Welcome to Litsy!

Thank you so much @maich for my #blitsyswap... these books look super cool and I always love pairing fiction and non fiction and you've done that for me! Thank you so very much xxx

Thank you @chelleo for hosting another successful #blitsy History Month Swap - its a month where my TBR explodes and I love that!

Have you ever bit into a cookie expecting chocolate chip but actually getting oatmeal raisin? That‘s kind of how this book was for me. I was expecting a unique spin on a World War II/Holocaust story, but this is more of a fictionalized biography of a young jazz musician where Buchenwald makes what amounts to a cameo appearance. It‘s not a bad book. It‘s just could have been a better one had I gone into it with a different set of expectations.

I have been absolutely loving catching up on Bernice McFadden‘s back list. But, y‘all, I just could not get into this one.

Amazon is killing me today. 😑🙁😒

#DiverseSpines Day 5 Book in the Air
I adored this book. You are transported back in time & deposited into monumental eras of history. Her prose exquisitely glides the reader through the Great Migration of blacks from the south to the north, the Harlem Renaissance, WWII, the Holocaust, the turbulent Civil Rights Era, the assassinations of JFK and MLK, Jr., ending with the tumultuous 1970s, a continuation of the 1960s. #spinesvines #thebookofharlan

Congratulations to Bernice L. McFadden American Book Award Winner 2917! 😆🙌🏾 #readsoullit #harlanclub

Picking this one back up. It has a strong start. I hope the pace is sustained all the way through. I'm tired of great books with tired endings lol.

#BookishConfession: As soon as I saw the #Day28 topic, I knew what I would post. I happened to pass by the Goodwill and remembered that I didn't have any men's shoes ?for the post I wanted to do. So I popped in for an impromptu photoshoot. A clerk thought I was taking pictures of the armoire; and asked if I wanted her to tag it "SOLD." But I was only using it, and other stuff, as props. ? But #BlameItOnLitsy #BlameLitsy

Part fiction, part biography, McFadden writes of her grandfather's tumultuous life. Interesting and full of detail, but just didn't hit that high note for me...

If anyone is looking for some great #BlackHistoryMonth reads, these are all Kindle Monthly Deals. Bernice McFadden is a hell of a writer, and Michael Eric Dyson is a very well known and respected academic on race in the US. I haven't tried the other two, but have seen great things.

Also keep an eye out for a survey for our next @LitsyFeministBookClub book! We'll be choosing a fiction or nonfiction title focusing on Black history.

#blackbooks

Day 1. TBR #readsoullit

My tally sheet is in the planning stages; but I did manage to read something from each category -- five books and one play. Two selections span two categories. So I counted each as .5 in both to make it total one book. The play is counted as .33 because there are two others in the book. I'll adjust the "ARC/Galley" category down by 1 and add a "Classics" category. Picking up the pace.
#Donna_sBookYear2017 #workinprogress #WhatIveRead #Stats

If you are looking for a straight forward WWII - this isn't the book for you. Instead, this novel reads like interconnected short stories about a musician and his complicated life. I really enjoyed the novels insight into living in New York from the 30's into the late 60's. Threaded with unexpected and interesting characters, I can definitely recommend this as a solid piece of historical fiction.

I replayed the last few chapters to review the events. But, to piece it together, I needed to READ all the mentions about the "brown shoes" ?? So I bought the Kindle version. Then when I came across the first mention, I remembered wondering if the shoes were significant. My heart warms at the thought of all the "brown shoes" in my past, present, and future. In TBoH, McFadden has given us food for thought. #spoiler #KindleAndAudible

From the cover photo of Harlan in his Stetson to the beautiful vignettes chronicling the lives of Emma, Sam, Lucille and their supporting characters, McFadden grips the reader -- not letting go until the last word of the novel. This story takes place in my parents' era; and nostalgia swept me right into the settings for some of their remembrances. I clung to every word delivered by the talented narration of Robin Miles. #pick #audiobook

I've read some great books in 2016 but these 3 were the only ones that received 🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷 out of 5 CHEERS!
HOMEGOING, THE BOOK OF HARLAN & NOTORIOUS RBG #spinesvines

Harlan, don'tchu punk out on me Man. I'mo catch sum shut-eye and get back witchu in the mornin'. You BETTA finish strong😠‼️

I'm over halfway through this audiobook. Harlan was raised by his preacher grandfather and God-fearing grandmother. His road to the Chitlin' Circuit is a heart-tugging and familiar one. But he doesn't stop there. Or is it merely a bump in the road? I have to know more. Great characters, setting. I can tell by the storyline that the print version is a great read. And narrator Robin Miles does McFadden's masterpiece great justice. #mustread

It made all the sense in the world to marry their magic, bottle it, and put it out for profit.

Another one of my favorite reads this year. I love reading books that enlighten me about things I previously had no knowledge of. This book takes you from Georgia to Harlem to Paris, where 2 African American musicians are captured and imprisoned at the Buchenwald concentration camp by the Nazis during the war. A swiftly-paced read with an epic ending. Highly recommend.

This book was a quick read. Was it a great read? No, so many important components of the characters lives seemed to be unfinished and I believe it had the potential to be better, but I think McFadden tried to squeeze too much in without taking the time to fully develop and round out the characters. I found myself being underwhelmed with this one.

"Pussy: hypnotic and narcotic. It had toppled dynasties, initiated wars, transformed boys into men, men into idiots, led husbands away from their good wives, turned sons against their dedicated mothers -had Harlan believing he was kin to Christopher Columbus, as if he'd discovered sex, as if it hadn't existed before he was born. Fool."(p. 103)

Beautiful writing, realistic characters, important subject matter and a gripping read. What else could you want

The writing in this book is some of the best that I have read this year #amreading. Deceptively simple and beautifully lyrical

What a beautiful cover

This book arrived through the letter box yesterday

Fried rice and my book while watching the sunset = perfect Sunday night. 🍚📖🌅

#BookandDinner #SelfCareSunday

Ok so you apparently can make me get out of bed today but only because it involves a giant coffee and my book. 📚☕️📚☕️📚

#BookandCoffee #SelfCareSaturday

You can't make me move from this bed today. 👀 I have pillows, blankets, a stack of books, coffee on my nightstand, and a fuzzy snuggle buddy. All of the ingredients for a perfect #SelfCareSaturday. 🐻

I started The Book of Harlan last night & omg y'all it's SO GOOD. I haven't been able to put it down since I started it. Bernice McFadden has some serious writing chops. 🎶

#TheBookishFerrets

The non-musical have to get their music from books.

Look, I finally updated my iOS and am trying Litsy. I'm about halfway through The Book of Harlan which is different than I expected but not necessarily in a bad way.

McFadden doesn't simply write; she gets into your head & heart, stirs your spirit & leaves your soul wanting more 5?
"This is a story about the triumph of the human spirit over bigotry, intolerance & cruelty, & at the center of “The Book of Harlan” is the restorative force that is music."-WashPost

Spent yesterday sick in bed finishing McFadden's The Book of Harlan. Based on actual events, Harlan exposes the reader to a period in history most thought they knew. Epic in scope, this book is a quick read, populated by beautifully flawed and tragic characters.

Got my hands on this gem.

"I think I smell bacon." Satchmo after my damn heart.

Loving #TheBookofHarlan! So bluesy, free, and full of soul. And the mothers in here are claiming my heart!