#Labuskes

[alapagedeslivres]

Addiction aux livres : La bibliothèque des livres brûlés de Brianna LABUSKES

[bookcoversonly]

Title: Her Final Words | Author: Brianna Labuskes | Publisher: Thomas & Mercer (2020)

[blograridades]

"Às meninas eram ensinadas a conquistar os meninos , não a se proteger deles."

- A Biblioteca dos Livros Queimados

[onarangel]

The Lost Book of Bonn by Brianna Labuskes

Germany, 1946: Emmy Clarke is a librarian not a soldier. But that doesn't stop the Library of Congress from sending her overseas to Germany to help the Monuments Men retrieve and catalog precious literature that was plundered by the Nazis. The Offenbach Archival Depot and its work may get less attention than returning art to its rightful owners, but for Emmy, who sees the personalized messages on the inside of the books and the notes in margins of pages, it feels just as important.

On Emmy's first day at work, she finds a poetry collection by Rainer Maria Rilke, and on the title page is a handwritten dedication: "To Annelise, my brave Edelweiss Pirate." Emmy is instantly intrigued by the story behind the dedication and becomes determined to figure out what happened.

The hunt for the rightful owner of the book leads Emmy to two sisters, a horrific betrayal, and an extraordinary protest against the Nazis that was held in Berlin at the height of the war. Nearly a decade earlier, hundreds of brave women gathered in the streets after their Jewish husbands were detained by the Gestapo. Through freezing rain and RAF bombings, the women faced down certain death and did what so few others dared to do under the Third Reich. They said no.

Emmy grapples with her own ghosts as she begins to wonder if she's just chasing two more. What she finds instead is a powerful story of love, forgiveness, and courage that brings light to even the darkest of postwar days.

Source and more:https://www.historythroughfiction.com/blog/best-new-historical-fiction-march-2024

[jjspina]

Books Read and Reviewed in July 2024!

Here it is already the end of another month. Where does the time go? I have been busy as usual reading some wonderful books for the month of July of 2024. Here are the 6 books I read and reviewed for July. I might have read even more if I didn’t have a few WIP. But I always seemed to have a WIP! That fact never stops me! I hope you enjoy reading these reviews. I love sharing my eclectic reads in…

[cathygeha]

REVIEW

The Lies You Wrote by Brianna Labuskes

Raisa Susanto #1

Riveting read – twists and turns aplenty – first time I’ve read this author but won’t be the last!

What I liked:

* Raisa Susanto: FBI Forensic Linquist, orphaned young in life, foster system graduate, brilliant, sees patterns in words, resilient, survivor, intriguing, would like to learn more about her

* Callum Kilkenny: FBI Forensic Psychologist, widow, wife killed by serial killer, brilliant, profiler, guarded, loner, not easy to read, intriguing, would like to learn more about him

* The plot, pacing, setting, and writing

* The tie-in of two murders a quarter decade apart and what they have in common

* The police procedural aspect of the story with the slow unveiling of one puzzle piece at a time

* The growing relationship between Raisa and Callum

* The twists, turns, and unexpected surprises

* Wondering how much nature vs nurture played a part in three of the characters lives

* The finale and wondering what will come next

* All of it really except…

What I didn’t like: * Who and what I was meant to dislike

* Thinking about how many people let too many things slide and the impact it had on more than one in the story

* Thinking about the heavy psychological load more than one in this book was carrying

Did I enjoy this book? Yes

Would I read more in this series? Definitely!

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

BLURB

For a brilliant forensic linguist, crimes of the past hold clues to new series of murders in a twisting novel of suspense by the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of A Familiar Sight. The double murder of a married couple in a small Washington town draws FBI forensic linguist Raisa Susanto into an investigation that mirrors a decades-old crime. Twenty-five years ago—to the day—Alex Parker murdered his parents, then took his own life, leaving behind a note admitting everything. Raisa, paired with forensic psychologist Callum Kilkenny, uses her skills to read between the lines. Especially now that paranoid postings on a conspiracy thread suggest that Alex was a victim himself—theories that have piqued the interest of a perceptive content moderator and a true-crime podcaster eager for a big break. As old and new crimes converge, messages from the living and the confessions of the dead take on new meaning for Raisa. Something more sinister than a copycat crime is at play, and plundering the darkest corners of a killer’s mind leaves her vulnerable to a deadly twist even she never saw coming.

[lilibetbombshell]

[tbookblurbs]

The Librarian of Burned Books - Brianna Labuskes

4/5 - Engaging read about the dangers of censorship and underappreciated work done by women during the war

The Librarian of Burned Books follows three separate timelines with three separate women narrating. The first, narrated by a young American author, takes place before the war in Berlin. The second, narrated by a Jewish librarian, takes place in Paris during the war but before the invasion of Paris. The last, in 1944, is narrated by a young woman widowed by the war who is trying to get funding for the American Armed Services Editions.

Overall, the book was very engaging! I didn't go in expecting a sapphic relationship but I was pleasantly surprised to find one here! Morally gray characters all around, some more interesting and more forgivable than others. Many of the characters seem to serve as questions of what happens when a person makes x, y, or z choices.

The point on censorship is especially poignant given that it comes from an American author at a time when states are trying to ban books. It makes a fairly good social commentary on the fascist nature of book bannings/burnings and how that information can still be disseminated and used for good.

This book itself goes a bit light on the American press before the war, in that Americans weren't necessarily anti-Nazi until they were involved in the war, but I understand cutting that for the sake of time and plot.

I've also seen a lot of lowered reviews because of the lesbian relationship - if you can't handle fictional gay people and PG-13 could-be-shown-on-daytime-television sex scenes, that's a skill issue. Get over it.

[blogthefiresidechats]

Monthly Release Party......February 2023

I’ve assembled a few books that will be released this month that I’m looking forward to. I’ve posted the cover art for the book as well as the synopsis for each book. At the end of the synopsis, I’ve listed the day it will be released this month. What are you looking forward to reading? Synopsis: Growing up in a beautiful house in the English countryside, Katie Shaw lived a charmed life. At the…

[ninja-muse]

March also felt like it took forever, which I think is due to spring break taking up half the month and work being therefore slow. And yet it feels like a good month, all the same. I got a good ways further with the novel I’m working on, at least for me, put my Easter tree up last weekend, and had a few productive Leaving The House adventures. And one that, while productive, was just kind of a crappy day, but that’s how these things go, I guess. The art show mostly made up for the rest of it. Also, there is now sunshine, some days! And the trees are blooming!

I also read a lot, as always, including one great book and a handful of pleasant surprises, and I managed to get rid of seven reading copies, which feels unusually high. Had a handful of duds too though, including three books that I was really, really hoping would be better, even if I mostly finished them. The dithering I predicted last month didn’t materialize, thank goodness, or at least it limited itself to hour-long bouts after I’d finished something.

About halfway through the month, I realized I’d only read female authors and I decided that hey, it’s Women’s History Month, why not see if I can get through the whole month with only female authors?! This did not happen, but only by accident. One of the books I picked up was actually by a Two-Spirit person, but I’m still counting the challenge completed because really, the goal was not to read men. It wasn’t a hard challenge for me, and might actually have made picking books a little easier, but it’s not something I want to do all that regularly. Maybe next March?

Of course, I’m cheating a little on the challenge because I’m, like, 12 pages into Episode Thirteen because I had to read something on my commute tonight and I didn’t want to wait any longer. I’ve had the book out from the library for a week and a half and it’s going to be due back in the same length of time. My system doesn’t issue fines for late books anymore, but I still like to return books when I’m supposed to.

Also on my TBR for this month: Amina Al-Sirafi, coming from the library on Tuesday, the company ARC for Tasting History by Max Miller, and We Don’t Lose Our Class Goldfish by Ryan Higgins because I was so good about Not Men that I didn’t even read picture books. Don’t have any other plans, but hopefully some of the books “in process” at the library actually go into the system. I’m first in line for most of them.

And now without further ado, in order of enjoyment…

Diary of a Misfit - Casey Parks

Shortly after Casey comes out to her family, she learns that her grandma grew up friends with a trans man. Her need to learn more about him brings her to a reckoning with her own family and childhood.

8.5/10

🏳️‍🌈 subject (trans man), 🏳️‍🌈 author

warning: homophobia, misgendering, rape, drug abuse, child abuse

The Magician’s Daughter - H.G. Parry

Biddy’s magical guardian is in trouble and she must leave her island home to protect him (and magic, generally).

7/10

warning: incarceration, mentions of torture

The Librarian of Burned Books - Brianna Labuskes

Three women in the ‘30s and ‘40s find their lives altered by censorship and war.

7/10

Jewish MC, 🏳️‍🌈 MCs (lesbian), Jewish secondary characters, 🏳️‍🌈 secondary characters (gay)

warning: Nazis

Lent - Jo Walton

Brother Girolamo wants only to bring Florence closer to God, but he’s hampered by something greater than any sin.

7/10

🏳️‍🌈 secondary character, 🇨🇦

League of Dragons - Naomi Novik

Napoleon is retreating across Russia but Laurence and Temeraire learn he has greater plans than a mere next stand.

7/10

British-Asian secondary character, 🏳️‍🌈 secondary character, disabled secondary character

Island Time - Georgia Clark

The laid-back Kellys and the on-the-go Lees are spending a weekend on a remote Australian island. Then a volcano erupts and they’re forced to confront themselves. Dramedy.

7/10

🏳️‍🌈 main characters (lesbian, bi, gender-questioning), fat main character, Chinese-American secondary characters, Indigenous Australian secondary character, 🏳️‍🌈 author, #ownvoices

Backpacking Through Bedlam - Seanan McGuire

Alice and Thomas have reunited but they’ve got a few more adventures to get through before their happy ending.

6/10

🏳️‍🌈 secondary characters (lesbian, sapphic), Korean-American secondary character, 🏳️‍🌈 author

A House With Good Bones - T. Kingfisher

Sam’s back home for a bit and Something Is Up with her mom. The surprise racist painting is just the beginning….

6.5/10

fat protagonist

warning: racism, some fat-shaming by bad people, bugs

A Man and His Cat, Vol. 2 - Umi Sakurai

The further adorable adventures of Kanda and Fukumaru.

6/10

Japanese cast, Japanese author, #ownvoices

The Keeper's Six - Kate Elliott

Esther’s son has been kidnapped. He’s also the local Keeper, important in the interdimensional network. Getting him back is going to be more complicated than expected.

7/10

Jewish main character, Jewish secondary characters, 🏳️‍🌈 secondary characters (phallic, non-human genderfluidity), Japanese and other East Asian secondary characters

warning: discussion of slavery and the trafficking of people

Tauhou - Kōtuku Titihuia Nuttall

A genre-blending look at Indigenous female resilience across continents and time.

5/10

Maori and Coast Salish cast, 🏳️‍🌈 characters (sapphic), Maori-Coast Salish author, #ownvoices, 🏳️‍🌈 author

warning: residential schools, racist systems, internalised fatphobia

British Columbiana - Josie Teed

An awkward millennial gets a winter internship in a gold rush ghost town.

5/10

🇨🇦

warning: racists, gaslighting, social anxiety

Picture Books

Quackers - Liz Wong

Quackers lives by a pond and all his friends are ducks, so he must be a duck too. Meow?

DNF

Shanghai Immortal - A.Y. Chao

Work for the King of Hell? Check. Thwart a jewel heist? Check. Babysit a mortal? Check. Or … not, if Lady Jing’s impulsiveness gets in the way. Out in October.

Chinese cast, Chinese-Canadian author, #ownvoices, 🇨🇦

Currently reading

The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen - KJ Charles

The day after Gareth ruins his chances with a charming stranger, he finds himself elevated to an estate in the country. Unfortunately (or not), there’s a very familiar smuggler in the area.

🏳️‍🌈 protagonists (phallic)

Episode Thirteen - Craig DiLouie

A ghost hunting show gets to be the first to investigate the most haunted house in America.

🇨🇦

Stats

Monthly total: 12+1 Yearly total: 37/140 Queer books: 4 Authors of colour: 2 Books by women: 11 Authors outside the binary: 1 Canadian authors: 2 Off the TBR shelves: 4 Books hauled: 1 ARCs acquired: 5 ARCs unhauled: 7 DNFs: 1

January February

[ratwars]

Brianna Labuskes - The Lies You Wrote

[alapagedeslivres]

Abat la canicule, luttons pour le climat ! Shiny Summer Challenge 2023

[bookcoversonly]

Title: See It End | Author: Brianna Labuskes | Publisher: Thomas & Mercer (2023)

[girlwithinfiction]

✨WHAT'S POPPIN' THIS APRIL (Part 1)✨

The 32 upcoming books shown are:

• Pieces of Me by Kate McLaughlin

• Earth Angel by Madeline Cash

• Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper by J. Ryan Stradal

• Alondra by Gina Femia

• Hot Dutch Daydream by Kristy Boyce

• Adelaide by Genevieve Wheeler

• The Cherished by Patricia Ward

• Hestia Strikes a Match by Christine Grillo

• Twice Cursed: An Anthology by Various Authors

• Kantika by Elizabeth Graver

• Standing on Neptune by Valerie Sherrard

• The Warden by Daniel M. Ford

• Five First Chances by Sarah Jost

• Santa Ana by Addison J. Chapple, Rachael Flanery

• For the First Time, Again by Sylvain Neuvel

• The Hunger of Thorns by Lili Wilkinson

• See It End by Brianna Labuskes

• The Double Life of Benson Yu by Kevin Chong

• The Five Sorrowful Mysteries of Andy Africa by Stephen Buoro

• Places Like These by Lauren Carter

• Kismet by Becky Chalsen

• The Marigold by Andrew F. Sullivan

• If We're Being Honest by Cat Shook

• If I See You Again by Robbie Couch

• No Boy Summer by Amy Spalding

• The Song of Wrath by Sarah Raughley

• Sizzle Reel by Carlyn Greenwald

• Where Coyotes Howl by Sandra Dallas

• The Thick and the Lean by Chana Porter

• The Secret Service of Tea and Treason by India Holton

• The Haunting of Alejandra by V. Castro

• Sisters of the Lost Nation by Nick Medina

ig: girlwithinfiction

[jjspina]

Books Read in the Month of October 2022!

Books Read in the Month of October 2022!

Here it is already the end of another month. Where does the time go? We now have only two months left of this year! I have been busy as usual reading some wonderful books for the month of October of 2022. Here are the 8 books I read and reviewed for October. I might have read even more if I didn’t have a few WIP. But I always seemed to have a WIP! That fact never stops me! I hope you enjoy…

[jeffreychang]

之前 Pubu 九月初的周年慶有幾天是72折，分成幾次總共選了這些書；盛可以的《金鳳傳奇》目前沒有在readmoo上架，所以選擇在 Pubu 購買。

《這個殺手有點冏 Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead》是 Elle Cosimano "Finlay Donovan" 系列的第二本，前一本是《芬莉的殺手日記 Finlay Donovan is Killing It》，目前該系列有六本。 (附上英文書名是因為，某些書名翻譯的很有意思，只是跟原書名不太容易連結起來)

《黑水 Dark Water》是 Robert Bryndza "Detective Erika Foster" 犯罪驚悚系列的第三本著作，前兩本是《冰裡的女孩 The Girl in the Ice》與《暗夜殺手 The Night Stalker》，目前該系列有八本。

《真相盲點 What Can't Be Seen》是 Brianna Labuskes "Dr. Gretchen White" 系列的第二本，前一本是《似曾相弒 A Familiar Sight》，目前該系列有三本。

《紅湖冤罪 Crimson Lake》是 Candice Fox "Crimson Lake" 三部曲的第一本，後面還有兩本：Redemption Point 和 Gone By Midnight。