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Going on despite tragedy, growing through the efforts of trying to heal from trauma.
To deny those who inflict violence upon you the satisfaction of seeing you crumble.
The people of Paris, of France will do that ...
for that is who they are ... what they have done in the past.
Toi Thomas has developed a book bloghop for readers and writers
to share what they are reading, have read, are writing, or have written with others.
And although the ghost of Mark Twain is shaking his head in disbelief,
I am going to recommend a series by CHARLAINE HARRIS --
No, not the True Blood series ... (shiver)
It is linked to the Paris Attacks and their aftermath by its striking heroine, Lily Bard.
Lily Bard is one of the most compelling and, frankly, admirable heroines I have ever come across.
She has a very dark past, and from the very first page
it's clear how much sheer will it has taken for her to make a new life for herself.
Lily is independent, blunt, feisty, solitary, and possessing a perception born of years dealing with an event that near shattered her.
The Shakespeare books are mysteries, and they're good ones,
but the reason to read them is to watch Lily Bard's character grow and change.
“Once upon a time, years ago, I thought I was pretty.
My sister, Varena, and I had the usual rivalry going, and I remember deciding my eyes were bigger and a lighter blue than hers,
my nose was straighter and thinner, and my lips were fuller.
Her chin was better--neat and determined. Mine is round. I haven't seen Varena in three years.
She is now the pretty one.
Though my face hasn't changed, my mind has. The workings of the mind look out through the face and alter it.
Sometimes, some mornings--the ones after the really bad nights--I look in the mirror and do not recognize the woman I see there.
I could tell there was no point in going to bed. My feet itched to be running.
Front door, back door, kitchen door? Some nights it takes me awhile to decide."
When the unpopular and very nosy owner of the apartment building next door is murdered and the body dumped in the local park,
Lily reports the body to the police--anonymously.
The local police chief, however, is nobody's fool
and quickly discovers Lily's involvement and her own past, which makes her a possible suspect.
Given the situation and, since she cleans for many of the other possible suspects,
Lily decides that the only way to clear her name is to find the real killer.
Give yourself a treat and follow Lily's re-emergence into a full life through these five mysteries.
