Welcome to Litsy!

Working my way through the oldest of my unread BOTM selections this week. I bought one new book and took out three library books but I‘m still clearing some shelf space (that pile is all finished, needs a new home and it‘s much taller than the picture lets on!)
Amelia in the cat bed made my day. She‘s not usually a cat bed girl.

#DeadLetters #CaiteDolanLeach #BookSpinBingo #BookSpin

Ava doesn't believe it when the email arrives to say that her twin sister is dead. It's not grief or denial that causes her scepticism - it just feels too perfect to be anything other than Zelda's usual manipulative scheming. And Ava knows her twin.

Some choices for #lmpbc
@cwarnier @staci.reads @kellyann28

Debut mystery;dark;brooding; & a well crafted story. While I sometimes wanted the author to "get on with it"... tiny bit tedious & repetitious character building for my taste... I really liked the concept of this book. Twin sisters & one is presumed dead. Best friends until they weren't; dysfunctional childhood; a thing with the alphabet. "Dead letters" is Ava's quest to find out what happened to Zelda one letter of the alphabet at a time.

4 ⭐ and another book for #bookspinbingo @TheAromaofBooks

I was in the mood for a thriller, so I looked through my shelves and landed on this book from a few years ago that I‘d never read. On page 2, look what date pops up! This is clearly the perfect week to read it.

Wow! Such a good book! Ava, living in Paris, returns home to the family vineyard in NY when she learns her twin sister died. As the story describes their relationship, Eva begins to unravel a mystery set in place by her twin, Zelda. Such a clever mystery and story about family dysfunction. I have lots of unexpected feelings at the end of this one. #MountTBR

This book was just the right amount of dark, the twist is one I didn‘t see coming which is always a big plus. Delving into family trauma, the main character is relatable, although driven by paranoia.

This will go down as one of my all-time favorite #botm picks, and I definitely wouldn‘t be saying that if I bailed on it halfway through like I was tempted to.

It seems like a cheesy, unlikely mystery that I stuck with only because Ava is such a dynamic, realistic character. I cared what happened to her and by the end I was nearly in tears. Also, the writing is 👍🏼. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Ava receives a series of dead letters from her sister Zelda, following Zelda‘s mysterious death. Like #lovenotes but the opposite. A series of clues corresponding with letters of the alphabet is #buildingamystery that Ava tries to figure out, all the while dealing with her own issues and her completely dysfunctional family. #literarylove #timbittunes

The first chapter or so started well and the writing wasn't bad but I lost interest fairly quickly. Didn't care about the backstory. Went online to see if I should hang in but the summaries I found told me I wasn't missing anything. So I moved on. Many books to read, and life is shorter than you think.

This was a really interesting concept about twins with a complicated past and a dark mystery involving the possible death of one of the girls. For me, it was a bit slow and the pacing just seemed to be off. It didn‘t move right. The reveal came to early and then it took forever to get to the point. But, I did find the actual story entertaining in some parts.

4⭐'s. The mystery in this book was what kept me reading! I had to find out if Zelda was really dead!

Identical twins! One leaves clues alphabetically to lead to a twisting story of a family in which all of them have their own problems. I think 400 bottles of wine may be the 6th character in this book! Love that each chapter, 26 of them, start with that numbered letter in the alphabet🙌🏼.

After a good nights‘ sleep, I‘m ready to read all day! My stack is shorter this time than previous rounds, but my kindle is loaded!
#24in48

#TBRtemptation post 2! Ava ran away to Paris from her dysfunctional family and a romantic betrayal. She has to return to upstate New York though when her twin sister, Zelda, turns up dead, burned alive in the barn from a cigarette. Zelda's playing a game though, and Ava follows her sister's twisted scavenger hunt, forcing Ava to confront her past. In seemingly idyllic upstate wine country, craziness lies underneath. #blameLitsy #blameMrBook 😁

I loved this book! I felt the characters were very relatable and I could feel her pain and need for re-assurance. I thought I had it figured out, but the ending was a twist! 5 stars, highly recommend!

The story was pretty decent. A good mystery, no surprises but interesting to watch them play out. The characters were, for the most part, pretty unlikable. Major alcoholics, narcissists, self/centered idiots. I know you don‘t have to like the characters to have a good book, but in this case it would make the book that much more enjoyable.!

I liked the author's style, and the mystery of the book was kind of fun, but the characters were so off putting to me that it dampened my enjoyment overall of this book. I don't think I'd recommend this book to others but I'd consider reading another book by this author. This handsome buddy kept me company while I read.

#ebookdeal for another previous #BOTM pick!

Day 17 #Riotgrams An #UnreturnedBook One of many, but I always read and return eventually! Thanks for the loan @OriginalCyn620

Rating: 3.5 Stars
It was interesting to see how Ava pieced together Zelda‘s game to see where Zelda is hiding or if she really is dead. I was annoyed with how much alcohol all the characters were consuming throughout the book. Also, annoyed by the ending. Interesting plot and good writing though.
#botm #bookstagram #audiobook #read #okay #alphabet #twins #litsy #littens

Written in 26 chapters that each start with the corresponding letter, you are taken through a cleverly constructed plot. The lead characters - twins Ava & Zelda - I disliked intensely. But that somehow made me more curious.

My reading buddy for the arvo.

#Newyearreads #Letters

Meh...
This twisted tale of twin sisters is uneven. There are moments where it seems like a Gothic tale of family dysfunction. Then it lurches into a mystery. But it doesn‘t really manage to do both at the same time, or very well.
Also missing is any true affection for Ava on the reader‘s part. That‘s not uncommon these days. But given the ending, it‘s sorely missing.

I‘m late to this party, so maybe this has been discussed. But did anyone notice how there are 26 chapters, and each one starts with the next letter of the alphabet?
#botm

I am a twin, the less adventurous one at that, so this spoke to me in ways that it possibly wouldn‘t to most readers. I fell wholeheartedly into the story from the first page and remained there until the final word. It was a great mystery, a tale of family, adventure, heartbreak and joy. I loved every page.

Onto the next one!!

Really #botm? These two? Best of?

Dead Letters is one of the worst I‘ve finished this year, and Emma is just mediocre...

Whiny drunk people, really?

@Reviewsbylola @emilyhaldi @L_auren what are you surprised by?

You think you know, but you have no idea...

How well do you know your siblings; how well do you know yourself?

As many have stated before me, Dead Letters is not a thriller. Yes, there‘s suspense. Yes, there‘s an element of whodunnit. It‘s a story about family and the bond between sisters (who happen to be identical twins). The characters are significantly flawed and far from wholesome, but perhaps that makes them more realistic. ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

“Even though I‘ve [received] emails...this feels strangely intimate, physical. I can‘t remember the last time I got a real letter from anyone. Something about a person‘s writings is immediate and corporeal, present.”

Truth. And that‘s something I adore about #litsypenpals! 📝 Now if I could only trust the USPS and not worry about letters failing to reach their destination! 😉 #paranoidmuch #snailmail

Next in the #botm year end catch up...my March 2017 selection.

I love a good puzzle, and, although I figured it out about halfway, I still loved the places she led her sister and the message it came with.

Unpacked from my move back to Boston, so now I‘m ready to resume reading! #scullycat

This isn‘t apparently the popular opinion, but I liked this one! Yes, the characters are deplorable in their own ways, but they‘re not boring. It was written in such a way that I couldn‘t guess the ending. The author put in just enough to throw the reader off track. The only negative for me was that I was expecting a thriller, and this really wasn‘t. It was more of a mystery, or like a puzzle to solve.

I‘m kinda wimpy and don‘t really do #horror, but I do love a good #thriller. Max sniffed out the book and the coffee and gave them his stamp of approval...
#booksandcoffee #dogsoflitsy

My full review of “Dead Letters” is up at http://rachelReading.wordpress.com

I'm embarrassed that it took me until "O" to realize the chapters follow the letters of the alphabet. The title has a whole new meaning now! CLEVER GIRL.

I‘m so behind on my BOTM picks! I just finished my March pick and it was very good! I never thought it would end the way it did. However it did not disappoint!

And with that, I'm done. Emotionally damaged alcoholics who have boys fawning all over them because they're beautiful even though they're over-dramatic jerks.
Third time was not a charm.
Where do I shelve this? DNF, don't want it with my TBR... should I loan it out and tell the person to keep it? 🤷🏻‍♀️

Third time's a charm? Trying to knock out more #BOTM reads.

The only book I could find for #drinksoncovers

#AndItsAugust
@RealLifeReading

A day and a half of my life was wasted on this book. No thank you.

#BOTM

I liked this! It was however different than what I expected. I was anticipating a thriller, but this isn't really that. It's really interesting, written really well, and I'm glad I picked it up.

I really enjoyed this book. The mystery had me sucked in and I liked the writing style. I think I turned into an alcoholic just reading about this messed up family! 🍷😵 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

#litsyconfessions I brought my Kindle to my daughter's summer orchestra concert. In my defense, there were 4 groups performing and hers was last, of course. I didn't read during her performance, and I clapped after each piece for all groups.

This hold just came in so I'm starting it! Since I still have stitches in my wrist and can't write 😭

Book Mail ❤️📕💙📘💚📗
Got to love coming home to these after a totally shitty day.