Welcome to Litsy!

My wig slumps on my desk where I have tossed it like flattened roadkill.

#firstlinefriday

This got off to an excellent start and I was completely gripped. I do love a good courtroom drama. I enjoyed the switching perspectives and differing timelines too. However! There is a but (see comments). And so, once those doubts hit me, it threw me off and I didn‘t quite get back on track. Still a great rollercoaster of a story however…

I feel like I figured out the first twist really early on but the second was one you couldn't see coming - because Vaughn plops this event down into the book and there's just a major plot hole in how it's possible it could even have happened.

Roll 14 for #Roll100

Disappointing

Such a good courtroom thriller! Very fast paced. Multiple perspectives, but the main two are Kate— a sexual offenses prosecutor and Sophie— wife to James Whitehouse. James Whitehouse has been accused of rape, and what follows is a narrative examining privilege, sexual assault and a discussion on consent. I found the ending to be satisfying.

This was my #Bookspin for April!

I liked this book a lot. I hadn‘t heard of it until the Netflix show came out and knew I wanted to read it before I watched. It had a lot of good twists and was a really well written legal thriller that took place for a good portion in the court room. I thought this was really interesting and I‘m really excited to watch the show now! The ending was exactly what I wanted it to be and I found the whim thing mostly satisfying!

#BookReport 21/22

I‘ve had a tough week yet somehow read 4 books. I don‘t think I‘ll remember much about them in a while but at this moment I think An Island was the best this week and the tagged one the best distraction.

A decent courtroom thriller and exactly what I needed. Fast paced, some strong women and sharp dialogues. Very contemporary, centered around a #metoo situation.

#pop22 #BecomingATVSeriesIn22

I have had a run of DNF books this one the latest. I did not like Insomnia by Sarah Pinborough or The Lioness by Chris Bohjalian or Breathless by Amy McColloch. I am sure these are all great books evidently not my cup of tea. Still looking for something…

This was a book that looks at the complexities of consent and privilege packaged in a thriller that keeps you turning the pages. This is now a Netflix series as well!

Here recently I‘ve been on an audiobook kick! I listen when I‘m traveling back and forth to work and also when I‘m doing things around the house. I wanted to listen to this one when I found out it was becoming a show on Netflix! I really enjoyed it and definitely plan on watching the show.

Entertaining and easy to read but only scratch the surface on sexual assault, power and corruption

A VERY compelling courtroom drama. Vaughn won some points by capturing and holding my attention, and for some interesting observations of trust, compromise, and loyalty in relationships. This lost a star for a twist I spotted a mile away which took away from the effectiveness of those observations. In short, a decent, undemanding weekend read.

A sex scandal of a government minister explodes into criminal charges and a trial. This book focuses mostly on the women in the story: the barrister prosecuting the case, the minister‘s wife, and a woman from the past. I liked the instinct to go beyond the trial, and there are many good elements here, but it doesn‘t quite make it. It hangs on a twist that is forced and the end just kind of peters out.

#doublespin

Yup, hankering to read this again.

I read this in 2 afternoons. One in the warmth of the heated lounge, the other outside in the warmth of the sun.
Very predicable , a light read, certainly not the best book I‘ve read recently.
@MrsMalaprop
#2020joybooks

Sunday walk ended at local op shop. More to add to my TBR shelf. @MrsMalaprop

One from my Kindle TBR
#Scandal
#ReallyRandomFebruary
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
@OriginalCyn620

Yay! finished the tagged book after about three weeks or so 🍾. Rating? 5 st⭐rz!

Been off Litsy for a while now. Currently reading this. Been at it for maybe two weeks, book 8 or so of 2020, tired, tomorrow beckons I'm I prepared?

Starting in my second book of the year!

This is popular fiction and I had some issues with the writing, but it was still a pretty well crafted, entertaining novel with a satisfying conclusion.

So if you'll forgive me for being pedantic, this is a really, really random way to make someone die in a novel. And safari park isn't even a term - if you want to do big game hunting, you go to privately owned game farm, and in the case of a foreigner it's likely canned hunting... But she could have also just said rifle accident. Anyway, moving on...

Just started this one today. Has anyone else read this one?

The writing isn't absolutely amazing but this is a decent distracting read - except for those times that nothing is able to fully distract me from the drama that is my life right now! I'm looking forward to seeing how everything comes together (in the book. In my life too, I guess).

Today‘s #99ponkindle purchase. A few mixed reviews, but a pick from @MicheleinPhilly @Cathythoughts and @eraderneely did it for me 👍🏻

I did it - I finished my first book in over a month! While starting grad school is partly to blame for my slow progress, the fact that this book was dreadfully boring for about 90% of it also plays a significant role. I wasn‘t very surprised by the twists and I found the pace of the book too slow for my taste. I assumed that this was a domestic thriller and courtroom drama, but it was neither of those things. 2 stars 🙊🤷‍♀️

This was a bit hard to finish but still worth the read.

This one's a real page-turner, a legal thriller about a rising politician, and friend of the Prime Minister, who is accused by his young assistant of rape. Cleverly plotted - we move from the present to the Oxford undergraduate years of the main characters and the POV shifts too from chapter to chapter, and the tension builds most effectively. Gripping, twisty and very enjoyable.

I‘ve been going through “Bodyguard” withdrawal and this filled the void somewhat. There was a twist revealed about halfway through that initially made me 🙄 but then when I started searching the recesses of *my* brain for 20 year old memories of college I realized it did work. Quite relevant to today‘s #MeToo moment of reckoning. Definitely recommend. 4🌟

TW: Sexual assault

Weekending.

I expected that this would be a mediocre read, but I would probably put it at 4 stars. Interesting characters, good balance of ‘then‘ and ‘now‘ and I liked the ending.

I am not a fan of labeling something the worst thing I consumed in a year.

I‘d much rather celebrate some of my favorite things this year.

SO many incredible books consumed that I could remake this post at least four more time. 🖤

May your Monday be short Littens. 🖤

Over the last six months I‘ve spent almost all of my Sunday mornings in a gym.

Recently, I‘ve made a promise to myself to slow down. I‘m making a solid attempt at spending one weekend morning drinking coffee and relaxing.

Sunday. 🖤

Not book related pic but finally got Xmas tree up! “Rocking around the Christmas tree” 🎄☺️ now time to relax and have a glass of 🥂🍾

Just finished this thriller and loved it 👏🏼 full of twists and turns, dark and gripping. Couldn‘t put it down 📚

Totally indulgent guilty pleasure. Loved it.

Currently reading 📖

This one was completely different from what I was expecting. It‘s mainly a courtroom drama that deals with a rape charge. Kate‘s story was my favorite in the rotating POV. I will say that I think the cover is completely misleading. There‘s nothing in the book that makes this cover makes sense to me.

Listened the the #audiobook of this one. I found it relevant and interesting but definitely not a thriller. Told from the point of view of several main characters in present day Britain and in 1993 Oxford University. Scenes in a court room and high level politics where featured. Also, potential trigger warning for sexual abuse. Recommended 🌟

These mini zucchini pizzas are my new favorite summer food! I made these listening to my current #audiobook which is British and enjoyable 👍🏻
#readandeat

#PrinceOfJuly #scandalous @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @vkois88

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Arrogant, rich men thinking they can do whatever they want.
About 3/4 of the way through I wasn‘t very happy with where the ending was going, but the last few chapters mostly redeemed it.
Note, this is NOT a thriller. It‘s a moderately paced courtroom drama.

This was an enjoyable read. Interesting mix of courtroom drama and politics, and timely considering #metoo. I thought the portrayal of Kate was a bit overdrawn at the start, but after later chapters it makes a bit more sense. Ending had a bit of a twist to it as well. Overall a good read 👍🏻

(also how great is the hardcover without the dust jacket! 📖)

My guest on Episode 18 of the Brit Lit Podcast is Sarah Vaughan. We talked about her fantastic novel ANATOMY OF A SCANDAL, how the idea for it came to her, her experience of studying at Oxford, the advantages of writing fiction later in life, and more. https://britlitblog.com/2018/05/31/brit-lit-podcast-episode-18-with-sarah-vaugha...