This is a very tough read with hard, but important, subject matter. I love Lamb's writing & his ability to create empathy. It took getting to the end to fully appreciate his mastery. I feel broken, yet comforted. All Lamb's titles are from songs. Here is a verse from John Foggerty's River is Waiting:
The river is rising, I'm ready
To slip from this island, I'm ready
Gonna leave all my sorrow behind me
Lift my face to the new day that's rising

Audiowalking tonight. 20 hours of listening in prep for bookclub.

Not truly fictional, though it has an amazing story. I just saw it for the first time today in Alcoa, Tennessee and it is fascinating! Building began in 1936 to withstand the Armegeddon that William Nicholson believed was coming. In disrepair for years, it is currently being rennovated by Dean & Karen Fontaine who host events and welcome tours on weekends. Now on the National Registry of Historic Places. #SundayFunday @BookmarkTavern

We can't get Robin Hood flour in the States anymore. So, we took a little day trip today across the Blue Water Bridge (1st time in 50 years!) & picked up flour (best for pie crust and pasties), Coffee Crisp, & Red Rose #tea. "#Canada nice" proven by the woman who insisted on waiting for us in the parking lot to show us how to get to a restaurant she recommended. #MittenLitten

Inspired by Dr. Heather Cox Richard's words from yesterday's speech at the Old North Church in Boston shared in her "Letters from an American." She spoke at the celebration of the lighting of the lanterns ("two if by sea") 250 years ago when Paul Revere, the Sons of Liberty, & supporters rejected the dominance of a king and began the creation of a new nation. Pix from today's rally in front of the courthouse, trying to do "the next right thing."

Plenty of #narcissism in this thriller where more than one character thinks she can get away with anything. Loved it! Thanks to @Eggs & @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks for these fun #FeelintheLove prompts. I reached my vacation goal of posting every day in February. Probably take a break now. LOL.

I always watch and appreciate A Closer Look segment on Seth Meyers' Late Night show. I haven't yet listened to his podcast with his bother, but it sounds like there's good humor and plenty of #BrotherLove.
#FeelintheLove @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs

"I saw there was a second South. My whole life I‘d only seen one. I loved my South, though I could see how it was broken, plagued still with the legacies of slavery and war and segregation. History and a thousand unseen walls divided up the territory . . ." Pic of the real Monroeville (Harper Lee's Maycomb). I suspect there are many similarities with Jackson's Birchville. #truth #SisterLove
#FeelintheLove @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs

#LovePotion gone awry. Pic from Classic Theatre of Maryland‘s 2024 production. #FeelintheLove @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs

Reminder of #ParentChildLove of Atticus and Scout during a recent visit to Monroeville, childhood home of Harper Lee. Her house is gone, but there are remains of Truman Capote's aunt's nearby home. The character of Dill is said to be based on him. #FeelintheLove @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs

Sargent Pepper's #Lonely Hearts Club Band

It's wonderful to be here
It's certainly a thrill
You're such a lovely audience
We'd like to take you home with us
We'd love to take you home

#FeelintheLove @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs (Image from Wikipedia)

When Emmet is released from juvenile detention, he and his 8-year-old brother hatch a plan to follow the trail of their absent mother's postcards from Nebraska to SanFrancico. What begins as a #LoveontheRoad experience soon gets complicated as two escapees from the facility highjack the intented road trip. #FeelintheLove @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs

Walking the Gulf Coast beach today being reminded of Mary Anning's love of fossil hunting. Fairly literal interpretation of #LoveontheRocks in this #histfic telling of the real woman whose discoveries along the cliffs on the coast of England in the early 1800s led to a new scientific understanding of extinction. #FeelintheLove @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs

Hard to imagine a more #BrokenHeart than Jackie's, not only for her, but the whole country. I remember that day in class when the PA system announced JFK had died and my teacher cried. Felt that again when John's plane went down. Can only imagine where the US could have been by now with their guidance. #FeelintheLove @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs

John Atkinson's snarky, wildly amusing, exceedingly brief takes on some of the most well-known literary classics with an #IllicitLoveAffair. Many more literary laughs on his http://wronghands1.com
#FeelintheLove @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs

From That's the Way of the World by EW&F:
#Hearts of fire creates love desire
Take you high and higher to the world you belong
Hearts of fire creates love desire
High and higher to your place on the throne . . .
You will find (you will find) peace of mind
If you look way down in your heart and soul
I don't hesitate 'cause the world seems cold
Stay young at heart 'cause you're never old at heart
#FeelintheLove @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs

Celebrating #GalentinesDay for several days lately, knitting together and visiting tearooms with @Talewaggingreads , a dear old friend, and a new one. #FeelintheLove @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @eggs

A complex #LoveHatePairing of Elphaba and Glinda. Loved being able to take my older granddaughters to see Wicked on Broadway when each was a Senior in high school. Loved Part One of the movie version, too. May never read the book, though.
#FeelintheLove @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs

Finally getting around to reading this novel that I found some time ago second-hand. Only a few pages in, but enjoying it already. Also love reading about #Detroit. #MittenLitten. Happened to visit some second hand stores today and it felt like #TimelessLove of some forgotten treasures.
#FeelintheLove @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs

This year's annual renewal-of-vows at Lulu's will be the day after #ValentinesDay. Jimmy Buffet's sister's restaurant provides free champagne, wedding cake, and flowers to the celebrants. Hubs and I had a delicious lunch there this week. #FeelintheLove @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs

With a growing family and careers that sometimes separated them, Demi & Bruce tried to make their #LongDistanceLove work. They pledged not to spend more than 4 days apart. But, having money & fame doesn't insulate one from the long-term pain of early trauma, addiction, betrayal, rejection. Demi's memoir (pub. 2019) gave me a new appreciation of her struggles & survival. #FeelintheLove @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs

#LoveLost but found again when Estee Lauder remarries husband Joe three years after their divorce. Rosen tells the factual story of the creation of Estee's beauty empire through the eyes of a fictional friend named Gloria. Interesting look at the challenges & determination of breaking into an industry dominated by Helena Rubenstein and Elizabeth Arden. (See A Beautiful Rival, by Gill Paul.)
#FeelintheLove @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs

Some pretty #CrazyLove as you would expect from someone who goes through 13 husbands! Based on the real-life Aimee Crocker, who had a Spanish fortune-teller predict that her 13th would bury her. Yikes! I wouldn't want to know, but it makes for a great story. Macallister never disappoints!
#FeelintheLove @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs

The Nollop Island citizens who #LoveLetters rebel as they are punished for using "Z" then "Q" then "J". Their written correspondence becomes more challenging, creating a hostile environment that causes some people to leave. When "D" is banned, the Council declares that anyone who has been banished or left the island will lose their property. A 2001clever cautionary tale worth reading again today. #FeelintheLove @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs

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