Now that I'm not planning a wedding or working three jobs (ridiculous), I have some extra time to read! My goal this year is to read more often and pick up some books that I wouldn't normally. If you have any recommendations, please leave them in the comment box below! And I hope a couple of you pick up one or both of my Goodreads recommendations (they both got 4 out of 5 stars on my Goodreads shelf): Run by Ann Patchett. My dear friend Leah recommended this book, and it did not disappoint! I was about three-fourths of the way in before I realized that the entire book had taken place over the course of about 24 hours. That's the sign of a good piece of fiction ... you get so wrapped up in the story that you forget about the logistics. This modern-day novel follows a family through a Boston snowstorm and beautifully uncovers the lasting impact that the storm will have on the family's makeup. The snowstorm, however, doesn't define the story; it's more of a secondary character that subtlety nudges the book in a certain direction.
The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff. Before I opened this book, I knew next to nothing about polygamy. Yep, you heard me ... I don't watch "Sister Wives." (Because, clearly, that's the best place to go to learn about polygamy!) Really, even after having read this book I'm not sure I can say I'm an expert because the story is obviously a work of fiction, BUT it was fascinating nonetheless and I feel a little more informed about the history of the practice. Ebershoff intertwines a present-day murder mystery involving a polygamous and fundamentalist sect of the Church of Latter Day Saints with Ann Eliza Young's (Brigham Young's infamous estranged wife) memoirs about her fight to end polygamy. Certainly an entertaining read if nothing else!
