Thank you for the tag, @Eggs !

1. There are quite a few titles I really wanted to read this year but did not get the chance
2. Working Saturday; hoping to catch up on rest on Sunday (and reading, of course!)
3. Chocolate Chip
4. I‘ve received so many wonderful gifts, it‘s hard to qualify the best out of them. One of the most touching was a photo frame with my cats and their gotcha anniversaries, from my brother & his family
5. ❤️❤️❤️ #Friyayintro

A perfect way to end the day...unboxing my #BookOutletHaul from Black Friday. 😁

#Zeke is standing on top of the couch. He, of course, has to make sure the books meet his approval. #CatsOfLitsy

I started this one this morning, and now I want to keep reading it instead of going to work. It‘s fascinating, gut-wrenching, fury-driving, and almost so incredibly unbelievable that it‘s nonfiction. Yet, it also shows power and everything wrong in society. I breezed through 100 pages this morning. It‘s so worth the hype so far.

#TheBreakfastBookClub #GroupA friends: next week is our next rotation!

@corycatelyn , I should have a book out to you by the end of next week!

More #LitsyMail today. Thank you for the lovely cards, @BookwormAHN @Eggs and @TheSpineView ! ❤️

Thank you for the tag, @Eggs !

1. I love cold weather - the snow, curling up under a blanket and reading
2. The Five by Hallie Rubenhold - so well written and a nod to the victims of Jack the Ripper. It certainly shows how perceptions can obscure true history
3. Mysteries
4. ❤️❤️❤️
#WondrousWednesday

#LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead ers...welcome to Week Four of our readings! Week Three saw a more complicated plot line. What are your thoughts from this week? Mine appear in the comments, under a spoiler tag.

#WeeklyForecast ...

I have a six day work week this week, with very odd hours, so my reading may be kind of off. However, I am determined to keep up and get through more library backlogged books.

The left hand side features books I have to read, so they are priority. I‘ll continue to read Hours and December for buddy reads. Kill Artist I need to finish. Lilac Girls is for a book club this week. The others are due very soon to the library. ⬇️⬇️⬇️

Another fun challenge! I may have to do this one too, though I‘m notoriously bad at signing up for challenges and not completing them. Head to @BarbaraTheBibliophage ‘s post for more information. #mandmchallenge2020 #memoirsmysteries

Playing catch-up for the #LiteraryCrew #buddyread and came across this quote in the week two reading. I love quotes that give me pause and almost take my breath away.

Lady Anne‘s words: “‘It will be as if we never existed if our history cannot be read.‘”

#BookReport - thanks to a few days off this week, I was able to read a lot more than the past few weeks...

Of note: I read a mix of serious reads and hilarious reads. It Only Takes One Bite is by an author I know. Truth be told, it‘s not the greatest, but I‘ve read worse.

I had to run to the Dollar Tree for some Christmas gift bags. I can‘t help it if my feet took me to the book section. Small #BookHaul

Finished this one for November‘s #agathachristieclubr2 ! I‘m enjoying the re-reads of Christie‘s earlier works.

I breezed through the latest Stephanie Plum book. I enjoyed this one and thought it was better than her last few books. Stephanie seems to have grown, in her thought process and to a degree her maturity. There were a few laugh out loud moments, but I also had a feeling that the mystery element played more of a role this time than it has lately.

I‘m using this for the #NeverEndingSeries prompt for #GrowUp #BBRC .

#BookMail and #LitsyMail today! My #BOTM arrived, as well as a card from @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks . Misty, thank you for the card and the sweet message!

For anyone participating in next year‘s #ReadingEurope2020 , you may find some book suggestions through the site. A huge thank you to @ljuliel for posting about this!

Here‘s the site:

https://www.amazon.com/amazon-crossing/b?ie=UTF8&node=11585009011

If you‘re a fan of the US pilgrim pageantry at Thanksgiving, and/or a narrative nonfiction lover, this book is not for you. This is a very academic, yet extremely necessary, view of the history Wampanoag Indians, from pre-colonialism up to present day. It‘s heartbreaking and maddening. It‘s over 400 pages of text, with nearly 100 pages of end notes. I‘m so glad I read it. I learned so much, way more than any other text I‘ve read. 🌟🌟🌟🌟

I‘m doing a little bit of work in my home library this evening. I went to catalog this book in LibraryThing and noticed it‘s perfect for Romania for #ReadingEurope2020 ! I‘m a sucker for histories of countries, and this sounds fascinating. If you‘re joining in on the journey, this might be one to consider.

Yay for #litsymail ! Thank you for the card, @ljuliel !

To those who filled out my holiday card form, I mailed all the cards this afternoon. They should start arriving for most of you later this week!

November stats, a day late!

As of right now, I am 3 books behind on the GR challenge. The focus on December, especially towards the end of the month, will be to finish all of the in progress readings. If I do that, I can easily reach the goal again this year.

#LiteraryCrew #buddyread friends: we‘ve finished week two of our reading! I‘m playing catch up today on this section, but I‘m loving this book so far! I also ordered book two, so we‘re totally reading that book next.

What are your thoughts on this section? Please use the spoiler tag if you think your comments are spoiler-worthy.

I love reading the enthusiasm for this book in your posts!

My #WeeklyForecast ...it seems like a lot, but I‘m in the middle of half of these, or they‘re for buddy reads. Depending upon how my reading goes (I‘m off work most of the week), I may be able to read other books in addition to this stack!

Of particular note:

One Day in December - starting and continuing for #BOTMBuddyread

The Last Hours - continuing for #LiteraryCrew

Murder on the Links - finishing for November‘s #agathachristieclubr2

I had to support #smallbusinesssaturday yesterday by visiting my favorite independent bookstore. A store the specializes only in mysteries? Yes, please! Here‘s my #bookhaul from my adventure.

Squeaking in my #BookReport at the end of Saturday...

It was a pretty ambitious stack, and I bounced from one book to another, which means a few started but only one (an audiobook) completed. Oh well! Some scheduling changes have kind of let reading slide, way more than I anticipated. There is hope for next week, though!

I really enjoyed this audiobook...it‘s the first in a cozy mystery series, set in a bread shop. Ivy, the main character, recently lost her mother in a hit and run accident. She returns to her hometown to mourn and to heal with her father and brother. She decides to take classes at the local bread shop. One of the students is murdered, and Ivy wants to solve the case. Fun characters and drool worthy bread descriptions make this a good read!

Thanks to the #Amazing Cindy for the fun music challenges over the last couple of years! These challenges were my first foray into the Litsy community, and I appreciate the push they gave me to interact more with all of you!

What could be more amazing than a picture of my growing personal library? Image is of a section of the room. For those who have followed me for awhile, you know I like to post updates. 😍 #Movember

Lillian reminisces her life on New Year‘s Eve in New York City. This is one of those that I should have read last year but did not...perhaps the way to end 2019?? #IllRemember #Movember

To my American friends: Happy Thanksgiving! And to everyone, I am so grateful for you! Thank you for the bookish conversations, the budding friendships, and the support you give. This is such a great community! Blessings to you! 🧡🧡🧡

Everyone knows my love for cozy mysteries - they‘re my perfect way to escape from reality! I‘ve yet to read this one, but I think the cover is gorgeous. The first in the #Celebration Bay mystery series, it features a Manhattan event planner looking for a slower paced town (enter Celebration Bay, NY). Something happens at the harvest festival, so our amateur sleuth has to figure out the culprit before she becomes the next victim. #Movember

Why yes, I enjoyed the notification from the #BOTM app that the December choices were up! How could I not pass up yet another edition of Little Women??

It‘s a #Holiday of sorts for Poirot when he is asked to investigate a circumstance in France. Upon arrival, he discovers his client has been murdered. Puzzle and deduction are his specialty, so Poirot goes on the case to find a resolution to the crimes. I plan to re-read this today for the #agathachristieclubr2 discussion. #Movember

I‘ve highlighted this book before...

Spiritualism and communing with the dead wasn‘t a new concept in the 19th century, but interest peaked post Civil War, for #ThePowerOfGoodbye .

Enter Katie King, a spirit who entered parlors during seances & helped bridge the gap between the living and the dead. Or, did she? Hoover records the history; I haven‘t read this yet, but I‘ve heard Hoover speak on the subject, and she‘s compelling! #Movember #NFNov

“Sometimes silences in the historical record can speak as loudly as words.”

I was just thinking this morning about the way we interpret history - historical record passed down is mostly from the victors or those who have the best ability to record an event (those who have a written language and can record an event with the pen).

In the case of the Wampanoag, the English man got to tell the story. #NFNov

I love Millard‘s narrative nonfiction writing style - she really engages the reader in the topics about which she writes. In the tagged book, she chronicles former President Teddy Roosevelt‘s exploration of the Amazons. Along with his son and others, the group wants to investigate the River of Doubt, notorious for its deadly predators, both human and animal. #Fever becomes a deadly weapon, too...will the group survive? True story. #Movember #NFNov

#TIL : A whole lot more about the Native American tribes living in southern New England prior to the European colonization of the US‘ Northeast. It was interesting how experts have pieced together roughly when these groups started growing maize and beans (about a thousand years ago).

This is a good read for the Thanksgiving week - a closer to the truth story of the first “Thanksgiving” in the US. #NFNov

We‘re starting week two today for the latest #literarycrew #buddyread . England in 1348, with the advance of the bubonic plague.

To those reading - any thoughts to share so far?

I wanted to keep reading! For me, the narrative is well-flowing and captivating. More comments as spoilers below ⬇️⬇️⬇️

My #WeeklyForecast , based on books soon due at the library! Most of these are nonfiction, so perfect for #NFNov , which I‘ve kind of let slide the middle of the month. I will not get to all of these, unless a freak snowstorm hits & I can stay home instead of working. 😂

The Last Hours - plan to read 2nd section this week.
Murder on the Links for #agathachristieclubr2

I should finish the audiobook I‘m currently listening to in the car this week.

The lovely Worsley shines a #RayOfLight on Jane Austen in this recent-ish Austen biography. I love Worsley‘s writing style, a very conversational narrative with humor mixed in. #Movember

My #BookReport for the week!

I‘m happy I could complete a couple and get deep into others.

I‘m already thinking about the week ahead!

Reposting: I love sending out holiday cards. It has become a tradition of mine to send out holiday cards over the US Thanksgiving weekend, and I'd like to extend an invitation to anyone who wishes to receive a card from me to fill out the form, linked below. I will not share addresses, & no obligation to send me a card in return. It's just my way of saying “thank you“ for another amazing year on Litsy!

https://forms.gle/E8QrXCv6LtLNaFhB9

Emma is #LivingForLove ...that is, hoping to find a real life James Fraser, of Outlander fame. So, she decides to travel around Scotland in search of Jamie and of love. It sounds quirky and cute - on my to read list. #Movember

What started as a meh read for me turned into a book worth finishing well past my bedtime. The Kennedy assassination is the backdrop for this story about hitmen and women who take a stand against 1960s housewife mores. It‘s gritty in its narrative, yet the book didn‘t feel too overly like a mobster read. Not my usual type of read, but I‘m so glad I could join in on the #BOTMbuddyread this month for this book.

I think Tyler is hilarious! Not necessarily of #Hollywood fame, Tyler is a comedienne of the small screen and stand up comedy. I was slated to read this for a challenge last year but did not get around to it - maybe soon?? #Movember

Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson was a famous Confederate general during the US Civil War. Arguably, his death in 1863 was a crucial blow to the Confederacy; it happened prior to the battle of Gettysburg, and the lack of his knowledge in part led to the Confederacy‘s defeat.

Outside of war, Jackson was a fanatic. He was a teacher, a preacher, but also deeply loyal and a task master. This is one of many bios about him. #papadontpreach #Movember

I know I‘ve highlighted my Clue book collection over the years, but anytime I think #revolver , I think of the board game Clue... “Miss Scarlet in the library with the revolver.” I pulled a copy randomly from my shelf for today‘s prompt.

If you‘re unfamiliar with this book series, it‘s for kids based on the board game. There are clues throughout the book, all set in a mystery setting, and the reader can solve the mystery by the end. #Movember

Confession: poetry isn‘t really my thing. However, I greatly enjoy Christina Rossetti and Emily Dickinson. Years ago, I visited Dickinson‘s home and really understood her genius. Her works are a #masterpiece in feelings - dark and stormy, with a dash of hope. There has been a lot of renewed interest in Dickinson of late, and this book chronicles how Dickinson‘s works gained the limelight after Dickinson‘s death. On my #tbr pile. #Movember

Not book related: I love sending out holiday cards. It has become a tradition of mine to send out holiday cards over the US Thanksgiving weekend, and I'd like to extend an invitation to anyone who wishes to receive a card from me to fill out the form, linked below. I will not share addresses, & no obligation to send me a card in return. It's just my way of saying “thank you“ for another amazing year on Litsy!

https://forms.gle/E8QrXCv6LtLNaFhB9

Shiny new book from the library! I‘m loving the latest trend in royal nonfiction - an examination of the princesses and daughters of royalty whom are often overshadowed. This one looks at Edward I‘s daughters. Debut author. Now to find time to read this...

A vaudevillian actress is offered the role of a lifetime - impersonate an heiress who vanished years ago, and she (and the heiress‘ uncle) will receive a fortune. But, what happens when Leah, the actress, gets a little too close to the heiress‘ disappearance? This is the first in a mystery series. I haven‘t read this yet, though I have met the author, and she‘s fabulous! #LuckyStar #Movember

Full of humor and magic tricks, Harris has presented a fun middle grade book. I was engaged throughout, and it almost had the Lemony Snicket feeling of slight snarkiness in the storytelling. Good read! My #WrittenByAnActor read for #MiddleGrade #BBRC .