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ClareR (5996 KP) rated Fearless and Free: A Memoir by Josephine Baker in Books
Oct 14, 2025
Fearless and Free is a really interesting memoir, told through the interviews that journalist Marcel Sauvage had with Josephine Baker. And what a life she had!
Born in 1906, mixed race, Josephine made it from St. Louis to New York and then on to Paris - and she was still a teenager. She became famous in Paris for her banana dress in the Danse Sauvage, and she was also a jazz singer and an actress. During WW2 she was a spy, she loved animals, adopted children and donated to many causes.
This memoir ends in 1949, so we don’t get any details about her involvement in the Civil Rights movement, but we do see what happens when she travels home to the US - and it’s not good. Her reception is the complete opposite to the way she’s received in Europe.
When reading this, Josephine’s voice shines through. Her vivacious, fun, tenacious personality is there throughout, which does make up for the non-linear accounts.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book!
Born in 1906, mixed race, Josephine made it from St. Louis to New York and then on to Paris - and she was still a teenager. She became famous in Paris for her banana dress in the Danse Sauvage, and she was also a jazz singer and an actress. During WW2 she was a spy, she loved animals, adopted children and donated to many causes.
This memoir ends in 1949, so we don’t get any details about her involvement in the Civil Rights movement, but we do see what happens when she travels home to the US - and it’s not good. Her reception is the complete opposite to the way she’s received in Europe.
When reading this, Josephine’s voice shines through. Her vivacious, fun, tenacious personality is there throughout, which does make up for the non-linear accounts.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book!
Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated The Ex in Books
Aug 5, 2019
Jack Harrison is an author who has suffered great loss in his life. In high school, he lost his mother. A few years later, his father. A few years after that, his brother. The same day his brother died in a car accident, was the same day he found out that his long-term girlfriend, Olivia Randall had been cheating on him. Jack goes on and lives his life and after being married for about 10 years, he loses his wife to gun violence. The person who killed his wife was a young boy whose father thought guns were the right way to reach his mentally troubled son. So the families were suing the boys father for wrongful death. But that suit was dropped and everyone is devastated. A few days later, Malcolm Neeley, father of the boy who killed Jack's wife is shot to death along with two other people. All signs point to Jack as the person who committed this crime. But, Olivia knows Jack and he would never do something like this, right? Is Jack guilty or innocent. As time goes on, it's hard to tell.
Thank you to my Bookaholic friends for suggesting this book to me. This is the first book I have read by Alafair Burke and I can't wait to read more.
Imagine what you would do if you were accused of a crime you know you didn't commit. But all signs point to you. How can you handle it? What if your ex-girlfriend is the one who is representing you, do you think that would be a good idea? Jack Harrison seems like your typical guy, living his life and minding his business.
This book really touched me from start to finish. I had to know if Jack was really guilty or if someone was framing him and why would they do that? Jack is a man without too much in his life. It's just him and his daughter and his best friend. Why would his risk losing what little he had to get back at a man, whose son killed his wife.
Even though Olivia knew Jack 20 years ago, does she know the man today? Is she able to put aside their differences and see the evidence for what it is? You will have to read the book to find out.
Thank you to my Bookaholic friends for suggesting this book to me. This is the first book I have read by Alafair Burke and I can't wait to read more.
Imagine what you would do if you were accused of a crime you know you didn't commit. But all signs point to you. How can you handle it? What if your ex-girlfriend is the one who is representing you, do you think that would be a good idea? Jack Harrison seems like your typical guy, living his life and minding his business.
This book really touched me from start to finish. I had to know if Jack was really guilty or if someone was framing him and why would they do that? Jack is a man without too much in his life. It's just him and his daughter and his best friend. Why would his risk losing what little he had to get back at a man, whose son killed his wife.
Even though Olivia knew Jack 20 years ago, does she know the man today? Is she able to put aside their differences and see the evidence for what it is? You will have to read the book to find out.
LY
Lead Yourself to Success: Ordinary People Achieving Extraordinary Results Through Self-Leadership
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Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated After the War is Over in Books
Dec 10, 2020
204
Book
After the war is over
By Maureen Lee
Liverpool, 1945.Three women, strong friends, return home from the war trying to fit back into their old lives after they've been demobbed.They've been thrown together by the war and shared all sorts of good and bad times. Now their old lives seem dull in comparison, but not for long... The younger women, Maggie and Nell, are both twenty-one and are full of hope and excitement; Iris, on the other hand, is feeling apprehensive about returning to civilian life. At the age of thirty her only wish in life is to have a baby, but sadly this wish has yet to come true. When one of the women falls pregnant, there begins a dramatic sequence of events so wide-reaching that the three friends' lives will become more intricately interwoven than they could ever have imagined. Over the next quarter of a century this story of three remarkable - and very different - women unfolds into an uplifting tale of how three ordinary families become extraordinary.
This is not normally a book I’d pick up from a shop or the library this was passed on by a friend and I always like to try different books. I really enjoyed it! It’s a gentle well told story of 3 women who’s lives take so many different twists and turns. You find yourself immersed into each of their lives. I will certainly be trying more of her books sometimes a girl needs a break from supernatural and crimes!
Book
After the war is over
By Maureen Lee
Liverpool, 1945.Three women, strong friends, return home from the war trying to fit back into their old lives after they've been demobbed.They've been thrown together by the war and shared all sorts of good and bad times. Now their old lives seem dull in comparison, but not for long... The younger women, Maggie and Nell, are both twenty-one and are full of hope and excitement; Iris, on the other hand, is feeling apprehensive about returning to civilian life. At the age of thirty her only wish in life is to have a baby, but sadly this wish has yet to come true. When one of the women falls pregnant, there begins a dramatic sequence of events so wide-reaching that the three friends' lives will become more intricately interwoven than they could ever have imagined. Over the next quarter of a century this story of three remarkable - and very different - women unfolds into an uplifting tale of how three ordinary families become extraordinary.
This is not normally a book I’d pick up from a shop or the library this was passed on by a friend and I always like to try different books. I really enjoyed it! It’s a gentle well told story of 3 women who’s lives take so many different twists and turns. You find yourself immersed into each of their lives. I will certainly be trying more of her books sometimes a girl needs a break from supernatural and crimes!
Always the Last to Know
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Sometimes you have to break a family to fix it. From New York Times bestselling author Kristan...
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How far would you go to protect your perfect life? Marianne has a life others dream of. A...
Psychological Thriller Fiction Mystery Suspense stand alone novel female lead
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Just because you love someone doesn’t mean you know them. Nina Garrity learned that the hard...
domestic thriller family contemporary
Merissa (13382 KP) rated INCEPTIO (Roma Nova Thriller #1) in Books
Apr 26, 2023
INCEPTIO is the first book in the Carina Mitela Adventure series and we start off in the EUS (Eastern United States). The world isn't the same as we know it, with different countries, rules, and regulations. In the middle of this is Karen Brown, an unassuming name for an unassuming young woman whose life is about to change.
Some of it is fairly formulaic - bad government people, new life, new wealth, new status. It's something that has been done before. However, I enjoyed this one, I really did. Everything comes easy to Karen/Carina - whether it is the Latin language (which is NOT easy, trust me), or specialised self-defence. She can be quite mouthy but no one seems to have a problem with that. I'm glad this isn't listed as a romance because it isn't. In fact, the romance side almost seems to be just a page-filler as I didn't really feel much of a connection between any of them.
This book has plenty of action, told from Karen and Jeremy's perspectives only. From drugs being brought into Roma Nova, to escaped prisoners, to finding a mole, it's all going on and Carina is right in the thick of it.
I enjoyed this story and would definitely read more in this series. Recommended by me.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Apr 26, 2023
Some of it is fairly formulaic - bad government people, new life, new wealth, new status. It's something that has been done before. However, I enjoyed this one, I really did. Everything comes easy to Karen/Carina - whether it is the Latin language (which is NOT easy, trust me), or specialised self-defence. She can be quite mouthy but no one seems to have a problem with that. I'm glad this isn't listed as a romance because it isn't. In fact, the romance side almost seems to be just a page-filler as I didn't really feel much of a connection between any of them.
This book has plenty of action, told from Karen and Jeremy's perspectives only. From drugs being brought into Roma Nova, to escaped prisoners, to finding a mole, it's all going on and Carina is right in the thick of it.
I enjoyed this story and would definitely read more in this series. Recommended by me.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Apr 26, 2023
Steven Sklansky (231 KP) rated Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017) in Movies
Oct 5, 2017
The Action (2 more)
The Cast
The Robot Dogs
Crazy, Outrageous and Bloody Good Fun
Walking into the this movie I was expecting great things. I loved the first one and was actively waiting for number 2. Like all sequels unfortunately it did not live up to the first one. I am not saying it was a bad movie, because it was still fantastic, but it just did not have the same pop as the first.
Some of my favorite things about this movie was the action. Spy movies always have a way of make the crazy look very good. The gadgets they use I wish existed in real life because I would like one of each. Or maybe they are real and CIA and MI6 just keep them hidden from the real world. But as for the action the I was done so well. The fight scenes were done so seamlessly. My personal favorite was the fight scenes with the lassos, I know it was all mostly special effects but I was amazing to see it pulled off.
Comedy in the is movie is fantastic, they got the right group of actors together. Julianne Moore played one hell of a bad ass bad guy. I mean eating someone it just insane. But who knows, maybe I would eat people if it were legal. Her robot dogs were the best, I wish I had a set. Unfortunately they had to be charged to be effective. I think this is the first movie I have seen where robots needed to be charged and were not just ready to be used. Fun twist.
All and all, if you loved the first one, see this one. Just don't go in thinking this one will be better, go in thinking this is going to be a fun action movie.
Some of my favorite things about this movie was the action. Spy movies always have a way of make the crazy look very good. The gadgets they use I wish existed in real life because I would like one of each. Or maybe they are real and CIA and MI6 just keep them hidden from the real world. But as for the action the I was done so well. The fight scenes were done so seamlessly. My personal favorite was the fight scenes with the lassos, I know it was all mostly special effects but I was amazing to see it pulled off.
Comedy in the is movie is fantastic, they got the right group of actors together. Julianne Moore played one hell of a bad ass bad guy. I mean eating someone it just insane. But who knows, maybe I would eat people if it were legal. Her robot dogs were the best, I wish I had a set. Unfortunately they had to be charged to be effective. I think this is the first movie I have seen where robots needed to be charged and were not just ready to be used. Fun twist.
All and all, if you loved the first one, see this one. Just don't go in thinking this one will be better, go in thinking this is going to be a fun action movie.