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

"She needed to listen to this: prodigal summer, the season of extravagant procreation" p. 51. For Deanna, it's the birds. For me, it's noisy frogs as my tiny pond fills with eggs, then tadpoles.This mama (or daddy?) seemed to enjoy my new little solar fountain last year. #SetInYrFaveSeason #NewYearNewBooks @Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

A couple of Alice versions with an #InsectCover. #NewYearNewBooks @Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

In Bewilderment, astrobiologist Theo Byrne tries to help his 9-year-old son control his volatile emotions through experimental neurofeedback treatment. In Orfeo, Peter Else attempts to alter musical patterns into bacterial human pathogens in his home labratory. RP a masterful storyteller based on deep-dives into his subjects. We rightly fear #SciGoneWrong. Pic from 2019 National Book Festival in DC. #NewYearNewBooks @Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

20th c.Tennessee history, beautifully rendered as Fos & Opal are forced out of Knoxville by the KKK, then out of their Clinch River farm by the TVA flood, then move to the Secret City for work. Questionable #SciBreakthrough ramifications of electricity then the atom bomb. Oak Ridge is still a leader in nuclear energy research. Recent visit there at the American Museum of Science & Energy. #NewYearNewBooks @Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Though primarily about the adult Burgess siblings, there is a strong thread relating to Somali #refugees in Maine. Incredibly moving story that helps our understanding of challenges living in a new unfamiliar & sometimes unfriendly country. My favorite Strout novel. Article from 10 years ago, but unfortunately still timely reminder. "Hate can not drive out hate, only love can do that." --MLK #NewYearNewBooks @Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

1. Absolutely! I learned to drive "3 on a tree" with my dad's '61 Valiant. Enjoyed several years with my own '88 LaBaron that had a 5th gear.
2. How about the car loaded with all the family's possessions in Grapes of Wrath? Heartbreaking image.

#Two4Tuesday @TheSpineView
@CrowCAH @BarbaraBB @Texreader

#NewYearNewBooks Two estranged sisters come together to fulfilll their dying grandmother's wish & travel to Europe to deliver letters to 3 important people. They take Violet's advice: If someone offers you Champagne, don't miss the opportunity. They learn about themselves, some secrets about their #grandparents, and make decisions about their futures. Their return flight is booked on the Hindenburg. Yikes! @Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

#WomenInScience "At no moment in history has a bright young girl with plenty of food and a good constitution perished from too much learning." Inspired by 19th c. journals from women studying evolution & botany, Gilbert creates Alma Wittaker, whose journey both spiritual & physical, leads to unique discoveries about mosses in Tahiti. Yes, EG makes this informative, exciting, & fascinating! Really! #NewYearNewBooks @Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Some of my fav #Artist books.Tagging the one I haven't yet posted. Before he was famous, John Singer Sargent painted Virginie Gautreau with a fallen strap, intimating sex, which shattered her reputation. Repainted with both straps, it hangs today at the Met as "Madame X." Davis researched family papers, libraries, and private collections to weave together this fascinating history. Great read! #NewYearNewBooks @Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Love Fiona Davis #histfic novels based on NYC landmark buildings, starting with inspiration from actual events & spinning them into fascinating personal stories. This inspo comes from a historical tragic incident in 1957 at Radio City Music Hall. In 1992, a former Rockette recalls the struggles and triumphs of reaching her dancing dreams. Top pic from 2021 visit. #MusicalCover #NewYearNewBooks @Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Favorite sign welcoming all to this Tennessee restaurant owned by a thriving immigrant family who contribute so givingly to our community. A contrast to this story of adult children so damaged by neglect & abuse. At least the son who owns the Homesick restaurant provides some redeeming hope. Can't say anyone at bookclub "enjoyed" it, but we always have worthwhile discussion. #RestaurantCvr #NewYearNewBooks @Eggs @always @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

A few #ShipsOrSailing mementos pictured with this book I loved. CBK crafts a complex story of the early days of VanDiemen's Island (later to become Austrailia): the voyage on a former slave ship across hostile seas, the establishment as a penal colony, the forced relocation of the Aboriginal people, and personal ramifications for Evangiline, Hazel, and Mathinna. Highly recommend. #NewYearNewBooks @Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

--Queen of the #Fairies Titania from William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.
Yes please! I've loved it every time I've seen it, especially outdoors as the sun sets. #NewYearNewBooks @Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

I first read the tagged book more than 25 years ago. Wally Lamb's words seem even more relevant today. Powerful book about #Twins and so much more. I love that all his book titles are song lyrics. #NewYearNewBook @Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Always enjoy this author and #histfic based on true events, Paris, resistance. I see when I first posted this book I was drinking a French Merlot on a plane. Today it's a Mimosa with a bubbly "methode champenoise" from a Michigan winery. Continued appreciation for those who did and do resist in the struggle for justice, equally, and truth. #MittenLitten #FogCover #NewYearNewBooks @Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Read these together for understanding & admiration of the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) during WW II, shuttling planes as volunteers, paying for their own pilot's licenses, training, uniforms, and even their own funerals. 1000 served, 38 died. They did not receive veterans' status or benefits until 30 years later. #VehicleCvr #NewYearNewBooks @Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

#LuggageCvr on this paperback version of the imagined life of Kate Warne, the real-life first woman detective and later head of the female division of the Pinkerton Agency. Hardcover shows a train, evoking the true story of her protecting Lincoln on the way to his first inauguration. My fave go-to #histfic author. #NewYearNewBooks
@Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

A bit of #HighwayCvr in the lower left corner of both the book and a view of Iowa from the plane. Lucky enough to hear Kinsella read from this book many years ago. Hearts broken for those in Perry, Iowa as news comes today that this peaceful-looking place is shattered by another school shooting. #NewYearNewBooks @Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

This was a bookclub pick where discussion made it even better. #MoonCover and a favorite T-shirt as the background. #NewYearNewBooks @eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Had this on my shelf for a long time. Picked it up to read because of the #ToyCover prompt. It's such a hoot! Such fun reminders of growing up in the1950s as he did: No novocaine dentist, Sky King on Saturday TV, Chuckles candy (always gave my mom the black one), Fels-Naptha soap (which I still use on poison ivy), Jello "salads", "circular-spoke stitching" Maidenform bra ads, and a hilarious story about bleaching Lincoln Logs.
#NewYearNewBooks

Really enjoyed listening to this one. I have mixed feelings about reading tragic stories as it seems insensitive to those who have experienced the loss. But it's clear early on that this #MissingPerson story will turn out well. Amusingly told from the dog's POV, Chet & his human partner investigate how & why a teenage girl has disappeared. My grandkids' pups' Dax & Dexter surely have their own POV. #NewYearNewBooks @Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Growing up in the US, we always left decorations up until January 7th to celebrate "Ukrainian Christmas" in honor of our grandparents and then my dad. This year Ukraine will officially break from the Russian Orthodox calendar. And so, I mark today, December 25th, with memories of those years: an embroidered pillow, a menu from a long-ago special dinner, a new book to read, and hope that next year will bring a #MerryChristmas #December#Dreams

"We were Ukrainian." I was touched by this secret Tully's mother shared as she told of growing up thinking it was a bad thing. Being #Ukrainian was not a secret in our family, but when my grandparents left "the old country" for the US they altered their last name, then advised my dad to do whatever it took to "fit in." As a result, all I have left of that heritage is food, a few traditions, & heartbreak for the people there. May #peace come soon.

Pic of Christmas #peace plaque on our front door. A couple years back hubs suggested leaving it up all year so we do. Aspirational, now more than ever. Tagged book is an all- time fave with enduring message about the futility of the "escalation of retaliation." Wishing that whatever holiday you may celebrate brings peace and awareness of our human connection. #DecemberDreams @Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

It's the time of year to switch from sandals to toasty socks #knit by my mom when she was in her 80s. She's not knitting now at 94, but I think I have enough to get by. Enjoyed listening to this fun tale of an obsessive knitter. Recalled fond memories of our family of knitters. Grandma always had a basket of leftover yarns by her couch for any of us to pick up and knit a square she would later crochet together into afghans. #knittersoflitsy

So proud of this #library, celebrating a grand opening after outgrowing their old digs where my children enjoyed so many hours. Loved this book set in this #smalltown. MC recalls working at the Biltmore: Books. Shelves of them, walls of them. . . I wanted to run my fingers along the endless series of spines . . . and inhale until I was drunk on the smell of old paper. “All the books anyone could ever want,” he said. . . . For anyone to read."

#bookfacefriday Don't you just love these clever #bookface posts? Just came across this total #bookbod post on author @theladygreer 's FB page from the Siouxland Public Library. Great cover. Great book! Also great for #firstlinefridays and #courtroomsetting: "In the front row sit the survivors."

I still haven't read the book, but teen granddaughter and I loved it on Broadway.
"I do believe I have been changed for the better
And because I knew you
Because I knew you
Because I knew you
I have been changed
For good"
#Wicked #AutumnPlease @Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks