Welcome to Litsy!

#16
I must admit, this was not one of my favorites..

Saturday morning read & coffee. #booksandcoffee

#LaneWinslowMystery #serieslove2025 This book is a song to British Columbia, CA: it‘s mountains bathed in rainbows of light at sunrise & sunset,the lush greenery of its woods,its fields of colorful wildflowers,it‘s streams, & swampy humid riverbanks.It offers what war weary,Ex M16 WWII operative Lane Winslow needs,to be tucked away in a sleepy village across the ocean & a continent away.But her seclusion is abruptly interrupted when a man is 🔽

1946,London.Vivid details of this cities‘period,post WWII,which contrasts the posh neighborhoods of the wealthy with the gray,drab,mean streets of the less fortunate.Sparks & Gwen,are two women trying to carve out an business for themselves:The Right Sort Marriage Bureau.What follows is a tale of deception, betrayal,murder,warring gangs,& kidnapping against this backdrop.Issues of patriarchy,sexism,racism,& imperialism are explored.#serieslove2025

#hyggehourreadathon #midwintersolace #litsolace #naturalitsy#ASparksandBainbridgeMystery
Two women own & run a business,The Right Sort of Marriage Bureau, matching men & women for a meet up & if both so inclined, more.So far Bainbridge is taking self-defense lessons, trying to reclaim custody of her child, & at home,encountering the evils of mining in Africa. Meanwhile, Sparks is facing old demons, & involved in their business.

Reading my library book after dinner. Love this cover.
#ASparksandBainbridgeMystery

Here are our choices for our June #PersephoneClub group read.

The Exiles Return: 5 people return to Vienna 10 years post-WWII to see if/how they can pick up their lives interrupted by war. Written by the author of Milton Place which we read together.

Doreen: story about and in the voice of a young British girl evacuated to the countryside after the Blitz. Book listing tagged in comments.

Steven J Zaloga and James Loop‘s work, Soviet Elite Bloc, evokes a sense of nostalgia. Written in the 1980s, it reflects on several nations including some that no longer exist. The book provides a comprehensive overview of the elite forces of the Soviet Union and its Eastern European allies, offering information about the capabilities of each nation.

I think this is my first pan. Picked this up on the strength of the connection with my birthplace. But the writing is clunky, the plot not terribly exciting, and the descriptions of the characters of colour are a bit dodgy. Also the main character does something at the end which they would never have done, and isn‘t justified at all. End of this author for me !

This book is a sequel to “The Berlin Girl“, but could easily be read as a stand alone. It is set in Hamburg, Germany in 1946 and follows Georgie, a journalist, as she gathers info to write about the British attempts to help the citizens. While it paints a grim picture of the devastation of the war and deprivations of the people there, it also shows the their resilience. Georgie also ends up helping catch a serial killer. I enjoyed it. 4/5!