Welcome to Litsy!

An impressive find in one of my neighborhood Little Free Libraries!

"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

The Frozen River is a solid 5 stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 in my opinion. This book is not fantasy, but her style of writing is so magical that sometimes I forget it's historical fiction. I deeply admire the love and bond between Martha and Ephraim. The book is full of rich history and well crafted characters. There is so much I could say about it, but I think you just need to read it for yourself.

Arby‘s-style poutine and a new book on a cold afternoon makes for an ideal Saturday.

The pace of this was incredibly slow. But I love when a slow burn story reads with an underlying intensity that makes the time pass quickly. Recommended to those who appreciate historical fiction from the female perspective

Guess we have ghosts 🤷🏻‍♀️

This was our April 2024 bookclub selection. The story was of a midwife who lived and worked in the 1700s. Parts of the novel were action packed. It contained a murder and a mystery. Learning about the legal system in its infancy was enlightening. People (mostly men) got away with a lot back then. I particularly enjoyed the authors note at the end. I like hearing how she developed her story. I‘m glad that my bookclub recommended this book.

#WeeklyFavorites

The Frozen River was my favorite read from March 24 - 31.

This is my first book by Lawhon. However, if her writing is this stellar in all of her books it won‘t be my last.
This was so good! I loved the mix of historical fiction and mystery. Very well done.

This book was so good. It was so much better than I could have imagined. This was a mix of historical fiction and mystery and I loved it.

I absolutely loved, loved, loved this book!!!

Up next on audio. 🎧

This is my book club‘s March pick.

#bookspinbingo

I've read so many good reviews 🤞🤞🤞

I‘m a few chapters into this book and just realized the main character is based on a real person.

It was so so good! I didn't even think I'd be into the premise but all her books are so well written and move and have such details and layered plots. Read everything from Ariel Lawhon!

Baby is sick so I'm working from home and taking a few minutes to myself as he naps.

This book is so juicy.

What? You don't hide a big bag of chocolate mini Cadbury eggs in your underwear drawer to hide it from your kids and eat at night?

Lawhon's writing is always soooo propulsive. A lot of her stories I didn't think would be my thing but her writing is just incredible. Sucks you in and makes you want to keep turning pages. Can't wait for the twist, she always has a twist.

I‘ve really enjoyed everything I‘ve read by Ariel Lawson and this was no exception. I will say that it felt a lot longer than it needed to be and not that much actually happens past the key murder mystery and the various lower court meetings dealing with a rape case, and to be honest I didn‘t really care about the murder mystery because the more you found out about the dead man the more I hated him. The writing was great, though, and I enjoyed ⬇️

Okkkk, was it a pick? Yes. Did it keep my interest? Yes. Will I remember it in a month? Yes. But there‘s something off about this book for me. I didn‘t need to two timelines, and I don‘t love a perfect protagonist nor do I need a perfect spouse for that protagonist. Really, everyone connected to her was perfect. I think this book is excellent for lots of readers, and I‘ll even recommend it to them. There, that‘s my review 🤷🏼‍♀️😏😅🥹🙏😬🤷🏼‍♀️

Historical fiction is always my favourite. I stayed up much too late, more than one night, with this one. Inspired by real life events recorded in the diary of midwife Martha Ballard, the great aunt of Clara Barton. A phenomenal, captivating tale of a family, a community, a mysterous murder, and a multitude of babies, set in a tiny town in Maine, in the 1700s. My first Ariel Lawhon, but it won‘t be my last.

Halfway through it, and sometimes I‘m so in love with this book and the story. Then the author switches to 35 years prior and a flashback to her and her husband‘s days as newlyweds and it takes me out of the story. I‘m sure it all ties together at some point, but I‘d rather just read the story of her trying to do right by the people of her town and fighting the patriarchy in the process.

Historical fiction inspired by midwife Martha Ballard & a rape case for which she served as witness during the winter of 1789-90.

Considering how far we both have & haven‘t come regarding women who seek justice against powerful men, the courtroom drama is an interesting & important part of the story. But the most compelling part is still Martha herself. Seeming very OF a time, yet also outside it, given how rare & invaluable her literacy was.

This book. It grew and grew I became more and more attached to Martha Ballard. Worth the hype.

January reading update:

Finished 13 books
7 #auldlangspine titles. Many thanks to @Karisimo for such an awesome list!

⭐️ Favorites were:
The Eyes & the Impossible
The Reading List
The Frozen River (I knew I would like this one and it did not disappoint!)
Much Ado About Nada
Book Lovers

I also gave 5 stars to Black Bird Blue Road.

I‘ve changed how I record books read in my reading journal this year to add this book spine artwork for each title.

Library‘s coming in clutch 🙌

I‘m a fan of historical fiction/historical mystery. Set in Colonial Maine & based on the diary of midwife Martha Ballard. I‘d read about her years ago and was excited when I realized this book was based on her. While the subject of rape may be triggering for some, I loved this book. The steady pacing of the tale built up the tension so I didn‘t want to set it down until finished. While only January, I suspect this will be in my top reads of 2024.

Martha Ballard is a midwife in the late 18th century who's called to testify in a rape case. I couldn't put this one down. Martha might be one of my favorite characters I‘ve read in recent years and knowing she's based on a real woman makes me love her even more. She's strong, smart, and opinionated without ever sacrificing her love for her children and husband. Just an excellent novel across the board. I couldn't wait to see what happened next.

Gripping historical fiction. I was completely caught-up in this story inspired by the life of eighteenth-century midwife, Martha Ballard. My first Lawhon. Now I‘m eager to read her backlist!

#BOTM

I haven‘t read Lawhon before & I realise now how big of a mistake that is. Lawhon beautifully balanced giving voice & power to strong women with the historical aspects - without feeling forced or fake. And, there were some lovely light moments scattered throughout the heavier, darker story line.

But I forgot to read the author's note before I returned this to the library. Happily, it shouldn't be too long before I can get an eBook to read that!

A well-deserved 5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ read!!! Even the authors note was interesting…absolutely adored this book and highly recommend it!!🙌🏼

Already love it and I haven‘t even started!#TheFrozenRiver

The weather outside is frightful….good thing I have a good book!#TheFrozenRiver#ArielLawhon

I completely fell into this 1790 story finding 54 year old midwife Martha fascinating. This could have turned into a complete male bashing event because the laws and voices for women in that time really sucked. But the author painted some interesting good guys to help tell the imagined details inspired by the surviving journals of this real-life midwife. Isn‘t herstory lucky that some women could write in 1790! ↓

I love this book. I love Martha, I really, truly love Ephraim, I love their children, and I love the town and many of its inhabitants. I love the descriptive writing and the astute observations, which infuriated me more than once. I fully expect this to be on my end of year best books list. 💜💜💜

This is my 2nd novel by Lawhon & I am in love w/ her prose, her strong female characters, & her wonderful storytelling. This is the story of a midwife named Martha Ballard who in 1789 not only tends to the birth of her town‘s babies, but is also called to testify in the rape of a woman that has her investigating on her own. Based largely on the true life of Martha, I was completely engrossed w/ the story. She was independent, smart, & empathetic.

My December #12Booksof2023 was so astoundingly good. Martha Ballard was a real midwife who practiced in the Northeastern US in the late 1700‘s. My own L&D RN background likely contributed to my deep love for this book, but truly anyone would love it. It‘s a historical mystery that kept me on my toes throughout. Audiobook is highly recommended!

Thank you so much for hosting #12Booksof2023, @Andrew65! I‘ve enjoyed re-living my year in books!

Happy New Year 🎊🎆🎈 This is my last book of 2023 and one of my favorites of the year! 5 stars ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“This is what it means to age, I think. The days are long, but the years are short.”

#LitsyLoveReads

Out with the old, in with the new!

Barely scraped by with my goal this year, reading The Pale House Devil today! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ weird, dark, and fun. ☺️

And received the tagged from Penguin Random House as one of their final reading rewards (program ending 🙁) - anyone read it?

“I know you were trying to finish this book today Mom, but it‘s the perfect spot for a nap!” 😹😹

#Adayinthelifeoftux

😽😽

This historical fiction read was unlike many and had many intertwined subplots that the author miraculously kept going. It was so friggin maddeningly wild to read about the antiquated laws back then, especially towards women. Hence, the need to swiftly take justice in your own hands in such an amazing fashion.

First let me say that you have to read Author's Notes at the end. There are quite a few interesting things said there.

“I have been at home“. This is said a lot in Martha's diary entries. Also the author says, “Me too, Martha. Me too.“ Here I will add my Me Too, been home!
5 stars
Full review: http://tinyurl.com/8x2exfj9

@ariel.lawhon
#BOTM

4⭐This was a decent historical account of an actual midwife in the late 1700s Maine. Taken from the actual diary of Martha Ballard. There is a quiet fierceness to this story which I‘m sure will resonate with many readers. For me...it started thrillingly but then it lost steam around the halfway point and my interest started waning. Overall, I liked it for what it shed on history…but I wanted it to be a tad more thrilling…especially for its length.

I‘m really enjoying this one… what are you reading on this Christmas night ❤️📚 🍷

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you all are having a wonderful day! 🎄🎅❤️

#LitsyLove

I am thrilled to see Lawhon getting a boost from a major book club, since I think she‘s great (do NOT miss Code Name Hélène). Her latest follows midwife Martha Ballard, a rape accusation, and a patriarchal society that she is fighting against. There‘s a major feminist “hell yeah!” moment in this book. And, as always, do not miss her author‘s note at the end.

One of my favorites from this year! I couldn‘t stand to put it down. I read a library print copy while listening to an early ALC I got from Libro.fm. Narrated by Jane Oppenheimer-she was so believable as Martha Ballard. My background is L&D nursing so Martha‘s story really spoke to me and I loved the historical mystery aspect too. So many details that came together perfectly in the end. Don‘t miss the Author‘s Note *after* reading or listening!

UNPUTDOWNABLE!!! 5 star read!
Set 1789 Maine, by the frozen Kennebec River. This is a historical fiction, mystery inspired by the life and diary of Martha Ballard, a renowned 18th-century midwife and healer.

There‘s a murder investigation, challenges to societal norms, a beautiful love, and a bad ass strong woman at the lead. I loved every part of it!

This was fantastic! For me, it was one of those slow-in-a-savor-it type of books. Read it!

Sunday morning reading with coffee. It‘s pouring rain outside and the pup is snoring at my feet. Husband is to my left reading the most recent Stephen King. I‘m reading by the Christmas lights. Complete perfection, in my opinion #weekendreads

I‘m very early in this book but it is really fantastic so far. Very wintry. MC is a whipsmart midwife. Set in the late 1700‘s. *chef‘s kiss*