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Powell's Staff:
Five Book Friday: In Memoriam
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Every year, the booksellers at Powell’s submit their Top Fives: their five favorite books that were released in 2023. It’s a list that, when put together, shows just how varied and interesting the book tastes of Powell’s booksellers are. I highly recommend digging into the recommendations — we would never lead you astray — but today...
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Brontez Purnell:
Powell’s Q&A: Brontez Purnell, author of ‘Ten Bridges I’ve Burnt’
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Rachael P.:
Starter Pack: Where to Begin with Ursula K. Le Guin
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Customer Comments
inthepastlane has commented on (2) products
The 19th Wife
by
Ebershoff, David
inthepastlane
, September 06, 2010
Ann Eliza Webb became Brigham Young's "19th wife" in 1868. Although written in a fictional format, a lot of historical documents were researched to give what felt like a biographical feel to the true story of her life. The over-riding controversy addressed in the book is polygamy, or celestial marriage, and its effects on the women, children and men who practiced it in faith as directed by the prophets of the Latter Day Saints (LDS). Ann Eliza's story is overlaid with a modern-day, second story about a young man named Jordan Scott, one of the "lost" boys of the "Firsts" of Mesadale, UT. When polygamy was outlawed late in the 1800's by the U.S. federal government, the LDS church fractured. The large majority gave up polygamy as a tenet of faith, but a smaller group left the Salt Lake City area to form a cult-like group that still practices polygamy away from the eye of the law. The young men of the Firsts are often cast out of the larger core group and abandoned because they are viewed as competition by the older men practicing celestial marriage. Jordan's story, which involves a murder in Mesadale reverberates and enriches many of the themes of Ann Eliza's life as a pioneer of the Mormon faith. This is a long book, over 500 pages, but it is compelling and well written addressing the diverse viewpoints of the families who experienced the devastating effects of polygamy as a requirement of faith and those who supported it devoutly. I found this book mesmerizing as it pulls you into a life that most people would have a difficult time imagining and presents it from numerous angles. I had a hard time putting it down as I felt at times like I was reading several private diaries and allowed insight into the intimate thoughts of Ann Eliza and many other Saints. A measure of the success of this book is its haunting quality. Despite having finished it, my mind wanders back often in thought about Ann Eliza's life, from the time she was a babe in arms through her divorce from Brigham Young and her fight to legally end the practice of polygamy in the United States.
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Animal Vegetable Miracle A Year of Food Life
by
Barbara Kingsolver
inthepastlane
, May 13, 2007
I have been on a "de-cluttering" campaign off and on for the past couple of years . The hardest thing for me to do is to part with any of my many books. After painfully gleaning my shelves for my favorites and gifting or donating the rest, I have finally gotten my acquisitions under control (for the most part) by: *Making a determined effort to borrow the books I want to read from the library rather than buy them. (And amaze myself, though not my husband, by how much I am saving!) *Making a commitment to buy only books that I feel I will truly want to keep for years. Admittedly, that is a loosy-goosy commitment as if I had the room, I would keep most for years - but it is a stop and consider this purchase kind of commitment :o) *AND, most painful of all, if there isn't room on the bookshelf, then one book in the current collection has to go when I add one to the collection. All of this is a long-way-around conversation to tell you that when I currently buy a book I am very impressed with it! Many people love Barbara Kingsolver's books - i.e. "Poisonwood Bible", "Prodigal Summer", etc. I, however, have not been a big fan of her work previously and would have passed it by entirely, except that the title and jacket cover caught my eye. If you are a "Foodie" - or - someone who is interested in organic or healthy eating - or - worried about the petroleum problems this country is facing I think you will find this book a great read. It is extremely entertaining and humorous, but makes a great point for a new food lifestyle movement known as being a "Locavore". Reading the section about her daughter deciding to raise "meat" chickens vs. laying chickens to earn money for a horse had my husband and I both in stitches. Maybe it is because spring and summer are a time for renewed energy, interest in growing things, or simply the thoughts of hitting the local farmers' market and EATING all that wonderful, fresh food, but this book really struck a cord with me and I have enjoyed it and been inspired from the first page of the prologue! So far, if I had to recommend one book to read this summer - this is it!
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