FEBRUARY 2023 READING

The Personal Librarian
by Marie Benedict, Victoria Christopher Murray
published 6/7/2022
352 pp
ISBN 978-0-593-10153-7
Book Club Meeting
February 28, 2023, 7 PM
Hosted by: Colleen McClenahan
​​Snack provided by: Val
​Wine provided by: Donna/Ann
Book selected by: Martha Gray
Accessibility
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Finger Lakes Library System
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NY Public Library
Large Print
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Finger lakes Library System
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NY Public Library
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E-book
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Finger Lakes Library System
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NY Public Library
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Audio book CD
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Finger Lakes Library System
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E-audio book OverDrive
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NY Public Library
Books by Marie Benedict
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The Other Einstein (2016)
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Carnegie's Maid (2018)
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The Only Woman in the Room (2019)
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Agent 355 (2020)
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Lady Clementine*Agent 355 *The Personal Librarian *Smoke Signal (2020)
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The Mystery of Mrs. Christie (2020)
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The Personal Librarian, co-authored by Victoria Christopher Murray (2021)
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Smoke Signal, co-authored by Kate Quinn (2021)
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Her Hidden Genius (2022)
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The Chrysalis: A Novel. Random House Publishing Group. 15 May 2007. ISBN 978-0-345-50029-8.
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The Map Thief. Random House Publishing Group. April 2009. ISBN 978-0-345-49469-6.
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Brigid of Kildare: A Novel. Random House Publishing Group. 9 February 2010. ISBN 978-0-345-51529-2.
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Fallen Angel. HarperCollins. 28 December 2010. ISBN 978-0-06-203966-8.
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Eternity. HarperCollins. 28 June 2011. ISBN 978-0-06-208447-7.
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Relic. Soho Press. 2013. ISBN 9781616954390.
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Boundary. Soho Press. 9 December 2014. ISBN 9781616951986.
Source
Hear an online discussion with the authors (Book Reporter).
Books by Victoria Christopher Murray
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Joy (2001)
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Truth Be Told (2004)
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Grown Folks Business (2005)
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The Deal, the Dance, and the Devil (2011)
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Destiny's Divas (2012)
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Never Say Never (2013)
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Touched by an Angel, co-authored with Princess FL Gooden (2014)
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Stand Your Ground (2015)
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It Should've Been Me, co-authored with ReShonda Tate Billingsley (2016)
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If Only For One Night, co-authored with ReShonda Tate Billingsley (2018)
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The Personal Librarian, co-authored with Marie Benedict (2021)
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The Ex Files (2007)
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Merry Ex-Mas (2013)
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Forever an Ex (2014)
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Temptation (1997)
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A Sin and a Shame (2006)
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Too Little, Too Late (2008)
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Lady Jasmine (2009)
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Sins of the Mother (2010)
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Scandalous (2012)
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Sinners & Saints, co-authored with ReShonda Tate Billingsley (2012)
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Friends & Foes, co-authored with ReShonda Tate Billingsley (2013)
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Fortune & Fame, co-authored with ReShonda Tate Billingsley (2014)
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A Blessing & A Curse, co-authored with ReShonda Tate Billingsley (2017)
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Temptation: The Aftermath (2017)
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Lust (2017)
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Envy (2018)
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Greed (2019)
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Wrath (2021)
Source
The Personal Librarian
Hear online discussion with the authors (Good Morning America)
Publishers Weekly book review:
"Benedict (The Mystery of Mrs. Christie) and Murray (Wrath) deliver a powerful take on the accomplishments of J.P. Morgan’s librarian. In 1906, Belle da Costa Greene is hired away from Princeton University to run the Pierpont Morgan Library. There, Belle adds notable works to the library’s collection and successfully navigates a high-stakes auction.
As Belle’s position requires her to attend social events with New York’s elite, she is ever cognizant of maintaining the secrecy of her Black heritage, asserting that her grandmother is Portuguese. Belle’s father, Richard Greener, an equal rights advocate, was the first Black man to graduate from Harvard University, and left the family after Belle’s mother insisted on raising her as white.
Though Belle enjoys her personal success as J.P. Morgan’s personal librarian, which brings her significant influence in the city’s art world and rare books market, her public role increases her risk of exposure for passing as white, which she fears would cost her the job and bring an end to her family’s financial support.
Benedict and Murray do a great job capturing Belle’s passion and tenacity as she carves a place for herself in a racist male-dominated society. This does fine justice to a remarkable historical figure.”
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Author Marie Benedict

"Marie Benedict is a lawyer with more than ten years' experience as a commercial litigator at two of the country's premier law firms. While practicing as a NYC lawyer, Marie dreamed of a fantastical job unearthing the hidden historical stories of women -- and finally found it when she tried her hand at writing.
She embarked on a new, thematically connected series of historical fiction excavating the stories of important, complex and fascinating women from the past with THE OTHER EINSTEIN, which tells the tale of Albert Einstein's first wife, a physicist herself.
She then released CARNEGIE'S MAID, the story of a brilliant woman who may have spurred Andrew Carnegie toward philanthropy, followed by the B&N Book Club pick and NYTimes bestseller THE ONLY WOMAN IN THE ROOM, the tale of the Golden Age of Hollywood actress Hedy Lamarr who made a world-changing invention, and LADY CLEMENTINE about Winston Churchill's wife.
She then wrote the Costco pick and NYTimes bestseller THE MYSTERY OF MRS. CHRISTIE which focuses on the real-life disappearance of Agatha Christie and the role it played in shaping her into the world's most successful novelist.
In her first co-written novel with the talented Victoria Christopher Murray, Marie released the NYTimes bestselling and Good Morning America Book Club pick THE PERSONAL LIBRARIAN about Belle da Costa Greene, the personal librarian to J.P, Morgan who hid a secret about her identity -- and that was followed by HER HIDDEN GENIUS about the brilliant British scientist Rosalind Franklin who discovered the structure of DNA but her research was taken and used by James Watson and Francis Crick.
Coming this January 2023 is THE MITFORD AFFAIR, an explosive novel of history's most notorious sisters -- the brilliant, aristocratic Mitfords --, one of whom will have to choose her country or her family as the sisters get caught in the crosshairs of WWII."
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Author Victoria Christopher Murray

"Victoria Christopher Murray is the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of more than thirty novels, including Stand Your Ground, a Library Journal Best Book of the Year and NAACP Image Award Winner. Her novel, The Personal Librarian, which she cowrote with Marie Benedict was a Good Morning America Book Club pick.
Resources

DRYDEN BOOK CLUB
est. 2001