Welcome to Litsy!

Recent acquisition for our personal library.

Ann Patchett shared today on Insta that she hasn‘t ever read Mantel, and until this short story collection, neither had I. Perhaps it wasn‘t the best introduction. Some stories were winners like the title one where a woman is forced to help and IRA man trying to assassinate Margaret. But overall, the collection lacks an overarching theme or showstopping standalone stories. I still want to read the Wolf Hall series though.

Just thought I‘d get the ball rolling with a few short story collections for #LMPBC #Round14GroupC. Sorry if I‘m jumping the gun. 🤭

I tagged the first ⬆️; I‘ll tag the other three ⬇️. Looking forward to some great stories!

This book is taking a little longer than I would like to get through.

Working from home means that I don‘t have my 90-minute commute to enjoy audiobooks, so I did some #AudioBaking today instead! I listened to The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher while making chocolate chip muffins. This is the first book by Hillary Mantel that I‘ve read—just picked it from the library‘s selection of available audiobooks 📚

As with most story collections, some of these I liked a lot and some I could have skipped. I picked this up because I‘m a huge fan of the Wolf Hall books and wanted to see a broader range of her writing, and I got that, but won‘t be rushing out to buy her backlist. Overall, it was a quick, worthwhile read. And I love the cover!

My reading buddy 🐱☺️ #catsoflitsy #sullivancat

Am liking this collection of dark, fairly weird short stories. So different from Wolf Hall!

The stories were not as dark as Poe nor were the ending twists as good as O‘Henry‘s. I could usually see where she was trying to take the reader, but never felt like she got there quite. They felt rather like writing exercises, explorations of scenarios that never quite got fleshed out. I‘m glad this was a library book and not a purchase. Not up to the Cromwell books, in my opinion. I think she does better with long form fiction.

My new commute book. I have mixed results with Mantel‘s work. Loved Wolf Hall & Bring Up the Bodies, not so fond of The Giant, O‘Brien. But the first story held my interest this am and I like the narrator, so I have hope.

As a devotee of Mantel‘s Cromwell novels, I was disappointed to find these stories utterly unremarkable and uninteresting. Only the one about a girl with an eating disorder caused the slightest of visceral flutters.

Loved this really deliciously dark collection of short stories. The story from which the collection takes its name may be the least dark... It was a book club pick so I‘m looking forward to the discussion!

Apparently I had a color scheme in mind with my #library #bookhaul!

A dark and deeply subversive set of short stories. Mantel's writing is so artful that at times they feel half poetry half fiction. My favourites were those starred in the picture. I was particularly moved by the School of English which tells a story from the point of view of an immigrant cleaner, a perspective rarely portrayed in literature, especially as a protagonist.

I may have went a little crazy with the #bookoutlet sale 😂#bookmail

The entire collection of short stories was very well written I sadly as a reader only connected with 3 of the 10. I say give it a try the content just wasn't my cup of tea more times then not.

"She bent low over the bundle, the long cocoon, and spoke; she glanced up as if assessing the angle of the dying sun; she stepped back, setting her hands on the handles of the chaise, and with a delicate rocking motion she maneuvered it, swayed back and angled it, setting it to rest so that the comma's face was raised to the last warmth; at the same time, bending again and whispering, she drew back the shawl."

My 4th book of the weekend, it has been a great haul so far. I am hoping I can keep the book streak positive :)

#TBR #HeadlessCovers

Anyone else a Hilary Mantel fan?