Traveling Through Books

Book 58: "Something Borrowed" by Emily Giffin Verdict: I'm Unsure After reading "Something Borrowed" I find myself conflicted as to how I feel about it. It captured my attention, I enjoyed reading it, and it is well written. However, I still am unsure of how I feel about the actual story. For those of you who have yet to read this book-or see the movie, which was surprisingly accurate- be aware that this review is a spoiler, so if you want to be surprised, stop reading now.   The main character of this story is Rachel and the book is written in first person from her point of view. Rachel is a very likable character, she is an all-around good person, excepting the fact that she falls in love and has an affair with her best friend's fiance. Though this is not acceptable, she does not pretend that it is, which I appreciate. Darcy, her lifelong best friend, is also very difficult to like. She is selfish, greedy, attention hogging, and not a very g...

Title: Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith Author: Jon Krakauer Genre: True Crime, Non-Fiction Read in: Trade Paperback Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group I'm honestly not sure where to start with this review. Having finished the book on Monday, I've been ruminating over it all week and trying to figure out exactly what to write about. It is definitely a good book; well-written, compelling, and (obviously) gets the reader thinking. This non-fiction true crime book discusses the 1984 murders of Brenda Lafferty and her infant daughter Erica by Ron and Dan Lafferty (Brenda's brother-in-laws). The reasoning behind the brothers committing the murders is rooted deep in the history of Mormonism and their practice of Mormon Fundamentalism. Krakauer digs into the history and origin of the Mormon faith and the schisms of Fundamentalists it has since produced. I will be honest that much of this book is terrifying. The history of Mormonism, much l...