Welcome to Litsy!

I was informed that I could check out no new books and make no renewals of audiobooks or ebooks until I renewed my library card. Yes‘m. I‘ll take a few books while I‘m at it...
1. Death of Mrs Westaway
2. The Watchmaker of Filigree Street
3 tagged
4. Sourdough
5. The Emperor‘s Soul
6. Pop Goes the Murder

Thoughts or opinions on any of these? 📚📚📚

I started with the print book and didn't like it but thought I would enjoy it more as an audio-book. And I'm so glad I took the plunge. Unique story performed by an amazing Narrator. The story is so much more than the blurb summary.

Quite a nice book for a plane. I felt calm reading it. I cant pinpoint why though.

This is my first delve into a Claire North book, and I‘m glad to say I‘ll be reading more. She just understands how words and emotions should flow; how to make you feel near tears and yet laugh in the same moment. “The End Of The Day” balances on the edge of both haunting and wonderful, and when I finished I had a need for more whilst still knowing that the book ended exactly where it should have. Loved it, definitely worth a read!

What?! Wow! Claire North, wow.

Play intermission and this lovely

Here is the mountain above the endless coral seas, the sun rising over a forest filled with flowers, where I went te tell a woman that she would die. #work #anotherdayattheoffice (p52)

Used my bout of insomnia to finish up this. I love Claire North.....her writing is full of cadence. She uses simple language here, very little flashy vocabulary, but her command of rhythm and flow is wonderful. The book is a little flawed; I felt it was slightly too long and it started to feel a bit self indulgent for that reason. A solid pick though. #read2017

Lazy, lazy Sunday with the V-pup... I have so much stuff I'm not doing right now!

My new reads yay! I decided I need to split up reading IT with something else (and more portable too lol). Thanks again @TrishB - after a hell of a week I should be off to the post office tomorrow :-)

Had to return this one to the library before I could finish it, but what I read was tranquil, thoughtful, and unique. I will definitely be finishing it eventually.

Having enjoyed The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August I was eager to read more from Claire North and I was not disappointed. To get the criticisms (very minor) out of the way its not very fluid chapter-chapter wise and that whole chapters are wasted on repetition of various random voices. Other than that the story(ies) is beautiful and philosophical, I engaged with Charlie the whole way through and it is a book I will recommend others to read.

Library books lead interesting lives #endoftheday #clairenorth #librarybooks #waterdamage

This is the first book of hers that I have read. Just started last night and so far it's very engaging. As an ICU nurse, I deal with a lot of death so this is very interesting from the POV of the dying.

Today's author spotlight: Claire North, pen name for Catherine Webb! She has another pen name, Kate Griffin. The 31-year-old life-long London resident was 14 when she wrote her first book, "Mirror Dreams". When it was published, Cosmogirl UK called her "Trailblazer of the Year". Her father is author and publisher Nick Webb. She's attended the London School of Economics and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. #AuthorPotpourri #TheMoreYouKnow

Have loved the North books I've read so far but just didn't really connect with this at all.
I got all the world angst etc but it just wasn't hitting the spot for me, too disjointed. The style took away from the story and the message.
I really wanted to love it too.

A very different read.

This book was recommended by a friend I haven't seen in, easily, twenty five years. Out of the blue, a message - I think you'd like this book. So obviously, I'm going to read this book. And from now on when I read a book and it makes me think of someone, I'm going to track them down and tell them.

Calling it a night and an end to my #24in48 with 25 hours read and three books completed. Good night all!

Waiting for a friend to get out of a doctor's appointment. An hour to read uninterrupted? I'll take it!! I'm livening Claire North's new novel! Anyone read it? #cantyouseeimreading #shutupandread #clairenorth

You would think that a story about the Harbinger of Death would be morbid or sober, but this is so much more (and a bit morbid and sober in places, to be honest). This is such a current book as well (Brexit - but only in passing). I just love the way that North writes, and this really doesn't disappoint!

Funnily enough, there is a bit of humour in this book!

😞

Three of my five holds at the library all came in at the same time. Then I went to our new city library (which is so much more than that - have a look at this link: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2017/may/07/chester-storyhouse-odeon-th... and got two more. And I'm reading Viv Albertine's autobiography as well. Ah well, there are worse things that could happen!!

So just fyi, if you read to escape, this isn't the book for you. This quote keeps popping into my head as I read this.

Meet Charlie, the new Harbinger of Death, a nice, sensitive, fellow. He's the one that comes before Death, sometimes out of honor, sometimes as a warning. Just started, but I feel like Claire threw me in the deep end already.

Sadly I bailed on this one. I liked the character,the writing was good and Peter Kenney's narration was great but about 3 hours into it I realized I had no clue what was going on and didn't really care. Just wasn't entertained so moved on to something else.

It's an interesting concept but Claire North's usual gripping plot and flights of imagination are overwhelmed by an attempt to tackle too many issues. From global warming to the UK's housing market and the war in Syria the characters and story are crowded out of a fragmentary and meandering narrative. Parts are excellentworldbuilding and some scenes very moving others were less convincing and made me a little uncomfortable. #netgalley

Thank you #goodreads email for reminding me of #clairenorth I loved the First 15 Lives of Henry August. Now eager to read this!

I love Claire North so I'm really looking forward to this one 😀