Welcome to Litsy!

I‘ve had this on my tbr for awhile and it was quite enjoyable historical fiction/romance with a little bit of mystery. #BookSpin

Hi again! I‘m writing home from #LitsySummerCamp twice in one day since I missed writing yesterday. Today is arts and crafts and I‘ve never been very artistic. So I may find a hammock to hide away in and read about artists in this month‘s #BookSpin book.

With shades of Little Women we follow Virginia "Ginny" Loftin as she enters the literary world of Gilded Age New York in 1891. As part of an artistic family, Virginia excels in the written word. Thwarted in love, she pours herself into her writing and with new contacts enters an upper class artists salon. But all is not as it seems and Ginny finds her family embroiled in a scandal they may never recover from. Highly recommended!

Bit late posting these but here are the books I read last month.
All were 4 or 5 stars for me, I had an excellent reading month (probably why I'm slumping a bit this month).
#monthlywrapup #octoberreads

I enjoyed the first half and the ending of this book. I found the first half to be intriguing and inspiring. I didn‘t really care for the plot twist, although it was definitely unexpected. I feel as though it wasn‘t the right path the story should‘ve taken. However, the ending made up for it. I didn‘t know that the author had based the story on her own ancestors until I finished the book, but it definitely made the story more meaningful to me.

A book and a bath kinda night 🕯🛁

Beautiful evening outside for reading ☀️🌿

My Friday night 🤓

I am enjoying this book so far ✒️🎨🎻

Starting this one next. Has anyone read it? 😁

I could not resist the cover, but the characters and dialogue seemed too modern, and I was not feeling it.

#BookNDinner, Mongolian Grill Edition, round 2! Keeping it simple. Shrimp, a pile of veggies, and a delicate lacing of some mei fun noodles. (Oh, and more sushi). 😋👌🏻 Happy reads and happy eats!

#BookNDinner! Mongolian Grill edition. Round one: fried dumplings and sushi, with a pot of oolong tea. 😋 Happy reads and happy eats!

#BookNBrunch! Grabbed a nice brunch with @MrBook before his library shift. 🍳 Country omelette with ham, American cheese, onions, and mushrooms, and home fries on the side. And lots and lots of coffee! ☕️ Happy reads and happy eats! 😋

#BookNDinner! Appetizers: fried dumplings for me, General Tso's for @MrBook ...and a delicious hibachi stir fry for the main course! Fish, shrimp, crab, beef, chicken, egg, bok choy, cabbage, celery, sprouts, mini corn, water chestnuts, snow peas, broccoli, zucchini, mei fun, lo mein, garlic, and scallions, with teriyaki, soy, and garlic sauces, and sprinkled with sesame seeds. Sooo yummy! 😋 Happy reads and happy eats!

#BookNLunch! Ham sandwich because every book I read lately mentions ham sandwiches. 😂 With a half sweet tea. Yum! 😋 Happy reads and happy eats!

#LitsyPartyofOne #butinourcasethree is still going strong here in the MrBook/BookBabe household! It's midnight snack time! Much tea has been consumed here this evening. ☺️🍪

I have very mixed feelings about this. There were a lot of elements that I liked, but it didn't ever seem to all come together. An epilogue set 40 years later tying up the loose ends felt like a cop out. The author's notes indicate that the basis of the story is some family history, and perhaps that history just didn't meld with the fictional elements. I really wanted to like this and give it a "pick," but I can't get there.

#BookNLunch! Subway edition. Grabbing a bite with @MrBook before dropping him off at his library and then heading to the print shop to pick up the Tea and Tome Prints! 😊👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 Italian Herbs & Cheese Bread, turkey, provolone, lettuce, tomato, mayo, spinach, cucumbers, black olives, & oregano, toasted, with iced green tea & honey, Harvest Cheddar Sun Chips, and raspberry cheesecake cookie.

I knew I'd need more than one book for vacation 😄. Enjoying this on my Kindle, but not taking it to the beach. This is afternoon, after-beach reading.

#BookNDinner! At @MrBook 's request, I made us some angel hair pasta with mussels in a garlic white clam sauce alongside spinach salad, paired with sparkling mineral water. Yum! This has been another presentation of: #MrBookBookBabeKitchen. 😋
Happy reads & happy eats!

#BookNDinner! @MrBook made dinner for us so I could keep painting! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 Hot dogs with sauerkraut and dill relish and tater tots! Yum 😋

#BookNDinner! My wonderful @MrBook made dinner for us tonight, so I could keep painting! Baked teriyaki salmon filet, riced cauliflower with jasmine rice, steamed broccoli, creamed spinach, and sparkling lemon seltzer. Delicious and nutritious! 😋 This has been another presentation of: #MrBookBookBabeKitchen. Happy reads & happy eats!

#BookNDinner! My sweet @MrBook had a looong day at FOUR(!!!) libraries, so I rewarded him when he got home with a delicious dinner of beer brats, tater tots, kraut (not pictured) and Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy—hands down the best beer I've ever had! 😋 🍻This has been another presentation of: #MrBookBookBabeKitchen. Happy reads & happy eats!

#BookNLunch! Salami, provolone, & spinach panini on fresh peasant bread, with chilled lemonade. Yum! 😋

I received an email from Book Outlet that 50 historical fiction titles were 50% off. This happened as a result...

Sounds great. I think I'm gonna buy it.

I am reading Joy Callaway 's debut novel The Fifth Avenue Artists Society. It is an interesting read. Stay tuned for more!

Starting this one for my historical fiction book club ... Has anyone read it? It's got some elements that grab my attention - gilded age NY, art, family secrets & betrayals ... Thoughts?

"Staring at Alevia was pointless, but men always did."

The opening line to this gem of a book.

Other than some issues with the writing (this author's personal tic was "materialized"), I loved this story.

Life confused me. The mix of pain and love and suffering and happiness didn't make sense.

Tell me about it.

In a hospital waiting for your spouse to be discharged? Make sure you have a book!! We're all good, but man, kidney stones suck.

Love was something I couldn't control, but I *could* control my words, and I planned to make something of them.

You go, Ginny Loftin. I like this MC a lot.

Jimmy is supremely perturbed I'm in his spot. Sorry, not sorry, Jimmy.

Loving this book so far, by the way.

And now for something completely different, but that I know @HarperPerennial loves. Reading and reviewing this one for She Reads Book Club!

I loved this book! So charming and creative and romantic.

Excited to add this to my TBR pile and review it for She Reads!

"An engrossing snapshot of 1890s New York City. . . . Filled with well-drawn characters and lush historical texture, this tale sweeps you into the midst of writers, artists, and musicians, some of whom wrestle darker muses than others." —Jill Morrow, author of NEWPORT