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The Wilder Life
The Wilder Life: My Adventures in the Lost World of Little House on the Prairie | Wendy McClure
20 posts | 31 read | 46 to read
For anyone who has ever wanted to step into the world of a favorite book, here is a pioneer pilgrimage, a tribute to Laura Ingalls Wilder, and a hilarious account of butter-churning obsession. Wendy McClure is on a quest to find the world of beloved Little House on the Prairie author Laura Ingalls Wilder-a fantastic realm of fiction, history, and places she's never been to, yet somehow knows by heart. She retraces the pioneer journey of the Ingalls family- looking for the Big Woods among the medium trees in Wisconsin, wading in Plum Creek, and enduring a prairie hailstorm in South Dakota. She immerses herself in all things Little House, and explores the story from fact to fiction, and from the TV shows to the annual summer pageants in Laura's hometowns. Whether she's churning butter in her apartment or sitting in a replica log cabin, McClure is always in pursuit of "the Laura experience." Along the way she comes to understand how Wilder's life and work have shaped our ideas about girlhood and the American West. The Wilder Life is a loving, irreverent, spirited tribute to a series of books that have inspired generations of American women. It is also an incredibly funny first-person account of obsessive reading, and a story about what happens when we reconnect with our childhood touchstones-and find that our old love has only deepened.
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TEArificbooks
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Pickpick

This is a soft pick. I enjoyed it, but I think it could have been a little more humorous. It was chaotic and disjointed at the beginning, but gets better. She seems to be a bit disenchanted about the places she visited and judgmental about the other tourists she meets along the way. She talks several times about lugging cameras everywhere but there isn‘t a single photo. But she did all the things I wanted to do and I‘m glad I read it. #littlehouse

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tata_buug
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"unremembering is knowing that something once happened or existed by remembering the things around it or by putting something else in its place'"
#booksinquarantine

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callielafleur
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Mehso-so

Here is the thing about this book. It sells itself as being hilariously funny- and it just isn't, at least not to me, and man would a little humor have helped out a lot. Much more often, the author was bored and distanced from what she was experiencing on her exploration, which is a weird thing to write a memoir about. I never really understood what she was looking for. It was solidly meh beginning to end.

#MoubtTBR2019

66 likes1 stack add
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callielafleur
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#BFCR3 week 2 check-in: Not a great week for me, but that's ok. My time outdoors was drastically decreased due to a high number of working lunches, so I'm going to block off 1 day a week to have lunch outside, by myself. And I will try not to procrastinate my yoga until the end of the week. I'm still currently reading the tagged book, and it's fine. I'm taking on a new task at work that will lend itself to audiobooks, so I'm queuing a bunch up.

nelehelen Oooh the drink limit is a good one! 5y
sudi I'm sorry the week wasn't too good for you. But the drink limit is a good idea. And besides we always have next week to try. And i'm going to try the Adrienne video you suggested yesterday. 😊 5y
See All 6 Comments
Mitch Pause, adapt and flex - is the way to go. Realise what works, what your habits are and what you‘d like to change is all part of the process! 😘 5y
Chrissyreadit Good for you on drink goal! I love your outside habit- it sounds like such a perfect goal to work towards ❤️❤️❤️ 5y
wanderinglynn Sounds like a good plan to block off lunch one day. 👍🏻 Hope this week is better for you. 5y
45 likes6 comments
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callielafleur
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#BFCR3 week 1 update: This was one of the toughest weeks of my adult life, not going to lie. I'm pretty ok with the fact that I went 1 beer over my goal for the week- it could have been so much worse. I'm really happy with the yoga though! Sadly I didn't get much reading in. Next week can only get better.

@wanderinglynn @blaire @crazeedi @books.bottles.and.babies @chrissyreadit @MicrobeMom @sudi @siani123 @nelehelen @mitch

sudi You still got the Yoga and outdoors goal, and that's a pretty great accomplishment👏👏👏. This week wasn't too good for me either, but we can always try next week. You got this! 💪 5y
Chrissyreadit I love your outdoor goal so much!!!!! I think this was just an off week for many people. You said a great job accomplishing yoga and the outdoors! 5y
MicrobeMom Great job! 👏👏 5y
Mitch Hope being outdoors brought something special to your week. Well done honey 🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼 5y
wanderinglynn Way to go! 🙌🏻 A great week! Especially considering it was such a tough week. I hope this week is going better for you. 💜 5y
62 likes5 comments
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JSW

Some days you just need to reread an old friend. 📚😍

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Julsmarshall
Pickpick

Lovely! Interesting, touching, charming. I too loved the Little House books and read them over and over as a kid. McClure didn‘t shy away from of the problematic aspects of the series, addressing them thoughtfully and head on and encouraging reflection. If you enjoyed these books, pick this one up! #MountTBR

JSW I loved this book. Have you read prairie Fires? It‘s excellent. (edited) 5y
33 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Julsmarshall
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So lovely! Really enjoying this!

44 likes1 stack add
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Julsmarshall
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1. Cookies I made this weekend!
2. The Wilder Life, part of my Half Price Books haul.
3. 42
4. Can I say all of them 😂
5. Maybe Canada 🇨🇦
#humpdaypost @MinDea

Literary_Siren Those cookies look amazing! 🤤 5y
MinDea Ooohhhh can you share the recipe?!? 5y
57 likes2 comments
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smilingshelves
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Thanks for voting to #makemereadit! I thoroughly enjoyed this book, even though I never read any of the Little House books until a couple of years ago. Highly recommended for any Little House fans or anyone who likes laughing out loud while reading about someone's obsession.

25 likes2 stack adds
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smilingshelves
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I'm planning to read the top two vote getters for the #MakeMeReadIt readathon. The tagged book is number one. But I've got a tie for number two! Help me pick which of these two books I'll read in August! Hopefully I'll get to both, but no guarantees. ☺️

@TheReadingMermaid

32 likes7 comments
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Brooke_H
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Pickpick

Totally charming and a delight to read. Loved every word. Now I need to plan my own pilgrimage! (I wish.)

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Brooke_H
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Lunchtime reading. This book is delightful.

Linsy Great pic! 6y
Brooke_H @Linsy Thank you! ☺️ 6y
thereadingowlvina Yummy lunch! 😋 6y
15 likes3 comments
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Eggs
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This is so good, for anyone who's read Laura Ingalls Wilder or Rose Wilder Lane, or anything about them. This writer's journey is honest and at times laugh-out-loud hilarious. It was a nice throwback for me: have read the series innumerable times and have visited 3 Ingalls or Wilder homesites 💕
#ThrowbackReadathon @monalyisha @Clwojick

Bourriquet76 I have this one too! 😂 6y
63 likes1 comment
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ReadingSusan
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I loved this book so much I had to buy my own copy!

callielafleur I've had this on my shelf forever! I just finished my current read, maybe I'll pick this up next... 6y
ReadingSusan @callielafleur it‘s really funny and I related to it so much. 6y
98 likes8 stack adds2 comments
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ReadingSusan
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Pickpick

I loved this book so much! Wendy took me on a journey that I have dreamed on going on since I was a child. I feel like I don't need to go now that I have read this. This book was hilarious, moving and nostalgic. I also love the Laura books and desperately wanted to live Laura's life. Of course as an adult I know better but still this book was amazing.

LeahBergen I really enjoyed this one, too! 6y
ValerieAndBooks Yes! I‘m glad this book satisfied our curiosity because a lot of these places Laura lived are out of the way. Which probably adds to their charm, but... And the author was often funny, too! 6y
90 likes8 stack adds2 comments
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ReadingSusan
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To hell with Gloria Vanderbilt jeans; surely having a jabot of lace at your throat meant nobody would mess with you.

silentrequiem Ruth Bader Ginsberg would agree! 6y
81 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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ValerieAndBooks
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Pickpick

With humor and sharp observations, the author discusses her Laura fandom and what the Little House series means to her and others. Learn the true story behind Laura, and experiences vicariously the author's visits to numerous sites. A must read for the series' fans, or who only saw the TV series.

OneLitChick @JenniferSpiegel: Have you read this? 8y
Caryl Did it make you want to do a Little House road trip? 😊 8y
ValerieAndBooks @Caryl not really as everything is pretty much in the middle of nowhere! Reading the book satisfied any wondering I would have on whether a road trip would be worthwhile. 8y
ReadingSusan @ValerieAndBooks I felt the exact same way. 6y
24 likes3 stack adds4 comments
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ValerieAndBooks
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A taste of the author's humorous observations throughout. Loved this book!

MrBook I like! 8y
20 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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ValerieAndBooks
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My current poolside read. I was obsessed with the Laura Ingalls Wilder series as a kid. So was the author, who chronicles her quest to live the "Laura experience ".

Chelsey Laura was my go to escape plan. I read and reread those books dozens of times 8y
Leelee08 This one has been on my TBR list for a while😀 8y
Sara_Planz Oh this looks wonderful. Gotta order this asap. 8y
See All 7 Comments
ValerieAndBooks @Chelsey @leelee08 @Sara_Planz so far this book is great. The author is funny. I'm having a hard time deciding what to quote! 8y
LeahBergen I really enjoyed this one 8y
Caryl This book is so fun! 8y
MrBook Nice pic! Nice book! Nice pool! .....Nice! 8y
25 likes8 stack adds7 comments