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This was a really good biography not just of Emily Dickinson, but of the whole Dickinson family. It elucidates how her image and reputation were influenced by those with a personal interest in promoting her poetry after her death. Here she is not quite the wilting violet she was often portrayed as. The extramarital affairs, secret illnesses and love letters, and back stabbing - who knew sleepy 19th century rural MA could be so exciting? 4⭐️

Congratulations, Scott, on your four year Litsyversary (and four years of our friendship 😆😆)!

Here are two of my favourite nonfiction books about favourite authors (I could NOT pick my two all-time favourite works of nonfiction. You mean in true crime? Books about books? Royal bios? Travelogues? Food memoirs? 😆).

Thanks for the fun giveaway, my friend! 😘

#vivanonfiction

My #AugustTBR is mostly my #makemereadit stack. Here‘s how the votes shook out. Americanah and Darktown are definitely must reads. I have to read Lives Like Loaded Guns for book club and I‘m also going to try and get to Los Alamos (although I read a few pages and I‘m really concerned about the style of the writing) and Thief of Time.

Excited to jump in to the tagged book tonight. This is my favorite Dickinson poem, to set the tone for the book. 😃

The story of Emily Dickinson‘s brother Austin and his affair with the wife of an Amherst faculty member caused a feud that apparently still existed over 100 years later. Austin‘s inability to #crawlouttalove changed many lives. This one is on my TBR solely due to @LeahBergen ! Now I just need to read it. #aprella

If not for @kspenmoll my Valentine‘s Day would have been gift-less. Thank you so much for this wonderful surprise. And thank you to Litsy for providing such a wonderful community of generous people.

If you think a novel about a staid 19th-century New England family—including an sickly maiden poet daughter—torn apart by a swinging couple, its wife seducing the married brother while the spinster poet writes, writes, and glowers—the married woman largely responsible, albeit vindictively, for establishing the poet‘s posthumous fame—sounds good, well this literary biography of Emily Dickinson and her feuding family is for you. Completely riveting!

❤️❤️❤️

Top to bottom: Lavinia Dickinson, Emily's sister; Susan Dickinson, Emily's brother Austin's wife; Mabel Todd, Austin Dickinson's mistress. Oh, the drama!

Don't ask me to restate this thought in simple English, but it does strike me as being insightful.

Today's #MisogynyMinute has been brought to you by Samuel Bowles (1826-1878), a newspaper owner, friend—and possibly unrequited love object of—Emily Dickinson. He published some of her early poetry.

About to wash some dishes and get some audiobook listening done.

I'd never heard of this 19th-century American novelist and essayist, 'Ik Marvel' before: doesn't he look dreamy?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Grant_Mitchell

The quote is about Emily Dickinson the poet's mother, Emily Norcross Dickinson.

There appears to be only one extant photo of Emily's father; it's doing double-duty because this quote and the last one are both too good not to share! 😂

And mine—my still volcano life—heaves forth in fiery bail reviews. 😂😂

Being as deeply disinterested in— usually to the point of loathing—mystery novels or any kind of book with a military theme, I've had a dickens of a time finding a book I could read to completion for the Eclectic Readers challenge category of 'book-with-a-weapon-in-the-title.' I'm usually also quite averse to biographies; however, this one sounds intriguing and I thank @LeahBergen for doing some handholding to convince me to give it a go!

I don't have a #SweetChildOMine (but lots and lots of nieces and nephews) so here's some bookish Guns N' Roses. 😄 #LyricalApril

Day 19 and here's some #poetry stuff. I discovered Emily Dickinson in high school but became truly fascinated with her life after visiting her home and museum in Amherst. This book digs up some good sordid dirt on her married brother's affair with a married woman and the ramifications it had on the publishing of Emily's poems, even into the 21st century. Oh, and that cookbook has Emily's gingerbread recipe. #augustofpages #augustbookchallenge

Fun Friday post with @Liberty -- I like to read about Emily Dickinson--her life, her style, her letters, her family. I just can't get enough Emily.