Welcome to Litsy!

This book tells the story of a girl who grows up in and around a community of nuns. Through her eyes and experience, it depicts the grim aspects of life, shows different motivations for different acts, and questions what is really fair in life. A somewhat dark book, but a very good book with great descriptions! Reminiscent of Call the Midwife.

#novelNovember is under way and life is getting in the way, but I did finish The Ninth Hour for my IRL book group which I expected to hate and ended up enjoying. It starts slow but gets better at the train ride. I enjoyed Mad Honey too. I have a stack to pick from and just got notified I have 4 more to pick up from the library. Will I ever get to my purchased books? It‘s not looking good! #bookloverproblems #librarylove

@Andrew65

Very good!

From the Publisher:
We begin deep inside Catholic Brooklyn, in the early part of the twentieth century. Decorum, superstition, and shame collude to erase the man‘s brief existence. Yet his suicide, although never spoken of, reverberates through many lives and over the decades testing the limits and the demands of love and sacrifice, of forgiveness and forgetfulness, even through multiple generations.

I didn't care for the audio at all. I did l like Sister st. Saviour though. #12 #2020

Starting this next on #overdrive #currentlylistening

The writing is beautiful, but the story dragged so much through the middle. Not every take needs to move back and forth in time periods. This is an overworked formula already, let alone in multigenerational fiction. The beginning was good, the end was moving. Nuns are cool. Nuns are human like the rest of us, even when they are living out holiness.

Another plane, another book. Headed to NoLa on a quick work trip on short notice. The best part of all my travel recently is more reading time. Enjoying this book, and a near empty flight. Which never happens to me. Must be the day. Flying home on Friday the 13th.

If you love A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, In This House of Brede, and Call the Midwife, you will love this book! ❤️

Sometimes a book falls into your hands that you had never heard of before, but you quickly realize belongs in your wheelhouse. Are you a fan of Call the Midwife? If so, this book may belong on your wheelhouse, too! Think of it as an American, slightly grittier version of Call the Midwife. It will hit all the same buttons and, if you are like me, you will find yourself reading it at 1am. Also, I think a nap may be in my future today...

Inter-generational New Yorkers dealing with poverty, depression and a lot of Catholic guilt, a quiet but powerful read. Along with my favourite Spanish breakfast 😊

The story begins with a suicide. An Irish Catholic man loses his job and leaves his pregnant wife. The Little Sisters of the Sick Poor take the young widow to live with them, giving her work in the laundry. Her daughter grows up there as well. A love story, a story of family, and the nuns who helped the immigrants in turn of the century Brooklyn. At times, it reminded me of “Call The Midwives”. I chose this for #booked2019 #irishauthor

Need to do some more driving to finish this book by the end of the month for #booked2019 #irishauthor

9th Hour - I‘m still reading Rainbirds. While I loaded the dishwasher, I started listening to the audiobook of Pieces of Her. I also have the book and when I opened the book I found this letter addressed to Dear Reader. It must be a note from Karin Slaughter but I can‘t read her signature. Do you think she wrote a note in all of the books? I was surprised because I got my book from the library.

#deweysreadathon

#piecesofher #karinslaughter

1. I didn't have ant pictures from thus weekend. I read and took naps :)
2. Trying to get myself up for work
3. Tagged
4. Welcome supplies for a new staff member starting today.
5. At this moment coffee!
#humpdayposts @MinDea

1. Handling Sin by Michael Malone, Hyperbole and a half, let's pretend this never happened.
2. March
3. Yes, 2
4. Peanut m&me
5, Happy Birthday!!
@jesshowbooks #friyayintro

I received this book for free from BookBrowse in return for participating in a book club discussion. This is a slow starting book, but it gets better and better as it goes along. The writing is wonderfully descriptive and poetic. I was pleasantly surprised at the small twist in the tale towards the end. I loved this book. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ #bookbrowse

Who knew that a book that begins with a suicide could be so enthralling, uplifting, and transformative? McDermott‘s books summon worlds of meaning and feeling within ordinary lives - leaving you with the realization that little in this world is really ordinary.

June reading wrapup. Made some progress in #finishtheseries by reading the next installment and a short story in the Harry Dresden series. Also re - read sweetness at the bottom of the pie in preparation for reading more in that series.

My favorite books this month were I'll Be Gone in the Dark and Parable of the Sower. And Mort, if course, which I've included here even though I probably won't finish it until tomorrow!
#mountTBRchallenge

4⭐️ Set in the first half of the twentieth century, THE NINTH HOUR is dark and affecting. The prose was masterfully descriptive, evocative and emotional. The detailed descriptions of the grim aspects of illnesses and death that the nuns experienced, among the poor were gritty. https://www.bluestockingreviews.com/blog/the-ninth-hour

Oh I loved this. Beautifully simple, and mystery at its core. So many layers here. About sacrifice and being a woman and what that means. Heartbreaking and lovely and darn near perfect read.

Set in Brooklyn in the early 20th C. A wonderful collection of vignettes, tied together through the lives of Annie, the wife of a man who commits suicide, her daughter Sally and the Sisters of the Poor. Beautifully written the characters will linger for you. IMHO, a must read.

Another snow day, another beautiful book. Alice McDermott has been on my list of Catholic author's to read for awhile and I can see why she is so highly recommended. The was gorgeous, simply gorgeous, and true.

McDermott usually explores Irish-Americans‘ lives, and often their faith. Here we meet an order of nuns in early 1900s Brooklyn that serve the poor and disadvantaged. They are truly compassionate and helpful, despite the patriarchal society that controls them and the many women and children they help. This is also the story of the life of Sally, who is—almost—raised by the nuns. Beautiful and meaningful. AM‘s prose is always a pleasure to read.

#SuperbowlSunday #flyeaglesfly #chilisndwings
#reading
Doing both. My son & husband will be glued to TV while I will read in the same room & catch highlights of the game. Menu:chili,nachos,wings,corn bread.

Starting this one #24in48

Although it‘s well-written with some beautiful, vivid depictions of early 19th century Brooklyn, this book did not excite me. I didn‘t mind the slow pace but the story dragged and I found the underlying tone to be depressing.

Beautiful and thoughtful, novel about Catholic women in Brooklyn in the 1920s. After her husband‘s suicide, Annie and infant daughter Sally develop a close relationship with the local nuns. Themes include living in an unfair world but with the promise of justice in the afterlife, and how one approaches mortality. Features strong women who defy convention and sometimes the church. https://cannonballread.com/2018/01/now-and-at-the-hour-of-our-death/

The story of a family...and the nuns that guide them in mid-20th century Brooklyn. It was a really good read.

My best books of 2017! All of these left a lasting impact & thoroughly unputdownable! My literary firsts this year include Margaret Atwood (late to the party, I know), Douglas Adams and Ann Radcliffe, as well as reading in South Africa, Rwanda and Italy! In 2018 I hope to finally finish Harry Potter (I really am late to a lot of parties , hey?), read more Australian lit & be patient while waiting for the new Alexander Chee.

Happy New Book Year!

This is one of my #favecoversof2017. I love the snow flurries falling against the Brooklyn tenement. #seasonsreadings2017

A quiet, contemplative book based around the Sisters of the Sick Poor in Brooklyn over 3 generations following a family and their interactions with the sisters. This book is a sensitive look at what nursing nuns meant for the community and what the community meant in the lives and vocations of the nuns. Short 247 page read, trigger for suicide. McDermott is a past winner of the National Book Award and her writing is sparce and sensitive.

Started this short novel about the lives of families in Brooklyn touched by and touching the lives of the nursing nuns of the sick poor through 3 generations.

I‘m going to swim against the tide on this one. Yes, the writing is lovely, but I really need a story and characters that I can connect with, and I just didn‘t get that here. Just meh for me.

Catching up with ARCs: thought this one was unexpectedly light, (given it opens with a suicide). A religious community's work through the eyes of a family they help. Reminded me of Nuns Rule The World.

Today in the newsletter, we‘re talking about miscellaneous favorites we read in 2017. And we‘re taking a look back at some of our amazing author interviews from this past year, including Sarah Perry and Margaret Wilkerson Sexton! Oh, and want a sneak peek at next year‘s themes? We‘ll have that too. ☺️ Make sure you‘re subscribed so you won‘t miss out!

Readingwomenpodcast.com/newsletter

Finally finished this quiet and beautiful book this morning before my cookie making marathon begins. It took me waaaaaay longer than it should have because my darn life kept interfering. But the writing speaks for itself - despite its quiet pace, the book is hard to put down. A lovely read.

A quiet, lovely book.

Butterbeer latte at #thebookmarkpr — it‘s 😋

Other than curling up with a good book, author talks are my second favorite thing. Excited to start The Ninth Hour! 📖

THE NINTH HOUR is deceptively simple. Mostly linear and set in quiet, 20th century Brooklyn, this novel follows a mother and her daughter after the father commits suicide. The mother takes up a job washing clothes at a convent, and the daughter grows up wanting to be a nun.
This novel doesn‘t use any bells or whistles; it doesn‘t need it. Instead it quietly moves along, telling the story of everyday life in a small Brooklyn community

Indie bookstore love at happy place #thebookmarkpr 💜💜💜

I liked this book, which was a quick read and hard to put down. Nothing really happens, just a girl‘s story told. But it is written very well and captures the time.

Poignant, but also a bit depressing for me. My life is currently hectic and crazier than normal, so perhaps this just wasn't the right book to read at the right time.

New book from one of my favorite authors. Her writing is breathtaking.

Morning reading. 📖

McDermott is a lovely writer and certainly knows how to paint a scene. Unfortunately, not much has happened in these 77 pgs. I might just not be in the right mood to read this right now. I'll have to pick it up again later. 😊I think I'll start Furiously Happy now.

This has been sitting on my bedside table for a week! I will read it tomorrow! I will! I will! @annamae hold me accountable! #ARC #TBR

#TBRtemptation post 6! #BEA17 edition! Scheduled for a September 19th release. A portrait of the Irish-American experience in the 1940s & 50s. On a winter afternoon, a young Irish immigrant opens his tenement's gas taps to show the boss who fired him & his badgering wife that he controls his own destiny. The consequent fire leaves her a widow & their unborn baby fatherless. While his life is erased, his actions live on. #blameLitsy #blameMrBook 😎