Welcome to Litsy!

Happy Halloween

Witch Girls video: https://youtu.be/77O8GNbHp98?si=jullBRA5XgtTO4jF

So good! This deep, well researched, and expansive exploration of what happened during the 1692 Salem witch trials was compelling and propulsive. This is the perfect example of why narrative nonfiction is fantastic. Perfect for the season, this 18 hour tome flew by! #BookspinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

Finished this today. It was interesting. There were moments that I zoned out but they tended to coincide with being busy with work.
Salem 1692 witch trials. I understand ignorance of time, however the extent to which these mostly men went to use witchcraft boggles me. Looking back 300+ years it‘s obvious that the afflicted were acting out do to the lives they were forced to live, this book covers that briefly.
3.8 ⭐️ you won‘t learn anything new.

I believe this is the first nonfiction book I‘ve read about the Salem witch trial. I‘m glad I read it but it took me weeks to work my way through it. It‘s told from the perspective, notes and diaries of the Puritans. They didn‘t like the French, the Catholics, or the ‘Indians‘, and we read about the ‘Indians‘. We know better now so I was uncomfortable those fears were told without the perspective of the those indigenous to Massachusetts.

I listened to the audio and did miss parts. What I heard more of, I would rate “good”. But it‘s unfortunate I missed the stuff I did as I got distracted from listening. I do feel like I might have taken in more if I‘d read it. I don‘t think I‘d previously read as much of the aftermath as this book included, not just in the surrounding areas but about the people after everything died down. I did like that the narrator also read the footnotes

book #1 for #witchathon @mdm139 #readinggoals #spookyreads @mdm139

Calling my #Bookspin for #Spooktober! I managed three bingos as well as my #Bookspin and #Doublespin. I found Schiff‘s book thorough in detail but too prone to repetition and scattered musing. Trimming unnecessary ‘what-ifs‘ and digressions would have greatly improved the book. ⭐️⭐️⭐️ I‘ll be skipping the November #Bookspin to concentrate on a handful of longer nonfiction. Let‘s hope they read a little better than The Witches!

Well. Now I know why this used book only had tabs from the previous reader for about 100 pages. Dry, repetitive, and the way she writes about the Native people felt gross.
I tried to listen on audio and got 7 hours into it, I cannot handle another 12.
#scarathlon #screamathon Book with Witch in title hope this counts even if I am bailing!! #teamHendrix @4thhouseontheleft

Good - but really detailed & I have to say things worked weirdly back in 1692. Obviously, the legal system was not our legal system but somehow I expected it to seem closer. One odd fact: one of the accused was John Alden Jr from Plymouth. Turns out he was the son of John Alden & Priscilla Mullins of “Speak for yourself, John Alden” fame.

#scarathlon #witch @Linsy

Forecast for the next week some dark and spooky reads for the season.

Calling all witches and witch lovers! Signup is still open for the #BasicWitchSwap hosted by @sprainedbrain and myself. Use this link to sign up and be sure to do so before 8/31!! https://forms.gle/GyFwxboq1WQgk1Jw5

Brought my manatea on holiday.

Got halfway through and it just got dry, will likely go back and finish though

The power of enthusiasm can be a double edged sword. I‘ve gone with enthusiasm of the worst sort. In their enthusiasm to keep Satan out of Salem Village, many innocent lives were lost and many more ruined.
#litfortunecookie

Let‘s get @LeahBergen and that gorgeous collection of hers in on this fun!

This is the second time I‘ve read a Schiff book and was over whelmed with it. So I bailed it. I may come back to it at another time but I had to let it go last night.

I really enjoyed this book! I haven‘t read a ton about the trials and it was nice to have the whole story, beginning to end, in one place.
On a side note, one of my ancestors was a neighbor of John Proctor, who was tried and hanged as a witch during this time.

Blame it on Litsy 📖

My July #bookspin list. This months list is a mix of library books off my stack at home, book club summer picks, and unread books on my shelves. I left one free choice. I read 8 on my list last month. Hoping to beat that in July! . @TheAromaofBooks I am excited about #bookspinbingo.

Day 19: For fun, I am going to post one book per day from my extensive to-be-read collection. No description and providing no reason for wanting to read it, I just do. Some will be old, some will be new. Don‘t judge me - I have a lot of books. Join the fun if you want. #bookstoread #tbrpile @StaceyKondla

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 I wanted to like this book more than I actually did, but I still enjoyed the journey and learned a lot. It‘s quite dense and kind of confusing at times, so close reading is required! Recommended for anyone who loves history and loves nonfiction. #nonfiction #witches

“In These Hellish Meetings”...buddy reading The Witches: Salem, 1692 with my best friend long-distance, wishing he were here and I could buy him a chai latte. #christmas #salem #buddyreads

I would highly recommend this to history junkies and fans of The Crucible. It is beyond informative, recounting the Salem witch trials with close attention to detail and beautiful writing. Whether you‘re reading for pleasure or for a high school lit class, you will appreciate it. It may get boring at times, but the book leaves you feeling more informed of the dark time in history.

I think I have found the source for That Line in the horror movie The Witch: “Dost thou wish to live deliciously?”
71-year-old Amesbury widow Susannah Martin was accused by a man from Salisbury of witchcraft. He said she offered him the devil‘s book to sign so that he would receive “all the delectable things, person, and places that he could imagine”.

Dost thou wish butter? And fine dresses? Dost thou wish to live deliciously? #horror #history

@Catsandbooks oh my goodness, thank you so much for my #BasicWitchSwap package! I love everything and you have given me all I need for a perfect cozy Halloween! I‘ll be curling up with the tagged book, in my new cozy socks, with a glass of red wine, and candles burning on this chilly, rainy Halloween. Thank you!!

Huge thank you too to @sprainedbrain and @Meaw_catlady for organizing such a fun swap!!

#screamathonphotochallenge
#witchy
@4thhouseontheleft

Here‘s a small sample of witch related fiction and nonfiction from my TBR shelf. Most of them have been there for a while now.

“Salem is in part a story of what happens when a set of unanswerable questions meets a set of unquestioned answers.”

Without being too literal, midway through the history of the Salem trials, Schiff starts really poking fun.
#spooktober #witches @Eggs
“Meanwhile, most of Essex County seemed to be flying through the air, on very crowded sticks.”

Here‘s my drawing for #inktober for today the prompt was witch! Pretty happy with how it came out. This process has really helped with my creativity and drawing skills. Loving getting to do spooky and witchy themed drawings ! #basicwitchswap #witches

I‘m glad I started this early in the month because this heavily researched and extremely detailed book is taking a long time to get through. Densely packed pages of small print and smaller footnotes! It‘s taken me DAYS to get 1/3 way done.

Plans for Saturday: reading The Witches in tandem with my best friend, Joshua—we have started our own little two-person long-distance book club—organizing my planner, spending some time in my reading journal, and organizing my podcast planning notebook, and reading for episode 53 of There Might Be Cupcakes podcast—the second episode on the Three Mothers series (Suspiria, etc.) of horror movies. Gonna be a good nerdy day. 🧁 🎧 #podcast

Witches, wizards, Yogi‘s, goddesses, children of the moon! Only 2 more days to sign up for this witchy swap! #basicwitchswap don‘t miss out! join us!
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSckjsmgphBlkftGRGgacz8QY3x2lC4M7bbYLdkE...

Interesting read.

I am hardcore on a non-fiction audiobook jag - this one is up next 👍

Bit reading time on the train back to Newcastle. Actually going to be sociable tonight 😩😂

This book is so fascinating! It‘s dense with information & it‘s not always easy to keep the names in order but I don‘t want to put it down. I loved her other book on Cleopatra, too.

So I finished this bonkers book tonight. 😳 It‘s a pick for me, though it may not be for everyone. It‘s a “just the facts” sort of history book that may bore some as a textbook would. But I would argue it‘s an excellent and pretty well annotated resource if you are looking for information that isn‘t additionally sensationalized (the folks at the time did enough of that themselves). Just don‘t expect sexy ladies in bathtubs 😉

#BookMail Pt7 The 2nd last book from last week is a non fiction about the Salem Witch trials in 1692. I love witches, ever since I was a kid when my favorite tv show was Bewitched. So when I saw all the great reviews for this I had to get it. After this week, the book mail will be almost nonexistent unfortunately. The hubby, who knows how much reading means to me & is happy to fund me, has had a mild fit about the #MountTBRStacksOfDoom🙇🏻‍♀️

“Cotton Mather spoke to the same fears in 1690, when he preached on New England in a state of “distress and danger as it never saw before.” His was a law-enforcing, discipline-endorsing address; in their sins and discontents they had brought down “whole armies of Indians and Gallic blood #hounds.” The authorities had failed in protecting the flock.”

#QuotsyMar19 #31DaysOfNonFiction

I LOVE me a witch book, especially a historical one. Since I was a child I have been fascinated by the Salem Witch Trials. This book was SUCH a disappointment! I bailed because it was more textbook than anything and 200 pages in I had learned nothing new. Should‘ve known since it was on the $5 Deal table at Barnes & Noble.

These are a few of the books that we got at B&N today. #BookHaul

We are the granddaughters of the witches you could not burn.

#InternationalWomensDay

1692, in what is could kind of be considered #TheSuburbs of modern day Boston, a group of young girls started accusing townspeople of Salem of witchcraft. What transpired from that led to hundreds of accusations in the Boston area. #TimbitTunes

Taking cold medicine that puts you to sleep causes you forever to finish a book. Finished taking Medicine, yesterday, and finished book today.

Been sick with cold. Went to Dr Tuesday and feeling better today. Of course, it helps when you sleep all day, which I did yesterday. Plan on reading after I run some errands this morning.

Had this from the library for awhile. The Salem Witch trails have always fascinated me. Hoping this book is good. Looking at past litsy's that have read it, not so sure it will be good, but I am going to give it a go.

I‘ve been attempting to finish this book for a year and as it‘s now 2019 I‘m calling it. Gotta start the year off right.

Not a fan of this one. I feel like honestly it was unnecessary. It‘s nothing I haven‘t read in history textbooks or The Crucible. I was hoping it would have something unique. But, not so much.

Reading at my daughter‘s Twirling practice when I stumble upon the author quoting Harry Potter. 😊

I wanted to like this book more than I did. There was a lot of interesting information about the Salem Witch Trials of 1692, but it was written in such a way that it was a slog to get through it all. 3 stars, but barely.