Welcome to Litsy!

#JULYJAZZ
@Eggs
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

PROMPT: ARTIST

Two women in charge of a mural but not at the same time.

Anna had won a contest to paint a mural of Edenton for the post office, and Morgan many years later was hired to restore the mural.

If you are an artist or are artistic, this book will definitely appeal to you.

I enjoyed learning about art techniques....especially what pouncing is.

FULL REVIEW: http://tinyurl.com/4vsybjez

Good read!!

Starting this!

Big Lies in a Small Town 4.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Another wonderful book by Diane! She's definitely a favorite author of mine. This story has alternating dual story lines and features multiple characters with unique personalities.

#SPRINGSKIES
@Eggs
@AlwaysBeenALoverOfBooks
@LitsyEvents
#LitsyEvents

PROMPT: INVOLVES ART

Two women in charge of a mural but not at the same time.

Anna had won a contest to paint a mural of Edenton for the post office, and Morgan many years later was hired to restore the mural.

If you are an artist or are artistic, BIG LIES IN A SMALL TOWN will definitely appeal to you.

http://tinyurl.com/4vsybjez

#NEWYEARNEWBOOKS
@Eggs
@AlwaysBeenALoverOfBooks
@LitsyEvents
#LitsyEvents

Prompt: ARTIST

HISTORICAL FICTION - MYSTERY

Two women in charge of a mural but not at the same time. 

Anna had won a contest to paint a mural of Edenton for the post office, and Morgan many years later was hired to restore the mural. 

If you are an artist or are artistic, this book will definitely appeal to you.

FULL REVIEW: http://tinyurl.com/4vsybjez

While I did enjoy the story, I found the writing not for me, with stilted dialogue between characters and the author constantly telling the reader things we already know.

I am going to finish this book and haven‘t decided if it‘s a pick but I just have to say it‘s annoying how the Anna character is so naive as if a yankee in the 1940s would have never heard of a racism. The shock she‘s always expressing is grating. It also has stupid errors like Anna describing her mother as having “manic depressive psychosis”, this is not a term that was being used at the time, as just one example.

I already have two paper format books I‘m trying to get to, but I‘m cleaning and baking bread today and I like to do that in the company of an audiobook, so I started this one. It‘s good so far! That there is an orange spice bread 🍞

#BookBinge

Edenton, North Carolina is the #SmallTownSetting of this book that I read for a book tour review party a couple of years ago.

I especially liked learning about the New Deal Post Office Mural Project that featured in the story. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_post_office_murals

#reconciliation #indeliblemoments @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs

#maymoms #scandalous @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs

A little mystery, a little history..and just an ending that makes you smile as everything comes together. Told from two POV‘s through present day and the past, this story just captures you and takes you on ride through the decades with an ending I was not expecting!! Read it!!

☆** 🎨 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 🖼 **☆⁣
⁣
𝗗𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝗹𝗮𝗶𝗻 never disappoints. She pens engrossing & emotionally resonant stories about relationships, exploring the lives of people facing challenges. Replete with twists & surprises, 𝗕𝗶𝗴 𝗟𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝗦𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗧𝗼𝘄𝗻 examines bigotry, misogyny, domestic violence, family secrets, & second chances. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⁣

𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸: https://tinyurl.com/3wjcp2hv

Today‘s prompt #fear reminded me of this awesome novel by Diane Chamberlain #conflictedworlds @Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

My first Diane Chamberlain, and I really enjoyed this. It's a mystery set across two time periods, and it slowly reveals itself. I listened to it on audio, and was totally engrossed. In 1940, a young artist is commissioned to paint a mural on a post office. In 2018, a woman is released from prison to restore the mural, which has a few secrets and a story to tell.

It took a while for me to get interested but I ended up liking this story and wanting to know about the characters.

Enjoyable from beginning to end.

This author is a magnificent storyteller. She pulls you into the characters' lives. In this one, a young artist in 1939 wins a contest to paint a mural and travels to the south to do research. In the present, another young artist is given a job to restore that same mural. What happened to the mural in the meantime? What happened to the artist? It's quite good.

#BookSpinBingo square 18
@TheAromaofBooks

History, mystery, and social commentary combine masterfully in this novel. With a dual time line, the 2 protagonists‘ (both artists) lives fatefully intersect 78 years apart...

#fate #jumpintojanuary

I really liked this book. I was drawn into the story immediately. There‘s a divided timeline — Anna is painting a mural in 1940, while Morgan is released from prison in 2016 (with no real explanation) to restore that mural. What happens to Anna is predictable as is the reason why Morgan should be the one to do the restoration, but that doesn‘t hurt the story or make it any less interesting.

Book 11 of 150. I am reading NC authors this year.

This is my first Diane Chamberlain book although I have a few others loaded on my Kindle. I reviewed it this week for a book tour & was totally caught up in this dual narrative/time period novel. 1940: Anna Dale is a young New Jersey artist who wins a contest to paint a post office mural in Edenton, NC. 2018: Morgan Christopher is an art student in prison for a crime she didn‘t commit when she is offered a mysterious reprieve to get out if she⬇️

I‘ve decided that today is going to be a day where I do nothing but read. Here‘s the book I‘m starting.

My finished Cauliflower & Leek Soup with Cheesy Toasts on top (yes, I made it as much for the cheesy toast as the simple soup) is cozy & tasty (I used smoked Gouda).😋Link to recipe is below.

Starting this one for a blog book review next week. Just getting started but so far it is capturing my interest. 📚👍

This book is a WOW read!!

Ms. Chamberlain has given readers another marvelous book that fans will adore. 5/5

FULL REVIEW: https://tinyurl.com/wy535u2

Are you going to share a post about YOUR favorite January read?

Please tag me if you do...thanks.

@diane.chamberlain.author

This was one of the most enjoyable books I have read in a long time. Based in North Carolina alternating between 1939 and 2018. An unfolding mystery from the past. Exploring topics of mental illness, sexual assault, racial prejudice and child parent relationships. It presented complex and likable characters. By the last chapters, I was sighing best book I have read in a long, long time.

Starting this for book club meeting next week which is now via Zoom. 😔

Despite starting a little slow and me not knowing what to expect I ended up LOVING this story. It‘s a mystery about racism, sexism, and small towns in the 40s intermixed with a modern day timeline to help discover the mystery. I don‘t always like dual timelines but this one works very well! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Reading the authors note really does underline my love for this woman, I love the research that went into this and her acknowledgement that as a white women she can not claim to understand. The meetings she has with Edenton's Racial Reconciliation Group to research this book made me well up in such a hopeful way.

I frigging loved this book and totally underlines my love of historical fiction.

This may be an #unpopularopinion. This is the 3rd or 4th Chamberlain I have read, and an underlying theme is starting to bother me. Chamberlain grew up in New Jersey and now lives in NC. She tackles racism in most of her books, which is a good and necessary thing. But. (You knew there would be a but.) She has a smugness about it that denies that racism is/was present outside of the south. One only need read Ellison or Petry to know 👇🏻

My family knows how to spoil me for my birthday. Bottom 2 from @Bigcountry15 and the top 2 from @wideeyedreader ❤️

#birthdaybookhaul #bookhaul

Next!

After reading Big Lies in a Small Town and thoroughly enjoying it, I decided it‘s been along time since I‘ve read much historical fiction, so now I‘m on a roll. We Hope for Better Things was also a big hit for me and so now I‘ve started The Shoemaker‘s Wife. I‘ve discovered I particularly enjoy books that flip back-and-forth between two time periods or come from two different protagonists‘ point of view .
Any other suggestions for me?

⭐⭐⭐⭐💫
@TheAromaofBooks #BookSpin I read my #doublespin first. I loved this one. It has a little bit of everything, history, mystery, and a slow-burn romance. #ReadTheUSA2020 #NC #NorthCarolina

I have never read Diane Chamberlain before, and I really enjoyed this one! It was a fun read about a woman who is chosen to restore a mural, which she knows nothing about, and has no idea why she was chosen. It bounces back and forth between her and the original artist in the time frames and it was super cool to read!

Starting this one briefly before work !

Book Giveaway Drawing: Big Lies in a Small Town by Diane Chamberlain. Register now, deadline 2/8/20. https://www.bluestockingreviews.com/post/book-giveaway-big-lies-in-a-small-town

This book has it all! The innocent, the guilty, passions of all sorts expressed in art and actions in a small southern town. Mutual appreciation of one another's qualities: True love. Buried for generations, family secrets exposed. A beautiful story💕

@TheAromaofBooks Febuary #BookSpin list.

This one grabbed me from the beginning and I didn‘t want to put it down. Another 5⭐️ read

The letter C for #litsyAtoZ

The story centers around a Depression-era mural: the woman commissioned to paint it (who disappeared under mysterious circumstances), and the woman charged with restoring it for installation, nearly eight decades later. Big Lies In A Small Town is fictional, but the town of Edenton and the themes Chamberlain explores (race, privilege, and opportunity) are very real. Extended review for subscribers: http://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/new-releases/

I LOVED this book! A bit of history, art restoration, second chances, mental illness, racism, romance, friendship – if you are a fan of any of these topics, you need to read this book. The rich descriptions placed me right there in the story.

Wow! What a read! Check out my review here https://reecaspieces.com/2020/01/15/big-lies-in-a-small-town-by-diane-chamberlai... @StMartinsPress

This book takes place in alternate time periods. It takes place in 2018 with Morgan Christopher striking a deal to restore an old mural in time for a grand opening of a gallery. The other time period is 1940 when Anna Dale wins a contest to paint a mural for a town to put up in the post office. Anna Dale doesnt know what she is getting herself into when she accepts this job.

Just published today! #BigLiesInASmallTown by #DianeChamberlain is an immersing tale, full of intrigue and mystery. A great read! Check out the full review about two female artists and the mural they work on seven decades apart. #bluestockingreviews, #StMartinsPress #readitloveit.
https://www.bluestockingreviews.com/post/big-lies-in-a-small-town

I have absolutely loved Chamberlain‘s writing from my first exposure to her! And her latest one (#NewToday - thanks, #NetGalley!) is no exception to her excellent writing & great characters. Like many of her books, it‘s set in North Carolina-in the titular small town. Tops across two timelines, one in 2018 & one in 1940, both stories center around a mural commissioned for the town-and both involve new starts. It‘s emotional, engaging & wonderful!

Meeting Diane Chamberlain and learning more about North Carolina made for a great evening. I had fun with @alleyfam51699 too!

Seeing Diane tonight!