Based on 45‘s track record, most of the narrative is believable. But there are so many outrageous (even for him) claims that I honestly don‘t know what to believe. Yesterday, I told myself I‘d make do with the audiobook. But, in the true spirit of a bibliophile, I headed out to my B&N to score a hard copy this morning. They sold out 5 minutes after they opened. That‘s when I began to wonder if this “early release” could just be a smokescreen.

Poirot begins his investigation.

I'll get around to doing a spec comparison. But on the surface, the absence of the waterproof feature is a deal-breaker for me. Same price. Might be a good time to see what Kobo is offering. #nook #nookglowlightplus #nookglowlight3 #nookglowlightupgrade #ereader

"At a quarter to ten, neat, spruce, and dandified as ever, he made his way to the restaurant car, where a chorus of woe was going on." Just learned the meaning of "dandy" from one of @Lesliereads posts last week. Now I encounter it here.

http://litsy.com/p/d2NZTFRUY1RK

I was thinking I had this title. But I have "The 8:55 to Baghdad." Rather than chase down a copy, I got the Kindle version. Starts here next Friday. Oh wow! Is that Johnny Depp?

Finally finished the Barnett translation of #AnnaKarenina. It's such a beautiful and enthralling tale. I read some of it; but listened to much of it during my daily commute. The narration still gave me a feel for Tolstoy's writing. Maggie Gillenhaal's narration is superb. Definitely a #Pick. I asked myself, "Is this really the ending?" Brilliant! Beautiful ending. And, of course, after such a novel ending, I'll have to read #WarAndPeace.

Never heard of this one; but it sounds like a good read. Well here are my

TITLES THAT START WITH "Q"
The Queen of Katwe (Crothers)
Queen Sugar (Baszile)
Quest of the Silver Fleece (DuBois)
The Queue (Aziz)
Quiet (Cain)

AUTHORS THAT START WITH "Q"
Wife of the Gods (Qwartey)

#StartsWithQ #MayBookFlowers They're all #TBR

I didn't think it had been 3 weeks. I was thinking 2. It was one of those periods when days started running together. My oldest came to town and we hung out one weekend. Good thing he was here to take my mind off my $500 brake job. Plus I was without a phone. My replacement didn't come until after he'd gone back. I'm done with Asurion AND Sprint after this contract. Anyhoo I missed being here and I'm back. What'd I miss?

This lovely book caught my eye at the library's used book store. It was on the bottom shelf of a cart. I take my time in this store for this very reason. I knew this one had to be something special. It's so beautiful I would've bought it if it were written in a foreign language. It's a book of poetry. A serendipitous find because, at the time, I didn't realize it was #NationalPoetryMonth. The top panel background is from the endpapers.

Enjoying this historical novel/slave narrative by Lawrence Hill. #earthtonecovers #aprilbookshowers

Aminata is a most observant child.

"We now had ten or so captors, all with spears, clubs and fire sticks. They seemed to speak a language vaguely like Bamankan. I knew they were not Muslims, because they never stopped to pray."

I've grown rather weary of Maggie Gillenhaal's melodious voice in the narration of #AnnaKarenina. So I thought I'd take a break and listen to a male narrator, Alfred Molina, that I found on #Hoopla. Well . . . when I got ready to navigate to the bookmarked spot, I noticed that it's an abridged narration. 😒 I might just have to take a break from Tolstoy this weekend -- especially on audio. #AnnaK in 3 hours? #bookpeopleproblems

The Mazurka is mentioned several times in Part 1. Finally, after reading "repeating a complicated figure," I just had to see it in action. YouTube, of course, did not disappoint. This performance at the Moscow International Festival of Historic Dance Closing Ball comes very close to what my mind's eye perceived while reading or listening. But I had imagined a more upbeat tempo. Loving this! #AnnaKarenina #AnnaK

https://youtu.be/JiRG6c-agEY

Well if that just don't beat all! ? Tolstoy invented text-speak. The translation for the message at the bottom of the page is, "Then I could not answer differently." Thought you'd like to know. #AnnaKarenina #AnnaK

My favorite book with #maps is Dollarhide's "Map Guide to the US Federal Censuses 1790 - 1920." It's filled with state maps outlined by county, by census year, that are good for genealogy. This Illinois map is from the period of my Grandmother's and my Mother's birth. Oh yeah, that's right. Grandmama was born in Tennessee. But Momma was born in Southern Illinois.
#maps #LyricalApril

A detailed #map of the Carnival route in Jacmel, Haiti spans the endpapers of Edwidge Danticat's "After the Dance." This is an edit of an earlier post of the endpapers.
#LyricalApril #maps

A #map of the Trail of Tears makes up the endpapers of "Creek Mary's Blood" by Dee Brown. I originally posted this map as an endpaper for another prompt.
#maps #LyricalApril

#BadCoverGoodBook #AprilBookShowers
I don't care for any of this publisher's (Plume) covers for August Wilson's Century Cycle installments. They've published several; and they're all styled in this fashion. I think a Pulitzer title/author deserves more consideration.

Some may be surprised at this choice for #BadCoverGoodBook. The profile of Nadia Turner stands out; but the abstract design just doesn't coincide with the tone of the story. I'm looking forward to a new cover in future editions. #AprilBookShowers

I chose "Homesick" because "Sisters" is where I first saw Sela Ward; and my sister and I discussed it and compared notes after every episode. I'm also "homesick" for all my siblings who have passed on. I'm "The Baby." #NationalSiblingsDay #siblings #AprilBookShowers

Comedian Charlie Murphy has died from leukemia at the age of 57. His brand of humor was crazy and not for everybody. Rest In Peace. And condolences to Eddie, the Murphy family, and fans around the globe.

Scroll to the bottom of your search results list and click the "Can't find ...?" link. It will open a page where you can enter a title you'd like to have added.

Sometimes I need a little help keeping characters straight. So glad to happen upon this Cliff's Notes character map. I'm enjoying AK immensely. I can't help but to love Anna. But, so far, my least-favorite character is Count Karenin (Alexi Alexandrovich). He's more concerned with keeping up appearances than the actual well-being of his marriage and family.
#AnnaKarenina #AnnaK #Tolstoy

I'm further along than this. And I'm just learning about Tolstoy's propensity to repeat scenes. I'm not imagining this am I? At first I thought I had lost my place. But, no. He definitely repeats scenes. What is this? I've googled it and bookmarked a few references for answers. The instances aren't verbatim. But I've run across it enough to pique my interest. #AnnaKarenina #AnnaK #Tolstoy

What makes somebody think I want a bag they're trying to hand me after licking their fingers? And this wasn't even a cafeteria worker. It was a customer. Okay that's my rant for today.

#SameBookDifferentCover #AprilBookShowers
"Sister of Mine retains the story and the characters of the previous edition, but in addition to the new title, it's received a sensitive editorial eye and a beautiful new cover ..." (Sabra Waldfogel)

I read my first graphic novel in #March. And it was also my first read along. Found two short volumes (one audio) that I managed to squeeze in at the last minute -- trying to increase my monthly total. Fortunately, both turned out to be really great reads. I'll try to do stats tomorrow. Total books read: 8. But this looks nothing like my TBR post at the beginning if the month. 🙄
#Donna_sBookYear2017 #workinprogress #WhatIveRead

Thank God for Plan "A." It was worth a try, though. I've seen several negative reviews; but I'm not heeding them on this one. Every book is not for everybody.

Today is National Crayon Day; and Crayola is retiring "Dandelion" from its 24-Color set. There will be an addition to the blue family in May. Can't wait for other Litsyans to reveal more throughout the day. Can't believe I had the nerve to frame this monstrosity. It's my first attempt at adult coloring from a few months ago. Now I have a PrismaColor set; so my projects will come out better. #NationalCrayonDay #Dandelion

President Lyndon Johnson's speech immediately reminded me of this familiar passage at the beginning of 1 Corinthians 13. I'm sure his words were influenced by it. And he does paraphrase Matthew 16:26 as it relates to the country: "What is a man profited if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" We made greater strides when our leaders were followers of God. And we will continue to decline until we return to Him.
#MarchInMarch

Why has it taken me so long to even start reading this classic? Probably the thickness of the spine. When would a slow reader such as myself make time to read a 736 page novel? Well, thanks to technology, I can carry it anywhere; and I can listen to the audio -- breaking sizable chunks into smaller portions. The abundance of media types makes it easier to digest. I'm reading "Anna K"! #AnnaKarenina #AnnaK #Tolstoy

This is one of my favorite book bags. Found it at a thrift shop for under $2. It's really sturdy; and it's water-proof in case of rain.
#MarchIntoBooks #BookBag #BookBags

I didn't find anything this time either. But I did find a single title to purchase with one of my credits. I've become really stingy with them. I couldn't justify using a credit on any of the selected titles. But hopefully you'll find something.

This #CrazyCover was also featured in January's #ThisCoverMakesNoSense topic. A lady in a turtle shell. I'm hoping she's the healee. It's just crazy!
#MarchIntoReading #CrazyCovers

"Then they ought to find out how to vaccinate for love, like smallpox."

One of the many charming exchanges in Anna Karenina. This is a lovely read -- like an oasis in my daily life.

Congressman Lewis shares the whole experience. Both he and Dr. King respected Brother Malcolm and the love he had for his people -- my people -- our people. Their different approaches were for the common good. Both were needed and, together, could have resulted in triumph. White Supremacy recognized the threat and infiltrated using our weak components. Hatred and greed circumvented The Movement.
#MarchInMarch #MarchBook3 #MarchBookThree

This immediately brought to mind a saying my former Pastor used often: "It's a time for prayer meetin' and it's a time for bear meetin'." I had the general idea and thought it referred to when we should use common sense with faith. I didn't realize it had anything to do with race. According to folklore, the tale* is peculiar to African American churches; and the bear symbolizes the white man.
#MarchInMarch #MarchTrilogy #MarchBookThree ⬇️

Wishing a Happy Mothers Day to U.K. Litsyans everywhere. Enjoy your day. 💐

My #AutoBuyAuthors list was getting crowded; so I scaled it down.
First column: Jabari Asim, Toni Morrison, Sabra Waldfogel, Edwidge Danticat
Second column: Stephen L. Carter
Third column: Amy Tan, Cynthia McFadden
#MarchIntoReading #AutoBuyAuthors.

Yesterday, I started a readio (read/audio) of "Anna Karenina." I searched #Audible, Hoopla, and Overdrive for a narrator I could listen to for 30 hours. It was one after another high-pitched voice; and I came very close to choosing a male narrator. Then I came across a public domain copy on Kindle that offered the companion audio-read for $1.99. And the female narrator, Maggie Gyllenhaal, is exactly what I was looking for.
#AwesomeAudioBooks

Here are some audiobooks that stick out in my mind because of the narrator. Of course there are others that I enjoyed. But these narrators stand out for me.

🎧 Sister of Mine by Sabra Waldfogel, narrated by Bahni Turpin
🎧 Troublemaker by Leah Remini, narrated by Leah Remini
🎧 Yellow Crocus by Laila Ibrahim, narrated by Bahni Turpin
🎧 The Book of Harlan by Bernice McFadden, narrated by Robin Miles

#AwesomeAudiobooks #MarchIntoReading

They both seem like good reads, though.

Look what happened overnight! Thank you Litsyans for your friendship and support (and probably tolerance on some days). But that's the joy of being immersed in an author's magic then re-emerging to share the experience and talk about how it affected you as a reader. @Litsy is my social media platform of choice. And each of you make it so. We're all enlightened by sharing our reads. An awesome community. You guys are the best!
‼️🙂📚📖💖

". . . the press had focused much of their attention on the white workers, often identified by name . . . working alongside nameless Blacks."
I agree with the observation and concern about the press. It's more a revelation than a tactic. They tipped their hand with this one. They may have thought they were "lending credibility" to our efforts. But this subliminal diversion from "objective reporting" spoke volumes.
#MarchInMarch #MarchTrilogy

Seems like I just visited some of these for a recent post. I love cover art that displays subjects facing away -- mostly walking. And if I can match the image with a scene, that's the icing on the cake.
#MarchIntoReading #TheBacksOfWomen
I really didn't know what to expect for this prompt. I was hoping for these type posts. But, being National Women's Month, it could have also had a deeper meaning relating to the struggle.

#MarchIntoReading #GreenCovers #GreenBooks
These are some of my green books. I'm planning to add one more very important one. I reviewed a library digital copy of it last week. The title is, "Ruth and the Green Book." I thought it would be fitting to mention it here. Take a look ⬇️

A charming and timeless African tale about the attribute of humility. Audio production narrated by Phylicia Rashad. Book introduced by #readingrainbow. The segment includes LeVar's interviews with African musicians, artisans, and dancers.

Does anyone know of a quality audio bible in the NASB version? By "quality" I mean one that has book divisions. Chapter and verse levels would be nice; but not necessary. Any iOS app recommendations? Nothing on Audible will work for me. Thanks.

To Litsyans affected by Winter Storm Stella (2017 Blizzard): My childhood and early adulthood remembrance of snow ❄️ and blizzards is firsthand knowledge of what you're experiencing. And the Chicago hawk 💨 was an added factor! So I know. Here's something to warm your thoughts. #Stella2017 #Blizzard2017
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tmiWm9CsLBU
#Stella2017 #stella

This FCBD (Free Comic Book Day) Special from comiXology features excerpts from Books One, Two, and Three. I'll probably leave the Book Three excerpts unread. Looking forward to starting it tomorrow. In Book One, John Lewis was excited about meeting Martin Luther King. In Book Two, he's a key member of CRM leadership which, of course, includes Dr. King. #MarchInMarch #MarchTrilogy #JohnLewis #CongressmanJohnLewis