Litsy

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August 1963.Florence,Italy,a deserted city. Searing heat. Bleary-eyed,sleep deprived Inspector Bordella,a chain-smoker in his mid-50s.Biting hordes of mosquitoes torment him at night.Flashbacks to his years as a soldier in WWII are interspersed throughout.His new police protégé is coincidentally the son of his soldier partner.A highly unusual,deviously clever murder of a wealthy, elderly Signora.A wonderful,eclectic cast characters:semi-retired?

kspenmoll 🔼petty thieves,the Signora‘s eccentric mouse-loving brother, the grumpy forensic pathologist,among others. 1mo

44 likes1 stack add1 comment

kspenmoll

Death in August: A Novel | Marco Vichi

It‘s only Monday, but what a day at work! Popcorn, Sam Adams October Fest (split with my husband), & a book. He is making dinner.🧡

dabbe He\'s a good man. 🖤🧡🖤 1mo

kspenmoll @dabbe Thank you for noticing! He is! I am lucky, he loves to cook. 1mo

dabbe @kspenmoll My husband does, too! In fact, he is the COOK in the family. I\'m the dishwasher and baking-pies gal. I\'m lucky, too! 🖤🧡🖤 1mo

mcctrish What a great end to a Monday ❤️❤️ 1mo

57 likes1 stack add4 comments

JenReadsAlot

The Medici: Power, Money, and Ambition in the Italian Renaissance | Paul Strathern

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After my trip to Italy I wanted to learn more about this family.

34 likes

CaitlinR

The Traitor's Mark | Derek K Wilson

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Serendipity lead me to this novel at the Library, it‘s been around for a while. I do enjoy a good historical mystery, and this generally fits the bill, although the historical premise is a bit shaky. Wilson posits a fictional reason for the disappearance of Hans Holbein in 1543 that involves the (factual) Prebendaries Plot to bring down Thomas Cranmer and restore Catholic rule. I enjoyed “meeting” his protagonist, London goldsmith Thomas Treviot.

26 likes

megnews

Alone Time: Four Seasons, Four Cities, and the Pleasures of Solitude | Stephanie Rosenbloom

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A solo travel book and a discussion of the benefits of alone time.

BkClubCare I love travel alone, wandering and chasing whatever fancy appears in my path. But usually it is a day in a city with the hub working - not me going somewhere exotic by myself. Tho, I am not opposed. 1y

TheLudicReader I really enjoyed this book when I read it a few months ago. 1y

squirrelbrain I loved this one too. ❤️ 1y

46 likes2 stack adds3 comments

Read-y_Picker

The Enchantress of Florence | Salman Rushdie

Haven't done one of these in a couple of months. Too hard to plan! But I'm gonna be honest: I've been looking forward to Salman Rushdie as #AAM all year and expect to read mostly him this month. So many of his works I've put off reading, including the tagged. I've started it a few times but didn't feel like I could give it the attention it required at the time. Wish me luck! 🤞🤞
#Bookspin #BookspinBingo @TheAromaofBooks @Soubhiville

AkashaVampie love the picture... one of my favorite colors is purple. 1y

Read-y_Picker @AkashaVampie Me too! This photo is #mood for the next 4 months until we get some good snow cover! 1y

Soubhiville Nice! I hope you‘ll enjoy reading him. 1y

Read-y_Picker @Soubhiville I've read Midnight's Children (fave) and, of course, The Satanic Verses. I find his writing style completely enchanting but really have to give myself the chance to get sucked in.
1y

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 1y

24 likes5 comments

Graywacke

Florence: The Biography of a City | Christopher Hibbert

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I‘m giving this a pick because it fit my mood. Chronological. The writing is really only ok, and I encourage readers to explore other options. But ok can work when the story is this fantastic, and the presentation is clear. It took me over 18 hours to slog through, but I was motivated and forced it in before our trip (and then forgot to review it).

BarbaraBB Fantastic photo of Florence! 1y

57 likes1 comment

Texreader

Bookseller of Florence: The Story of the Manuscripts That Illuminated the Renaissance | Ross King

Front and center in the window of a bookstore near our hotel in Florence. So glad I read it (the English version!) before visiting.

57 likes

Texreader

Bookseller of Florence: The Story of the Manuscripts That Illuminated the Renaissance | Ross King

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Vespasian became a bookmaker in Florence, Italy at a tender age and grew up to become the greatest bookseller and bookmaker at just the moment scribes and illuminators were being replaced by the printing press, a technology Vespasian refused to accept. He could find just about any book that existed in the known world for a discriminating buyer, or he could hire the best scribes and illuminators to transcribe (& translate) if need be for kings & ⬇️

Texreader the wealthy across the western world. His work was superior. A marvelous book describing the history of writing on papyrus to parchment to paper made of linen, of making the ink and colors, of the printing press and typesetting, and the creation of fonts. We learn about the work of scribes & talented illuminators to typesetters & printers. Extraordinarily interesting on the one hand, and boring on the other as the book covers the rise ⬇️ (edited) 1y

Texreader and fall of the kings and rulers and the battles they fought—important because they were Vespasian‘s customers. He often found himself supplying manuscripts to people on both sides of conflicts. Sadly, that part of the book was tedious. Overall, a brilliant read and well-researched about a “common man” that we don‘t normally get to read about. (edited) 1y

57 likes2 comments