Welcome to Litsy!

The third Max Porter I've read and as unusual in form and style as the others!
I do adore him and his way of creating text and visual images.

#CoverStories Day 14: #Feather

This was an absolutely lovely fable about the power of grief. A father with two young boys faces the unexpected death of his wife. A crow - is it real? imagined? - comes to help heal the family through their grief. Despite the premise, it is never saccharine or sappy but instead raw and real in the ways people grapple with the death of a loved one. It reads in many parts like poetry and I feel it is a book I will return to. Highly recommended.

Objectively, I understand this is well written. Subjectively, it wasn't really that great for me. I love the metaphorical Crow in theory, on the page the strings of words left me unmoved & I remained at a distance throughout. The disjointed nature of the piece decreased any developing depth or sense of engagement & it wasn't until the near end that a few well crafted sentences created a brief emotional connection. Didn't particularly enjoy it.

Starting this one today. Tissues on standby 😭

I have been thinking about one of my idols a lot recently - Michael Schumacher - how he's gone but not gone and how difficult it must be for his family. It's been 10 years now, and I still get so upset about what happened to him.

This collection appears to be a hybrid form of prose/poetry. The author physicalizes the grief his family is going through at the death of his wife as a crow that has invaded their home and won‘t leave till their ready. The crow disrupts their life, sometimes has comforting things to say, sometimes hurts them, sometimes fits in like a member of the family, until the intrusion of the crow isn‘t such a big deal and it leaves. (Cont. below 👇🏻👇🏻)

Since Max Porter's Shy has come out, I'm reading his three books that center on boyhood and mythology. Crow was my favorite POV in the story. He arrives as a mystical caretaker for the dad and boys after the mother dies unexpectedly. While the boys seem to accept Crow openly, Dad often tussles with him as he finds it harder to let go of grief. 4.5 stars. Next up, Lanny.
#20in4
@Andrew65

3.5⭐️/5⭐️

A bit behind on the #alphabetgame. Here are some of the most memorable books I‘ve read starting with these letters.

E- Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

F- Fifty Words for Rain by Asha Lemmie

G- Grief is the Thing With Feathers by Max Porter

I feel awkward posting about this but here goes:

Had a really rough week with no reading at all after my ex-wife got married. Our divorce was only finalized in March so this has come as a surprise and I‘m feeling hurt.

Also my cat was diagnosed with incurable cancer. 😿

Hopefully next week (or the week after) will be filled with better emotions, feeling back on track, and more reading.

But for now I‘m taking a brief break. #mentalhealth

Very good. Filled with metaphors and symbolism that truly embodies the difficulties of dealing with grief from all perspectives of the family. Although I may not fully understand everything yet, I still very much enjoyed it.
“Moving on, as a concept, is for stupid people, because any sensible person knows grief is a long-term project.”

#TBRPile 📚 “Four or five days after she died, I sat alone in the living room wondering what to do.”

I loved Lanny. This is Max Porters first novel. Original, part poem with a mystical feel. A family reeling from the death of their beloved mum with the story told by Dad, the boys and the crow!!
Transformation a quick read..three short stories by Mary Shelley..timeless tales of the supernatural. Perfect for 🎃 Halloween 👻

Just read the Dutch version of this book. There are great observations and lovely scentences in it, but overall it didn‘t live up to the hype for me. I do want to try another one of his books, any suggestions?

#quarantine #somuchtimeforreading #staysafe

Oh my heart. Beautiful, sad, poetic, heartfelt. I‘m in awe of writing like this.

#Saturdayreading

⭐️⭐️
Well darn, maybe Max Porter just isn‘t for me. 😔 I thought Lanny was okay, but this one sounded more interesting to me, so I hoped I would like it more, but I ended up liking it less. There are some really nice passages scattered throughout, and I could see why people probably like it, but it didn‘t really work for me and reading it kind of made my head hurt. Maybe it‘s because it was basically poetry and I tend to struggle with ⬇️

A strange, poetic tale about loss and grieving. Crow (a spirit, or symbol, or personification of the bird) comes into the lives of a father and sons mourning the sudden death of their wife & mother. Crow is crude, mischievous, caring, awful, and wild but through his voice, as well as the voices of the father and the boys, the experience of grief is exposed and considered. It's raw and accurate and funny and tender and heartbreaking. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Up next
#currentlyreading #NewYearWhoDis

Memorable and original portrayal of grief and family life.

Yes, yes, yes! Max Porter is the kind of author that I need more of in my life. I adored Lanny and this was as equally impressive, bleeding pure talent. It's experimental, it's poetic, it's imaginative, it's heart-wrenching (my own was POUNDING reading that ending), it's just so very satisfying to read such fresh and fierce and superb contemporary fiction.
An original, ethereal fable on grief and family and whatever else you want to read into it.

Unique and profound and oddball and downright brilliant. This is a work that challenges the normal conventions of novels. In fact, it‘s no surprise that it was translated to the stage—it‘s as much a piece of drama as it is a lyrical poem. Can‘t recommend it heartily enough.

Very hard to describe. Allusions to Emily Dickinson and of course Tes Hughes make this a bit esoteric but the strangeness works. A short but powerful plunge into the grief of a dad and his two sons. Equal parts devastatingly sad and comically uplifting.

Moving on, as a concept, is for stupid people, because any sensible person knows grief is a long-term project. I refuse to rush. The pain that is thrust upon us let no man slow or speed or fix.

Absolutely devastating!

As a wife and mother, especially so.

I'm not sure I dare read any more Max Porter, but I think I'm still going to.

1. There are many books where parts, or specific characters, annoy me, but I can‘t think of a book as a whole that‘s made me mad. Edit: Actually, no - the tagged book drove me mad. I hated it!

2. Fawlty Towers, Only Fools and Horses, or This Country.

3. It was 12 hours ago! Marmite on toast.

4. Currently BST (but I prefer GMT, so currently GMT+1).

5. Leopard Print Love. Mmm, sounds a bit 70s glam rock!

#FriyayIntro @howjessreads

I got this as an audiobook and bc it's written in prose I think it would be better if this one was read and not read to me. So I'm putting this one back on the shelf until I can get my hands on a copy.

Well, why did I leave this short book on my shelf unread for so long? Because I was afraid of its hit to my solar plexus, that‘s why. And hit it did. I think Porter conveys the heart-wrenching story of this small family creatively and well. His prose poem style is gentle until it‘s not. I was especially moved by the Dad sections, and glad to have Crow for some levity in between.

Full review http://www.TheBibliophage.com
#thebibliophage2019

Right after this grieving dad‘s feelings gut me, the author adds a groan-y quirky laugh. The idea that missing someone is physical is how I‘ve experienced it as well. The fridge magnet, not so much.

#griefisathingwithfeathers #maxporter

After spending May primarily reading two books—one super long, one super deep—I‘m officially reading all the short books I can grab from my shelves. Already finished the King on the top of the pile. Planning to read Binti: Home on Kindle also. (The Atwood and Johnson aren‘t super short, but I‘m breaking my own rules here.)

Apologies to everyone who follows my blog. I‘ll be piling on the reviews accordingly.

A short read which flicks quickly from the differing perspectives of grieving father, his children and the crow. Evocative language capturing the different stages of grief and healing. A sad but also uplifting book.

My first post and always a bit nervous to give my view on books for fear of sounding stoopid. But...absolutely loves this, I‘ve never read anything like it as a novel, more poetry in places than prose. Parts of it were way over my head but the bits I did get were so moving and relatable. Highly recommend

A gorgeous read on a snowy Sunday morning. The point of view hops around from Dad, Boys, and Crow after a family loses their wife/mum and this strange, funny, flippant, dark bird that is their Loss/Mum/Memories/Grief/Hope flaps into their lives to usher in these painful, beautiful truths: that she is both gone and that she will never leave them. The last page was a gut punch of love and missing. Poetic, spare, fast, uncapturable.

Hold on to your hats!! January 2019 was a great reading month: here is a general overview (continued in comments).
have read more this month than ever before, thanks to two read-a-thons (Boutabook and 24in48) 14 in total.

3 5 star reads that I can recommend without hesitation are :
Normal People: Sally Rooney 5 🌟
Grief is the Thing with Feathers: Max Porter 5 🌟
The Cut Out Girl: Bert van Es 5 (winner of the Costa Award) 5 🌟

May be the best book I will read this year. A gorgeous howl of grief. Poetic but accessable. Flawless voice performance on Scribd. All the 🌟's

Next for my #boutabook readathon! Also listening to this on Scribd as I do chores. The voice actor is amazing and I am all in for this novella. I will have to buy the physical book of this. Loving it!!

My nana sadly passed away Dec 4th. She was full of laughs, great conversation and love. I feel so lucky and blessed to have been her granddaughter. Every Saturday when I was young me, my brother and my cousin would sleep at her house and we genuinely had the best times. So many lovely and funny memories I will always remember. I just wanted to share this here as a little remembrance to her as it‘s our first Christmas without her ♥️

Day 16 of #adventrecommends is this book @emilyrose_x

🗣 Littens! Please See @Laylafinn ‘s post above. Her sweet girl is suffering a great loss and she‘d love book suggestions about grief appropriate for a 12 year old. 💔 She‘d also love it if we could send sweet Layla a Christmas card to help brighten her season. I know we can flood her with kindness. Who‘s in?? Please see the original post - or if you respond here, please tag @Laylafinn so Nicolette can see it. THANK YOU!!

This is the story of a family surviving the death of the mother with the help of the crow. Its told from the point of view of the Dad, the boys and the crow. I loved the voices of the Dad and the Boys but didn't always get the voice of the crow. There were some very poignant moments, overall I enjoyed this novella. And I'm very excited to have finished a physical book.

I read that Cilian Murphy is set to star in the movie adaptation...therefore this book is on my TBR
Day 18 #Sorrow #SisforSeptember @CaliforniaCay

This was the book I picked up from the library. First physical book I've started in a long time. With two little ones its hard to find the time to sit with an actual book.

Wie ich das Buch fand?
Schwer zu sagen!
Ich möchte den Stil, ich mochte die Thematik und trotzdem lässt das Buch mich etwas ratlos zurück.
Es hat mich berührt, hat mich unterhalten, aber irgendwie hat etwas gefehlt!
Ich denke, dass Buch wird mich noch etwas beschäftigen!

#HeatofJuly #IllBeMissingYou this slim novella packs a powerful punch🥊 I read it last year, and even though I didn‘t fully understand all the symbolism, I understood that grief and grieving is a timely and complicated process.

@TrishB I am so sorry for what you and your family and friends are going through. I can‘t imagine how hard today must have been. Thinking of you and sending lots of love and hugs.

Just read this super quick read and parts of it were incredibly beautiful and truly moving. The crow functions as one of the #tbirds - a trickster figure who reveals shadowy half-truths to the grieving father and his two sons.
#Juneitselectrifying
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @vkois88

Porter is a genius. This short novel reads poetic and so moved me.

Moving on, as a concept, is for stupid people, because any sensible person knows grief is a long-term project. I refuse to rush. The pain that is thrust upon us let no man slow or speed or fix.