Welcome to Litsy!

Friends or the Library sale haul! The top five are signed and I also got a stack of older ARC copies for free. I love my library!

Dollar General finds!! An older picture of the girls.. I can‘t believe they are grown!! 🥲

It wasn‘t all bad, just repetitive. The idea of the beginnings of Hollywood and exploring the main characters‘ friendship, was a good starting point. But, personally, it became dull. One of those where the idea is better than the end result.

Got this one today at OFFICE MAX for just $3.99! I couldn‘t believe Office Max had a bargain book section, so I had to share my excitement✨

I liked this. Mary Pickford must have been everything unimaginable to a woman 100 years ago. Now I want to read more about Francis Marion - Melanie Benjamin has a way of sending me down the internet rabbit hole of historic American women. ...Also, had I read this prior to 2020, I wouldn‘t have noticed impact of the 1918 pandemic was excluded from this period piece.

“Friends are the flowers that bloom in life‘s garden.”

Colorful HF of early 20th century Hollywood star Mary Pickford (cofounder of United Artists with husband Douglas Fairbanks and Charlie Chaplin) and screenwriter Frances Marion. These were the #halcyon days of movies 🎥
#bookspinbingo @TheAromaofBooks
#beautifulwords
@OriginalCyn620 @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

“Lately the line between real life and movies has begun to blur.”

#firstlinefridays @ShyBookOwl

A tribute to my bestie Misty @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks for #bestfriendsday ❣️
#jamminjune #bestfriends #boundtogetherjune

I really enjoyed this look into the beginnings of "flickers" and "movies" and the women who created them. I had no idea that at the beginning women did dominate the industry. It was also a look into friendship and how you grow apart and back together.#bookspin @TheAromaofBooks

Bed rest is a great time to catch up on reading! Don't worry I'm fine! Just a little procedure that will hopefully bring us joy! Positive thoughts and prayers welcome.?

I was drawn into the life and times of Frances Marion and Mary Pickford (of whom I know very little). It's safe to say that Frances and Mary were ahead of their time: strong-minded, savvy women who knew how to speak their minds and take charge of their careers/trajectories. It was fun getting a view “inside“ the start of motion pictures - from the silent films of the late 1910s through the transition to the “talkies“ of the late 1920s.

1. Tagged - Sticking with one at a time for now
2. Themes and Variations, David Sedaris
3. The Stranger Beside Me, Ann Rule

#weekendreads

Picked this up in the supermarket‘s “bargain books” section for $3.99 a few months ago. Better than buying a chocolate bar 🍫 (or two), right?! 📚

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“Real life isn‘t always as magical as the movies, yet, sometimes it‘s even more so.”

The beginnings of the Hollywood movie industry told through the lives of real life stars, Mary Pickford and Frances Marion. Girl power! #californication #wanderingjune

I enjoyed Melanie Benjamin‘s book “Swans of Fifth Avenue”. I had high expectations for this, but was a bit disappointed. The historical basis of the book (Mary Pickford and Frances Marion‘s success in the early, male dominated film industry) was interesting enough but the internal dialogue of both characters sometimes dragged and seemed repetitive. I found myself skipping paragraphs and reading only dialogue in some sections of the book.

Life has been a bit stressful but the one constant is my love of books. They give me the escape I need and sometimes a different perspective. #booknerd #bookworm #bookaddict #bookaddiction

The Chicago Cubs are playing!! I vow this year not to watch too much baseball. Go Cubs Go!! #booknerd #bookaddict #bookaddiction #bookworm

My lunch break is the best part of my work day. I hope everyone is having a great day. #booknerd #bookaddict #bookaddiction #bookclub #bookclubselection

3-26-19: My 24th finished book of 2019! 👍🏼📖#️⃣2️⃣4️⃣ #thegirlsinthepicture #melaniebenjamin

Historical fiction based on the very real Frances Marion and Mary Pickford who both worked in the silent film industry back when movies were an emerging art form. This was a male-dominated industry but these two held their own and were the best at the time, even when it was uncomfortable and came with costs. Fascinating! I knew nothing at all about Mary and Fran before reading this. The story was well-researched, informative, and entertaining.

I am hosting a giveaway over on Instagram. This book is fantastic. Go check it out! https://www.instagram.com/p/BsvHs9kHtc4/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=15irj1...

I went to the library to return a book and came home with two more...

Badly written, badly narrated, white-washed drivel. The concept was interesting enough to keep me from bailing on it, but I was very disappointed in this book I had so been looking forward to reading.

Happy Labor Day weekend! I‘m actually off tonight and tomorrow so making the most of the unofficial end of summer 🍺📖

When you find what you're meant to do, it doesn't seem all that hard.

I love old movies! TCM is my jam. This story of the beginning of the movie industry was fascinating! In this male dominated industry, Mary Pickford and Frances Marion became close friends and fought bravely to have a voice in Hollywood. I cheered for their accomplishments, and applaud their strength and creativity at a time when women had few opportunities.

My current read is a novel about the early days of motion pictures. Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks were the King and Queen of Hollywood! Douglas pursued Mary relentlessly. And both of them craved the devotion of the fans! #lovemedo #heyjune

I didn‘t bail because it was bad, I bailed because it took to long to get from the library

1. ❤️💗 Reds and pinks
2. CSI Miami, I just love Horatio and his team of CI‘s
3. The Girls in the Picture
4. The works.. cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle, bacon, catsup, mustard and mayo
5. Staying home relaxing with a good book and wrapping swap presents to send out on Monday to @Kaye and @LazyDays 💛🤗📦👩🏼‍🍳

#friyayintro

Audio walking through Valley Forge National Park today. Enjoying the combination of history, nature and listening to an interesting book!

Starting a new Playaway. #audiowalk

Mary Pickford and Frances Marion are captivating in this historical fiction of 1914-1921 Hollywood. It's about the things given up to become a "legend", but mostly a story of the power of friendship..
Vivid...Candid...A Great Book!! 4.5 stars

This was a case of “it‘s not you, it‘s me.” I think I started reading this when I wasn‘t in the mood for historical fiction and that was a bad idea. After I took a little break and came back to it, I enjoyed it much more. Early Hollywood isn‘t really a time period that catches my interest usually, but I learned a lot. I also didn‘t know how important women were to making movies. Mary Pickford and Frances Marion had a fascinating relationship!

I liked this old Hollywood historical fiction. The characters were flawed and nuanced. It was about two women who were both strong in different ways, at a time when strong women were often in the shadows.

This is definitely going to be #purchased now at that price for a hardcover. 📚📖

What a bargain for a hardback!!! Been waiting to read this, it might have 'fallen' into my basket.

UK site.

Well, I was going to try this one to help me out of my slump. #MelanieBenjamin is one of my favorite authors so I thought I would give it a shot. However, #Chloe has decided to use it as her pillow. Guess I'll read more about Narnia tonight 🤷
#CatsOfLitsy #Caterruptions #TuxedoKittiesOfLitsy @mcipher
#ReadingSlump

Now taking a few minutes of lunchtime to read and enjoy my #TeacherAppreciationFlowers 🌷🌸 This week has already been crazy-it‘s May, my school is putting on a music show so the schedule is crazy, and I have a bunch of meetings this week. I‘m enjoying small moments of quiet with air conditioning!! #grateful

Started reading this one today! Very early on, but it‘s looking good! #CurrentlyReading

This fit in perfectly with my obsession with the You Must Remember This podcast. Such a good read.

#2018Book30
This is a fictionalized version of how Mary Pickford became the queen of Hollywood, partly due to Frances Marion, one of the most famous early screenwriters. The book follows them from the first silent movies, through World War I, and all the way to "talkies" becoming popular. While the conversations and motivations have been invented by the author, she keeps in enough historical detail to tell how the women's lives really played out.

#TBRTuesday

Working on this one today, a nice historical fiction featuring Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks and the golden days of Hollywood.

“Men can be in love and it doesn‘t affect anything else they do; it gives them even more cachet. It adds something to them. But for women, love doesn‘t add, it subtracts. Why do I feel as if falling in love means I have to give something up?”

Yay, fun new project! All March long, I'm publishing one interview a day with authors inspired by women in history. First up - Melanie Benjamin! Greermacallister.com/blog #womenshistoryreads #womenshistorymonth

I give it 4 Stars. If you love stories about female friendships and old Hollywood, this book is for you. See my full review on my blog : https://coffeeandcatsblog.wordpress.com/2018/02/21/quickie-book-review-the-girls...
#shamelessplug #goodreadsgiveaway #historicalfiction

This book follows the friendship of two early Hollywood legends, Mary Pickford (actress) and Frances Marion (screenwriter). Overall it was a pretty good read!

Enjoyable book though Frances Marion‘s story is far more interesting to learn about than Mary Pickford‘s. #melaniebenjamin #francesmarion #marypickford

WOW. Mary Pickford and Frances Marion. This novel is about Mary‘s life, her one true love Douglas Fairbanks and her successes and losses personally and in pictures, along with Academy Award writer and friend Frances Marion‘s highly successful life. Their friendship is about the sacrifices and compromises they made in order to succeed. A very interesting and powerful story!👏🏻👏🏻 Highly recommend 👍🏻

#historicalfiction