[#partner @aaknopf]
In 1970s rural Alabama, Reverend Willie Maxwell was accused of murdering five of his family members for their insurance money. In theory, this is a fascinating case, because the reverend is found not guilty, despite a pattern of murders and insurance claims. However, there is little known about the ‘ins and out’ of the events that occurred.
Having read ‘The Devil and Harper Lee’, a @scribd original. I was hoping to learn more about this case. But the known facts are limited. Personal preference, I preferred The Devil [..] Lee, it was a much more interesting read.
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#FuriousHours is split into three parts. Part one takes you through Maxwell’s accused crimes. Part two is about the lawyer who defended Maxwell, and later went on to defend his murderer. Part three (the only part I enjoyed & found most interesting), is about Harper Lee. Learning about the little that is known about her life, and her friendship with Truman Capote - I would read a book solely about it!
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There’s a lot of addition information in this book (on US senate, voodoo, how life insurance came to exist, and other pieces of history) - it just didn’t interest me. I wanted the murders and Lee.
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This is all personal preference, I know many highly recommend this book, but reading is subjective and this one was not for me 🤷🏾♀️.
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Importantly, book 19 of #mynonfiction19 = challenge complete 🎉 (#Bookstagram is behind my reading life, I’m currently reading my 21st #nonfiction book of the year.)
#NonfictionNovember
Which book do you think should be mandatory reading for all True Crime fans?
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I’m going with Chase Darkness With Me: How One True-Crime Writer Started Solving Murders by Billy Jensen. [Book 18 of #mynonfiction19].
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I listened to the audio, narrated by Billy, and it was a 5 star experience! Why do I say it’s mandatory listening…. Because Billy gives you the tools so you can solve murders yourself! Knowing these tips and tricks, will not only help you to solve crime if you want to, but also help you spot possible missed opportunities in crime books you read.
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With 15 years investigating unsolved murders, journalist Billy Jensen knows his craft. In this book, you get to chase darkness with him as he recounts the crimes he’s helped solve. Billy also speaks about his friendship with Michelle McNamara, author of I’ll Be Gone in the Dark (which I still haven’t read yet 🙈), her unrelenting pursuit of the Golden State Killer and how he helped finish her book after her sudden death.
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I read a lot more #nonfiction genres than I used to, but every time I finish a great True Crime read, I’m reminded of why it’s my favourite nonfiction genre. I love that as a genre it include memoirs/accounts of the wrongfully convicted, explorations of unsolved cases and those that took years to solve. As well as studies of serial killers and an attempt to understand them - there’s so much in this genre to keep me interested.
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I often tell people I love crime, and then quickly add “not committing it” when they give me a strange look - it’s no surprise I read Criminology at university and want to go back to study more in this field!
#NonfictionNovember
Book 16 of #mynonfiction19 was #Inferior by Angela Saini, kindly gifted by @4thestatebooks. It takes you on an eye-opening journey of woman in science, the challenges, the preconceptions, and the gender wars of science - an enlightening & empowering account of women’s minds, bodies and evolutionary histories.
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Book 17 of #mynonfiction19 was Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez, recommended to me by my sister, @reannelle, after our buddy read of Inferior. This book looks at the gender data gap between men and women and the impact this lack of female data has on women - in a world largely created by, and for, men, the impact on women is devastating!
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I highly recommend both of these books, they will expose the bias you already knew about, and the invisible bias which effects women all over the world. The rage I felt at some of the things Perez highlighted was insane, just wow! I think it’s time I picked up A Vindication of the Rights of Woman by Mary Wollstonecraft - I need to read more on this topic, the old and the new books! Keep fuelling my fire to succeed!
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The world needs to stop ignoring women, we’re not asking to be ‘more than’ man, just ‘equal to’!!!!!!
Before we get into Nonfiction November, some faves I read last month 📚.
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The Institute was my King readalong book of the month - and another enjoyable King, with shades of Firestarter, it was suspenseful and gripping!
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The July Girls was @criminallygoodbookclub’s Oct book (discussion this Sunday). It’s such a bingeable read, a straightforward storyline but all the while something doesn’t feel right, and that’s because somethings isn’t right, let the twists begin!
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Dracula was my gothic classic for Halloween. Such a good book, subtle in delivery but so effective. It was my first time reading it, and I’m so glad I loved it because I have 4 editions 😅🤣!
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#dracula #bramstoker #bramstokersdracula #gothicclassics #thejulygirls #phoebelocke #bookclubbook #cgbookclub #theinstitute #stephenking #bookrecommendations #bookstagram #bookcommunity #bookaccount #halloweenreads #goodreads #booksbooksbooks #mybooklife #bookflatlay #bookish #bookishlove
Happy Halloween & Happy #busymamabookswap reveal day 🎉 This month I was paired up with the lovely Stacey - @books_lover_of_pages, and look at all my wonderful goodies 😍!!
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The perfect book choice, #TheFifthSeason, I have books 2 and 3 in this trilogy, and now I finally have book one!! And look, a soap sponge, that may be the coolest thing ever!
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I was going to buy myself a travel mug, now I don’t need to! Stacey got me what I’d get me if I was paired with myself!! Thank you so much Stacey 💜.
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And @book_club_mumma, thank you for organising the swap, all your hard work is appreciated!
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#bookstagram #bookmark #bookswap #bambooecomug #booklover #soapsponge #bookgifts #bookstagrammer #nkjemisin #bookcommunity #bookish #bookaccount #bibliophile
{#partner @pantheonbooks}
There’s a scratching at the window... A Cosmology of Monsters by Shaun Hamill is the story of a family affected by outside forces - monsters! Noah’s family ignore it, but Noah chooses to let them in, and this novel is the tale of how this impacts the family individually and their relationships with each other.
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Is “emotional horror” a genre 🤔 because that’s how I’d describe this one - it has the unsettling vibe only horror can deliver but the emotional element is so strong, you’re so invested in the fate of this family. Noah has been collecting his sister’s suicide notes since he was seven - the tragedy, the hope, all intensified by great characterisation, making this one hell of an immersive read.
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Noah’s family run an immersive horror attraction, called The Wandering Dark, for all to attend but this novel is what happens when monsters aren’t just a figment of the imagination...
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A blend of fantasy, horror & family fiction - Hamill has great storytelling abilities, I highly recommend this one!
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#bookreview #acosmologyofmonsters #shaunhamill
