Welcome to Litsy!

Trying to finish before book club tonight. I‘ve got my 2 fans cheering me on 😆 #dogsoflitsy #catsoflitsy

Today‘s reading companion 😍🐶. Gus very much thinks he‘s a lap dog even though he‘s over 45lbs now. #dogsoflitsy

Basil has claimed my lap for his Saturday morning snooze 😸. So funny to be reading the tagged book about Doctor Zhivago while a bunch of you are doing a group read of the classic for #decemberchill! Just started this for my IRL book club, curious to see if I‘ll be inspired to take on Dr. Z sometime in the future #catsoflitsy

LOVED this book ❤️🎧
#FoodAndLit #Russia
It‘s a super #GoogleyBook @rockpools
And now I‘m all #RahRah and ready to attempt to read Dr. Zhivago

Really LOVING my #FoodAndLit choice @Texreader @Butterfinger 🎧 #Russia 🇷🇺
And surprised to find it works for #PrideMonth too 🏳️‍🌈 ❣️

#FoodAndLit #Russia 🎧 @Texreader @Butterfinger

The Russian snack cake brownie was our families favorite snack from the box. It was better than a ding dong from Little Debbie. It had a layer of chocolate cream instead of vanilla and no harder chocolate shell around it, but it was really good. And I love how my Russian book cover designs look like Doctor Zhivago covers. #foodandlit @Texreader @Butterfinger

^^ Books as ideological weapons, used as propaganda in a political warfare campaign. Human cost to Pasternak & family & Olga.

Literature as Cold War weapon: fictional treatment of C.I.A. campaign to get Boris Pasternak‘s “Doctor Zhivago” distributed in Soviet Union. Narration shifts between romance of Boris & Olga, spies Irina & Sally‘s forbidden love affair, even typing pool gets narrative chapters, like a chorus. Research sometimes shows at the surface, not immersive. Some predictable plotting, prologue=strongest writing. Shifting identities, secrets, lies & love. 2019

Okay so, I love historical fiction about women in war time, especially when it brings in reality. I am so excited that this book mentions Virginia Hall. I‘ve been reading A Woman of No Importance (non fiction about Virginia) and just too happy to see her mentioned here! 😌

An early 30th birthday present to myself 🥰🎂🍾📚

I had to rush through this one as my library borrow was expiring, so perhaps that's why I didn't love this one. I was into it at first and loved the typists, but I was less interested in the other stories. And it felt a bit long. But I mostly enjoyed it!

4⭐️ I really enjoyed this book. I had heard quite a bit about this book last year but didn‘t get around to it. I liked the back and forth and how the author concentrated on the female characters and the description of the world that the author created. Makes me want to read Doctor Zhivago #2020 #fiction #bookstagram #historicalfiction #lgbt #bookreview #bookaboutbooks #reesesbookclub

I really enjoyed this book with the different narratives. The typists were definitely my favorite. It was refreshing to read a book that‘s actually after WWII and about the Cold War. I don‘t usually come across those. I will say, things dragged a little for me just before the ending as they all heaped praises on Doctor Zhivago. This may be a controversial opinion but I‘m not fond of Russian classics 🤷🏻‍♀️ they just go on forever 🤦🏻‍♀️

I remember being swept up in the drama of Doctor Zhivago when I read it many years ago but I knew nothing of the equally fascinating story of its publication. Prescott‘s behind the scenes look at this incredible journey involves espionage, imprisonment and the 1958 World‘s Fair. Super interesting, now I‘m going to go spend way too much time Googling more about this!

Finished this today in audio version. #overdrive

Except for the “tied up with a bow” ending, I really enjoyed the intrigue and mystery of this book. I loved the story of how Doctor Zhivago was published and was a part of history I didn‘t know prior.

https://www.bluestockingreviews.com/post/the-secrets-we-kept THE SECRETS WE KEPT is a dramatic and entertaining debut novel of love and intrigue. It‘s a period piece of spycraft at the height of the Cold War. I particularly appreciated the feminist roles of the three lead characters, Irina, Sally and Olga. #bluestockingreviews #readitloveit #findinggreatreads

Making my way through Reese‘s Book Club, bc girl power, and so far this is my favorite, maybe even more so than “Where the Crawdads Sing”

Bingeing before book club tonight.

#hellosunshine
#literaryladies

Wonderful read. Lovely writing, compelling story, brilliant chapter titles (yes, chapter titles!!) I can‘t wait to see what this writer does next. Surprise (aching) love story also a bonus. I don‘t think that‘s a spoiler...

Tells the story of smuggling Dr. Zhivago out of and into Russia. Fascinating Cold War work.

The female typists of the Cold War often played much more important roles, and those are here alongside the story of the publication of Pasternak's Doctor Zhivago, and the surrounding intrigue. This was a far more complex read than I expected but very interesting and well-researched.
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This was published mid-October but was stuck in mY eARC backlog.

I wanted to like this book more than I did. It was a little all over the place for me and I had a hard time keeping up with the flow. I‘m also not a huge history person so it just didn‘t hit home for me. I do like the idea behind the book and love stories about spies but I feel like large portions of the book were boring to me and I had a hard time keeping my attention on what I read.

#Weeklyforecast I started The Hunting Party last night 👍🏻 good so far. I also hope to read The Secrets We Kept ! That‘s the plan anyway .... 👯‍♀️

Book signing and reading

#NamasteNovember #womenwithclass #Day8
Have not read this yet, but the cover fits.

After a crap day at work came home to a book from a Goodreads giveaway! 🙌🏻

Been repotting & rearranging house plants for winter. Great Audiobook. Multiple narrators so it was easy to realize you had switched character viewpoint. Spies with Literary twist. I vaguely remember struggling through Dr Zhivago as a teenager, probably after watching the movie. Didn't know any of its publication history, so I found Cold War drama of that fascinating. And I want the dress on cover. 👗
#listenwhileyouwork
#coverlove #retrostyle

Now listening to...🎧

Women typists at the CIA, female spies, and the author of Doctor Zhivago, this book weaves a thread between the three. There are a lot of different points of view and except for the collective voice of the typing pool, they do not sound very different. It‘s hard to keep track of who is speaking and they all have about the same tone. I found myself wishing this one would end faster. I would‘ve preferred a book on just one of the three plots.

“During the Soviet times it was a colony of Russian poets, writers and literary critics. It used to be the center of Moscow cultural life. Today Peredelkino attracts people from all over the world who come here to visit the house-museum of Boris Pasternak and see his grave in a local cemetery.” https://bridgetomoscow.com/upcoming-group-tours/boris-pasternak-museum-in-perede... #currentlyreading

I have never read Dr. Zhivago #TBR or seen the movie, but am really enjoying this book so far... #currentlyreading

Here are the books I read in September! Some were amazing, some were mediocre and some were just ugh.

Favorite Reads: Tagged, The Widow of Pale Harbor & Surgeons‘ Hall

Finished 5 books for #ReadingUSA2019 (without even trying!)
Read 11 books, 2 audio, 1 graphic novel

#SeptemberStats #SeptemberReads

Just ok. Great cast narration on audiobook. But the story had about 6 too many plot lines. And, it didn‘t feel like authentic dialogue - did folks in 1958 use air quotes? Call them that? Entertaining, though.

I enjoyed the Pasternak and Ola storyline and the US involvement in the publication of Dr. Zhivago. I was also intrigued by the roles women played in the early intelligence wars, from typist to spy, but I didn‘t think the character development worked very well in that part of the storyline. Nevertheless a bit of a treat for me to read. Picture is just the day‘s harvest to go with the day‘s reading. #hellosunshine

Great read, now I feel like I have to read Dr. Zhivago! Loved this story about how the writing of this classic was used to fish out the workings of the USSR, the oppression of writers and others, the spies who watched and worked through lives and loves. Great read! Also loved the hard cover under the soft cover😀

#BookHaul #GalleyBrag

Oooh, got some goodies for my shelves!!!

This was a great historical fiction. I was immediately enthralled and couldn‘t put it down. There is intrigue, spies, great strong women, awful sexist men and 2 great stories that intertwine.

I‘ve never read A Cold War/Russian book before. I was very interested in the history. The timeline confused me a little, but I just took a second and looked through the dates again to confirm.

Now I need more books in this time period!

At first I had issues with the back and forth between the characters, but I‘ve got the hang of it now. Makes me want to reread Dr Zhivago.

Next!

Today was such a long day! Did a lot of driving. Had a baptism this morning and the party afterwards. Then had to drop my hubby at the airport 😫. He‘s away for training for the rest of the month, so I‘m trying to read so I don‘t get sad.

Getting started with this book. It‘s pretty good, but I‘m so tired tonight! We‘ll see how far I get.

I personally started to hear hype on this book months ago and and requested a galley which I was lucky enough to get. Unfortunately life gets in the way and I did not get a chance to read it, until I saw Reese Witherspoon pick this for her Book Club. I decided I would treat myself and buy a copy and I am so glad I did.

For my full review, please visit my blog at: http://obsessedbookaholic.com/2019/09/14/the-secrets-we-kept-book-review/

My latest library haul. I‘ve been in the mood to read historical fiction lately, so I hope this book is good.

Per the librarian I have to read the tagged one first because it‘s a 14 day loan because one person recommended it and now it‘s super popular. #reesesbookclub

And obviously everyone has been talking about Pumpkinheads so had to get it!

Pachinko for #womenreadwomen2019

This was a fascinating book! I knew nothing about ‘Doctor Zhivago‘ before reading this, but I‘m going to read it now (I actually bought a used copy at the bookstore today). It deserves the recognition it‘s getting 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

I love receiving my Reese Witherspoon reading assignment on the first of each month especially when my awesome library allows me to participate in a timely manner. ... I was captivated by the historical fiction within this book and wanted more. I wanted much less of the American romance so I could stay inside this fascinating history. It was an interesting book to read on the heels of A Gentleman in Moscow.

Vacation Mode: Activated 👍🏻