Publishers Weekly says: An engrossing mystery/romance set in early 20th-century Ecuador and Spain… Fans of historicals will appreciate the descriptions of dress, local foods and customs, social stratification, and the cacao industry, ....As addictive as #chocolate . . . I gave it a thumbs up but don't really remember much. This review makes it sound fascinating enough for a reread!
#FeelintheLove @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs

Bern Hendricks, a foremost authority on 1920s composer Frederick Delaney, is hired to score a newly discovered piece. As the story of its origin is revealed, we suspect that what first appears to be a mutually beneficial relationship may be a #loveless exploitation of a young black woman with special abilities.
Masterful story-telling. Symphony of Secrets
#FeelintheLove @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs

That morning I heard water being poured into a teapot.
The sound was an ordinary, daily, cluffy sound.
But all at once I knew you loved me.
An unheard-of thing, love audible in water falling.

#LoveQuote in The Teapot, #poem by Robert Bly. I used to use his #poetry for discussion when I taught Interpersonal Communication. Always lots to talk about with "The Other Imperfect Bird." #FeelintheLove @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs

Truly #SteamyLove in this steampunk movie version, where the secret garden is a laboratory in the nearly abandoned Misselthwaite, the last of the Craven Factories. Such a fun take on a classic story. Movie on Amazon Prime. #FeelintheLove @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs

#WeirdLove in this bizarre story of a carnival family where parents deliberately cause their children's birth defects in order to attract audiences. Themes question perceptions of normalcy & family love. Aqua Boy, Arty, attracts such a cult following that his fans have their own limbs amputated to emulate him. How far will followers go & what will they give up even to their own detriment? #FeelintheLove @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @eggs

Prequel to the amazing YA, The Hate U Give. Similar metaphors: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, growth from struggle & hardship. Also reminiscent lyrics from Ben E King's 1960 song: There is a rose in Spanish Harlem. . . It's growing in the street right up through the concrete. And most obvious, the poem by Tupac Shakur: Long live the rose that grew from concrete
when no one else ever cared.
#Roses #FeelintheLove @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs

A little different take on #LoveisBlind, but I couldn't help but think of a father's love for his blind daughter as he built a model of their neighborhood so Marie-Laure could learn to navigate it on her own. #FeelintheLove @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs
Image from Netflix.

Won't say it's my absolute #FaveLiteraryLove, but it's my most recent. You'll root for Kate and Peter as they find their way. Lovely story. #FeelintheLove @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs

Such fond memories of an evening dinner with #poet Henry Taylor when he visited the community college where I taught in Iowa. I first met him years before when he was my daughter's favorite #poetry professor at American University in DC. Small world. #FeelintheLove #LovePoem @Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

So excited! Just got my swag box for Saturday's event: book, tea, chocolate, and other goodies. Plus, suggestions for wine and appetizer pairings!
https://www.anoveloccasion.com/

Avoiding today's news *horror stories* with a trip to #Chattanooga: fancy restroom with chandelier and the gorgeous dome at the old train station, 2nd & Charles #bookstore for used books, Book & Cover #indybookstore (no pic this time) and #BarnesandNoble where I always take a pic of the author murals by Gary Kelley (whose signed poster I was lucky enough to get from him when we lived in #Iowa near his studio). This mural features Mary Shelley.

Most excited about this third book in the Five Queendoms series! Out May 13. Fascinating, immersive feminist fantasy with gorgeous covers!#SundayFunday @BookmarkTavern

A couple of blankets and pillowcases I made recently for Project Linus, especially needed now in response to flood relief. #DayDevotedTo #Philanthropy @Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
www.projectlinus.org

"The kindness at the heart of cooking is always the answer when inhumanity seeks to take hold. We will keep on keeping on." -- Bill Penzey #DaysDevotedTo #Kindness @Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Treasuring performances by this amazing Knoxville #poet, musician, & James Agee scholar. Two fave songs worth looking for on YouTube: R. B. Morris's version of "Science for the People" and his rendition of John Prine's "That's How Every Empire Falls." Both sadly relevant as Prine died of Covid and now the next US administration prepares to turn away from science-based decision-making. #DaysDevotedTo #Science4Peace @Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Saw this on BigTentUSA.org "It's not partisan. It's #Democracy" #vote #women #freedom

Wise words from journalist Margaret Fuller at her ladies' salon in 1839: "I am not going to tell any woman in this room what she ought to think. I ask only that you not allow any man--any person--to do that for you either." How much more relevant could this be than on Tuesday, Nov 5, as those of you who are eligible to vote in the USA enter the election booth? Fuller deserves to be as well-known as her friends Emerson, Thoreau, Hawthorn, Greeley.

#DaysDevotedTo a few #Authors I've been lucky enough to meet: My fave Greer Macallister with Juliette Fay, Randy Susan Meyers, Amy Greene, J.T. Ellison, Jenni L. Walsh, Jenifer Egan, Erin Morganstern @Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Anticipation and #dread of what is to come in this twisty, twisty, twisty clever tale. Loving this book and this #audiowalk on a beautiful October day. #WickedWhispers @Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Pic of a Michigan swamp on a recent #audiowalk as I listened to this deeply satisfying novel. Healer Herminie Zook, her precocious granddaughter, questionable fathers, and complicated independent women connect with the land and each other in the Great Missasauga Swamp. Loved it. Plenty of #chilling moments. #WickedWhispers #MittenLitten @Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Pic of a Michigan swamp on a recent #audiowalk as I listened to this deeply satisfying novel. Healer Herminie Zook, her precocious granddaughter, questionable fathers, and complicated independent women connect with the land and each other in the Great Missasauga Swamp. Loved it. Plenty of #chilling moments. #WickedWhispers #MittenLitten
@eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

If you are looking to help the recovery efforts from Hurricane Helene, this suggestion comes from author Wiley Cash. He posts,
"Thank you so much to the Cape Fear Literacy Council for letting me piggyback on Adult Story Hour here in Wilmington NC to raise money for Asheville flood relief. This will be a live in-person event in Wilmington that will have virtual access via my Facebook and Instagram pages (cont?)

Only a few pages in, but already hooked on this book from my local #library. Pics of a few more libraries I've enjoyed: Boston Public, Rugby in Tennessee, Brooklyn Public, The Morgan, and New York Public. #SchoolSpirit @Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Thanks to @Eggs and @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks . This looks like a really fun one!

Love it when #histfic story has cultural references to events related to my lived experiences. As a kid I was unaware growing up in the 1950s of Maccarthyism, racism, birth control, women's rights. Sadly, these themes still echo right now. Kate Quinn never disappoints and I want to share. This book will soon fit the category #yougifted #aboutabook #recipes
@eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

This should be fun! Loved THE THIRTEENTH HUSBAND and Greer's discussion on Friends and Fiction. Some of Aimee Crocker's escapades were so bizarre that Greer chose to focus on those that were referenced through additional sources in order to make her fictionalized novel more believable. Now on to Aimee's #memoir #AboutaBook @Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

#BasedOnTrueStory Spent my birthday exploring nearby Dayton Tennessee, site of the famous trial which found John T. Scopes guilty of illegally teaching evolution in 1925. A cautionary tale where too much sounds too familiar today. Drove by the courthouse and found this charming shop (Pizza, Books, & Ice Cream). #Aboutabook @Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Love Kate Quinn and Heather Webb! Looking forward to getting to know the rest through their stories of women during the French Revolution. #AboutaBook #ByMultipleAuthors @Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Based on real life Aimee Crocker who Wikipedia says " . . .was a mystic, Bohemian, and author. . . . known for her cultural exploration of the Far East, for her extravagant parties in San Francisco, New York and Paris, and her collections of husbands and lovers, adopted children, Buddhas, pearls, tattoos, and snakes." #histfic #historicalfiction Release date August 6! Can't wait!

So fun to recognize #StorySettings. Petoskey, Traverse City, and "Washed Cherries" signs bring back great memories as a #MittenLitten. As a teen, hubs worked landscaping at Grosse Point Yacht Club where Sabatian plays tennis and where I grew up on Lake St. Clair. Pic of the #lake where I currently live from outside our small town library. @Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

#StorySettings. Pics of recent visit to Isabella Stewart Gardner #Museum in Boston. Always impressed by incredible building, artwork, and gorgeous courtyard. Always sad to see the empty frames of irreplaceable artwork that was stolen. Just watched the CNN version of "How It Really Happened." Spoiler: they still don't know. @Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

"Memory is a wicked thing that warps and twists. But paper and ink receive the truth without emotion, and they read it back without partiality. That, I believe, is why so few women are taught to read and write. God only knows what they would do with the power of pen and ink at their disposal."
Plenty of #secrets in the frozen river!#SpringSkies @Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Such #tragedy needs a trigger warning about the incredibly horrific details of physical abuse and murder of young black people. But, it is so deserving of accolades for Cosby's abilities to create an engaging, suspenseful story and remind readers of racial injustice and hate that continues to plague us. An important lesson for anyone who still thinks confederate monuments represent "history, not hate." #SpringSkies @Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Such #tragedy needs a trigger warning about the incredibly horrific details of physical abuse and murder of young black people. But, it is so deserving of accolades for Cosby's abilities to create an engaging, suspenseful story and remind readers of racial injustice and hate that continues to plague us. An important lesson for anyone who still thinks confederate monuments represent "history, not hate." #SpringSkies @Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Celebrating #NationalLibraryWeek & honoring all librarians in this brave new world of having to defend the right to read. Thomas Hughes Free Public Library pic is from yesterday's visit to Rugby, TN. The #library opened in 1882 with over 5000 donated books. The utopian community didn't succeed, but the library & 7000 books remain for visitors to peruse & appreciate. A few views to add to one from @plemmdog #litsylibrarians #litsylibrarian

Haven't gotten to this one yet, but letting the frogs at the Gulf Shores library take a look at it today.

Found another amazing used bookstore in Foley, AL: JHS is warehouse-sized yet charmingly sectioned off with multiple places to sit with coffee, cookies, and chats. How could I not buy this book with a cover that looks so much like my view of the #beach?

Working through my #ReadOrDonate stack on a little vacay as the pigeon coos on the balcony rail. Thanks for the push @julieclair. Really enjoyed tagged book, which is not so much about music as it is art, particularly Vermeer. Really good! Just started the Maggie O'Farrell (love her). Have yet to start Queen, which I got as BOTM years ago. Reports on others in comments.

Didn't get #wine posted yesterday, but thought #poetrymatters littens might find this amusing. 😉 #LuckyInLove @Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Heading to the Gulf Coast next week, expecting to see more of these. #Sunset Just finished my first Silas House, and now I want to read everything he's written. #LuckyInLove @Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

There are a few fave authors I like to keep in hardback on my shelf. Just replaced this #CloudsCover paperback with #NewYearNewBooks hardback version. This was my first Wally Lamb with a book club decades (yikes!) ago and he's a must-read ever since. While I didn't manage to highlight only new books, I did manage to post every day. Thanks for a fun way to get through a dreary weather spell @Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Have to go with a classic for #WhyInTitle. If it's #NewYearNewBooks for anyone, it's a must-read #poem from a treasured #poet and author. @eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

In my early days as a #Litten I thought I'd start posting books I wanted to read with a woman holding something #BehindHerBack. Especially loved The Magician's Lie & The Book of Lost Names. @tpixie joined in 3 years ago with The Engineer's Wife, which was also really good. Then I guess I gave up. Anyway, Pretty Poison is one of the several I never read. #NewYearNewBooks #InvolvesPoison @eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

I don't know if Shehan Karunatailaka is unusual in Sri Lanka, but for me it is an #UnusualAuthName. Some mixed reviews from #Littens. My musical friend said the audio would make Richard Wagner's Ring Cycle feel like an episode of Seinfeld. Whatever that means. 😏 #NewYearNewBooks (Google image of Ring Cycle performance from Lyric Opera of Chicago.) @Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Turned out to be more nightmare than #Dream. Fascinating discussion with Ariel when it first came out. She's charming and so deep into her research. #Signed. Looking forward to her newest, The Frozen River, for #NewYearNewBooks @Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Framed print, cookie tin, and #CoffeeTableBk of Renoir's Luncheon of the Boating Party. I've been fascinated since I saw the original so many years ago. I'm in awe of how artists can make glass look so real. #NewYearNewBooks @Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Different vibes from each Bill Bryson I've been listening to #ByAuthorYourAge. Many memories in 1950sThunderbolt are mine, One Summer was a fascinating, well researched history centered on happenings around 1927. At Home is about the development & innovations, inspired by the Victorian parsonage where his family was living in England. Being iced-in "at home" this week makes this the one to tag for #NewYearNewBooks @eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Love this author and this book that #InvolvesJourney. In the summer of 1932, four young people flee the horrific Indian School in Minnesota becoming vagabonds learning about themselves, each other, and the varied characters they meet along their river odyssey while hiding from the people who are determined to find them. #NewYearNewBooks @Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Decided to go through my Litsy TBR to find a #NewYearNewBooks #TitleBeginsWithS. Yikes! Pic above is my list before I gave up trying to get through it all. Thankfully, I have reviews from #Littens to narrow the field. Though #Litten reviews is how my #tbr got so long in the first place. 😀 📚 🤩 Starting with tagged book from Libby. @eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

"The entire Arctic was a frozen mouth full of icy teeth, and it would slay those women. They‘d become another of the expeditions lost forever on the ice, marching off into oblivion." p. 246. Hardly the Artic, but relative extreme weather for the Southern US. No school, no plows, no mail for 7 days now. #NewYearNewBooks Great time to reread this gripping story that #InvolvesExtremeWeather @eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks