Starting the audio while I wait for my book reserve from the Library. IRL Book Club choice. I loved her book “ The Warmth of Other Suns”.

LaRose is the name of the 5 year old son of the Ojibwe couple, Landreaux and Emmaline. LaRose is a family name passed down through generations. This is the first time that its bearer is male. A tragic accident causes LaRose to be given to another family. Louise Erdrich is a skilled writer.At times so beautiful and often just as ugly. A bit too much grit for my taste.I have enjoyed her other books more. #authoramonth #booked2023 #anypartofatrilogy

This is an extremely popular book! I missed the audio notification on Libby, and moved to the bottom of the list! Luckily, a friend loaned me a copy. It is next month‘s IRL Book Club pick. Sadly, I realized that I planned an outing to see Moulin Rouge on Broadway on the same day! Enjoying the read so far!

Visited Ephrata Cloister in Lancaster Pennsylvania, part of the PA Trails of History program. And there was an amazing book! In 1745, Jacob Gottschalk(1st Mennonite Bishop in America)arranged with the Ephrata Cloister to have them translate the book from its original Dutch into German and print it. It took 15 men three years to finish and in 1749, at 1512 pages, it was the largest single volume printed in America before the Revolutionary War.

On the surface, this Book Club choice appeared to be “my kind of book”. Then why did I dread picking it up and so thankful that I finally finished it? Not sure. It did pick up towards the end. I was very happy to realize that I could use it for #booked2023 #setintwoormoretimeperiods. Emma in 2021, Beth in 1944 and Venetia in 1907 are united through a beautiful English garden at Highbury House.

Yesterday, I visited the Michener Art Museum, in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. There is a small room dedicated to the author. I loved his personal set of Balzac books that were a childhood gift from his aunt. They also had the log from the local library with the date and his signature when he signed for his original library card as a child. He was a Quaker and donated much of his earnings to libraries, schools, and programs for writers.

A modern retelling of The Scarlet Letter that takes place in Texas in the not so distant future. Hannah‘s life has revolved around her family and religion. Her life changes dramatically when she falls in love, gets pregnant and has an abortion.Abortions are illegal, and she is found guilty of murder.Instead of prison, her skin is genetically changed to red-“Chromed”. Strong start.Fizzled about half way point.Still an interesting read. #1stbook2023

Thank you @Soubhiville for #authoramonth! I started this book which has been on my shelves for a very long time. And I was able to borrow the audiobook from Libby too! #louiseerdrich

Last month‘s IRL Book Club choice. A biography of Virginia Hall, a young woman from Baltimore who wanted more than than the life of a society wife. Reads like a detailed novel describing the career of this brave, brilliant woman who despite a prosthetic leg, worked as a World War II spy in France for the British. She fought gender discrimination to become a leader of men. A moving tribute to an amazing woman.

I loved this book! It tells the story of the author Ezra Jack Keats. His parents were Polish immigrants who settled in Brooklyn. Jacob (Jack) was born in 1916. A moving story of his desire to be an artist. He loved a series of photos from Life magazine of a charming brown skinned child. Twenty years later, he used the images to inspire his drawings for “The Snowy Day”.
#decemberread #blameitonlitsy #192025 #2016

Another December read. A spare, short book that takes place in Catholic Ireland near Christmas. A powerful message of not looking away from what you know in your heart is wrong, even if there are consequences for your family. #blameitonlitsy #bookerprizeshortlist2022

This was the January pick for my IRL Book Club. As I had not finished it, I did not attend the meeting. Still reading and now behind next month‘s selection. Can anyone else relate?

Still wrapping up December reviews. This was a collection of old fashioned short stories. Each one was uplifting and celebrated a time when it was most exciting to go to a “taffy pull”! Just the kind of warmth that I needed. #blameitonlitsy #kindredspiritschristmas

Yesterday, I visited the historic Winterthur estate in Delaware. The Jacqueline Kennedy and H.F. DuPont exhibit, “From Winterthur to the White House” ends tomorrow and I finally made the time to see it. I was not disappointed. Mrs. Kennedy moved mountains to renovate the home of the President. While I truly wanted to purchase the “Designing Camelot”book,the price tag begged me to wait. I did buy the White House Quarterly about the First Ladies.

I loved the #childrensclassicread2022! The books always lift my spirits! For December, I read two versions of this classic tale of the bravery of a young girl and the power of friendship. My favorite is the one on the right. The illustrations by Bagram J Batoulline are exquisite.

New audiobook.

Thanks to the #foodandlit challenge, I visited a local German bakery. It was filled with new to me holiday indulgences! I tried the Pfeffernusse spice cookies and will now add them to my Christmas traditions!
Such a fun challenge! Thank you! #germany

This was my last book of 2023 and my last book for #booked2022! A rollicking story about the Amazons filled with history (well researched), travel, intrigue and of course, strong, intelligent women! I bought this book years ago because I could not resist a heroine named Diana. A fast paced, fun read. Thanks to the challenge,it is now checked off my #TBR list! #nonpatriarchalsociety #ReadingAfrica2022

Thank you @Daisey for alerting me that this Christmas read was available on Hoopla! Starting immediately!

I usually enjoy the book selections from Reese Witherspoon, and I was looking for a holiday read. Unfortunately, this was not the winner that I had anticipated. A girl meets boy story that follows the couple for 10 years too long in my opinion. I really couldn‘t wait till it was over. But, I do think it would make a successful Christmas movie. #audiobook

What a joy to read! Well actually, I listened to the audio and fell under its spell! Written in 1917, a tale of a traveling bookseller who decides to sell his book wagon called Parnassus, to a “spinster” who yearns for an adventure. Characters who will win your heart. Books and the love of reading are celebrated. Suffragettes. A breath of fresh air. If I wasn‘t smiling,I was shedding sentimental tears. Quick read.

Starting my final book for the #booked2022 challenge. #aboutanonpatriarchalsociety

I just finished this book with tears in my eyes. This is a true story of the two people in the photo who met through a school pen pal program. Caitlin was 12,living in a Philadelphia suburb, and Martin was 14, living in a poor village in Zimbabwe. It is a YA book. Simple writing. An uplifting story of kindness and determination. A testament to the good in our world. They remain friends. #readingafrica2022 #zimbabwe

I needed a new audiobook and this choice was cover love (and I had seen a post on Litsy 😉) It seemed perfect for me, and it was a short one! (Still trying to increase those end of the year numbers! )A young woman who loves vintage and works in a Library is looking for love. Settings:Alaska and Seattle. Well written. Just too melancholy for me right now.

Currently reading. #readingafrica2022 #zimbabwe

I have a friend who organizes a Book Club for artists. This was their last selection. Although I missed the Author‘s Zoom with the group, I am happy that I read this book. I learned of the 40 year close friendship between Mary Cassatt and Edgar Degas. I was enthralled with the Impressionists(Mary was the only American)and Belle Epoque Paris. It made these revered artists human, including their struggles, personal lives and passion. #strongwoman

Finally! A Holiday read. 🎄🤶🏻❤️

Thank you #booked2022 for introducing me to the term #hopepunk ! Hope Punk was coined in 2017. The characters fight for positive versions of future worlds.This book is listed as being a part of that sci- fi genre. Set in post climate disaster Alberta, a young woman infected with a mysterious parasite must decide whether to remain with her mother in the community that has nurtured her, or to take a chance on a different future with many unknowns.

A retelling of Homer‘s Iliad focusing on the relationship between Patroclus and Achilles. I was invested from the very beginning. Beautiful writing. Fast paced. Heartbreaking. A story of love and war. #booked2022 #Setinanancientcivilization #thinkgreek
Artwork/ Mike Willcox

It took me too long to finally finish this book. If only I had kept up with the #pemberlittens! This was my least enjoyable Austen read. I do think it was because I was reading too many books at the same time. In the beginning, I was appreciating the humor, but later, nothing was amusing me. Catherine Morland did not capture my fancy,and it all seemed too contrived. I realize it was her first novel. I loved all the promenades in Bath,and fashion.

Current audiobook. Only two prompts remaining for #booked2022 #hopepunk

This was an IRL Book Club choice. I attended a Colson Whitehead author talk a few years ago and fell in love with Colson,the man, so I was looking forward to this book. At first, I wasn‘t sure if this was for me. It seemed to appeal to “the guys”. But, as I continued, I relaxed into the snippets of humor,the gorgeous sentences that caused me to pause, and the love of mid century modern furniture! Gangsters,family and race dynamics, NYC love.

Picked up two holds at the Library today, and realized how similar the titles are!

I received this as a “just because” gift from a friend who thought of me while rummaging through a bin of books at a consignment shop. Was thrilled to add to my collection of fashion books! And then, I realized that the author‘s name was familiar. Although, I have never met her, we have been Facebook friends for many years. She lives in Austria,and I let her know about this wonderful connection through a book. ❤️ #fashion

I didn‘t know I needed one, but a few recent social posts convinced me that I did! Thus, I placed an order for yet another book to put on the pile and attended a webinar on creativity to encourage the process. #bookmail #whathaveistarted

New audiobook combined with print copy. #mttbr

Yasmine is 26, training to be a doctor like her Indian born father. Living in modern day London, she is engaged to marry Joe, a doctor from an upper class family whose mother is a famous feminist. The two families meet to plan the wedding, and we soon discover that there are secrets in both. Yasmine always believed that her parents had a strong “love marriage” and we learn that love is defined in many ways. #foodandlit And food has a big part!

In the late 1800‘s these two real life paleontologist professors were bitter rivals. Dr. Marsh- Yale University( left) and Dr. Cope- U of Penn (right) were searching for dinosaur bones in Wyoming. They would take students with them in the Summer. This book is well researched and fast paced. William Johnson,a student from a privileged Philadelphian family goes along for the ride, and ends up traveling with both! The audio was well done!

I subscribe to Purple Carrot, a plant based cooking delivery service. As I prepared this recipe,I had an aha moment! It works for #foodandlit #india this month!Somewhat time consuming, but delicious!

Still reading the book!

A new fashion exhibition opened in Baltimore about the designer,Claire McCardell,who was born in Maryland.Tory Burch was inspired by Claire‘s modernity and researched the collection at the Maryland Center for History and Culture. Tory sponsored a fellowship to create the exhibit and also reissued this classic book.The original issue from 1956 is price prohibitive,so I rushed to buy this one! Claire was the first to put pockets on a dress! #fashion

Current audiobook. IRL Book Club discussion in November.

I read this book out of guilt.Two friends (a married couple) loved it,loaned it to me, and there was the obligation to read it. It is my first Ken Follett, and not the one that I wanted to read first. It took me “forever”to finish it. I am certain all of this influenced my rating. Well researched. Period from 1911-1924. Some real Historical characters. And others: Royalty,Miners,Suffragettes,Military,Politicians,RebelsFirst in a trilogy. My last.

Current IRL Book Club read. So many Library reserves ahead of me! I ended up buying the ebook.

This is story about the 1918 Pandemic that takes place in Ireland, but ultimately a story about women. The reader is right there in the small hospital room with the pregnant women as they deliver their babies. The patients‘ back stories are as intense as what is taking place in the room. We learn about the real life woman,Doctor Lynn, who is wanted by the police for political activism. A book about women‘s rights and their strength.

My IRL Book Club choice, and I think I will finish in time for the meeting!

Still catching up on book reviews. This is a photograph of a woman who worked as a Traveling Librarian for Eleanor Roosevelt‘s program that provided the borrowing of books to people in remote locations. The book follows a group of five women who did this In Kentucky. Not everyone in the community supports this service,and the women face many hardships. It is a story of the strength of women when they band together to overcome adversity.

A story of a phenomenal woman. She became the Personal Librarian for J.Pierpont Morgan, a titan of the world of business, at a time when women had very little opportunity to work in a man‘s world. And she had a secret. She was a Black woman, passing as White in order to have a better life. Racism was rampant, and it was very dangerous. Belle was glamorous, brave and brilliant. Inspired.

Painting of Belle da Costa Greene by Paul César Helleu, 1913

Trying to catch up on some reviews. I read this a few weeks ago for #foodandlit #kenya. Recommended by @TheBookHippie , it is a heartwarming, true story of a Masai village who bestows a gift of fourteen cows to the American people,grieving the September 11 attacks. Beautiful illustrations. It is a children‘s picture book, but this adult found it very moving.
“To the Masai, the cow is life.” #readingafrica #kenya
#192025 #2009

Posting my copy of the current #pemberlittens read.
It is my first time reading it. Finished first two chapters. And do find the humor entertaining!

Have been away for a few weeks. Road Trip to the Grand Canyon! Such a thrill! But… no time to read.
Packed three audio books. I tried two with my husband, and he sadly hasn‘t developed an appreciation of the joy of audiobooks. This one he did stay with a bit. So, now that I‘m home, I will finish on my own!