This month, I finished three books that had pretty much nothing in common at all :)

Under the Banner of Heaven by John Krakauer

I've had this one on my list for quite some time, mostly because I had read another of Krakauer's books, Into the Wild, a few years ago. It's primary story is a harrowing one about two brothers who murder their sister-in-law and 15-month old niece because they believed God told them to do it. From that incident, Krakauer explored the beginnings of the Morman church and how it's evolved to what it is today. Most interesting to me, it discussed how the faith's foundation leads naturally to splits within in the group and the establishment of more right-wing factions. It explained the fundamentalist movements within Mormanism and how plural marriages work.

Really, I have no issue with mutiple wives. What was scary about these fundamentalist communities is how young girls are when they are "married" off.

This is a good read and a reminder that no matter what your belief is, there are extremists in every sector.

I also read Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte at a suggestion of my good friend Christy.

I was not a huge fan of this book, though I'm glad to say I've read it. Classics sometimes work that way.

















And, I ended the month with The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson.

Holy moly, this one was better than the first! Another disturbing story, but completely intriguing and a quick 500-page read!

The most interesting thing about this sequel is the two main characters from the first novel are only together in this one for a very short time; their stories intertwined, but separate nearly the whole way though. I also really enjoyed this novel because it provides insight into "the girl" and why she is so peculiar. Her past being integral to the story is the only way we'd be able to learn about it because she would never share it on her own - if that makes sense.





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