#did you hear about kitty karr?

[the-final-sentence]

That was the American way.

Crystal Smith Paul, from Did You Hear About Kitty Karr?

[airplanes924]

Books I've Read in 2024

Number 39

Did You Hear About Kitty Karr? by Crystal Smith Paul

[mccoppinscrapyard]

Setting up a new book shelf with my Book of the Month and Aardvark Book Club editions!

[study-coffee-chicago]

I’m way behind on posting my bujo spreads, but here’s my last weekly spread from May and one of the last books I finished, “Did You Hear About Kitty Karr”. 4.5/5 ⭐️ Will definitely re-read this one!

[noahsbookhoard]

📚August 2024 Book Review (Part 1/4)📚

I had soooo much free time in August! Heatwaves meant every outdoor activities were out of the question. There was nothing to do at work outside of my 2 4-hours shift either. I ended up reading a good 8 to 12 hours a day, hence the 16 books of this months review!

La Forteresse du Chaudron Noir (Les Aventures du Pyro-barbare et de Billy #1) by Bob Lennon

Billy is a young farmer in a village decimated by disease. After his mother dies he sets out to the city unaware that an ancient evil was on the rise. Now accompanied by a goliath, Billy will have to use his wits and strength to defeat the terrible power hidden within the fortress. YOU are Billy!

When I was a kid I LOVED Choose Your Own Adventure books! They were fun, novelty, and always had a ton of different characters and places to interact with. I liked the "game" aspect of them as much as the "book" aspect. But after some time you explored every available path and getting the "good" ending was more muscle memory than puzzle solving, the replay value of kid CYOA was generally low.

Now enter Bob Lennon! Most of you won't know him but he is one of the biggest french video game youtuber. He's been on the platform since 2011 and has still the same workaholic energy. He created his own character inspired by Skyrim who is a Fire Barbarian named Le Pyrobarbare and his sidekick Billy. He is also a TTRPG fan.

That was a very long introduction to say that he created his own CYOA book series that are inspired by those characters and have a big TTRPG dynamic to them and THEY. ARE. INCREDIBLE.

It all start with a character creation system: you will always play Billy the farmer but you can choose between a collection of objects and whichever you chose decide which type of Billy you are: warlike, rustic, resourceful or cautious. And all of this influences which decisions you can or can't make. And there are A LOT of decision, we're talking about a 400 pages book. That might not be that many but I have never seen a CYOA above 150 pages.

The combat system is fairly easy to use, while being more interesting than "roll two dice the lowest roll loose". It pairs well with different stats of your Billy, which change depending on the class, the equipment, the event that happened in your adventure.

There is an achievement system on the last two pages of the book that also includes the ending so I counted them: there is a DOZEN ending. I discovered there was a dragon I could have fought to get the Warlike Gold Ending and I missed it! I was so mad!

I could keep of gushing about this book (I didn't talk about the characters, about the city and the castle the story takes place in, ir even the Pyrobarbare who is the funniest) but it was really a lot of fun and I hesitate between starting a new run with a different class of Billy or buy the SECOND book if the series (the 3rd one is being crowdfunded and I can't wait!)

Did You Hear About Kitty Karr? by Crystal Smith Paul

Hollywood icon Kitty Karr died, leaving her fortune to the three St John sister, young wealthy Black women. While dealing with Kitty's affairs (and keeping away from journalists) they find a dairy which uncovers secrets in the background of the South and Hollywood during the Segregation.

I would probably never have picked up this book if it wasn't a draw from the book club pile. I like historical fiction but Hollywood and the stars is not something I have any interest in. I went a bit blindly into it, scared that if I research it I'd create bad expectations.

I was surprise: it isn't the drama filled story I was dreading! This is a dive into the segregated USA and in a community I had never really read about: white passing POC. Even when Kitty starts to work in the film industry (as a phone operator at first then climbing the ladder to become a famous actress) the focus is always on social issues, racism, the careful balance of being a black woman in white spaces, the fight for civil rights and the work these woman did for this cause. Atop of all this there is the thread of family legacy and secrets and what ties Kitty and the St Johns together.

It is a very interesting book, nuanced and deep. I don't know how much of it is was researched but it felt fairly accurate from perspective.

The Oleander Sword (The Burning Kingdom #2) by Tasha Suri

Malini and Priya parted ways: the Princess is marching to the capital city, gathering allies to otherthrow her brother; the Priestess is working with her siblings to rebuilt the Temple and restore her city. But when Malini's fight encounter divine resistance she will once again draw from Priya's magic to get her end, with their fragile relationship, and Priya's own goals in the way.

I adored book 1, The Jasmine Throne and I was so excited to read the rest of the story! I loved having my favorite characters back, I loved the politic developing after the events of the previous tome and as usual I loved the angst, the complicated relationship between Malini and Priya, the mysterious happening in Ahiranya,Malini's change as her goal draws closer...

The writing is still gold, perfectly highlighting the feelings and doubts of the characters. I love having so much insight in the characters mind. The switch between multiples point of view is really well handles.

Unfortunately it suffers from Middle Book Syndrome: very little new element introduced and very little resolution of previous elements. That's to be expected, but when the third and final book is not yet available it is really frustrating.

I am still hyped for the last book, The Lotus Empire, it should be releases in November but the TBR is so high, I'm afraid I'll have to keep it for next year

Path of Destruction (Darth Bane Trilogy #1) by Drew Karpyshyn

A thousand year before the events of the first Trilogy, Des is a disillusioned miner in the Outer Rim. He joins the Sith to escape his misery and discover his connection to the Force. Through the training of the Sith Masters he develops his talent and as his power grows so does his ambition. He is now Darth Bane and he will be more powerful than them all!

I had been disappointed by novelisation of series before so I approached this one with caution, even though I heard everywhere that it was one of the best Star Wars novel (if you disagree don't blame me, blame Reddit)

That's a recurring event: I was dead wrong, this book floored me. The writing is good, the plot is even better, characters are incredible and I never thought I would be cheering so hard for a Sith!

I was a bit scared having no previous knowledge of this period of the Star Wars universe would make it impossible to understand the book. Maybe I misses some references but it never was obscur. The Star Wars lingo is also always explicited with context clues. That's really agreable because that's not always a given when you dive into work on the further edge of canon.

The characters are almost exclusively Sith (and some usual brand of assholes) but they are still relatable, even though they are cunning, vicious, calculating. Bane especially has some redeeming circonstances that made him endearing even though he joined the dark side and dives deep into its ways.

A really really good surprise and a really really good book. I'd really like to read the rest of this trilogy, it sparked back my interest for Star Wars when the recenr series and just bored me to death.

[lakecountylibrary]

One Quote Book Rec:

She told me it was death, and she wasn't afraid to die.

-- Did You Hear About Kitty Karr? by Crystal Smith Paul

See more of Ashley's recs

[bizarrebazaar13]

FL-inspired book recs, part 2!

part 1 here

Locations

The Shuttered Palace: Did You Hear About Kitty Karr? by Crystal Smith Paul. when Kitty Karr, a white film star, dies and leaves her estate to the Black St. John sisters, everyone wants to know why. Elise, the oldest of the three sisters, takes on the responsibility of getting Kitty’s affairs in order, and stumbles on a secret that could change everything. told in both Elise’s words and Kitty’s own, the book examines wealth, fame, race, gender, family, and the inner workings of Hollywood. I’m not usually very into the palace, but I think the themes here of family ties, facades, and who exactly gets to be rich and famous could be a nice parallel.

The Stacks: Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine. an alternate history where the library of Alexandria was never destroyed, and now controls all the world’s knowledge. Jess Brightwell, a book smuggler, passes the entrance exam to join the Library’s ranks. but nothing about the Library is quite what it seems, and Jess and his fellow postulants are about to learn just how powerful- and dangerous- knowledge can be. this is the first book in what is honestly one of my favorite series that I’ve ever read.

The Brass Embassy: The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo. a retelling of The Great Gatsby from Jordan Baker’s point of view, set in a version of the Jazz Age with demons, magic, and the possibility of losing your soul. Vo’s version of Jordan is a queer Vietnamese woman adopted by the wealthy Baker family as a child, and I loved her narration. I don’t really care for the original great gatsby, but this version hooked me immediately.

Exceptional Stories

Caveat Emptor: Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu. isolated but wealthy households, mysterious characters that you know are vampires but the protagonist doesn’t, be careful what you wish for, something oddly romantic about what the narrator and the antagonist have going on… sound familiar? I think Carmilla is technically a novella, so it’s a shorter read than some of these other books.

Factions

The Masters: The Bartimaeus Sequence by Johnathan Stroud. a series of four books (a main trilogy and a prequel) that takes place in an alternate London where the government is controlled by magicians who get their powers from summoning spirits. the first book, The Amulet of Samarkand, is narrated alternatively by Bartimaeus, a djinni summoned to help a young apprentice get revenge on a powerful rival, and Nathaniel, an ambitious magician’s apprentice whose revenge plot soon spirals out of control. Stroud’s magicians parallel FBG’s masters in many ways, and one that jumps out immediately is Nathaniel’s later role as the information minister, and how closely it resembles Pages’s ministry of public decency.

The University: The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. it’s about an experiment gone awry, and the truths that might be better left unfaced. another novella, this classic horror story may have been inspired by a friend of Stevenson’s, a french teacher who appeared to be a perfectly normal academic, but turned out to have murdered his wife and possibly several other people by poisoning them. this, along with the focus on Jekyll’s previous high status in the academic community, puts me in mind of the investigations in the university storyline, and the Summerset vs Benthic rivalry.

The Tomb-Colonies: Whichwood by Taherah Mafi. when Laylee’s mother dies, and her father abandons her, she is left as the only mordeshoor in the village of Whichwood. she spends her days washing the bodies of the dead and preparing their souls for the afterlife. rejected by the townspeople and slowly dying as her magic is drained away, her only company is the dozens of ghosts in her shed, awaiting burial. one day, she meets Alice and Oliver, two strangers on a mission to save her. this is technically a companion to one of Mafi’s earlier books, Furthermore, but I read Whichwood before I knew there was another book, and I understood it perfectly fine.

[musingsofmonica]

May 2023 Diverse Reads

May 2023 Diverse Read

•”Yellowface” by R. F. Kuang, May 16, William Morrow & Company, Literary Thriller 

•”Let This Radicalize You: Organizing and the Revolution of Reciprocal Care” by

Kelly Hayes & Mariame Kaba, May 16, Haymarket Books, Political and Activism & Social Justice

•”Good Night, Irene” by Luis Alberto Urrea, May 30, Little Brown and Company, Historical 

•”The Covenant of Water” by Abraham Verghese, May 02, Grove Press, Literary Historical 

•”Chain-Gang All Stars” by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, May 02, Pantheon Books, Literary 

•”Warrior Girl Unearthed” by Angeline Boulley, May 02, Henry Holt & Company, Thriller/Suspense 

•”Ander & Santi Were Here” by Jonny Garza Villa, May 02, Wednesday Books, YA Contemporary Romance

•”Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea” by Rita Chang-Eppig, May 30, Bloomsbury Publishing, Literary Historical 

•”Whale” by Cheon Myeong-Kwan, Chi-Young Kim (Translator) — Shortlisted for the International Booker Prize, May 02, Archipelago Books, Magical Realism

•”Quietly Hostile: Essays” by Samantha Irby, May 16, Vintage, Memoir in Essays

•”You Are Here” by Karin Lin-Greenberg, May 02, Counterpoint, Contemporary 

•”Did You Hear about Kitty Karr?” by Crystal Smith Paul, May 02, Henry Holt & Company, Historical

•”The Lost Journals of Sacajewea” by Debra Magpie Earling, May 23, Milkweed Editions, Historical 

•”Hula” by Jasmin Iolani Hakes, May 02, Harpervia, Historical — Fairy Tales, Folk Tales, Legends & Mythology

•”Dances” by Nicole Cuffy, May 16, One World, Literary

•”Horse Barbie: A Memoir” by Geena Rocero, May 30, Dial Press, Memoir 

•”Thinning Blood: A Memoir of Family, Myth, and Identity” by Leah Myers, May 16, W. W. Norton & Company, Memoir in Essays

•The Late Americans” by Brandon Taylor, May 23, Riverhead Books, Literary

•Sugar, Spice, and Can't Play Nice” by Annika Sharma, May 02, Sourcebooks Casablanca, Romance

•”The East Indian” by Brinda Charry, May 02, Scribner Book Company, Historical 

Happy Reading! — mo✌️

[wellesleybooks]

Booksellers on Vacation

Readers Row at Stone Harbor

Sally and her family spend the month of July sitting on the beach in Stone Harbor, New Jersey reading. We had to ask what books they were reading because we only recognized Spare by Prince Harry! The other books include: Maze by Nelson DeMille, Did You Hear About Kitty Karr? by Crystal Smith Paul, and August Blue by Deborah Levy.

[bigdreamsandwildthings]

July Wrap-Up

She Started It (Sian Gilbert) ★★★★

Love, Theoretically (Ali Hazelwood) (audio) ★★★★1/2

A Crown of Ivy and Glass (Claire Legrand) ★★★1/2

Where Echoes Die (Courtney Gould) ★★★1/2

The Only One Left (Riley Sager) (audio) ★★★★

Did You Hear About Kitty Karr? (Crystal Smith Paul) ★★

The Wishing Game (Meg Shaffer) ★★★★★

The Fiancee Farce (Alexandria Bellefleur) (audio) ★★★★

Belladonna (Adalyn Grace) ★★★★★

Yellowface (R.F. Kuang) (audio) ★★★★★

The Seven Year Slip (Ashley Poston) ★★★★1/2

Divine Rivals (Rebecca Ross) ★★★★★

What an excellent reading month. Find me over on Goodreads for more detailed reviews!

[jxrm]

book log - 2023

the librarianist by patrick dewitt

same time next year by tessa bailey

did you hear about kitty karr? by crystal smith paul

lore olympus: volume one by rachel smythe

a court if thorns and roses by sarah j. mass

summer sisters by judy blume

the demigod files by rick riordan

mistletoe and mayhem by carly winter

you shouldn’t have come here by jeneva rose

a house with good bones by t. kingfisher

christmas presents by lisa unger

z: a novel of zelda fitzgerald

the storm runner by j.c. cervantes

just another missing person by gillian mcallister

take me home by beth moran

blood sugar by sascha rothchild

a court of mist and fury by sarah j. mass

the christmas orphans club by becca freeman

under her care by lucinda berry

paris: the memoir by paris hilton

our wives under the sea by julie armfield

the celebrants by steven rowley

keep it in the family by john marrs

housemoms by jen lancaster

the woman in me by britney spears

just like home by sarah gailey

trespasses by louise kennedy

silence for the dead by simone st. james

a good family by matt goldman

the fire keeper by j.c. cervantes

dead silence by s.a. barnes

sunshine nails by mai nguyen

lore olympus: volume one by rachel smythe

the mystery guest by nita prose

her little flowers by shannon morgan

woke up like this by amy lea

legendary children by tom fitzgerald

midnight is the darkest hour by ashley winstead

the leftover women by jean kwok

everyone here is lying by shari lapena

mother-daughter murder night by nina simon

you may now kill the bride by r.l. stone

the man i never met by elle cook

hold my girl by charlene carr

legends & lattes by travis baldree

the golden spoon by jessa maxwell

bright young women by jessica kroll

suddenly a murder by lauren munoz

the only one left by riley sager

zero days by ruth ware

good bad girl by alice feeney

the christmas wager by holly cassidy

fortune by elle won steil

theme music by t. marie vandelly

close to home by cara hunter

the true love experiment by christina lauren

penelope in retrograde by brooke abrams

everyone in my family has killed someone by benjamin stevenson

the modern girl’s guide to magic by lindsay hall

i feed her to the beast and the beast is me by jamison shea

hello stranger by katherine center

the unlikely pilgrimage of harold fry by rachel joyce

gone tonight by sarah pekkanen

the library of the dead by t.l. huchu

what never happened by rachel howzell hall

look out for the little guy by scott lang

the christmas mourner by marian mccarthy

every little breath by keri beevis

this might hurt by stephanie wrobel

the last word by taylor adams

a court of wings and ruin by sarah j. mass

forth wing by rebecca yaros

hello beautiful by ann napolitano

summer rental by rektok ross

the house across the lake by riley sager

a cursed covenant by leigh ferguson

her rebel highness by diana ma

stone heart by katee robert

the perfect match by dandy smith

camp zero by michelle min sterling

one by one by frieda mcfadden

the wishing game by meg shaffer

a court of frost and starlight by sarah j. mass

that summer feeling by bridget morissey

to die for by lisa grey

the wrong family by tarryn fisher

heiress apparently by diana ma

the school for good mothers by jessamine chin

tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow by gabrielle zevin

she started it by sian gilbert

best friends forever by shannon hollinger

the housekeepers by alex hay

secluded cabin sleeps six by lisa unger

lore olympus: volume two by rachel smythe

of women and salt by gabriela garcia

kismet by amina akhtar

the devil wears scrubs by frieda mcfadden

girl, forgotten by karin slaughter

come closer by sara gran

the exorcist’s house by nick roberts

august blue by deborah levy

hang the moon by jeannette walls

the thursday murder club by richard osman

a whole new world by liz braswell

run on red by noelle w. ihli

the last thing he told me by laura dave

lore olympus: volume three by rachel smythe

how to sell a haunted house by grady hendrix

the dead romantics by ashley poston

cassandra in reverse by holly smale

i used to be fun by melanie summers

the showrunner by kim moritsugu

runaway groomsman by meghan quinn

i want to die but i want to eat tteokpokki by baek she-hee

the whispers by ashley audrain

e. aster bunnymund and the warrior eggs at the earth’s core! by william joyce

allergies: poems on grieving and loving by maggie bowyer

hermione granger and the philosopher’s stone by sara baines-miller

the summer house by keri beevis

exiles by jane harper

just the nicest couple by mary kubica

the very secret society of irregular witches by sangu mandanna

have you seen her by catherine mckenzie

the shallows by holly craig

a love letter to whiskey by kandi steiner

hermione granger and the chamber of secrets by sara baines-miller

the coworker by frieda mcfadden

tiny beautiful things by cheryl strayed

you’re not supposed to die tonight by kalynn bayron

the little old lady who broke all the rules by catharina ingelman-sundberg

hermione granger and the prisoner of azkaban by sara baines-miller

the blonde identity by ally carter

nicolas st. north and the battle of the nightmare king by william joyce

women in white coats by olivia campbell

the ex talk by rachel lynn solomon

hermione granger and the goblet of fire by sara baines-miller

the wife before by shanora williams

gone again by minka kent

know my name by chanel miller

in the lives of puppets by t.j. klune

the homewreckers by mary kay andrews

going dark by melissa de la cruz

all the dangerous things by stacy willingham

counterfit by kirsten chen

the rewind by allison winn scotch

have i told you this already? by lauren graham

beyond the wand by tom felton

jana goes wild by farah heron

the perfect son by frieda mcfadden

america’s next reality star by laura heffernan

the new mother by nora murphy

georgie, all along by kate clayborn

the storied life of a.j. fikry by gabrielle zevin

a flicker in the dark by stacy willingham

the villa by rachel hawkins

device free weekend by sean doolittle

what the neighbors saw by melissa adelman

the library of lost and found by phaedra patrick

motherthing by ainslie hogarth

the block party by jamie day

tanqueray by stephanie johnston

the ex hex by erin sterling

rock paper scissors by alice feeney

the kiss curse by erin sterling

it ends with us - colleen hoover

the summer of broken rules by k.l. walther

the wife stalker by liv constantine

in my dreams i hold a knife by ashley winstead

the family remains by lisa jewell

my secret sister by lauren westwood

the engagement by samantha hayes

if we were villains by m.l. rio

the sleepover by keri beevis

twenty years later by charlie donlea

the doctor’s wife by daniel hurst

[readingforsanity]

Did You Hear About Kitty Karr? | Crystal Smith Paul | Published 2023 | *SPOILERS*

When Kitty Karr Tate, a White icon of the silver screen, dies and bequeaths her multimillion-dollar estate to the St. John's sisters, three young, wealthy Black women, it prompts questions. Lots of questions.

A celebrity in her own right, Elise St. John would rather focus on sorting out Kitty's affairs than deal with the press. But what she discovers in one of Kitty's journals rocks her world harder than any other brewing scandal could - and between a cheating fiance and the fallout from a controversial social media post, there are plenty.

The truth behind Kitty's ascent to stardom from her beginnings in the segregated South threatens to expose a web of unexpected family ties, debts owed, and debatable crimes that could, with one pull, unravel the all-American fabric of the St. John's sisters and those closest to them.

As Elise digs deeper into Kitty's past, she must also turn the lens upon herself, confronting the gifts and brudens of her own choices and the power that the secrets of the dead hold over the living. Did You Hear About Kitty Karr? is a sprawling page-turner set against the backdrop of the Hollywood machine, an insightful and nuanced look at the inheritances of family, race and gender - and the choices some women make to break free of them.

The main focus of the story revolves around Kitty Karr. Born Mary Magdalene Ledbetter, born to a black mother and a white father, an heir to the Lakes' tobacco fortune after her father raped her mother, it centers around what Kitty had to do in order to survive the deep South as a biracial woman, eventually turning her aspirations to Hollywood later in life.

Hazel, Mary's mother, did the best she could with raising her. Teaching her to read and write was the best thing she could have done for the young girl. Mary's paternal grandparents knew about her existence, though never acknowledged her like they did their other grandchildren. In fact, Mary has a younger sister named Shirley Claire, whom is only two years younger than she is. Every year, Mary's grandmother would bake her a cake on her birthday, thinking this was enough to ensure that the girl was never forgotten, and Hazel had a job with the Lakes' family for the rest of her days, most often taking care of Shirley Claire when she would come stay with her grandparents for the summer.

In her pre-teen years, Hazel and Mary would travel to Charlotte every Sunday, avoiding church where Hazel, a physically black woman would attend with a young girl who could easily pass as white, would be questioned. Wanting to give Mary a better life than she had, Hazel began acting as her minder while out in public, refusing to allow Mary to call her mom/mama in public. It is here that they meet another woman and child in a similar situation to theirs. Their friendship blossomed, and they often thought of themselves as sisters. But, after Lillian and Catherine moved away, they wouldn't hear from them for many more years.

When Mary turned 18, Hazel gave her a ticket to Los Angeles with the purpose of going to visit Lillian. At first hesitant, expecting her long-time boyfriend to propose at any time, Mary agrees to go for a week or two with every intention of returning back to North Carolina. However, once there, Mary realizes that Hazel did this on purpose with the sole intention of her to remain in California and never return home, that she could have a decent life in California so long as she goes as white passing.

Renamed by Lillian to Kitty, and Lillian going by Emma, they portrayed themselves as sisters. Emma works as a telephone operator for Telescope Film, and gets Kitty a job there as well. Kitty eventually meets another white passing woman named Lucy, and learns that there is an entire network on women living and working in LA who are white passing, and they are part of a bigger movement, under the name of Blair House. It becomes easier and easier for Kitty for spot a biracial woman who is white passing.

Kitty also gets promoted as the assistant to the owner of the company, and eventually they fall in love and begin a relationship. Kitty is terrified that he will learn the truth, as he has vowed to never have any children for fear that her background would come in the color of the childs skin. Emma eventually marries and stops speaking to Kitty as much, though after a visit learns from Emma's maid that she has begun drinking heavily, and that her husband has begun having affairs behind her back for her own refusal to have any children.

After Kitty and Nathan marry, she eventually becomes pregnant. Nathan hires a midwife named Nellie, who starts living with them in order to care for Kitty. At this point, Kitty is a well-known actress in Hollywood, having appeared in many films and has even written some of those films under a fake name. Nellie is aware of Kitty's white passing and confirms as much when Kitty confides in her one evening. She is terribly worried for the child she is bearing, and requests that Nellie help her find a family to adopt the child, though this remains unsuccessful.

When Kitty gives birth to a daughter, to be named Sarah after Nathan's mother, she requests that Nellie and her husband take her in as their own, and that she wishes not to see her, though she does change her mind. Eventually, Nathan confesses to having known this the entire time, even the truth about Kitty's background, and that he was upset that she didn't trust him with this truth, especially after they have a visit from the FBI for their knowledge in Blair House. Some of the members of the society are eventually caught and sent to jail, but the others remained largely unnoticed for many years, well into the elderly prime.

At this point, Kitty begins working with Sarah on the set of a new TV show that becomes a hit, and eventually leads to Sarah becomes a very well-known actress herself, as she continues to be well into her adulthood.

Interwoven with Kitty's background story, is that of Elise, one of three sisters to include Giovanni and Noele, that were the recipients of Kitty's inheritance after her death from cancer a few weeks prior. Leaving the entirety of her estate to the three sisters is something that has sparked media interest, as Kitty has spent her entire adult life passing as a white woman.

We eventually learn that Kitty is Sarah's mother, therefore making her the maternal grandmother to the three sisters and explains why she left them their inheritance. Kitty remained close to Nellie all of these years, up until her death when Elise was 12. Elise is adamant that Kitty wanted her truth to be known, even if she was gone. But, everyone is terrified as the FBI is still clearly involved in what had happened all those years ago, and a lot of very big names are listed in the ledger noting all of the charitble contributions that were falsely made.

Elise eventually goes on to win an Oscar for Best Actress, and she confesses that Kitty Karr was her grandmother, and that was the reason behind her being left the inheritance, along with her three sisters. Elise is able to come to terms with her decision with the help of Jasper, the grandson of the photographer that had spent a lof of his own youth following Kitty around at the behest of Nathan, which is how he found out the truth about his wife, but he ultimately was very accepting of her biracial background.

I never undersood what white passing meant until I read this book. Call me a privileged white girl, that's fine. It just never occurred to me that something like this happened. Of course, I knew of the hardships that black service men and women went through. It's in most history books, though I'm sure the truth is only the half of it.

This story truly opened up my eyes about what it meant to be a biracial person living in a time when being a different color than white was something to be ashamed of, or that was considered lowly. You can read books like The Help, but this story truly opens your eyes up to what many women felt they needed to do in order to survive the world. It's very similar to what people of color and women today are going through (Man vs. the Bear, am I right?!....I choose the bear).

It was very well done, and I am so glad I decided to give this one a shot. An easy 5 stars from me!

[nattosushi]

Popsugar reading challenge: A book with 24 letters in the title

Did you hear about Kitty Karr?- by Crystal Smith Paul

This book is rather hard to review without giving away one of the main spoilers, but I think it is not that surprising due to all the hints given at the start of the book.

The book basically shows two women's life- Kitty's in the 50s and Elise in post 2000. Kity is actually a family friend of Elise's. The twist/spoiler is that Kitty is actually half-black and has been passing off as a white woman. Reading about the way Kitty does this is really fascinating, as well as the way she worked with other women to try and improve the social situation.

Elise's part, however, falls short. I think the main reason is because Elise is a very unsympathetic character. If she was the only narrator in the story then I think I would probably have stopped reading the book. Elise will actually say that as a minority (Afro American) she cannot be racist. Racism is racism. And while some situations might be more sympathetic then others, you can be a suffering minority and still be racist.

I live in New Zealand and even though it is very multicultural, most of the migrated race is still regarded as a minority. I even had my own friends saying that I cannot be a New Zealader because I was not born here, but only came here when I was 7. The thing is, as a 'minority' I can say that minority race can be racist. During work, I often have to translate because I have Chinese customers that does not speak English yet make a scene. They would simply just speak in Chinese to a clearly non-Chinese person and demand them to find a solution for them. I even reach the stage of pretending to not speak Chinese when I face certain entitled customers. Why should I make your life easier?

The second thing about Elise is that she is from a very privileged background with very wealthy parents. This is not her fault, but when this is pointed out, she does not admit this, but gets defensive about it. And at the very end, we are suppose to sympathise with her completely due to the racist incident that happened with two white policemen when she younger. Yes, what happened was nasty, but that does not mean it makes her understand the various sufferings other in a much less privileged position would have undergone. What really irritate me about this is that her having this one bad incident is suppose to makes her able to understand people who have suffered so much worse.

The fact that she revealed Kitty's identity despite everyone's else's objection (as well as Kitty's) is really disappointing, because it is clearly that she is doing this just to make herself better.

Finally, the issue of her boyfriend cheating. Even though it is ultimately her boyfriend's fault, her reaction to the affair is actually more about her own ego being hurt, and she seems to really just be using her boyfriend all along. I know that this sound like victim blaming, but she does not seem a nice person at all.

So my reaction in regard to the book is abit mixed. At one hand I really like reading about Kitty, I also really dislike Elise. So I am not sure if I would recommend the book.

[mccoppinscrapyard]

Books Read/Listened To in 2023

* = owned

The Hellion’s Waltz by Olivia Waite (audiobook) : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

In My Own Moccasins by Helen Knott- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay * - ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Girls that Never Die by Safia Elhillo- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail by Ashley Herring Blake- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Who Put This Song On? by Morgan Parker (audiobook) - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Almost American Girl by Robin Ha- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

The Weary Blues by Langston Hughes- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Love & Other Disasters by Anita Kelly * - ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Olga Dies Dreaming by Xochitl Gonzalez (audiobook)- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

And Yet by Kate Baer - ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo (audiobook) - ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Ana María and the Fox by Liana de la Rosa * - ⭐️⭐���⭐️.5

Black Roses by Harold Green III- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Patience and Esther by S.W. Searle- ⭐️⭐️⭐️

She Gets the Girl by Rachael Lippincott and Alyson Derrick * - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

In the Neighborhood of True by Susan Kaplan Carlton (audiobook) - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai * - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Wicked Beauty by Katee Robert (audiobook) - ⭐️⭐️⭐️

That Could Be Enough by Alyssa Cole * - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Maus by Art Spiegelman * - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Did You Hear About Kitty Karr? by Crystal Smith Paul * - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Postcolonial Love Poem by Natalie Diaz - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Belle of the Ball by Mari Costa * - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Swimming in the Dark by Tomasz Jewdrowski (audiobook) - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Sasha Masha by Agnes Borinsky * - ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Cheer Up! Love & Pompoms by Crystal Frazier * - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Home Field Advantage by Dahlia Adler (audiobook) - ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Love Charade by Allie McDermid * - ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Yazidi! by Aurelien DuCoudray and Mini Ludvin - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo * - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Bride Test by Helen Hoang (audiobook) - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Hello Stranger by Katherine Center * - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Private Charter by N. R. Walker (audiobook) - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Island Wisdom by Annie Daly & Kainoa Daines - ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

No Country for Eight-Spot Butterflies: A Lyric Essay by Julian Aguon (audiobook) - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Bi: The Hidden Culture, History, and Science of Bisexuality by Julia Shaw - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Fire from the Sky by Moa Backe Astot (eARC) - ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Going Bicoastal by Dahlia Adler (audiobook) - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Fall Into You by Georgina Kiersten - ⭐️⭐️⭐️

An Island Princess Starts a Scandal by Adriana Herrera * - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Sing Anyway by Anita Kelly - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

The Times I Knew I Was Gay by Eleanor Crewes * - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga * - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi (audiobook) - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Jazz Owls by Margarita Engle * - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

She Was Made for Me by Jen Morris - ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

You, Again by Kate Goldbeck * - DID NOT FINISH

The Tiny Journalist by Naomi Shihab Nye - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Payback’s a Witch by Lana Harper - ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Gender is Really Strange by Teddy G. Goetz (eARC) - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Well Matched by Jen DeLuca (audiobook) - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Love Flushed by Evie Mitchell - ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Skip! by Sarah Burgess (eARC)- ⭐️⭐️.5

The Leftover Woman by Jean Kwok * - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Home is Not a Country by Safia Elhillo (audiobook) - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson * - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid (audiobook) - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Minor Detail by Adania Shibli (audiobook) - ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw * - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Her Night With the Duke by Diana Quincy (audiobook) - currently reading

Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata- currently reading

You’re a Mean One, Matthew Prince by Timothy Janovsky - currently reading

[study-coffee-chicago]

Previous read: “The Only Survivors” 3.5/5 ⭐️

Current read: “Did You Hear about Kitty Karr?”

[noahsbookhoard]

📚 Hi! I'm Noah avid reader since age 6 and always happy to discuss books! 📚

I read almost all genre with sweet tooth for fantasy and sci-fi. I also have a growing interest in murder mystery and horror. Lots of queer fiction. I'm also catching up on my classics.

Mostly adult and some young adult but I have enjoy middle grade from time to time.

I especially love Terry Pratchett, Victor Hugo, Agatha Christie and T J Klune.

I read in both english and french, english not being my first language but I'm close to fluent.

Yearly book count : 123

Last finished reading

Une belle vie by Virginie Grimaldi

Reading in progress

La Dame du manoir de Wildfell Hall (The Tenant of Wildfell Hall) by Anne Brontë

The Restaurang at the End of the Universe (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy #2) by Douglas Adams

Already read this year (in reverse chronological order)

If We Were Villains by M L Rio

(The lines in pink are book crushes)

Dracula by Bram Stoker

Wintersmith (Discworld #34) by Terry Pratchett

Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone (Ernest Cunningham #1) by Benjamin Stevenson

What Feast at Night (Sworn Soldier #2) by T Kingfisher

Le Bastion des Larmes by Abdellah Taïa

War and Peace by Leon Tolstoi

The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi

Rule of Two (Darth Bane Trilogy #2) by Drew Karpyshyn

Les Dragons by Jérôme Colin

Hotel Magnifique by Emily J Taylor

Le dieu d'automne et d'hiver by Pauline Sidre

Les Possibles by Virginie Grimaldi

A Close and Common Orbit (Wayfarer #2) by Becky Chambers

The Outsider by Stephen King

Once and Future Witches by Alix E Harrow

Tous les silence ne font pas le même bruit by Baptiste Beaulieu

Trois battements un silence by Anne Fakhouri

Kiss Kiss by Roal Dahl

Assassin's Apprentice (Realm of the Elderlings #1) by Robin Hobb

Halloween Party by Agatha Christie

Artificial Condition (Murderbot Diary #2) by Martha Wells

The Light Throught the Leaves by Glendy Vanderah

Et que ne durent que les moments doux by Virginie Grimaldi

The Eyes are the Best Part by Monika Kim

Ring Shout by P Djeli Clark

The Rest of the Robots (Robots #2) by Isaac Asimov

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

On the Way to the Wedding (Bridgerton #8) by Julia Quinn

Our Missing Heart by Celeste Ng

Book of Blood I by Clive Barker

Ilos by Marion Brunet

Babel by R F Kuang

Rosemary and Rue (October Daye #1) by Seanan McGuire

Thud! (Discworld #34) by Terry Pratchett

Sea of Tranquility by Emily St John Mandel

Les aventures de Billy et du Pyrobarbare : la forteresse du chaudron noir by Bob Lennon

Space Opera by Catherynne M Valente

Magie et Sentiments : les secrets de Longdawn by Ariel Holzl

A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole

It's in His Kiss (Brigerton #7) by Julia Quinn

Les Cinq by Matthieu Rochelle

Did You Hear About Kitty Karr by Crystal Paul Smith

The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe (The Chronicles of Narnia #1) by C S Lewis

How to Raise a Kraken in Your Bathtub by P Djeli Clark

An Appointment with Death by Agatha Christie

The Oleander Sword (The Burning Kingdoms #2) by Tasha Suri

Time to Orbit : Unknown by Derin Edala

It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini

4.48 Psychosis by Sarah Kane

Under the Whispering Door by T J Klune

The Moth Keeper by Kay O'Neill

Cain's Jawbone by E Powys Mathers

Darth Bane : Path of Destruction (Darth Bane #1) by Drew Karpyshyn

Du thé pour les fantômes by Chris Vuklisevic

Labyrinthes (Caleb Tracksman #3) by Franck Thiliez

The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet (Wayfarers #1) by Becky Chambers

Le dernier des siens by Sibylle Grimbert

Five Little Pigs by Agatha Christie

Going Postal (Discworld #33) by Terry Pratchett

House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland

Blanche-Neige et les lances-missiles (Du temps où les dieux buvaient #1) by Catherine Dufour

When He Was Wicked (Bridgerton #6) by Julia Quinn

The Lord of the Flies by William Golding

Celle qu'il attendait by Baptiste Beaulieu

Jusqu'à ce que mort s'ensuive by Olivier Rolin

American Gods by Neil Gaiman

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

The Umbrella Academy Vol 1-3 by Gerard Way and Gabriel Bà

Il était deux fois (Caleb Tracksman #2) by Franck Thilliez

Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle

To Sir Phillip With Love (Bridgerton #5) by Julia Quinn

Le papillon des étoiles by Bernard Werber

Beren and Luthien by J R R Tolkien

A Hat Full of Sky (Discworld #32) by Terry Pratchett

Le manuscrit inachevé (Caleb Tracksman #1) by Frnaxk Thiliez

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie

Akata Witch (Akata Witch #1) by Nnedi Okorafor

Romancing Mr Bridgerton (Bridgerton #4) by Julia Quinn

The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton

An Offer from a Gentleman (Bridgerton #3) by Julia Quinn

Delicious in Dungeon vol 1-14 by Ryoko Kui

Doctor Who : the Star Beast by Gary Russell

La promesse de l'aube by Romain Gary

The Jasmine Throne (The Burning Kingdoms #1) by Tasha Suri

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adam

The Illiad by Homer (trad Emily Wilson)

The Viscount Who Loved Me (Bridgerton #2) by Julia Quinn

The Me You Love in the Dark by Scotty Young and

The Duke and I (Bridgerton #1) by Julia Quinn

Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie

Nona the Ninth (Locked Tomb #3) by Tamsyn Muir

The Catcher in the Rye by J D Salinger

House of Leaves by Mark Z Danielewski

The House in the Cerulean Sea by T J Klune

I, Robot (Robot #1) by Isaac Asimov

Monstrous Regiment (Discworld #31) by Terry Pratchett

The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives in your Home by Jeffrey Cranor and Joseph Fink

Fullmetal Alchemist Vol 1-27 by Hiromu Arakawa

The Remarkable Retirement of Edna Fischer by E M Anderson

All System Red (Murderbot Diaries #1) by Martha Wells

Veiller sur elle by Jean-Baptiste Andrea

Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare

Segurant le chevalier au dragon by Emanuele Arioli

Chanson Douce by Leila Sleimane

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

He Who Drowned The World (The Radiant Emperor #2) by Shelley Parker Chan

Et à la fin ils meurent by Lou Lubie

Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes

Coraline by Neil Gaiman

The Wee Free Men (Discworld #30) by Terry Pratchett

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

Harrow the Ninth (Locked Tomb #2) by Tamsyn Muir

Histoire de coming out by Baptiste Beaulieu and Sophie Nanteuil

Heartstopper Vol 1-4 by Alice Oseman

The Old Guard by Greg Rucka

The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

Le Comte de Monte-Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

La Cicatrice by Bruce Lowrey

Farenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Us by Sara Soler

Gideon the Ninth (Locked Tomb #1) by Tamsyn Muir