Welcome to Litsy!

Only managed to complete one nonfiction for #NFNovember, but it was a banger!

#readingbracket2025 #bookbracket2025
#readingbracket #bookbracket

After finishing The Trees, how can I not dive directly into Hellhound On His Trail? The characters in The Trees even make a point of driving by the Lorraine Hotel when they are in Memphis.

Of course the other thing I feel compelled to do after finishing The Trees is research the names he mentions … spent the afternoon yesterday reading about the Rock Springs Riot in Wyoming, which I knew nothing of.

Great spin this month! I‘ve been eyeing this Hampton Sides book about the MLK assassination for months, since I picked it up at a used bookstore. Looking forward to reading it for #NFNovember! And Our Missing Hearts is for my in-person book club this month. #bookspin

I adore good narrative nonfiction, so picking only 3 is very difficult! So I‘m going to cheat. 😀

1. Tagged
2. “And the Band Played On”
3. “My Own Country: A Doctor‘s Story”
4. “The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl”
5. “Eleni”

@dabbe #ThreeListThursday

This was a re-read for me, prompted by its inclusion on the #AuldLangSpine list I got from @Amiable. I couldn‘t quite get it finished in January! When I read this the first time, even though I knew what would happen, I found myself hoping things would turn out differently on that Memphis balcony. I felt the same again. This is one of the best nonfiction books I‘ve ever read.⬇️

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 Background of James Earl Ray leading up to Martin Luther King‘s assassination and the hunt for him in the weeks after. I hadn‘t thought much about him one way or the other, but this was a really interesting read. I hadn‘t heard of this until seeing @Amiable post about it the other day.

For my NONFICTION brackets: October‘s pick was a superstar. This was what narrative nonfiction should be —an engrossing, well-researched, well-written book that reads like a thriller. It‘s going to be very difficult to top this book as Best of 2024.

Fantastic account of the manhunt for James Earl Ray after the assassination of MLK Jr. in 1968. I am very particular about awarding stars —this one gets all 5 of them. Sides creates a tension as Ray circles and stalks MLK, and then details the meticulous work done by the FBI to track him down. This is what narrative nonfiction should be. And it also completes my #Nonfiction2023 bingo card. Thanks for a great year, @Riveted_Reader_Melissa !

About far more than the MLK assassination this book alternates chapters following the assassin as he plots, carries out the crime, and the aftermath with chapters about the civil rights movement, the tension between King and those in the Black Power movement who took issue with his non-violent philosophy, the George Wallace campaign, LBJ, and the FBI. A fascinating and quick read. Scary how much the Trump campaign is reminiscent of Wallace‘s.

Any excuse to post about a favorite book of mine. ♥️

HOHT is the gripping, fast paced account of MLK‘s assassination and James Earl Ray‘s subsequent flight and capture. I was hooked from page 1. #highwaytohell #maymoviemagic

Finished my prompts for #booked2018 😅
Blame it on Litsy- Cotillion
Diverse nonfiction - Hellhound On His Trail
Set at School - As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust
LGBTQTA - The Gentleman‘s Guide to Vice and Virtue ( & half of Less)
Japanese Thriller- Confessions
Beach Novel - Best Day Ever

#booked2018

What a lovely #fallingforfallswap package from @Lauram ! Thanks so much. The bookmarks are adorable, the mug is a great color, I can't wait to use the bath bomb, and the books and snacks are on point!

James Earl Ray escaped from prison and then followed Martin Luther King around the country as he planned his assassination. Hampton Sides does an excellent job documenting this tragic story without too many superfluous details. #ihaveadream #abbainaugust

This is in the Top 10 best nonfiction books I've ever read. It reads like a novel, and I learned so much about this tragic part of history. Since this is for #AugustIsATrip I also highly recommend people take a trip to the Civil Rights Museum that is now housed in the former Lorraine Motel. #Hell #nonfiction #history

@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @vkois88

This is an excellent account of the murder of Martin Luther King and the capture of his assassin by one of my favorite nonfiction writers. I listened to it on audiobook and the author, Hampton Sides read it himself, which I always appreciate.

#booked2018 #diversenonfiction

Thanks @Reviewsbylola for the recommendation!

This account of the assassination of Martin Luther King is riveting and I can‘t stop listening to it. So instead of my paperback I guess I will keep listening and audioknit. #hournine #24in48

#audiowalk today with perfect weather and a perfect view. Hampton Sides is one of my favorite nonfiction writers and so far his account of the stalking and death of Martin Luther King is compelling. A bonus that Sides reads it himself! This is my pick for #diversenonfiction #booked2018 thanks to the recommendation from @Reviewsbylola

This book, about the assassination of Dr. King and the hunt for his assassin, is absolutely riveting. Hampton Sides is a terrific writer, and it's hard to top a story this compelling.

This is a great book that reads like a thriller. It is so well written that in the first part of the book I found myself hoping what I knew happened would not and somehow Dr King would survive. I think it counts as true crime. #SEEWHATIHAVEWON @Liberty

#todayinsj James Earl Ray pleads guilty to killing MLK Jr. 1969

Snow day in NYC! The neighborhood kids are all sledding but I'm going to stay inside reading 🤗

In honor of #blackhistorymonth I'm getting started on this story detailing the legacy of MLK and his assassination. I am a big fan of Hampton Sides and have heard this book is amazing! Super Bowl is on in the background but I'm planning on doing more reading than watching...

How this book isn't a bestseller or why I haven't heard of this before now, is beyond me. The chapters move between MLK's assassin, MLK, and the FBI in the months prior, the assassination, the aftermath, and the manhunt. It was interesting how applicable MLK's quotes were for today, and how disheartening the racism prevalent then were some of the same themes seen in the news recently. This was such a GREAT BOOK!

#timelyread Another interesting quote: George Wallace 1967: "Let 'me call me a racist. It don't make any difference. Whole heaps of folks in this country feel the same I do."?

#InspiredByMartinLutherKingJr I've been told this is a fantastic read but, like so many wonderful books, it is still sitting on Mount TBR. 🙄 #ReadJanuary

MLK reading for this weekend in a snowy, Colorado cabin!
#bestweekendever!

#recommendsday With MLK Day coming up in less than two weeks, I wanted to make sure to post about a fantastic book. It deals specifically with MLK's assassination but I felt that it did a great job about highlighting what an amazing man MLK was. I found it absolutely riveting and it humanized MLK in a way that history books can't. If anyone has any other MLK recs, I'd love to hear them!

For #NonfictionNovember I'm sharing one of the best nonfiction books I've ever read. It reads like a thriller. I learned a lot about Martin Luther King and what brought him to Memphis. I visited the Civil Rights Museum and being there at the Lorraine Motel was incredibly moving.

This was an excellent history of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the manhunt for his assassin. I was a young child when this event occurred, so I did not know a lot of this story. I appreciated that the author stuck to the facts and didn't dip into conspiracy theories. I found myself being truly amazed at how little has changed in the nearly 50 years since this happened.

This was an incredible book and I highly recommend that everyone read it!!

Taking a quick pause from the LOTR series to read this book that my Uncle Tim sent me. Yay for family members who send you books!! ✨