Welcome to Litsy!

MG adventure! Three kids who first meet at a D.C. airport while snowed in work together with their hunches, to solve a mystery: the “Francis Scott Key” US flag has been stolen from the Smithsonian!

#Read2025 #LitsyAtoZ

@DieAReader @Texreader

I know a family like the Breitweisers, the mother/son dynamic specifically. I could imagine Stephane & his mother's relationship so vividly while reading, her desire to protect her son at all costs. Anyway, The Art Thief is well researched and a fast paced narrative non-fiction/biography of 200+ art heists by a collector who just wanted to live surrounded by the art he enjoyed.

3.5 Stars • Next of Kin by John Boyne (2006) is a twisty thriller set in 1936 London. Owen Montignac, a broke aristocrat, gets snubbed in his uncle‘s will, leaving everything to his cousin Stella. Facing a huge debt to a shady casino boss, Owen schemes to steal art, blackmail, and even kill to get what he thinks is his. He ropes in Gareth, the lazy son of a judge, and things spiral into a messy web of lies and murder. ⬇️

This novel about a black musician who loved music more than anything other than his sweet grandmother Nora. As a black boy without any means to buy a good instrument. The story took Ray around the world as he played for audiences. The violin was stolen, then a huge investigation took place. The end was a bit predictable but I enjoyed it. 4.25/5

I loved this one. The way the author talks about music made me feel like I was there playing with the main character, a violinist. I did feel like some bits were unrealistic, specifically the ease of crowdsourcing funds, but it wasn‘t enough to deter my enjoyment of the book. Look forward to reading his next book!

Here‘s a little blep face from Sietje.

#CoverStories

Non-fiction/true crime #Feather book. I finished this one last month & enthusiastically recommend it. It will be on my 2025 favorites list. 🪶📚

This wasn‘t just a mystery about a violin 🎻 heist it was a thoughtful exploration of the life of a talented young musician who has to overcome prejudice and poverty. I‘m not a classical music fan but this author has such beautiful descriptions of the violinist‘s feelings while playing. A great choice for Black History Month

#Read2025

One of my #Roll100 Feb picks (#82 Any Non-Fiction) & also a #BlameItOnLitsy rec from @Kitta (on one of my posts about The Art Thief she recommended this one in the museum theft true crime genre). In this case a 20-year-old American flautist & fly-tying enthusiast steals 299 rare bird skins from a UK museum. I‘d have thought all the detail on fly-tying would have bored me but I found it & the crime fascinating. It reads like fiction.

#FeelinTheLove

You know it‘s become a weekly habit for more than you when the airport barista knows your name & starts looking for your mobile order when they see you walk up. 😆
Headed to Hilo for the day.

I think I‘ll be able to finish the tagged book on my flights. It‘s pretty interesting & I‘m learning about the #WeirdLove & obsession some people have for feathers & the Victorian art of salmon fly-tying. 🎣