Welcome to Litsy!

Ugh! I did not like the author as the narrator. She got on my nerves. Maybe I should have read it.

My review of this book can be found on my YouTube Vlog at:

https://youtu.be/Z8b_1q2qXYQ

Enjoy!

Great audiobook.

When Becky Cooper learned that a Harvard student had been murdered in the university-owned apartment building in 1969 and the case was never solved, she wanted to know more. Here, she shows her investigation alongside the story of the victim Jane Britton. I found this a really interesting read. It‘s a long book but doesn‘t feel that way.

It takes until Part Four (about half-way) for the story to really come together, but when it does… hoo boy! You won‘t be able to put it down. I worry for the readers who might abandon it before that point. It‘s not ideal structurally, but this is one of those rare books that you really can‘t form an opinion on until you‘ve read it all the way through. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/we-keep-the-dead-close-becky-cooper/

🙄🙄 Another one bites the dust…

This is just more of a reason why I wish the LA Public Library was open to out-of-state patrons. Cause lo and behold, they have both the ebook and audiobook.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I thought the author did an excellent job of investigating and presenting speculation along with facts. I felt like I respected Jane Britton by the end of the book and was hoping for closure and justice. I was riveted throughout and feel hopeful the book will bring attention to discrimination of women in academia.

#savvysettings #campus A thoughtful , insightful deep dive into a cold case of murder near Harvard/Radcliffe in 1969.Misogyny, academic politics,& love affairs are part of the mix .

A true crime story that starts off as an investigation into the murder of an archaeology grad student and becomes an examination of misogyny, sexual harassment and the power of narrative to blind us to the truth.
While I found this a bit bloated at times (I didn't care about the author's boyfriend), it was a fascinating look at the pitfalls of true crime in addition to being a true crime story. Plus it has an actual resolution.
Don't Google!

This made for a fascinating discussion at our true crime book club! There are so many suspects, so many conspiracy theories springing from the culture of Harvard, and then the way the author does a deep dive into all of it. It's a long book, and Cooper is definitely putting herself into the story, but highly recommending this one!
#Readin22 #BookClubReads #Pantone22 #Pantone2022

We Keep the Dead Close was SO GOOD. If you like true crime I highly recommend this one. It‘s a fascinating case that goes into detail about the murder and the investigation of the murder. It‘s fascinating.

Holy moly! This was a fabulous book! Jane Britton is a graduate student found bludgeoned in her bed. Four decades later, undergrad Becky Cooper hears whispers of Jane's story. Was it the professor she was having an affair with? What is Jane's story? As Becky becomes more invested in the truth she sees how Jane's story is a cautionary tale used to oppress bold, young women and the misogyny in academia. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I was a bit disappointed with this book, or maybe just the whole topic and the way it actually ended. There‘s so much in question with the murder of an archeological doctorate student at Harvard in 1969. Was it her boyfriend? Neighbor? Professor?

The look back at how women were (and are) treated at Harvard was the most interesting part of this book for me.

This book had so much potential but author/ journalist Becky Cooper didn‘t know where to focus. This book was ALL OVER THE PLACE!!! There were SO MANY potential perpetrators and a ridiculous amount of red herrings and Cooper went into meticulous details over every possibility that crossed her mind. In addition she delves DEEP into Harvard University regarding misogyny, sexism, academic rivalries, and the esteemed Anthropology department. 👇🏽

Started this audio on the plane yesterday!! It‘s a good real life mystery ( an unsolved murder at Harvard in the 1960‘s) and a deep dive into academia, sexism and scholarly research. But, JEEZ…. the author is ALL OVER THE PLACE!!! SO MANY TANGENTS!!!! I‘m gripped but sometimes I can‘t stay focused or recall what‘s happening ( probably part jet lag brain fog 😶‍🌫️) Have you listened to this one @Megabooks @Reviewsbylola @britt_brooke ???

Practicing my “Please don‘t pick me for jury duty” face.

A real life unsolved murder at Harvard sounded intriguing, but so far this book isn‘t holding my attention. May be time to set it aside and move to something totally different.

⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2 overall this was pretty good. It was a bit difficult to keep track of all the different people - but may it‘s be easier in a non-audio format. I felt some conclusions and thoughts she made toward the end were the best parts of the book. I know she‘s detailing her investigation and experience but I feel it could‘ve been shortened a bit. I had heard the murder is solved by the end so that pushed me through. I‘m glad I read this.

Just over an hour into this & it's already chilling. #audiobook

I may not be reading much but I‘m back to buying much xx #AudibleDeals

Finally finished! My library mysteriously suspended my hold for a couple of days and then it came back! 😀 It‘s a fascinating yet sad audiobook. It brings up rape culture and sexism. I‘m glad I took the time to listen to it.

My hold finally came in and I started it right away! 🥸

#februarywrapup

A good month! I loved being taken by Cooper to archeological digs in Iran & dusty academic classrooms in Harvard, & enjoyed soaking up the Suffolk landscape as the Viking ship is unearthed in Suffolk. Edinburgh's victorian medical world and evenings on the London seance scene were great as was Robert's fab illustrated account of the Suffragettes. The only let down was how little I saw of Mary Anning in the hero fossil Hunter.

2021 no.7 - I won‘t go into the details of this book as I think the reader really needs to go on their own journey of discovery through it but I enjoyed how much more it was than just a crime book. To begin with I found it hard to keep track of the many characters but I eventually got into the flow. It gave me much to reflect on and I will be thinking about the themes of the book for a while plus it made me walk for longer this week to listen more

Books written as memoirs about true crimes and their authors‘ journeys to understand them is a trend I‘ve come to appreciate after reading The Fact of a Body, The Red Parts, I‘ll Be Gone in the Dark and, now, We Keep The Dead Close. The departure from a solely journalistic approach brings humanity to both victims and authors and creates a model where perpetrator becomes minor character, a footnote rather than focus, just as it should be. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Longer than it needed to be and very much a meandering journey with a fair amount of navel gazing, this book nonetheless held my interest throughout, though I admit when I got to the end, I sighed and asked “This is it?”

Also: why is it that audiobooks seldom include the acknowledgements? #petpeeve

I‘m breezing through this one! #24in48

Currently #ImmersionReading about a murder at my alma mater

So many twists, turns, characters, incidents, suspicions & relationships - but Cooper keeps the storyline straight and maintains interest throughout all 400+ pages. She weaves herself into the story - her obsession and passion to tell Janes story as she sees it. The story goes wide, looking at the misogynistic practices of Harvard, the world of archaeology as well as corruption in the police.

Breaking up the day with an #audiorun in perfect weather. Cannot believe the northeast is getting more snow tomorrow 😤 This book is well written but I‘m finding a little hard to follow as an audiobook; am just over halfway through and 7 hours into #24in48.

I‘m at that point where I just can‘t put it down... 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

It‘s a long road, but I enjoyed most of the book. ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

One of the benefits of lockdown - this is what FRIDAY afternoons look like!

Just diving into this one - another one recommended by Alice on Book Riot‘s For Real podcast... that podcast fills my TBR weekly! 🤣

This was my #Booked2021 choice for a book where the authors name starts with A, B, or C! It was very long, and the jumping around in time was a little annoying until I really sunk into it. I ended up loving it! Bonus, it was a Christmas gift and the first actual print book I have finished in ages. @BarbaraTheBibliophage @Cinfhen @4thhouseontheleft

Finished reading this over the weekend. So compelling! If you are interested in true crime, privilege, and institutional problems with racism, sexism and power, I highly recommend this book. In the beginning I felt like some of the details about Harvard were pretentious, but I quickly got past that and was engrossed in this true story. #nonfiction #truecrime #oldtownbooks #murderbythebookclub

Snow day today so I am just going to kick back, enjoy my coffee while it is actually still hot, and hopefully knock out a good chunk of this book.

I haven't read a true crime book in awhile so when my hold for this one came in I was pretty excited.

This has sucked me right in! Fifty pages in and I can‘t put this down

Here are my top 6 books from 2020. Each of these sucked me in, kept me thinking, and made me want to talk about them to everyone (while reading and after). I fell short of my goal this year but I'm looking forward to tackling my mounting TBR pile in 2021 (and all those early pre-orders I've placed already ... 🤦‍♀️)

#USkindleDailyDeal #OneClickChick @MicheleinPhilly xxx also @Reviewsbylola might want to check this out !!! #KindleAlert 🎉🎉🎉

If you want to read this I‘d avoid looking into the case beforehand. This is an excellent true crime retelling as well as an expose on the misogyny inherent in higher education. At every point I though every suspect MUST be guilty.

This book blew me away. It's a non-fiction investigation of a murder of a Harvard PhD student in the 1960s. While the rest of the community forgot about the murder, the author was unable to move past the story. Her doggedness and drive to find the truth led to the uncovering of many lost stories. The author also draws attention to the abuses women suffer as a result of systemic power imbalances - and their presence in the past and modern society.

I know nothing about this case and see that it‘s on many best true crime of the year lists. Very excited to check it out.

There is nothing quite like a December morning where you are the only one awake and can read by the light of the Christmas tree 🎄

This is my kind of book - a true crime investigation of a cold case that happened at Harvard in the 60s. This is one that mixes memoir with crime, as the author describes her obsession with the crime, it places the reader there in the midst of it all. I liked all of these elements but I've got to be truthful here: it felt a bit tedious towards the end. There are so many suspects and acquaintances, it would be a good idea to read this quickly.

I really like true crime (and nonfiction in general) where the author weaves in elements of memoir. I appreciate the clarification of how the author‘s subjectivity has shaped the research/analysis/writing - that shaping that‘s always happening but not always shared with readers. This book did it well. And as a former Boston-area social science grad student myself, I was grateful for the attention to sexism in academia.