life.

Life in my twenties is a funny thing. I know I’m an adult, but I still feel like that 10 year old child that needs hugs from my mom and dad. Growing up and coming into my own is difficult, scary, exciting and fun all at once. Home will always be where my heart is, but I saw this quote today and it spoke to me and my life at this moment in time. Making me know everything will be ok!

Change is scary and I can say change and I have never been BFF’s. But life moving forward is always a blessing! I will always have faith that no matter what path and what direction life leads me I know it’s meant to be! I guess when quotes like this are unexpected and hit me in a soulful way it’s comforting, exciting and important that I pay attention.

What are the quotes that speak to you?

book review: the 19th wife

After a solid two months of trying to finish this book for my book club, but as always life and work were getting in the way, I finally finished the 514 page read of The 19th Wife while enjoying a nice week long family vacation up at Lake Erie.

All I can say really is WOW. I am still trying to wrap my head around this one. As someone who is sucked into every documentary on TLC around the Firsts and anything describing polygamist lifestyles, this book really gave me (not a full understanding) but a greater understanding into polygamy, the polygamist lifestyle and how it affects those both emotionally and within faith.

This book, once I was finally able to sit down and immerse myself into it’s pages, was a very interesting and sometimes intense read. Two stories in one, the book describes the early years of polygamy, Bringham Young and his 19th wife Ann Eliza while weaving in a murder mystery happening in a modern day fundamentalist community where the 19th sister wife is accused of murdering her husband.

Polygamy is the central focus of each story describing polygamy as being faith driven, showing the important role it had/has on family and the significance of dictating a Firsts ability to be greeted into heaven or not.

I really enjoyed the parallel look inside the lives of the First past and present. The author had the ability to make you feel for the those victimized by this lifestyle. There were even times when I threw the book down and just said “really? really? this is really happening”.The book makes you question a lot about religion and the birth of beliefs. The book also focuses on fear and power. Fear of the unknown, fear of faith, and fear of speaking against what you do not believe is right. Power of riches, power to instill fear within your “followers”, and the power to make those around you believe the words you speak. It’s a book that really makes you think.

Overall, this book was a great read. Even if your not interested in the mormon religion, the humanized stories the author has you invested in are enough to make this a great read where you find yourself rooting for the underdog and also being grateful your relationship is a monogamous one (I’m not too good with sharing).

Definitely give The 19th Wife a try and don’t give up on it! I am happy I did not and I do not think you will regret it!

Anyone have a suggestion on what to read next? Any great reads you have read this summer you would like to share? Let us know!