Welcome to Litsy!

I'm posting one book per day from the ever growing unread stacks in my personal library. No description or explanation, just books I own and plan to read. #tbr

Day 46

This has been chilling on my TBR for years. I got it in a Litsy swap at some point.

I‘m not sure whether to call it magical realism, but I‘m guessing that‘s the closest genre, and it‘s YA. About a group of kids that have each been through a personal trauma, at a school in Vermont.

The twist at the end tricked me. I thought this was really unique and I liked it.

#ReadingTheStates2021 #Vermont

Thank you @EH2018 for the extra book in my #lmpbc package this month. So excited to read this one and I am looking forward to reading The Passenger! Such a nice treat on a Monday 😊

This is the second novel by Wolitzer that I have read. When I purchased this book from a local used bookstore in pre-pandemic times, I had no idea that it was a young adult novel!

It is about a teenage girl who goes to a boarding school in Vermont for “fragile” youths where she takes a life changing class called “Special Topics in English” which, along with her fellow classmates, is life changing.

I will definitely be reading more Wolitzer!

What an unexpected surprise @Jas16 ! And what a way to step up the #jb game! I can‘t thank you enough! Have you ever read this yourself? Do you only read physical books or do you read ebooks as well?

#truth #books #read 🤓

Good book— young adult- keep that in mind because I do think it was a bit angsty throughout but overall a good story of working through the many problems that arise in adolescence.

Reading until I fall asleep. #Ash has a head start. #CatsOfLitsy

Waiting for a special Mother's Day screening of Book Club with @dgingo (who is not my mother, nor am I hers).

Just finished listening to Belzhar and my feelings are mixed.
I loved the book up to the end. Jam is sent to The Wooden Barn to help her cope with the trauma she suffered a year ago. While there she attends a very exclusive class called Special Topics, and a close bond occurs between the 5 students. The book had me there because I'm a sucker for anything Breakfast Club-esque. Where it lost me was the reveal for the source of Jam's trauma.

Killing time before A Quiet Place.

And then I went to the library. . .

I bought this for $1 on #bookoutlet bc of the author, knowing nothing else about it. I later learned that it's a YA #homage to Plath's The Bell Jar (hence the title, pronounced "BEL-jhar")... Who knew? ??‍♀️ thinking that I might still give it a try bc of the Plath references, even if I am not a YA fan....
#aprella

This story follows Jam, who is sent to The Wooden Barn to help her cope with her boyfriends death. There she is enrolled into a english class where she makes friend with the other four students. They are assigned to read The Bell Jar and write in there journal. Soon enough they are all experiencing something magical.

The big twist in the book surprised me but made me mad and kind of feel cheated.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Bath bombs and Belzhar.

Hoping to get my reading groove back (after #24in48 readathon and a busy work week). #currentlyreading

I wanted to start something new for the #24in48readathon. Taste tested several books around my house and this one called to me! #24in48

I‘m pretty sure all the bad reviews are because the “big reveal” at the end was a little disappointing, but sometimes mental illness just doesn‘t make sense, okay? Okay.

And even if the big reveal was a bit of a letdown, the rest of the book is good enough to compensate. I‘m glad I read it.

Also, if you‘re suffering with any kind of mental illness, please get help. It gets better and the world needs you. 💗💗💗

I‘m glad I finally got around to reading this, especially since I recently read The Bell Jar.

At first I thought it was odd that a class of emotionally fragile teens were given The Bell Jar to read, but then again, I‘m suffering a depressive episode right now and this depressing book is making me feel better, oddly enough. Maybe there‘s something to it!

Either way, I‘m glad I found it & I‘m excited about the new Wolitzer book coming out soon.

I didn‘t think I would love this book as much as I did. It explores some deep ideas about depression, mental illness, and the power of the written word to allow us to consider our lives and reality. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

For a change I wasn't even looking to buy anything but got these 3 beauties (all in hardcover) for SIX dollars!! Actually the total was $6.30 with tax...Belzhar was on sale for $1.00. Ridiculous, but SCORE! 💃 #bookhaul #bargainbooks

I will say this was a very quick and easy read. BUT. The portrayal of mental illness was almost offensive. The MC obviously has some issues but is expected to resolve them mainly through an English class discussing Sylvia Plath. There was really no character development and it just fell flat for me. 😕

This book is kicking me in the feels tonight.

Saturday morning activities: woke up with a flat tire (thanks village hooligans!) but it's all going to be ok because I have my books, friends to write to, candlelight, Harry Potter, my mutts and I am still breathing. Hope all you littens have a delightful weekend also! (Mug and bookmark by the wonderfully talented @DrawnToThePages check out her Etsy shop! It's my favorite!!! 😁)

Back to work today, and reading two books that are really quite different. I can't imagine reading two books more different simultaneously, unless I was reading Lea DeLaria's book and "The Art of the Deal," possibly. Ick. But I am enjoying both so far, Lea is hilariously frank, and "Belzhar" feels like I'm reading on eggshells so far. Tantalizingly, interesting eggshells.

Great book. It drives into the sometime too real world of depression with characters that are relatable and issues that can hit below the belt. An emotional read, but well worth it.

I was a little put off by the main character and her motivation. But as the book progressed and the plot got moving, I fell into it. Only pick this one up if you have a high tolerance for whining.

I wish I was at my apartment so I could include a picture of the tiny dent in my wall this book left when I #ThrewItAcrossTheRoom. I was totally into this book until the very end. I feel like she completely tore apart the main character's development and made her completely unsympathetic within the last couple chapters. #PhotoADayNov16

If I had read this as a teenager, I would have LOVED it. Fifteen years later, it was still a fun book but I thought some of the more serious plot lines were resolved a bit too simplistically.

14, count them, 14 books stacked on the floor next to my bed. I need to sort them and put away the ones I've finished. The tower is sure to topple soon!

This may be a bit of a stretch for #funphotofriday. It takes place in a school though. This was actually my first audiobook.

#funfridayphoto
Here we follow Jam as she explores special topics in English at a small boarding school in Vermont. Good read📚😄

I think this handles the topic of trauma and the various ways teens handle trauma quite well. It's unapologetic in its approach that people sometimes struggle and it works through the grieving process while also displaying hope. Easy and quick read.

This book was surprisingly lovely. It has a strange little twist and is sprinkled with a little magic realism which I absolutely love. But, reader be warned, this book is also heartbreaking.

Reading & Listening

I'm in a reading drought lately. I can't find anything to keep me reading. I just started Belzhar yesterday. #hopethisisgood

This was a really quick read. But I liked it. Also the ending, didn't see that coming! 😱

"Everyone has something to say. But not everyone can bear to say it. Your job is to find a way"

Zoomed through this in a single setting - a much slighter book than The Interestings but still, well, interesting. Wolitzer is great at sketching out interesting characters quickly & prose had her trademark zip, though I felt the ending was perhaps too pat & telegraphed for me.

The best kind of Saturday morning: a cozy blanket, creamy earl grey, a fresh apricot rosemary scone, and a new book.

Interesting look at a young girl dealing with the after-effects of an obsessive relationship. I feel like we usually see these girls through the eyes of others, so it's interesting to see this from the obsessive girl's point of view!

I tried, but only made it to the end of chapter two before I bailed. This might appeal more to a US audience, but I found the European stereotyping irksome (and not even correct). There were tense/continuity errors too. All this in the first few pages meant I just couldn't enjoy it.