Welcome to Litsy!

This was amazing! Gone with the Wind was a favorite movie of mine when I was younger and I always thought Hattie McDaniel was excellent in it. Learning about her real life and all of the turmoil and backlash she suffered due to the roles she played was so sad. She was hardworking and dynamic and witty and smart and it really is horrific that she just wanted to do the thing she loved the most - act - and find a love that was true and lasting and ⬇️

I‘ve had this book on Kindle for months, way back when it was the last book for #EuropaCollective. Finally got around to it! A very interesting story about Belle Greene who became the chief librarian for J.P. Morgan in the early 1900s, all while passing as “white” even though her parents were descended from slaves. It‘s amazing how far we‘ve come from when having a single drop of black blood disqualified someone from so much.

The JP Morgan library celebrating 100 years and giving due credit to Belle. 😄 Gorgeous collection - hope to see it someday.

https://youtu.be/2hMrbtZQWxo?si=Cg8tVcodd_aRCnA9

Themes: Historical Fiction Mystery, Famous Authors as characters, 1930‘s London

This was an okay read, it‘s between a so-so and a pick. It wasn‘t amazing but I was interested enough to keep reading it. A good library borrow 👍

This is the lower end of the pick scale for me. I really wanted for all the Queens to be clearly depicted, but only Christie and Sayers have pretty distinct personalities. Marsh and Allingham were only distinguishable from each other by Marsh‘s New Zealand accent and their respective clothing styles. The book was also a bit slow paced in the first half but picked up later. #audiowalk

I‘ve only read a couple of Dorothy Sayers‘ books and don‘t know much about her, so it‘s interesting listening to a book with her as the main character, with Agatha Christie, Baroness Emma Orczy (The Scarlet Pimpernel), Ngaio Marsh, and Margery Allingham as sidekicks. I‘ve read at least one book by all of them except Allingham. Beautiful day for a #audiowalk.

We listened to John Scalzi on our trip to the beach. I switched to The Queens of Crime for my #audiowalk, and then I sat, relaxed, and read The Long Walk. This is my favorite type of weather. ❤️

I didn‘t know what to expect from this book in this genre I rarely read, but it surprised me half way through when we finally learn the identity of the woman in the title. I probably should have known sooner, but I honestly didn‘t know this woman‘s history, or anyway the version of it in this novel. Abuse, intrigue, espionage, escape, stardom, WWII, invention, misogyny. Not a lot has changed, but this book has made me want to learn more. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

I love novels with strong female characters. And when you can make the women varied in ages and personality and show that they can get along and solve a murder? Even better. Set in the 1930s and focusing on the death of a young nurse, five female mystery writers join forces to solve her murder when the police seem ready to write it off as nothing but an unfortunate accident.

#arc

I wasn't blown away by this, but it may have been more me than the book. I had to read most of it while my partner was in the hospital for a procedure; constant interruptions and distractions (he's doing well, BTW). I almost wish I could re-read it while curled up in a chair. I enjoyed the relationships among the writers and the look at the plight of "surplus" women in the period between the world wars.

#mystery #historical #historicalfiction