Welcome to Litsy!

This is fictionalized nonfiction. There is a lot of conjecture about small details and liberal imagination used in the fact telling. I am not usually a fan of this method of writing. It doesn't feel authentic, and it doesn't quite flow. However, it's an interesting, crazy, sad story.

My pick for #SmallTownMurder goes to Susan Jonusas's “Hell's Half-Acre.“ #autumnplease #scarathlon #nonfiction #serialkillers #truecrime @eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Book 83🎧 4⭐️

I am not much for non-fiction, and I definitely wouldn‘t pick up a Wild West novel by any means. But this book impressed me because of that! The narration was fantastic, it read like a fiction novel, not just a bunch of facts laid out. The world of the Benders was built within these pages.

The hunt for the murderous Bender family took place through the late 1800 and ended in a witch hunt.

All about the Bloody Benders, America‘s first serial killer family.
I‘ve heard plenty about them from various other sources but most stop after the family disappears but Jonusas continued on to the story of the hunt for the Benders that took lawmen across the Midwest and South.
There were quite a few tangents that could‘ve been cut but overall an interesting take on this infamous true crime.
Finished 1/9/2023

Unfortunately, much of the history here is forever lost. There isn‘t enough actual content to warrant a book that‘s marketed to be about this family. Arguably, this book is more about the variety of factors and facts about American life in wildest of wests and how it was able to cultivate this level of crazy. It‘s rather ironic when you think about how much of America is now defined by its robust criminal justice system. 🧐

Saturday Night Scaries ☠️☠️☠️☠️

The Bloody Benders were bloody terrifying! All the more so because so much is still unknown. And they never answered for their crimes. Were they a true family or just a gang of professional serial killers? There was so much about this crazy story that was new to me. Lots of interesting frontier history too. I felt a bit more invested in the first half, but mostly a good (if grisly) listen.

I took the true-crime bait. This is an interesting read about a very strange family (?), the Benders, who robbed and killed travelers at their remote cabin in Kansas in the 1870s. They buried their victims in the orchard. The dearth of comprehensive sources/records from the time and the lack of definitive answers results in a readable but only partially satisfying narrative. The author did a commendable job, especially for a first work.

Another reading space I set up in the new house! I am loving all the cozy little spaces I'm finding ways to add to our new home. I'll share the reading spaces I made for my boys' rooms next. #readingspace #readingcorner #cozyingupwithabook

New non-fiction. I've been looking forward to reading this one for a month! The Bloody Benders were a frontier family that lived in Kansas. The family vanished and buried on their plot of land were numerous human remains. The case remains unsolved to this day. 🤯

June pick # 2 for #truecrimebookclub Got lucky and managed to get a copy for my library. These thunderstorms rolling through are definitely putting me in the mood to read, so I think I'll take a little break and get started on this one. #truecrime #readingandthunderstorms #readingandrain

This is a true crime story that I knew nothing about until I just randomly found the audiobook through my library.

In the 1870's in Kansas a discovery of multiple bones and buried bodies are discovered on the property of the Bender family. This book explores who this family was, where they might have ran off too, and reasons why they killed.

Some parts were slow, but overall it was an interesting read with a lot of information.

Saturday book buy at my favorite local indie. It feels a little wrong to even want to read this. 🤷🏻‍♀️

#truecrime

If you like Killers of the Flower Moon, you will like this book. This a true crime book about a family of serial killers in Kansas post civil war. It is narrative. I wanted to know more about some aspects, and spend less time on some others because I already knew the history.