what I'm reading

I love Sunday mornings.  I was shuffling around, filling the French Press before 6am, lighting candles gathering pillows and a cozy throw then reading and luxuriating for a good 3 hours.  A great three hours.  Then I had to start looking things up on line because I am reading The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff which refers to Brigham Young's actual 19th wife, Ann Eliza Young  and I wanted to check facts.   (the novel is all fictionalized but written so well I had to check)


Ann divorced Brigham in 1873, leaving her faith and her family.  Her subsequent book, speeches & articles informed the public of Mormon secrets and lead the fight against "Celestial mariages" (legal back then).  She was very popular with the media.  Although a novel, the author presents a lot about polygamy in the Mormon Church (then) using people who actually lived and, totally fiction, the story of a murder & a 19th wife in a broken away sect now.  (think "Sister Wives")

The best thing I found is that Ann's entire book is available to read.  I skimmed around it, thinking I might read the whole thing some day.  But you and I know I won't do that.  Although it is always fascinating for me to compare sources, it's too much, too long, and appears a lot of drama.  It has pictures, though -- pencil drawings.


Ebershoff's is a well done story, shifting back and forth between time yet keeping everything tied nicely together.  He writes using an amazing amount of styles and angles to give his novel substance and validity; newspaper articles from both time periods, memoirs, e-mails, letters, diaries etc,.  One chapter is written as a Wiki page, complete with 'links' which I thought wonderfully clever.  
The stories are full of horrors of religious extremists (which is one of my favorite topics to read about and be disgusted by), and the modern one is laced with a bit humor.


Only about a third of the way in, but can tell I'm happy I chose this one for my book club to read the end of this month.  


I chose TC Boyle's Talk Talk for the month of June.   And I still need to choose a book for the other book club in July.  Yes, you read right.  I am hosting three book clubs in three months.   

Any suggestions for July's book?