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#WorldsFair
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TheSpineView
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Eggs Absolutely 💯 3mo
lil1inblue This is a good one. What a fascinating read. 3mo
61 likes1 stack add3 comments
review
Chelsea.Poole
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Pickpick

Larson‘s deep dive into Chicago‘s World Fair may not appeal to all readers. This bit of American history is made more appealing (for some) by adding the story of a serial killer operating in and around the city during this time. Though little of Holmes‘s crimes is actually known, his victims are, and they come to life on the page. He was a white man pretending to be a dr. so nobody questioned the many suspicious disappearances in his life.⬇️

Chelsea.Poole All this to say, I enjoyed the sections on the World Fair, “The White City” just as much as the true crime chapters. I do, however, think it was a good strategy to include both to be able to sell more books. Read for book club discussion on Monday at work. 4mo
RamsFan1963 I was also drawn more to the parts about the building of the World's Faire than I was about the serial killer. Probably, because I'm not much of a True Crime buff. 4mo
Ephemera This is an excellent book on both the fair and Holmes. 4mo
See All 6 Comments
vivastory I remember enjoying the passages about the world fair more than Holmes actual crimes when I read this. Great review! 4mo
TheKidUpstairs I loved this one. Definitely found the World's Fair the more fascinating part, but Holmes provided such interesting contrast. 4mo
Ephemera Larson is an excellent writer. You should read Isaac‘s Storm, about the Galveston hurricane 4mo
107 likes3 stack adds6 comments
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April_Barbie
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My book selection - The Devil in the White City 🌬️

Unabridged Bookstore 📚
Chicago, Illinois

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xicanti
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This year‘s pumpkin is weirdly fibrous inside, so I can‘t safely use my usual candle with it. The battery-powered light I grabbed instead shows off the back wall‘s stringy texture, but I‘ve decided I don‘t hate the effect. It‘s kinda creepy.

As is this book, which I‘m revisiting (and very much enjoying) on audio. It‘s a fascinating story and it‘s got me remembering how many good conversations it sparked the first time, when I read it in public.

Lindy 😍well-done! 7mo
xicanti @Lindy thank you! 7mo
BookNAround That is a remarkable pumpkin! 7mo
xicanti @BookNAround thank you! It‘s my go-to pattern. 7mo
32 likes5 comments
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rachelsbrittain
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Pickpick

I'm behind on reviews so let's play catchup!

This historical nonfiction follows the creation of The World‘s Columbian Exposition of 1893 in Chicago in conjuction with the notorious serial killer Dr. H. H. Holmes, who lured young women into his hotel and murdered then in a specially built gas chamber / crematorium. A darkly fascinating read. If you like historical true crime, this one is for you.

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Leftcoastzen
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#BookBinge #TrueCrime a highly praised & popular title still on my #TBRMountain

Suet624 still on my TBR as well. :(
10mo
Eggs So good and creepy!! 10mo
Cheshirecat913 Such a good book. But yeah, super creepy. 10mo
DivineDiana Joining with you and @Suet624 #stillonmyTBR 10mo
52 likes4 comments
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Monica5
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Finished this last night. 4/4 for #JoysofJune Readathon @Andrew65 .

Seemed more like a history of architecture on building the World Fair in Chicago between 1891-1893 than a True Crime Book. In fact, I actually enjoyed the parts about building the structures for the World Fair more than I did the True Crime story. Which is strange because I love the True Crime Genre.

'In Chicago at the end of the nineteenth century amid the smoke of industry⬇️

Monica5 and the clatter of trains the lived two men, both handsome, both blue-eyed, and both unusually adept at their chosen skills.' So begins this book that will transport you back to the 1890's in Chicago. It's a very interesting story, but as I said I found the architecture history parts more interesting. It's where the Ferris Wheel was first revealed. Shredded Wheat and Cracker Jacks first tasted.⬇️
11mo
Monica5
The only thing I had a problem with was the print in the copy I have. It was small and so my eyes got tired quicker than normal.🤓 I think if you are interested in Architecture, you should read it. As well as, True Crime, you may find that more interesting than I did.

😊 Happy Reading 🙃
#offtheshelf2023
11mo
Andrew65 I tried to get hold of this last month, then ran out of time to read it, it‘s staring at me, goading me to read it. Well done 👏👏👏 11mo
25 likes3 comments
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BarkingMadRead
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Got some reading for #authoramonth on the plane, this book has me gasping every other page, so many connections! I‘m loving it!

CSeydel I loved this one too! 13mo
KathyWheeler This is one of my favorite books. 13mo
TiredLibrarian Great book - enjoy! 13mo
See All 6 Comments
bio_chem06 If you ever make it to Chicago, they have a tour specifically tied to the book. It‘s great 13mo
BarkingMadRead @bio_chem06 a friend of mine told me about this, so very cool! I definitely want to do it now! 13mo
paper.reveries Really enjoyed the Holmes excerpts but found the historical chapters longwinded. Glad you're liking it!!! 12mo
63 likes1 stack add6 comments
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Texreader
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Pickpick

The 1893 World Fair in Chicago sounds amazing and I would have loved to have visited the White City! The devil, on the other hand, was an atrocious mass serial killer who fooled just about everyone. How could I have not known about either? What an incredible book to fill a huge gap in knowledge of American history and to make it infinitely interesting. I‘m so glad I finally had a reason to finally read Erik Larson! #authoramonth

dabbe I LOVED this book, too! I spent at least a month after still looking up photos of the exhibition online (there's quite a few out there). So much I didn't know--even about the Ferris Wheel! 😃 13mo
Texreader @dabbe Same! The Ferris wheel! Who knew? I‘ll have to look up photos. Wouldn‘t it have been marvelous to have gone and experienced it? With my luck I would‘ve ended up in Holmes‘ hotel. 😉 13mo
Cheshirecat913 Really enjoyed this book too! And was totally creeped out. I looked up pictures of the world fair right afterwards as well. It sounded so amazing, I would have loved to see it. 13mo
KathyWheeler I recommend this book all the time. I loved it. I expected the serial killer part to be interesting, but I was truly surprised about how interesting the White City part was. I expected to bored by it, but I was anything but bored. 13mo
Larkken The descriptions of the white city had me totally entranced when I read this too. Would love to do some touristing to see what is left of it sometime! 13mo
70 likes1 stack add5 comments
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IndoorDame
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IN CHICAGO AT THE END of the nineteenth century amid the smoke of industry and the clatter of trains there lived two men, both handsome, both blue-eyed, and both unusually adept at their chosen skills. #FirstLineFridays @ShyBookOwl

dabbe Oh, how I loved this book! 💙💚💙 13mo
IndoorDame @dabbe it‘s awesome so far!!! 13mo
44 likes1 stack add2 comments