Book Eight "Favorite Wife" by Susan Ray Schmidt

So I have really been into the HBO series Big Love as of late. As I was watching it a few weeks back, I realized that polygamy is a topic that I really don't know much about. I figure that the biggest reward I am taking from this challenge is knowledge of subjects that I would usually not know much about otherwise. So I downloaded the memoir Favorite Wife to learn a little more.

Susan was fifteen years old when she married Verlan Labaron. Verlan had five other wives previous to Susan and was worn thin from that. Not to mention, he is also one of the leaders of the church compound that his family had founded in Mexico. Knowing no other lifestyle but polygamy for most of her life, Susan is filled with excitement on her wedding day. She has finally found her spot in the celestial kingdom.

However, life as a polygamist's wife proves to be quite difficult. With five other wives in her family, money is extremely tight. Verlan is rarely even home, and when he is, the wives must alternate their time spent with him. He has 27 children when Susan is first welcomed to the family, and he continues to marry other women. By the age of 16, Susan has already had her first daughter and has another child on the way.

Susan's problems also spread farther than her fast growing family. Ervil Labaron, Verlan's older brother has separated from the church and their prophet Joel. Ervil is power hungry and begins recrutting members of the church to join his violent cult in an attempt to seek blood atonement for individuals that they believe are not following Joseph Smith's teachings. Susan's family is torn apart by Ervil, and death threats become more and more prevalent after the murder of the Prophet, Joel Labaron.

I feel that I learned a lot from this book. I never understood how anyone could stand for polygamy. I suppose this is because I never really thought of it as a cult. The brainwashing and the promise for eternal salvations brings it all to light. It is hard to believe anything else exsists when you are born into such a lifestyle.

Book Seven "Dead Until Dark" by Charlaine Harris

I decided the best way for me to do some quick catch up reading would be to indulge in some reading for pure entertainment. One of my clients had recommended anything from Charlaine Harris(the author of True Blood), stating that they are quick, fun reads that one could finish of in the course of a weekend. I also decided a book like this would be a nice break from the depressing book streak I have been in.

I needed a book that would take me away from the real world, and this book did just that. Dawn Until Dark is told in the word of Sookie Stackhouse, a waitress in Bon Temps, Louisiana. Cursed with the power of telepathy, Sookie has lived in a solitary world of working and living with her Grandmother. She was looking for trouble when Bill walked into her bar.

The book is based on a society were vampires not only exist, but have rights just like any other human. Bill happens to be the first vampire to come to Bon Temps. He was originally from the area before he became a member of the undead right after the Civil War.

Sookie and Bill begin a new, and of course, complicated romance. It is even further complicated by a streak of female murder victims in the small town. As more women end up dead, the more the locals begin to point there fingers at the vampire.

If you are looking for a book with substance, then you might want to steer clear of this one. But it is quirky and it does have a suspenseful plot, so it does keep your attention. I enjoyed it, as I usually enjoy occasionally reading a book that I learn absolutely nothing from. There are seven books in this series written by Charlene Harris. I think I will save them for the weeks that I am feeling burnt out on this challange.

Book Six "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini

I am running a few days behind with this book, and I must finish my next book by Sunday, so this will probably be brief. Not to mention, this book has left me emotionally drained for the past few days.

Hosseini, who is also the author of The Kite Runner, has written a story of Two Afghan women. Both were raised a generation apart, and both have lived very different lifestyles. However, they are brought together after different warlords have turned Kabul into a war torn city. After the death of both of her parents, 15 year old Laila is forced into marrying Rasheed, who has been married to Mariam for the past two decades.

Rasheed is horribly abusive. With no where else to turn, Mariam and Laila are forced to stay with him, especially after the Taliban took rule over Kabul, stripping women of any of the few rights that they had to begin with. After years and years of abuse, Mariam decides to take her destiny into her own hands.

Although I find this to be an amazing book, it is a very hard read for me. Towards the end of the book, I would almost cringe whenever Laila and Mariam were offered any bit of hope, because it usually came crumbling down. However, the novel is beautifully written, and it is an eye opener.

Book Five "Driving with Dead People" by Monica Holloway

Due to the nature of this book, my review will most likely be brief. After the depressing nature of my last selection of book, I was looking for something more light-hearted. I though Holloway's memoir had a interesting title, and all of the reviews told of a quick read that is humorous and slightly quirky.

The book starts out with an 8 year old Monica, who is amidst a very dysfunctional family. She has a neglectful and abusive father, and a mother who lives in her own fairytale land. It starts out as a sort of dark comedy, with her making light of her abusive childhood. However, as she begins to get older, deeper and darker secrets of her childhood begin to surface.

I enjoyed the book and thought it was an excellent read, despite the fact that it was difficult subject to read through. I suppose I have just been on a streak of auto-biographical books over children with really awful parents. The previous reviews were misleading to me. Maybe they weren't aware that this was a memoir...