Tag: Biography

Books, Reading

Special Feature: Agatha Christie: First Lady of Crime by H.R.F. Keating

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Special Feature: Agatha Christie: First Lady of Crime by H.R.F. Keating

Is there really any argument when it comes to who the first lady of crime is? No, no there is not. Agatha Christie is the queen of crime and mystery novels. She has written many a beloved series and I think you would be hard pressed to find anyone who hasn’t read at least one Christie novel or at least seen a film or two based on one of her books.

I know that I have enjoyed her books as well as some of the films and tv series based on her books, and while I have enjoyed the films and such, nothing beats her actual books. I think one of the things that I often ask myself though is what was this amazing woman like in real life? What is her story? Where did she get her inspiration from? Beyond her books, I don’t really know much about her as a woman which is one of the reasons this book caught my eye.

I don’t read a lot of non fiction or biographies but this one sounds really interesting and I think that fans of Christie will find something to enjoy in getting to know the beloved author a little better. The author of this book, H. R. F. Keating, is a mystery writer in her own right and I am eager to see how her love of writing mysteries translates in this lovely non fiction work about one of the most beloved authors of all time! If biographies are your thing, I think you should check this one out and discover a bit more about the woman behind some of the most iconic mystery novels of all time!

Continue reading “Special Feature: Agatha Christie: First Lady of Crime by H.R.F. Keating” →
Book Critic, Book Review, Books, Literary Criticism, Reading

Review: Horror Stories by Liz Phair

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: Horror Stories by Liz Phair

I don’t read a ton of non fiction, especially memoirs. It’s just not a genre that really appeals to me, but on occasion reading biographies or memoirs about Princess Diana, Kate Middleton, or other famous modern women cross my mind frequently.

But as I said, it’s usually a genre that I pass on—though I rarely get pitched a memoir, I almost always skip it. However, I have a mega girl crush on Liz Phair and when I was pitched this book, I may or may not have fan girled hard.

Her music was the soundtrack of my youth/high school years and when I saw this book was coming out, I had no choice but to move things around in my schedule to fit it in! Continue reading “Review: Horror Stories by Liz Phair” →

Book Critic, Book Review, Books, Literary Criticism, Reading

Review: Becoming by Michelle Obama (Audiobook Version, Narrated by Michelle Obama)

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: Becoming by Michelle Obama (Audiobook Version, Narrated by Michelle Obama)

The amount of times I ugly cried during this book was obscene. Let’s just get that out of the way right off the bat. Have tissues ready.

When I saw this book was coming out, I wasn’t waiting with baited breaths like everyone I knew, mostly because I’m not really into biographies and I am not all that into politics.

However, when the reviews started pouring in on this book, my interest grew more.

I ended up deciding to try Audible and with my free book credit, I snagged this book and for one reason—it’s narrated by the author. Continue reading “Review: Becoming by Michelle Obama (Audiobook Version, Narrated by Michelle Obama)” →

Book Critic, Book Review, Books, Literary Criticism, Reading

Review: Conan Doyle for the Defense: The True Story of a Sensational British Murder, a Quest for Justice, and the World’s Most Famous Detective Writer by Margalit Fox

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: Conan Doyle for the Defense: The True Story of a Sensational British Murder, a Quest for Justice, and the World’s Most Famous Detective Writer by Margalit Fox

If you are like me, you probably only think of Sherlock Holmes when you hear the name Arthur Conan Doyle. I had no idea that he was like a real life Sherlock as well!

When this book came across my desk for review I was immediately intrigued because the more I thought about it, I knew basically nothing about the man who created the world most famous detective.

It actually makes sense that Conan Doyle was a real life detective, he obviously wrote with such authority on the subject that it’s embarrassing that  I didn’t put it together before.

This book caught my eye and I immediately wanted to learn more about Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and how he played detective and ultimately wrote the most well known mysteries in history!  Continue reading “Review: Conan Doyle for the Defense: The True Story of a Sensational British Murder, a Quest for Justice, and the World’s Most Famous Detective Writer by Margalit Fox” →

Books, Reading

Special Feature and Q&A: Coming of Age: The Sexual Awakening of Margaret Mead by Deborah Beatriz Blum

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Special Feature and Q&A: Coming of Age: The Sexual Awakening of Margaret Mead by Deborah Beatriz Blum

Though I have a Master’s in American History, I rarely read biographies. I don’t know if that’s because I’ve spent so much of my academic career reading history books and researching topics….but when I sit down to read I like reading fiction….preferably with history.

Now that said, I do on occasion read biographies or nonfiction if the subject sounds interesting etc. I was so sad that I couldn’t fit this book into my review schedule this summer because it sounds like one of those books that would be right up my alley! So instead I decided to do a special feature complete with a Q & A from the author so be sure to keep reading!

The startling coming-of-age story of famed anthropologist Margaret Mead whose radical ideas challenged the social and sexual norms of her time.

The story begins in 1923, when twenty-two year old Margaret Mead is living in New York City, engaged to her childhood sweetheart and on the verge of graduating from college. Seemingly a conventional young lady, she marries, but shocks friends when she decides to keep her maiden name.

After starting graduate school at Columbia University, she does the unthinkable: she first enters into a forbidden relationship with a female colleague, then gets caught up in an all-consuming and secret affair with a brilliant older man. As her sexual awakening continues, she discovers it is possible to be in love with more than one person at the same time.

While Margaret’s personal explorations are just beginning, her interest in distant cultures propels her into the new field of anthropology. Ignoring the constraints put on women, she travels alone to a tiny speck of land in the South Pacific called Samoa to study the sexual behavior of adolescent girls. Returning home on an ocean liner nine months later, a chance encounter changes the course of her life forever.

Now, drawing on letters, diaries, and memoirs, Deborah Beatriz Blum reconstructs these five transformative years of Margaret’s life, before she became famous, revealing the story that Margaret Mead hid from the world – during her lifetime and beyond (summary from Goodreads).

The book was researched through letters with Mead’s professional connections, lovers, diaries and memoirs to explore the college and early years of Mead in the 1920s. It is intensely personal to documentary filmmaker and acclaimed author Deborah Blum because of her chance meeting with Mead when she was a young woman.

Q and A with author Deborah Beatriz Blum

Continue reading “Special Feature and Q&A: Coming of Age: The Sexual Awakening of Margaret Mead by Deborah Beatriz Blum” →