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This book about the sinking of the Lusitania is my least favorite Larson of the three I‘ve recently read. It didn‘t have the superb tension of Isaac‘s Storm nor the sheer evil of his book on Nazi Germany. Still, he is a narrative nonfiction champ and it is very good. I enjoyed being in the head of the German U-boat commander who sunk it. Captain Turner of the Lusitania was a great tragic figure. It‘s the details that make his writing shine.

#Dead #OminousOctober @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

This is a painting of the Lusitania, a luxury passenger ship which was sunk by a German torpedo in 1915. It was called a “Greyhound” because of its‘ speed. The book follows the story of Captain Turner, the German U-boat and many passengers. Fascinating information, although,at times, the nautical facts went over my head! Political intrigue.President Wilson‘s pursuit of his second wife added a respite from the devastation.#booked2022 #nauticaltheme

This book has been sitting on my TBR shelves for years. I realized that it would work for a challenge and that the audio was also available from Libby. Thus, I am using the audio + book method to quicken the process. It is my first Erik Larsen read. When I checked Goodreads, I saw that it was also Jenny Colvin‘s first Larsen. I am dedicating this read to her. #rememberingjenny

This entire year has been slowly sliding downhill until it was like an avalanche. To my #LitsyLove friends, I am so sorry I just fell away. I'd love to come back and write again. Hopefully this year can pick up soon

Harrowing account of the infamous incident with historic implications.

For our recent 22nd wedding anniversary we watched Titanic ( the taxi driver who took us to get our marriage licence in Vegas was playing the soundtrack and was horrified we‘d never seen the film -
So we promised him we‘d watch it as soon as we got home!). Put me in the mood for a book about ships and disaster! This seems to fit that bill!

I gave myself a 2022 head start and began a chunkster in December. Haha - there‘s 75 pages of acknowledgments so it wasn‘t quite as daunting a read as I anticipated. I found this fascinating - and the wartime assumptions made astounded me. I‘ve heard the name Lusitania my whole life and I guess I assumed that meant I knew way more history about it than I did. Humbled by books!

It‘s amazing how Erik Larson makes something that should be really boring interesting. There was a lot of detail about submarines in WWI, the captains of both U-20 and the Lusitania, and the effort to get the US into the war. I loved the personal aspects, with quotes and details from survivors and writings/journals from the passengers and crew.

This was my #doublespin read for August. This book was very good. I did struggle with it at times. I think that has to do with this being my 2nd book about maritime disasters in about 1 month. It was well researched and full of personal details from survivors or recovered personal writings. I am left feeling sorrow that this was allowed to happen and even desired. I won't say further than that. I'll look for more of his works. @TheAromaofBooks

Getting ready to start this for my #doublespin selection for August. I've heard all of his books are excellent. Being an ex-sailor, I hope this is as good as many say.

If you are into disasters, like the Titanic, you will like it, but it has too many non-essential details. It took forever before it got to the actual torpedo hit and sinking. Learned more about U-boats in the first World War, and how it took two years before Wilson was able to get the USA into the War. Some more overall perspectives and facts could have been included, like how Wilson's second wife later practically led the country. Very good.

I'm reading this next. I've read his In the Garden of Beasts and Devil in the White City, and he's an author I like. I really enjoy popular history that's well written.

Now how many more will I get in before the end of the year? 😊📚
#goodreadschallenge

🌸 outdoors

🌼 I do #AuthorAMonth @Soubhiville , #bookspin #doublespin #bookspinbingo @TheAromaofBooks , and:
#springsentiments @Eggs
#oppositeday @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @TheKidUpstairs
#poetrymatters @TheSpineView
#quotsyapr21 @TK-421
#moviesinapril @Klou

Really like Erik Larson and hope to read more. I started with The Splendid and the Vile. I love being read to, so the audios of his books are great 👍🏼
Dead Wake is the artfully written history of the last voyage of Lusitania and the sub that destroyed it.

#bookspinbingo @TheAromaofBooks

#windsofmarch #sailaway

Day 5: Sail Away

🎧📚 Chapters flip between life onboard the Lusitania during its final voyage & life on the german submarine U-20 that sank the ocean liner plus chapters involving President Wilson, Churchill, their personal lives & the aftermath.

This is my favorite Erik Larson book to date & I haven‘t heard Scott Brick narrate in forever so that was unexpectedly comforting.

This is a true story told in novel format. Truly heartbreaking! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️👇🏻

I am about to run out of books so I‘m waiting for the library to open while I listen to an audiobook.

WOW!!! I started with audiobook but quickly realized I needed physical copy to roll along with. To say this was EYE opening is an understatement. You just can‘t make this sh$t up. One thing that blew my mind was a Canadian passenger who didn‘t survive the The Lusitania (most DID not), was then sent home as a corpse and the Ship he was on (I think it was the Hesperian) was torpedoed- what?!! Torpedoed in life and death👇🏽

TBH this week has been a bit...weird. Myspouse is all riled up about politics, the chief of staff messed up my timecard and I can‘t get it fixed, I dumped half my lunch on my brand new pants. BUT I‘m getting ready to go to in-person book club! Social distancing, masks, and outside. I‘ve missed these ladies.

Pharrell‘s “Happy” always makes me think of summer.

#thoughtfulthursday

I only knew passing information about the sinking of the Lusitania so I found this book interesting.
I like Larson‘s way of making non fiction feel like fiction.

Time for some #audiopuzzle time

Up next

#MountTBRchallenge Number 43. This book was wonderful. Here is the link to my gr review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1598598113

Page-turner

My first Larson book but certainly not my last. I don‘t know much about WWI but this was a good addition to my knowledge base. Larson writes nonfiction that provides facts in addition to telling a story - the tragedy of the Lusitania and the entrance of America into WWI.

Pictured is the painting “Return of the Mayflower” depicting the US warships sent to patrol British waters after Wilson and America declared war. #nfnov

Great audiobook. Larson brings the facts surrounding the sinking of the Lusitania to life. The facts combined with the human element made me care about all the people involved. I found the blame game played by the British Admiralty in the aftermath particularly interesting. If you like history, this book is for you.

Phenomenal! I am always blown away by Larson‘s ability to bring history to life. He places you in the moment and then pulls back so you can see the fullness of the story with all its layers and perspectives. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#currentlisten #travelingreader

Least favorite Erik Larson by far

My least favorite and least memorable of his books

This was a real heart wrenching book. Well researched and written, the author weaves a tragic tale, of small chances and what could have beens, which make this novel so sad. #Lusitania #Queenstown #Irish Sea #U-20

Currently reading

This is my 3rd or 4th Larson. He never disappoints. He is the absolute best at weaving eye-witness accounts into a cohesive story.

Erik Larson is a fabulous chronicler but he needs to learn that sometimes less is more. I really enjoyed the personal passenger stories and the eyewitness accounts were enthralling & heartbreaking. “Ill fated” seems to be the right term for this voyage as several factors may have played a hand in the fatal disaster. I feel blame does not lie with Captain Turner but I do question the culpability of the British Admiralty. #Nonfiction2019 17/25

#AudioFolding Having weekend guests always means EXTRA laundry (3 loads) so I‘ve been busy. Glad to have an audiobook to keep me company. I‘m finding this one a little tedious. I think Erik Larson is a real stickler for details!!! Sheesh, he doesn‘t edit anything out🤣😂🤪

#LitsyWalkers #Flag spotted inside a parked bus. Today‘s listen was REALLY BORING 😬I see I‘m only in part 3 and there‘s 11 parts to this audio 😱Hope the story picks up or I might #JumpShip 😉

Erik Larson writes such compelling non fiction. I‘m really enjoying this #audiobook 🎧Beginning was a bit dry but now it‘s getting more interesting and I‘m loving all the personal histories. Got in a 50 minute walk before it started to rain 🌧🌧 Found a cool looking #Fence #LitsyWalkers @kaye

#LitsyWalkers Another loop around the neighborhood. Dropped off a few books to a friend who‘s leaving on holiday
Started a new #audiobook 🎧I think I might prefer female narrators but still subject matter is really interesting. I‘m sharing a photo of Car2Go. It‘s an app where u can borrow a #car, which are located throughout the neighborhood in designated parking spots. I believe your given a code to unlock the car & find key.

Had a great start to #NonFiction2019 I‘ve always loved non-fiction but can find it hard to get through at times. I think it‘s because my brain gets overloaded with facts & trivia. Five in a month is an awesome number for me, hopefully I can keep up the momentum! #trivialpursuit #factsorfiction

A #reread for me, this is the story behind the sinking of the Lusitania during WWI.

Many of the personal stories struck me—the woman giving birth in the sea especially. Was the captain to blame for the sinking? Were the British guilty of a conspiracy in order to force the US to enter the war?

#attheendoftheday, the responsibility ultimately lies with the German military. #musicalnewyear

#audiobaking and #audiocleaning today with Dead Wake. It‘s a reread for me luckily, because I find all the information difficult to process when I‘m distracted.

I made a spinach quiche with @Meredith3 ‘s fresh eggs from her chickens. I make this a few times a month because it‘s nice to have in the fridge for breakfast or a quick meal.

A fascinating look at the sinking of the Lusitania with shocking information about a British intelligence agency that tracked the u-boat responsible. I learned basic information in school about this event and was honestly surprised to learn the political intrigue surrounding the sinking.

The level of detail in the beginning made it a bit slow, but I appreciated the effort of all the research. The abstraction the human mind is capable of to commit acts like torpedoing passenger ships (which was unprecedented) is always boggling.

Not really fancying a cruise at the moment. 😧

Started the morning with a total #blameitonLitsy pick from the library!

#NonFiction2019 I almost forgot about my non-fiction bingo card! Dead Wake is appropriate for a few of the squares(Somethjng With History, Something With Travel)but I‘ve gone with #SomethingAboutSurvival That anyone survived the sinking is miraculous, the chaos onboard, inexperienced crew, cold water & slow rescue all caused so many needless deaths, so the fact there was over 750 survivors is amazing. #WarIsHell

#FirstBookOf2019 is done!🎉 What a fantastic book. Erik Larson is a master storyteller, without using glossy pictures or diagrams, he takes what could‘ve been dry facts and turned it into one of the most interesting & enthralling reads I‘ve had the pleasure of coming across in awhile.🚢Highly recommended 5⭐️ Can‘t wait to get my copy of his The Devil In The White City.