Recent Reads - The Only Woman in the Room

This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from Just A Second helps supply books and coffee

The Only Woman in the Room by Marie Benedict - This novel reads like an auto-biography, as it's written in first person as if from Hedy Lamarr's personal journal. Author Marie Benedict wove together the facts about Lamarr's life and paints a haunting picture of the beautiful actress who was also a brilliant inventor.

The story begins with Hedy Kiesler's stage acting in Austria, following a performance that brought her to the attention of a wealthy and influential arms dealer, Friederich Mandl. The much older man pursued the young actress, who eventually agreed to marry him, at least in part because his power and influence could keep her and her parents protected in an increasingly anti-Semitic country. (This was in the early 1930s) Hedy had given up her acting career upon her marriage, and soon found out that her intellect and keen mind were not respected at all by her husband. She was an art object that he liked to show off at dinner parties. But while acting as Mandl's hostess, she had access to the political powers of Europe, and was privy to vast amounts of sensitive information about armaments, political maneuvering, and military plans and secrets. 

As her husband treated her more and more like a prisoner, Hedy accumulated all this sensitive information, and she also realized that anyone with Jewish roots was unsafe as Hitler's Nazis gained power. She carefully planned her escape from Austria, and eventually made her way to Hollywood after an introduction to Louis B. Mayer, where she found success as a glamourous actress, known for her exceptional beauty. She also struggled with her sense of guilt for escaping Europe and not sharing what she knew about Hitler and his plans, or about the strengths and weaknesses of the weaponry and military plans.

Hedy was finally able to team up with a composer to invent the "frequency hopping" communication system - or spread-spectrum technology - designed to help guide torpedoes to their targets while thwarting enemy attempts to jam the signals. This brilliant invention, patented by a gorgeous movie star and a composer, is the basis of the technology used in modern wireless communication. 

Much of Hedy Lamarr's life story is bittersweet - she was rarely acknowledged for her brilliant mind, only for her looks. She won personal victories in escaping her abusive first marriage and creating a technology to defeat the weapons Hitler was using on innocent people, but she had trouble in all her personal relationships and her frequency hopping invention was dismissed by the US military because it came from a woman. The only woman in the room.

©2008-2021 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Scripture and a Snapshot - In The Seas

The LORD does whatever pleases him,

in the heavens and on the earth,

in the seas and all their depths.

He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth;

he sends lightning with the rain

and brings out the wind from his storehouses.

~Psalm 135:6-7~

<div style='width:100%;text-align:center;'> <span style='margin:5px;padding:5px;border-radius: 5px;border:1px solid lightgrey;display:inline-block;'><a rel=_nofollow href='https://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/search/label/Scripture%20and%20a%20Snapshot'> <img style='border: 1px solid gray;width:330px;height:330px;' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBkEsmWJLn1f3VqhfaylcSn7IABJxDE4XrGPLFjO1V9xTM3ozVgjnerdCaVUqCwcRPIiwfqTfFqk4du0DK8acoLtyo-qFBOeBIKDwilTJVyIcRXpdYZC2QcFtMnVXKNk4Q1SLHMCX7SPU/s320/scripture+snapshot.jpg'><p style='align: center;'> </p> </a></span>

Thank you for joining Scripture & A Snapshot. Leave a link to your own post sharing a Scripture and a Snapshot. Take time to visit some of the other links and bless each other with comments.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

I also link up at Sunday Scripture Blessings, hosted by Peabea's Photos 'n Scribbles.

©2008-2021 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Friday Fun - The Friday 56 and First Lines for July 30, 2021

This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from Just A Second helps supply books and coffee. 

Weren't these jewels a puny price to pay for my sacrifice? First, my acting career, and now, my family's heritage? Never mind that my own connection to my family's religion was tenuous; it was a momentous surrender.

~From page 56 of The Only Woman in the Room by Marie Benedict

The Friday 56 is hosted at Freda's Voice

*Grab a book, any book.

*Turn to Page 56 or 56% on your e-reader.

*Find a snippet, short and sweet.

*Post it, and share in the Linky.

***************

It is ironic that the author of a bestselling blank book should choose for his next subject language itself. But irony lies at the heart of political correctness. To call something "politically correct" is to acknowledge that it is not correct, at least by the standard of reality.

~From the Preface to Speechless: Controlling Words, Controlling Minds by Michael Knowles

Book Beginnings on Fridays is hosted by Rose City Reader.

*It's Book Beginnings on Fridays! Time to gather with our fellow book lovers and share the opening sentence (or so) of the books we are reading this week. Or share from a book that is on your mind right now -- whatever catches your fancy.

***************

LONDON: FEBRUARY 1897

 

I stacked the three piles of paper side by side on the desk, their edges straight as if I had lined them up with a ruler. Taking a new page and dipping my pen in the inkwell, I started a third copy of the contract. Father always said a solicitor must keep three copies of everything.

~From The Curse of Morton Abbey by Clarissa Harwood

First Line Fridays is hosted at Hoarding Books

*We are thrilled to have bloggers join us by linking up with their own First Line Fridays posts.

*Please keep posts family friendly or clean reads.

*Link back to Hoarding Books within your post or grab a button.

©2008-2021 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Monthly Bookshelf Review- July 2021

This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from Just A Second helps supply books and coffee.

I expected July to be a generally quiet month with plenty of time at home, and so it was. Just not in all the ways I'd expected! A vacation our adult kids had planned was cancelled, a home improvement project that was scheduled had to be postponed, some activities had to be rescheduled, and we even have had to quarantine for awhile! Here are the books that helped keep me entertained during the month.

July's Books Completed and Reviewed

The Scarlet Pen by Jennifer Uhlarik - Emma is charmed into a hasty engagement but eventually finds it hard to remain loyal when a secret service agent's investigation of counterfeit money and violence keeps trailing Stephen's path. (Read my full review HERE)

Between the Wild Branches by Connilyn Cossette - Lukio has returned to his Philistine homeland and built a successful life there, and then he crosses paths with the Hebrew girl he'd once loved and lost. (Read my full review HERE)

The Inviting Life by Laura Calder - a charming little guidebook for making a comfortable and functional home that can be a welcoming place for entertaining guests. (Read my full review HERE)

The 5-Minute Visual Guide to the Bible by Michael Wittmer - A beautiful full-color guidebook to help you understand the major themes and stories of the Bible. (Read my full review HERE)

A Grave Matter - Anna Lee Huber - Kiera and Gage investigate a series of unusual grave robberies, and consider the possible next steps for their relationship. I'll soon need to get working on the next in the series as I re-read with the Lady Darby Read-Along group on Facebook.   (Read my full review HERE)

During July I started reading:

The Only Woman in the Room by Marie Benedict - The novelized story of Hedy Lamarr, a fascinating and very intelligent lady.

North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell - I'm finally reading this classic as part of an online book club. It's a long one, and I won't finish on time, but it's so good!

 

Britfield & The Rise of the Lion, Book II by C.R. Stewart - I had plans to review and promote this second book in the series for young readers, but there were delays in receiving my copy. I'm currently reading the Kindle version, and the book has already released, so my review will be coming later on.

Coming Up in August!

A Study in Death by Anna Lee Huber

Speechless: Controlling Words, Controlling Minds by Michael Knowles

An Unexpected Peril by Deanna Raybourn

   

On my blogs recently . . . 

Besides the reviews, here on Just A Second you'll find:

Scripture and a Snapshot posts

Walking the Bible (DVD)

What I'm Reading - July 12, 2021

And on HS Coffee Break:

Five Minute Friday posts

I Spy #29

Share Four Somethings - July 2021

Dream Destinations - Cultural Geography

I Spy #28

Dream Destinations - Europe

The Inviting Life - Book Club Update

I Spy #27

Online Book Club: July Theme - Dream Destinations

Currently . . . July 7th

I Spy #26

June Photo Album

Online Book Club - Wrapping Up June: Beach

This post will be linked at the July 2021 Monthly Wrap-Up Round-up Link-up and Giveaway hosted by Feed Your Fiction Addiction; and at the weekly reading list meme hosted at Book Date.

 

©2008-2021 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. 

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

 

Walking the Bible (DVD)

This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from Just A Second helps supply books and coffee. 

Walking the Bible: A Journey By Land Through the Five Books of Moses (DVD) - A couple of months ago, I read a review of the book by the same name, and thought it sounded interesting. I was able to find the DVD through my library and decided to watch instead of read about the author's journey.

Bruce Feiler, a best-selling New York Times author, set out on a quest to see the places where the first five books of the Bible took place. The trip is both a journalistic search for information and insight, and a personal faith journey for him. The journey is in three episodes spanning many locations in the Middle East and Egypt, and includes interactions with the local people and with various experts.

He begins in Mesopotamia, the cradle of civilization, and traces the creation story, the early accounts of humans in Genesis including the flood of Noah's day, up to the time of Abraham. His guide takes him to Turkey to climb Mount Ararat, traditionally viewed as the site where the ark came to rest. The scenery is varied and breathtaking, whether desert, lakes, or mountains.

In the second episode, Feiler focuses more on the Biblical accounts of Abraham, Jacob, and Joseph. He explores locations in Egypt and how the culture of ancient Egypt intersected with the stories of these Biblical patriarchs. And in the third episode, Feiler traces a route out of Egypt and to the land of Canaan, or present-day Israel. He speculates on the possible locations of the Red Sea crossing and the forty years of wilderness wanderings. The highlight in this episode, in my opinion, was his stay at Saint Catherine's Monastery at the traditional site of Mount Sinai. The beautiful monastery and church have been here for about seventeen centuries. 

Throughout the series, Feiler provides commentary of his own personal reflections and questions, and his emotional and faith connections to the places and experiences are significant and often thought-provoking. The insights of the local people he encounters are interesting as well, as they reveal the historical and cultural connections and traditions of these people to the land and to the stories of Abraham and Moses. 

Personally, I didn't care for Feiler's narration, finding his commentary repetitive and his voice rather uninteresting to listen to. The landmark places he visited - Mount Ararat and Mount Sinai - were the traditional sites, for which there is little evidence other than tradition, so if you're hoping for new archaeological discoveries or tangible evidence, you'll be disappointed. That isn't to say that visiting these locations isn't valuable or insightful, of course, but it's the context of seeing the land and the connections of the local people to the land and history that is striking. At least to me.

©2008-2021 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Scripture and a Snapshot - Pray for Each Other

Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

~James 5:13-16~

Keep watch, dear Lord, with those who work, or watch, or weep this night, and give your angels charge over those who sleep. Tend the sick, Lord Christ; give rest to the weary, bless the dying, soothe the suffering, pity the afflicted, shield the joyous; and all for your love's sake.

Amen.

(Compline from the Book of Common Prayer)

<div style='width:100%;text-align:center;'> <span style='margin:5px;padding:5px;border-radius: 5px;border:1px solid lightgrey;display:inline-block;'><a rel=_nofollow href='https://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/search/label/Scripture%20and%20a%20Snapshot'> <img style='border: 1px solid gray;width:330px;height:330px;' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBkEsmWJLn1f3VqhfaylcSn7IABJxDE4XrGPLFjO1V9xTM3ozVgjnerdCaVUqCwcRPIiwfqTfFqk4du0DK8acoLtyo-qFBOeBIKDwilTJVyIcRXpdYZC2QcFtMnVXKNk4Q1SLHMCX7SPU/s320/scripture+snapshot.jpg'><p style='align: center;'> </p> </a></span>

Thank you for joining Scripture & A Snapshot. Leave a link to your own post sharing a Scripture and a Snapshot. Take time to visit some of the other links and bless each other with comments.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

I also link up at Sunday Scripture Blessings, hosted by Peabea's Photos 'n Scribbles.

©2008-2021 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Recent Reads - A Grave Matter

This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from Just A Second helps supply books and coffee.

A Grave Matter by Anna Lee Huber - Kiera has returned to her family home near the Borders and is cautiously entering into some social functions. She and her brother Trevor are in attendance at a Hogmanay Ball when the news arrives that an elderly caretaker has been murdered and a grave disturbed at the nearby abbey. The grave robbers have removed only the body - which would have been only bones at that point - but none of the valuables that had been in the grave. Very unusual indeed, and without any obvious clues to lead to the murderers, it is decided to call in Sebastian Gage to lead an investigation. Kiera is both excited and anxious about facing Gage again, as their relationship is at an awkward stage.

It turns out there have been a couple of other similar grave robberies, with a ransom demanded for the return of the bones, so Kiera and Gage start following the leads they have. Figuring out if there's any motive other than the money, and what it is that connects the victims proves very tricky, and they come to some odd twists and some dead ends before they're sure they're on the right track. As the investigation continues, Kiera also picks up her paintbrush again, and tries to make sense of her feelings for Gage. And tries to discern his feelings for her. Their exchanges are often awkward in their emotional charge, and they both make many stumbles in their growing romance.

The interactions between Kiera and Gage, and sometimes between Kiera and her brother, drive this particular installment more than the mystery, in my opinion. There is a murder to be solved, but it's one that was coincidental to the grave robberies, so it doesn't carry the tension. The resolution of the case was not completely satisfying to me, but with a clear lead-in to the fourth novel in the series, there's the sense that an unanswered question may well be addressed in that book.

(Check out the Lady Darby Read-Along group on Facebook if you're interested.)

By the same author: The Anatomist's Wife, Mortal Arts; A Grave Matter (from my first reading in 2014), A Study in Death, A Pressing Engagement, This Side of Murder, As Death Draws Near, A Brush With Shadows. Treacherous Is The Night, An Artless Demise, Secrets in the Mist, Penny for Your Secrets, A Stroke of Malice, A Pretty Deceit

©2008-2021 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.