In the Shadow of Blackbirds
by Cat Winters | Science Fiction & Fantasy | This book has not been rated.
ISBN: 1419710230 Global Overview for this book
ISBN: 1419710230 Global Overview for this book
5 journalers for this copy...
My husband started reading this book today. He already told me about parts of it. It sure does sound interesting!
My husband said this story was interesting in the end.
Journal Entry 4 by SqueakyChu at LFL - Vandegrift Ave (5811) (#7720) in Rockville, Maryland USA on Saturday, September 4, 2021
Released 2 yrs ago (9/4/2021 UTC) at LFL - Vandegrift Ave (5811) (#7720) in Rockville, Maryland USA
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
I'm releasing this book for...
***The September 2021 You're Such an Animal Release Challenge hosted by awaywithfairies. The book title contains the words SHAD, BIRDS, and BLACKBIRDS.
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Enjoy the book!
***The September 2021 You're Such an Animal Release Challenge hosted by awaywithfairies. The book title contains the words SHAD, BIRDS, and BLACKBIRDS.
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Enjoy the book!
I selected this book from the Little Free Library of Twinbrook (#7720) to travel elsewhere...
I'm releasing this book for the BCinDC "First Line Game" at the 2021 annual holiday party which will take place on Zoom..
The first line of this book is...
I stepped inside the railroad car, and three dozen pairs of eyes peered my way.
The only thing missing now is knowing who the recipient of this book will be. :D
ETA: This book went to SqnutZips.
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Hello and welcome to BookCrossing ... where we make the whole world a library!
Now that you've "caught" this book, it is yours to do with as you like. Read it, keep it, or give it away. It's your choice!
I'd love if you'd enter a note here on BookCrossing about this book -- where you found it, how you like it, and/or where you release it. If you join BookCrossing (free and fun), kindly list me, SqueakyChu. or any other journaler on this thread as your referring person. Thank you so much.
Enjoy the book!
The first line of this book is...
I stepped inside the railroad car, and three dozen pairs of eyes peered my way.
The only thing missing now is knowing who the recipient of this book will be. :D
ETA: This book went to SqnutZips.
------------------------------------------------
Hello and welcome to BookCrossing ... where we make the whole world a library!
Now that you've "caught" this book, it is yours to do with as you like. Read it, keep it, or give it away. It's your choice!
I'd love if you'd enter a note here on BookCrossing about this book -- where you found it, how you like it, and/or where you release it. If you join BookCrossing (free and fun), kindly list me, SqueakyChu. or any other journaler on this thread as your referring person. Thank you so much.
Enjoy the book!
I picked this book from the BCinDC 1st line Holiday Party game 2021 which was held on Zoom again due to the pandemic. Thanks SqueakyChu.
The first line of this book is...
I stepped inside the railroad car, and three dozen pairs of eyes peered my way.
The first line of this book is...
I stepped inside the railroad car, and three dozen pairs of eyes peered my way.
Journal Entry 8 by SqNutZips at Gaithersburg Book Festival in Gaithersburg, Maryland USA on Monday, May 16, 2022
Released 1 yr ago (5/21/2022 UTC) at Gaithersburg Book Festival in Gaithersburg, Maryland USA
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
To the person who finds this book.....
Keep it or release it, read it or not, but please make a journal entry to let me know it's been found. Keep it, pass it on to a friend or release it into the wild.... let the journey continue.....
If you are new to BookCrossing, welcome! You can remain anonymous or join BookCrossing, it's free, spam free and advertisement free and loads of fun.
By joining BookCrossing you can keep track of where the book has been and where it's going.
This was leftover at the end of the 2022 Gaithersburg Book Festival. It looks interesting so it's going on my TBR pile for now. Thanks!
It's 1918, both WWI and the influenza outbreak are at their peak, and 16-year-old Mary Shelley Black is fleeing to California to live with her aunt after her father is arrested on vague charges of what might be anti-American sentiment. (His story was never covered in much detail.) Her childhood-friend-turned-true-love (who coincidentally lives in the same town as her aunt) has gone to France to fight in the war; meanwhile, his older brother is cashing in on the current spiritualism craze by offering to take "spirit photos" for grieving families of the many casualties, both of the war and the flu. (Quick note: this book was published in 2014, so its setting during the 1918 flu pandemic is completely unrelated to the 2020 covid pandemic. This seems trivial but I don't think I would have wanted to read something that intentionally draws parallels between the two. Not just yet, at any rate.)
Let's start with what I liked about this book. I liked the historical details, like all the disgusting flu preventions/remedies (why were they so obsessed with onions?), and the spooky ghost stuff. I liked that Mary Shelley is clever but it's not her One Defining Feature (a common problem in YA fiction). I liked her secretly boy-crazy aunt and the reminder that being the sibling of one's parents does not automatically make them "old." And in general, I really felt immersed in the atmosphere - I could hear the sounds and smell the odors and all of that.
There were a couple things that really bothered me, though. First of all, Mary Shelley Black was named after the author of Frankenstein, which is fine except that her interest in electricity is mentioned more than once. Which tells me that the author never read the original novel, because Shelley was purposefully vague on how the Monster is brought to life; the electricity aspect wasn't even introduced until the 1931 film.
The other thing that bugged me was the inconsistent stance on spiritualism in general. Spirit photos are fakes unless they aren't. A character's sudden ability to smell emotion is never elaborated on. Hauntings don't happen except when they do. This story seems to want to be both skeptical and a believer at the same time, which makes things a little muddy. Enough details are left hanging that I wonder if the author had plans for a sequel.
All that said, I actually really enjoyed reading this, despite its little annoyances. I liked the writing style quite a bit, and I blew through it in only a few days. And as this was Winters's first novel, I think I'll reserve judgement until I've read some of her later works.
Let's start with what I liked about this book. I liked the historical details, like all the disgusting flu preventions/remedies (why were they so obsessed with onions?), and the spooky ghost stuff. I liked that Mary Shelley is clever but it's not her One Defining Feature (a common problem in YA fiction). I liked her secretly boy-crazy aunt and the reminder that being the sibling of one's parents does not automatically make them "old." And in general, I really felt immersed in the atmosphere - I could hear the sounds and smell the odors and all of that.
There were a couple things that really bothered me, though. First of all, Mary Shelley Black was named after the author of Frankenstein, which is fine except that her interest in electricity is mentioned more than once. Which tells me that the author never read the original novel, because Shelley was purposefully vague on how the Monster is brought to life; the electricity aspect wasn't even introduced until the 1931 film.
The other thing that bugged me was the inconsistent stance on spiritualism in general. Spirit photos are fakes unless they aren't. A character's sudden ability to smell emotion is never elaborated on. Hauntings don't happen except when they do. This story seems to want to be both skeptical and a believer at the same time, which makes things a little muddy. Enough details are left hanging that I wonder if the author had plans for a sequel.
All that said, I actually really enjoyed reading this, despite its little annoyances. I liked the writing style quite a bit, and I blew through it in only a few days. And as this was Winters's first novel, I think I'll reserve judgement until I've read some of her later works.
Hi Melydia
Thanks for journaling this book.
I really wanted to read this book but my TBR pile is too high and too many years old as it is. The fact that the book was set 1918 during the "Spanish" flu pandemic was of great interest to me.
Since the beginning of the CV19 pandemic in the late 2019 early 2020's I have read so many books re: various pandemics, fiction and non-fiction, that I was all pandemic'ed-out. I also love the title and the author's name. Thanks for the journal entry and review. I'm glad U enjoyed the book. 🐿
Thanks for journaling this book.
I really wanted to read this book but my TBR pile is too high and too many years old as it is. The fact that the book was set 1918 during the "Spanish" flu pandemic was of great interest to me.
Since the beginning of the CV19 pandemic in the late 2019 early 2020's I have read so many books re: various pandemics, fiction and non-fiction, that I was all pandemic'ed-out. I also love the title and the author's name. Thanks for the journal entry and review. I'm glad U enjoyed the book. 🐿
Brought home from the BCinDC meetup. It looks interesting and was thought to be a "me" book given my penchant for YA reads. The creepy ghosty factor further adds to that. Looking forward to it! :-)
I am really glad this one was pushed my way at the meetup. I really enjoyed reading it and will be happy to continue sharing it with others. I read it very quickly. I found the story compelling and the characters very well drawn. A great YA mystery read.
Journal Entry 14 by Brihaji at Potbelly Sandwich Works (Carlyle Center) in Alexandria, Virginia USA on Thursday, August 17, 2023
Released 8 mos ago (8/20/2023 UTC) at Potbelly Sandwich Works (Carlyle Center) in Alexandria, Virginia USA
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
Bringing back to the BCinDC meetup to see if any other YA fans haven't read yet. Will happily bring back to put in my library if there are no takers.
Picked up at today's BCinDC gathering. Brihaji brought it up because I like YA. Initially I wasn't sure since historical fiction is a toss-up for me, but it turns out that this was already on my TBR, so I grabbed it. I'll probably pass it along to my friends once I read it.