats were made to her brother.

Yes she was angry but she also showed an incredible amount of courage.

Next I am gonna read Ann Elizas book.
 
I finished the Laurell book. Liked the last third better than most of it. It was a bit blah for me. Some good stuff at the end though in my opinion.

Now reading: Blood Runs Cold by Alex Barclay, which is a crime thriller.
 
I haven't visited here often, because I tend to read books (with the exception of things like Atlas Shrugged) in one or two days, and sometimes more than one in a day. I'd be wasting reading time just updating! :eek:

At the moment, though, I just finished Clan of the Cave Bear for the third or fourth or fifth time, and have just begun the next in the "Earth's Children" series, Valley of the Horses, for the same number, whichever it is. Each time I read them, besides just enjoying the stories, I add a little more knowledge about various things... this time around, for some reason I'm paying more attention to the flint-knapping portions of the story, and some of the geological/geographic aspects covered. Clan took me four days (actually, mostly nights) to get through; Valley may go a little more quickly.
 
I'm reading our BDSM BOTM, Butterfly by Katheryn Harvey right now. I must say, it's actually got a story in it and even some characters to like and pull for!

:)

BTW, I LOVED Clan of Cave Bear and the rest of that series up to a point!
 

I can't wait and at the same time I'm uncertain/concerned? as to how it will read compared to Jordan's style.
I do have Branden Sanderson's mist-born series and I loved it so I'm not sure why I'm concerned about it.
Now I need to go back and re-read the others so the plot lines and characters are all fresh. Getting old stinks I used to have 98% recall now it's more like 50% (stupid mini stroke).
Been reading research material mostly the past few weeks, What plants will be the most useful in a healing garden and what their uses are.

Sir_Winston54
I had that problem for years, I would devour books sometimes 2 or 3 a day. I burned myself out after a long book binge, with no new material to read for months after the last one was finished. Now I try and pace myself.

Must try harder though.
Reg
 
Dating Big Bird by Laura Zigman was m'kay. It was just too chick lit for me. OTOH, it does fulfill my author a-z, z requirement challenge in one of my reading groups.

:rose:
 
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The Valley of the Horses has been traversed, and The Mammoth Hunters have been met, visited with, and left. Now I've started crossing the fourth and last book of the series, Plains of Passage. I'm looking forward to the portion of their journey on top of the small glacier; for some reason, I think there's something there that I read but didn't *note* before, that I want to make note of this time around. Just a piece of knowledge to add to the apparently inexhaustible store of useless trivia packed away in the old grey matter.

It's fun sometimes to read books again (and again and again? :eek: ). I *think* this is my fourth trip through the Earth's Children series, and each time I find things that I didn't on previous Journeys ;)
 
I'm currently reading The Vampire Diaries, why? Good question. I hear there will be a TV show based on these books this year so I wanted to see what the books are like. So far it's like a copy of Twilight with a whole lot of other vampire books bits and pieces. I am not loving it.

I'm also reading Freedom Writers Diary and it's making me cry. I have to stop quite often and try not to cry when I'm in public. It's actually very good though. I knew it would be. The movie is great IMO too.

:rose:
 
:eek: :eek: :eek:
How on God/dess's green Earth did I miss the fact that there is a FIFTH "Earth's Children" book out: Shelters of Stone? I have got to find a copy of it... I'm about 2/3 of the way through Plains of Passage.
 
The Perfect Poison - Amanda Quick

Oh, covet. It hasn't shown up at the used book store yet, but when it does . . . I'll be waiting . . . ahahahaha

Dark Deeds at Night's Edge by Kresley Cole.

Going okay so far.

Good book. But then I'm a huge K. Cole fan.

I'm reading one of the newer Lora Leighs right now.

Still coveting that new Laurell K. Hamilton. I hope I can afford it for my trip east.
 
I picked up the Sookie stackhouse books up on a whim a few weeks (maybe, MAYBE 10 days ago) and have devoured all the paperbacks!!!

gonna shower & get dressed (mailman, 102o today. In reguard to my fellow man I am gonna clean up before I hit waldenbooks) & go pick up the latest in hardback (I have a 40% off coupon, only reason I am not waiting)

I'll probably start re-reading the Jordan books on my vacation in August to refresh my memory before the book comes out on Nov.

(I know what my early B-day present is gonna be!)
 
The Freedom Writers Diary by The Freedom Writers and Erin Gruwell is simply great. If more teachers were like that, what a world we'd have! This book made me cry a lot but that's not a bad thing.

Perhaps one reason I read books mostly for entertainment is to not dwell on negative things from my childhood. This is also why I tend to avoid Chick Lit which is often about how abused someone is, a dysfunctional family, romance or some crazy mix of all these. They tend to give me nightmares.

I had it tough in some ways as a kid but the kids in this book had it far tougher. A lot of what they were dealing with resonated on an emotional level for me, so I'd cry. When they overcame, or cared for one another I'd cry too.

Its ironic to me that many of the books they used in class are books I find despressing. They found these same books inspiring. I remember when my kids had books of WW2 horors pressed on them in school. I thought, why have kids who tend to be depressed read book after book about these things?

I thought one book should suffice to get the message accrross, which to me was, horrible things happen where there is intollerance, when people don't speak up about whats wrong and let's make sure it never happens again.

Sadly, these things do happen again and again in country after country in declared and undeclared wars. Yet the human capacity for hope and survival is also a great thing.

I never imagined that kids in inner cities and tough would find these incredibly sad and horrific stories inspiring. This is yet another example of how art is so different for each of us based on our experiences and perceptions.

I highly recommend this book, particularly for anyone who is considering education as a profession, anyone who thinks they had or have it tough.Heck I recommend it for any human being period!

:rose:
 
:eek: :eek: :eek:
How on God/dess's green Earth did I miss the fact that there is a FIFTH "Earth's Children" book out: Shelters of Stone? I have got to find a copy of it... I'm about 2/3 of the way through Plains of Passage.

wow you're way late. what ticked me off was that Shelters of Stone is not the final book...Auel has been working on the sixth for like 15 years or something...since she's in her 70s, many are thinking that it won't be completed before she dies. i know it sounds cold but dangit woman, i need to read the conclusion!! :mad:
 
I mostly read, Queen of the Road by Doreen Orion to read through 47 states in one fell swoop. As a bonus this also took care of the O in authors from A-Z challenge and the Q in titles A-Z. Wow!

However, the books itself was pretty great. It was full of love between the couple and had some great lessons in it!

:rose:
 
I'm now reading:

Once Bitten, Twice Shy by Jennifer Rardin and Some Girls Bite by Chloe Neill(which I love!)
 
Blood Groove by Alex Bledsoe

This is an interesting take on vampires. It's not just a thinly disgusted supernatural romance. It's not just a glam vamp book. It's not just disgusting and scary. It's a nice, interesting take set in Memphis, TN in the 1970's.

I recommend it. I want a second book.

BTW, I had a perpetual virgin vamp in a role play game YEARS ago! This author stole it from ME! LOL

:rose:
 
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