Litsy

How I spent Saturday night ! A night of laughter though I found walking through the casino like being on the inside of a pinball machine! He was awesome!

dabbe OMG! How did I not know about this? 😭😭😭 6d

Leftcoastzen @dabbe I think I was notified because I was on a Ticketmaster list . I bet you would have loved it ! 6d

Amiable I saw Randy in New Haven, CT, about a year or so ago. He‘s the best! 5d

TieDyeDude Very cool. He's a blast in his YouTube videos! 5d

44 likes4 comments

Librarybelle

The Chelsea Girls | Fiona Davis

It‘s time for our #LiteraryCrew discussion! I have 7 questions posted as spoilers; you can find these on my feed, the book‘s feed, or by searching the group‘s hashtag.

I think this is my favorite of Davis‘s I‘ve read so far. Hope you enjoyed it too!

mcctrish, mjdowens, melissajayne, Jerdencon, tpixie, LapReader, Cuilin, kspenmoll, PurpleyPumpkin, Prairiegirl_reading, Deblovestoread, Sace, CatLass007, Mollyanna, BookwormAHN, Pogue, dabbe, Sargar114, Karisa, bumpinthenight, Singout, julieclair, AllDebooks, Lkempf

TheBookHippie I enjoyed this read very much -

This Cold Heaven: Seven Seasons in Greenland

4mo

TheBookHippie This one as well

The Ice at the End of the World: An Epic Journey Into Greenland's Buried Past and Our Perilous Future

4mo

TheBookHippie Greenland is the world's largest island, not a continent, and is located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans. It is an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark. While part of North America geographically, it has strong cultural and historical ties to Europe, particularly Norway and Denmark. 4mo

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TheBookHippie Nuuk, Greenland's capital, is a small city on the country's southwest coast. Its large fjord system is known for waterfalls, humpback whales and icebergs. The waterfront is dotted with brightly colored houses against the backdrop of Sermitsiaq mountain. Greenland National Museum has mummies and Inuit skin boats, while the Nuuk Art Museum displays local works. The Katuaq cultural center offers films, concerts and art.
4mo

TheBookHippie Greenland's education system includes primary, secondary, and higher education levels, with a 10-year compulsory primary education for children aged 6-16. While education is free, including university, and students may receive a monthly grant, challenges remain in quality and completion rates, particularly at the secondary and higher education levels. 4mo

Jerdencon I really enjoyed this one! But I love all her books! 4mo

PurpleyPumpkin I really enjoyed this book! It reminded me of The Briar Club, but went in a different direction. A definite pick for me!👍🏽 4mo

Sargar114 Good pick, thank you for hosting! 4mo

Sargar114 @PurpleyPumpkin agree there are similarities to the Briar Club, especially with it being the same time period. Still working my way through that one but I like the artsy feel of this one. 4mo

julieclair So, I was 2/3 through and loving it. Then the library wouldn‘t let me renew. 😭 So I‘m back on the waitlist and will finish whenever. 😕 4mo

PurpleyPumpkin @Sargar114 Yes, definitely enjoyed the artsy side of this one!🙌🏽 4mo

Karisa @PurpleyPumpkin Agreed! Definitely has some parallels with Briar Club (house, women MCs, red scare). I liked both 😊 4mo

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Librarybelle

The Chelsea Girls | Fiona Davis

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7. McCarthyism plays a massive role in this novel. Do you think McCarthyism made romantic and friendly relationships difficult? Why or why not? If so, what were the complications and the consequences of having a relationship? ~from Reading Group Guide #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead

Link in comments to a PBS American Experience page on Joseph McCarthy and McCarthyism

mcctrish I think connections can be found between McCarthyism and Trumpism today. It is really hard to overlook that kind of awful in a person 4mo

Jerdencon @mcctrish I agree! So many times I was reading about McCarthyism it felt like I was reading about the ICE raids and it made me sad on how the world doesn‘t ever learn. 4mo

Deblovestoread I agree! There are so many similarities. History continues to repeat itself. 4mo

Sargar114 It‘s hard not to be disappointed in someone who shares appalling beliefs about a group of people the way McCarthyism and Trumpers do. 4mo

7 likes4 comments

Librarybelle

The Chelsea Girls | Fiona Davis

This post contains spoilers

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5. How do Hazel and Maxine subvert or conform to 1950s expectations and gender roles? ~from Reading Group Guides #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead

Sargar114 I found it interesting that Maxine was able to be a spy by conforming. She was able to get inside and serve the needs of the party. Hazel fought so hard (rightfully so) but it‘s ultimately what led her to be an outcast. 4mo

6 likes1 comment

Librarybelle

The Chelsea Girls | Fiona Davis

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4. What did you think of Charlie and his desire to join the FBI? How do you think his relationship with his father shaped his ambitions? Were you rooting for him and Hazel? Why or why not? ~from Reading Group Guide #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead

mcctrish Charles totally bought into the idea that communism was wrong and his country was true and righteous and wanted to fight on the side of good. Then he learned countries are ruled by men and they are not always promoting good. I rooted for them so hard 4mo

Deblovestoread I wanted them to work it out. Hazel lost everything. 4mo

Sargar114 I don‘t know if I was rooting for them. I wasn‘t terribly fond of Hazel and she seemed to sabotage as well. While I don‘t know how Charlie really felt about the FBI, it‘s seemed pretty bold of her to ask him not to plow what he thought was his dream. 4mo

Karisa I was rooting for them too. We need sensible, honorable people like Charlie in those powerful positions. People who can think for themselves and see nuances 4mo

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Librarybelle

The Chelsea Girls | Fiona Davis

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3. When Maxine flubs her lines on opening night, her career doesn‘t suffer, but Hazel‘s does. Why do you think that is? How would you have reacted in Hazel‘s situation? Do you think she has a right to be bitter about the success of Wartime Sonata‘s revival, or should she be grateful? ~from Reading Group Guides #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead

mcctrish What a double edged sword this was - I would totally have been so upset with Maxine and so bitter but the bitterness did really impact Hazel‘s life and that just made it feel a waste 4mo

Jerdencon I feel like Maxine doing that set the trajectory of Hazels life… it wasn‘t just a quick fix it had long term repercussions. 4mo

Deblovestoread I love Broadway musicals but don‘t know enough about what decides a closing. Up until Maxine‘s purposeful errors the buzz was positive, it seemed extreme that the actress erroring would shut it down. 4mo

Sargar114 I mean, Hazel was an outsider who was on the cusp of being blacklisted due to the communist scare it makes sense that the powers that be find a reason to shut it down. It completely upended her career and because of her status couldn‘t overcome. Maxine was already somewhat established so she could overcome a speed bump. 4mo

Karisa Ugh, I agree with @mcctrish I would‘ve been so sad and mad at the waste of it all too. Hazel‘s career, Floyd, Charlie…and who comes out on top still? Maxine and Tangerine girl 🥴 4mo

6 likes5 comments

Librarybelle

The Chelsea Girls | Fiona Davis

This post contains spoilers

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2. If Maxine had not made the tragic choice she did, do you think she and Hazel would have renewed their friendship? If you were in Hazel‘s shoes, would you forgive Maxine? Why or why not? ~ from Reading Group Guides #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead

Jerdencon Im not sure they would have ever gone back to the way they were. Hazel was very head strong and not sure she would have completely forgiven Maxine. 4mo

Deblovestoread Maxine‘s choice changed Hazel‘s life trajectory. It would be hard to forgive it. 4mo

Sargar114 It‘s tough because Hazel wouldn‘t have gotten the opportunity she got if it weren‘t for Maxine, but then to ultimately bomb the play to save her destroyed her life. Like @Deblovestoread said, completely changed the trajectory. We can see the why but Hazel will always wonder what could have been… 4mo

Karisa I feel like Hazel didn‘t know Maxine really. She had so many sides—who was the real one? I felt disconnected from that character and wondered if her story arc was just a little too much 4mo

7 likes4 comments

Librarybelle

The Chelsea Girls | Fiona Davis

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1. I enjoy Davis's works because she focuses each story on a landmark in New York City. For this novel, we visit the Hotel Chelsea.

Have you visited the Hotel Chelsea? Do you want to visit after reading this book?

Links in comments to an interview in which Davis details her reasons to feature the Hotel Chelsea, as well as the history of the hotel from the hotel's website. #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead

Librarybelle Davis interview: https://www.fionadavisbooks.com/the-chelsea-girlsqanda

Hotel Chelsea history: https://hotelchelsea.com/history 4mo

mcctrish I totally want to visit it someday 4mo

Jerdencon I actually have been in the lobby of the hotel (I live in NYC). It‘s been redone and is very artsy and cool. I need to go back now that I‘ve read the book. I have eaten at El. Quiojte several times - they have the best sangria! 4mo

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Deblovestoread Would love to visit some day. I, too, like the setting of Davis‘s novels and getting an intimate look at historical buildings. 4mo

Sargar114 Never been, but would love to. I actually wish this story had more of it. It felt like it started strong but then got away from the hotel itself. 4mo

Karisa So many cool people through those doors! I‘d like to see it too, especially since @Jerdencon mentions it‘s been redone in an artsy way. The ending of the book made it sound so drab and sad. (And yum, sangria! 😊) 4mo

6 likes6 comments

Sargar114

The Chelsea Girls | Fiona Davis

pick

We follow the friendship of Hazel and Maxine. They met on a USO tour at the end of WWII. The core of the story takes place during the McCarthy witch-hunt of communists in the entertainment industry. I listened to this on audio and I didn‘t care for the narrator for Maxine, even though I really liked the character. I enjoyed the story overall even if it got a little cheesy at times. But didn‘t really love the end. Read for #literarycrew

Librarybelle Glad you liked this! 4mo

Sargar114 It was a fun listen @Librarybelle Good Pick! 4mo

13 likes2 comments

thebacklistbook

Playing with Myself | Randy Rainbow

pick

This book took me some time to get through because, life. It is a good examination of what it means to be a viral sensation and the positives and negatives that come with it.

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