Welcome to Litsy!

I neglected to review this after finishing it and it‘s not fresh in my mind. This landed on my radar thanks to #AuldLangSpine from @IndoorDame
This is a biting takedown of cultural appropriation—specifically two music hipsters who use street recordings of black musicians to mashup a new/fake “old” “undiscovered” work from a black jazz musician from decades ago. Things get [spoiler — in comments].
I was a bit confused at the ending but wow!

Well, this took a turn didn‘t it? A seemingly straightforward story about two music obsessed friends twists into a fever dream about cultural appropriation halfway through. Unsettling and challenging , this kept me on my toes. #24in2024

Thanks for the tag @TheSpineView ! 😊

1. The tagged book by Hari Kunzru completely creeped me out. Also Shirley Jackson‘s The Haunting of Hill House.

2. Maybe Jaws or the Shining?

3. In a movie-jump scares! I do jump! 😂

#TerrifyingTuesday 😱

#TitlesAndTunes #Blues This took me completely by surprise. It was one of those titles that I didn‘t really think would live up to the reviews I‘d read, but managed to do that and exceed them by being fringe, creative and new in a way that occasionally made me wonder ‘is this gonna work, or just go off the rails?‘ And it‘s so satisfying when those things do work! It was also genuinely creepy in a way I‘ll be thinking about for a long time to come.

I tried to find a book that would work for both #scarathlon and #titlesandtunes #blues and came across this buried at the bottom of my TBR which I think may fit the bill. @Cinfhen @BarbaraBB @Emilymdxn

A surprisingly good read considering all the technical music talk. Part mystery novel about who this Charlie Shaw was and what happened with his recording, was it even ever made? Part treatise on race and cultural appropriation. Kunzru does a great job of blending all those elements together to give the feel of a thriller, while shining a light on relevant social issues from the past (that haunt us still), and are no less present today.

This book blew me away as it went from mysterious to unsettling to downright disturbing. I finished it several days ago and the song still haunts me.

🎧 I actually ended up mostly listening on Libby and liked the use of different narrators.

Read in October 2020 ...
#suvataStats #OctoberReads #Bookstagram

I‘m not sure what constitutes a #freshidea in fiction but what I loved about this book was that I had NO IDEA where it would go next. It was terrifying and exhilarating.

#FallFinds

Very Kafkaesque or maybe Murakamiesque! I absolutely loved this book.
From SuperSummary.com:
Set in New York in the present day, it follows two musically inclined hipsters who run into misfortune after developing a song that is mistaken for a lost work by an obscure blues-era musical genius Charlie Shaw. When people begin to stalk and antagonize the two friends, they are involved in an eerie mystery related to Shaw‘s murder.

Day 19: Get Out

Seth and Carter are New Yorkers in their twenties. They both have an obsession with music. So when Seth records an unknown singer and tells everyone on the internet that it's a long lost 1920's recording of a musician named Charlie Shaw, a collector contacts Seth and Carter it's real. Once they learn this, they spiral down into the nation's suppressed history of greed, envy, revenge, and exploitation.

#horrorseason
@Klou

#BookHaul! Just when I think I‘m making progress on my TBR, Book Outlet has a sale. But I‘m not sorry. So excited about these!

Congrats @GatheringBooks for 10 years of book blogging excellence! For my list, I chose 10 most anticipated TBR reads (no particular order):
1. Death in Her Hands - Moshfegh
2. Giovanni's Room - Baldwin
3. The Library At Mount Char - Hawkins
4. Gorilla, My Love- Bambara
5. White Tears, Kunzru
6. The Bluest Eye, Morrison
7. A Tale for the Time Being- Ozeki
8. The Book of Night Women- James
9. Notes on a Crocodile, Miaojin
10. Gingerbread, Oyeyemi

I‘ve been so swept up by this book - completely mesmerised. I was recommended this somewhere along the way by @ReadingEnvy and it‘s been a 5 star read for me. A strange fever dream of a book - that won‘t appeal to everybody. The first half is a deep dive into the music world of two friends - one an acoustic tech who almost lives inside sounds, the other an obsessed collector of old 1920s records. Then it gets weird. Reality becomes blurred and ⬇️

I just can‘t with either of these right now. I couldn‘t get into White Tears, didn‘t connect with the characters at all. Also the audio narrator was just a bad choice.
The Cadaver King and the Country Doctor is very interesting but simply too much for me at this time. I will get back to it at some point I hope.
#bookspin #doublebookspin #spinagain

I have a #music related book languishing on my shelf too, @Cinfhen ...about two young white men connected through their shared love of (black) #music .
#MOvember

“Electricity is not digital. It does not come in discrete packets, but floods the air and flows through conductors and shoots from the hands of mad scientists in silent movies. If it is futuristic at all, it is a past version of the future, temperamental, unstable, half-alive.”

#QuotsySept19 | 11: #Shock

📷: Made with Typorama

Immediately thought of this powerfully unsettling book about cultural appropriation. Two hipster poseurs exploit the legacy of black music and are obsessed with “authenticity“ (and vinyl). Sidenote: At work I used a record player for the first time last week, despite the fact my bf has one. #putyourrecordson #ayupaugust

Look what I found on my office book swap shelf today?! Its normally full of ropey romances so am very excited to have found this!

LOVED this. highly recommend 👏👏

This book pulled the rug from underneath me as i was reading and i came away overwhelmed with the turn it took and the consequent theme of the story. At the outset 2 different 20 something students discover an obscure piece of blues music recorded on the streets of ny during a chess game. The search for the singer and old vinyl takes seth into the dark past of US history + the use of law to continue 'slavery' for commercial gain. Brilliant

#booked2019 @Cinfhen @BarbaraTheBibliophage @4thhouseontheleft
A tram journey today is a perfect excuse to make progress on this excellent book and as i read about the creator of a mysterious piece of ancient jazz music wolfman Charlie shaw and the ills that befall the young man who discovered the song whilst recording sounds on the streets of manhattan i realised it is perfect for spring #featuresamusician

I think I know what‘s going on...😁😁😁

First book of 2019 and it didn't disappoint. A young man obsessed with collecting rare records is the victim of a horrible crime. His best friend and music collaborator struggles to learn the truth behind a mysterious blues recording and the story takes a wild turn to include racial injustice and Southern music legend with an eerie supernatural element.
Full review will appear on Roots & Reads later this month!

Devoured this in a day. I found the plot really intriguing, the meditations on music and racial identity made me think and the supernatural elements were well handled. Really want to read more of this author.

Probably my favorite book of the year last year. Scared the crap out of me and just...wow. Yeah. Great deal.

My reading tastes are, some would say, eclectic....🤷🏼‍♀️📚🥰

I loved this book. Two music enthusiasts find a lost recording, much to their delight. But all does not go well for these two college friends. Maybe I liked this book so much because I am a Southerner, and blues music is such a part of our lore. But I believe its appeal is broader than this—much of the action takes place in NYC, where the two men live, after all—as it crosses genres, including some mystery, some magic, and some social commentary.

Completed my reading challenge!

Not for me.

Whew. Made it through. It is a difficult read because of the timeline jumps between two related story lines of different decades but also because of racism, violence, white privilege and cultural appropriation. Take your time with this one. Its uncomfortably well done. Lol ❤❤❤❤❤

Great concept, terrible execution. Full review: http://www.librarything.com/work/18424385/reviews/159948809_344807575

It took me a while to get into this, but I‘m glad I stuck with it. In return, it is going to stick with ME. As is the case with many #tournamentofbooks selections, it‘s unique. BTW, I looked up many of the old (1920‘s) blues recordings mentioned and they really do exist. #tob

#sundaysurvey. @alisonrose
1. Macbeth by Jo Nesbo (512pgs)
2. The Animators or White Tears
3. Louise
4. Athleticism or fluency in Spanish

I‘m not sure what I think about this. Some parts were really good and others were confusing. But I‘m sending it off to quitter Kerri. #LMPBC Group F‘ ing Awesome
@ItsAngel @Kerri_Messner @sprainedbrain @suvata

White Tears by Hari Kunzru a ghost Story set in the world of blues and record collectors. Dead my review on my blog Psychonly
https://psychonly.wordpress.com/2018/07/23/white-tears/
#WhiteTears #HariKunzru #ghoststory #thriller #blues #rock #hounting #supernatural

My TBR #shelfie

#readathon #deweyjuly

https://www.instagram.com/deweysreadathon/?hl=en

http://www.24hourreadathon.com/

It‘s here❣️ I was curious about this one from the first time I saw it, but I never actually bought it ... and guess what!? Yesterday I was in bookstore, I have it in my hand, but then I decided for other two and I‘m glad that I did so. Thank you @BarbaraBB for your kindness 😘😘😘 I think that this book will be my companion next week at the 🏖

I was just reading along, minding my own business, cool musical obsession/blues crossroads legend type stuff when, BAM!, total stream of conscious, unreliable narrator sinking into madness!!!! Wow! What a ride! I definitely suggest giving this record a spin (allusion intended)! But don‘t say I didn‘t warn you if you suddenly find yourself waking up under a moss hung tree talking to a mysterious and ancient old lady deep in the bayou! #LMPBC

Pic from Eastman NH golf course a few days ago, totally failing on reviewing all the books I read this year! Too much fun doing other things! Really enjoyed this totally different book, not sure how to categorize it, though, sort of a mystery, life exploration? Centers around the obsessive collecting of old blues recordings. Nicely written. If you're in the mood for something a little weird, this is it!