Welcome to Litsy!

Found an interesting book at the dollar tree. It‘s based on a true story. Hope its good. 😁

Chilling what people are willing to believe, past & present. 🥺

Good. An excellent atmospheric book that will keep you turning the pages. It shows the horror of the witch trials in rich detail and how people were deceived into believing what was being done was actually for the greater good.

#Penquin
@PenguinPublishing
@penguinrandomhouse

‪Today on my blog: this intriguing #read99women recommendation from Erin Lindsay McCabe, plus an aside on how some of my characters come by their last names: http://www.greermacallister.com/blog/2020/2/8/read99women-erin-lindsay-mccabe‬

Such an interesting book! I had never given any thought to witchcraft or heard of Mathew Hopkins before, so I learned a lot - particularly as it was only partly fictitious.

Easy to read, fast paced and harrowing. Thumbs up from me!

I enjoyed this ‘based on a real person‘ novel about witch hunts in Essex, just prior to the Salem witch trials in the US and I learned a lot about how the witch hunts were actually carried out.

It is rather a dark book though, so don‘t read if you‘re looking for a bit of light relief!

Thanks so much Vicki @TobyBon for my amazing #jolabokaflod gift. The book looks wonderful and I can‘t wait to try the new chocolate - I‘ve tried some ‘dark milk‘ before and loved it. (I did move it away from the fire pretty quickly once I‘d taken the pic!)

Have a great Christmas!

Thanks for hosting @MaleficentBookDragon 😘

Not terrible, but not fantastic either. It‘s written well and the story has interest. It may perhaps be me but this just felt ok. I would recommend it for someone looking for an easy read about witch hunting and family. The author tried to put too many background factors into the story and it complicates the story too much. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Good read

My current read (and it‘s starting out well 👍🏻).

Here is my #SpookyTBR for Day 1 of #ScreamathonPhotoChallenge Can't wait to dive in!!! 🎃🎃🎃
@4thhouseontheleft

So now I am fired up! And angry! I'm angry that for centuries our patriarchal system has been oppressing and undermining women. And I'm angry that when said women did not conform to societal expectations, they were labelled as 'delicate', 'mad' or in this case 'WITCH!' This is a deeply unsettling and atmospheric read, made all the more appalling because it is based on true events in Essex and Sussex in the 1600's. More in comments ⬇️ rant not over

Found this at The Dollar Tree today. If it‘s not good I‘m only out a $1.06. #dollartreereads

Superstition, fear, mistrust & power intertwine in this brother vs sister tale set in the 1600s. While a well written book, I don't particularly like the topic or the era. Nevertheless, I slogged through the book & was glad because I really liked the ending.

This is a good book but it was a harrowing read. What those poor women went through... 😔 Thanks @TrishB for getting it for me, it‘s historical fiction at its best! 👍🏻

#2018Book112
I will read absolutely anything about the Salem Witch Trials, but I'm not as familiar with the trials in England. So when I found a book loosely based on the actions of a real witchfinder from 1645, I had to read it. And this book did not disappoint. The characters are so complex that it's not always clear whether you should root for or against them, and the author clearly did her research regarding the way people lived at that time.

That‘s the holiday reads chosen and packed! 👍🏻 Although I‘m going away with a 7 & 5yr old so I‘m kidding myself that I‘m gonna get much time to read!! 😆

I love a witchy book, and thought this was a refreshing take on a time, place and perspective - not least of which (witch?) because these events happened in locations that I can picture perfectly, as I‘ve lived near and/or travelled through them.

This could have been great historical fiction. The imagined life of the sister of one of the English 17 century witchfinders offered lots of insights into community distrust particularly of single and widowed women and the silencing of those women. However for me the characters were one dimensional and there were was a rush to finish the story leaving some unanswered questions. Writing style was also a tad stilted.

One I finished a couple of weeks back and didn‘t post- again! I wanted to love this, but never felt fully satisfied by it. I get really frustrated by characters who don‘t speak up/ out (no doubt reflecting frustration with my own lack of confidence, but that‘s by the bye) & there was a lot of that. I know it was based on fact , but I‘d have loved it to have been subverted. Let them have been powerful witches & hexed the hell out of him! 🧙🏻‍♀️😄

Absorbing mix of historical fact & poetic licence. Superstition & religion saw families turning each other over to the witch finder for the slightest word which could be connected however coincidentally to an incident of misfortune. Told from the point of view Alice who is, it would seem, born into a family of misogynistic, power hungry men with questionable moral compass'. Enjoyed very much, bit of a slow burner initially but worth sticking with

Hope this is good!!

Very Blah...IMO. Going to try to find a bookstore with a better book.

Have been on a fantastic cruise this week, and there was not much time for reading. Have a long way to travel today, so planning on digging into this one.

Went yesterday to use my gift card to local bookstore. I found these. Some local history and a bit of historical fiction. 📚

Must say I really enjoyed this book. Was a blend of fact and fiction. Scary as to what went on during those crazy times when faith and superstition were so powerful that people would think nothing of killing their own family . I used to read alot of Phillipa Gregory back in the day and this book rekindled my love for historical works.

Anyone in the mood for feminist historical novels? This one's for you! Exciting and well-paced, a thoroughly enjoyable read!

(PS I HATE the cover art, though).

This is Book 2 of my #52BooksIn2018 challenge!

If I‘m succumbing to #tbr temptation, I want everyone else to have the chance as well 😄📚❤️! It‘s $1.99 in ebook today.

Can't wait to start reading this 😌

I NEED TO STOP BUYING BOOKS! 🤔😣😕🤗😃🤓 Ah who cares? It's my money so I'll spend it on building my own library thank you very much 😉 I can't wait to read The Witch Finder's Sister it is based in my home county of Essex and looks like an amazing story. How to Stop Time also looks brilliant. Thank you to the Richard & Judy Book Club for the recommendations 😊

#Bookaholic #TooManyBooksNotEnoughTime #BuildingALibrary #BookNerd #FullyBooked

Just finished the day before it was due back. I found this slow and dragging along in parts and give it 2.5 ⭐️. It really wasn‘t as good as I thought it would be.

Three of my 2017 reading challenges include a judge by the cover-type of prompt. IMHO, this one definitely fits the bill. If the first page is any indication, I'm really going to enjoy this one! #LitsyReadingChallenge #BetterWorld #ModernMrsDarcy

Excited to read this book set in 1645 which seems closely comnected to 2017.

2 books to finish by tomorrow night 😩
I got this. 😼

They love my reading chair. #catsoflitsy

So behind...🙄

This is my choice for #firstpersonnarrator The title says it all. Based on the life of Matthew Hopkins Witchfinder General. A full review will follow soon. #uncannyOctober @RealLifeReading

Alice returns to her childhood home after her husband‘s sudden death. She discovers her half brother, Matthew, is keeping a book of names of suspected witches. This is a page turner for any fan of historical fiction. Also, that ending had me yelling noooo!! ...Get the audiobook, it‘s well narrated! 👍

Ok, now I‘m done spamming your feeds. ✌️❤️

#FiveStarPredictions (part 2) from my "historical fiction" TBR.

I could do this TBR challenge with about ten different genres but I'll spare you all. ?

"that understanding a book is not the same as being able to spell out all of the words."

Fab historical fiction 😀 I knew the very bare bones about Matthew Hopkins so I could enjoy the story without thinking about the accuracy ( though reading around afterwards it's very accurately based on known facts).
Very frightening the excuses they've made up through history to kill women 😔
Definitely a pick if you like historical fiction!
Thanks @DeborahSmall 💜

Some lunchtime reading 😀 have coveted this book for a while - thanks to my #litsypenpal @DeborahSmall I'm now tucking into it 💜

Historical fiction with some interesting turns. I liked some of the characters. But I found the pacing abbot confusing, and the level of detail given uneven throughout.

I've found it hard to concentrate on reading over the last few days-the news has been a bit distracting. But, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. If I had to describe it in one word, it would be insidious. An excellent work of historical fiction.