Welcome to Litsy!

Full Review: https://southernersreadtoo.com/2022/09/30/let-the-music-sway-your-heart/

This book was magical, lyrical, and adorably sweet. You can‘t help but fall in love with the trio of Grace, angry teenager Nadia, and the eccentric, yet wise, Mr. Williams. If you have ever fallen in love with a stringed instrument, this book will whisper to you. I loved every second of it.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Here was the joke of a July hopefuls stack I mentioned, @Eggs

Library loan priorities, books I need to finish already, slim pulpy vintage/older books, #foodandlit options (I'd rather read others, but they're longer and less likely to be finished), Australian authors, short story collections, picks in daily reading moods I went over to the library to satisfy, sprinkled with some Cancer sign trait-themed picks not pictured here, &c.

#beginswith Paris, day 29 @Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @puzzledbooks
A BOTM add-on pick & Audrey Hepburn, paired with amaretto and creme de cacao.

Guess I should seek out more Parisian settings in my books.

There was a lot to feel about Grace. For most of the book her naiveness sort of grated me with regards to the affair. When her whole world shatters and she doubts her self-worth, my heart broken for her. I was so happy when she realized she had a support system her loved her no matter what the whole time. I definitely got Jojo Moyes vibes from this one.

August Book 8/25 #LitsyLove #bookspinbingo

I liked this book but didn‘t love it. I found myself highly frustrated by the main character, Grace, although it does pick up in the last quarter of the book. Musicians/music lovers would probably enjoy this. Overall, not bad but definitely not great. I really wish Goodreads had half stars! 3.5⭐️

#BOTM

Book club choice. I am not a romance reader so this was a pan for me. I did like 2 of the supporting characters and reading about making cellos. But that was it.

#FallFinds @Eggs
#France

#BiblioMAYnia @OriginalCyn620 @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
#MusicalInstrumentOnCover

So happy this was my #Bookspin read! I loved this book! From the melancholy that crescendoed into chaos, and then became utter joy. The sweet relationships that developed. Complex characters. Reading about the craft of making string instruments. And Paris and Italy. I saw this book happening vividly in my mind, and fell in love with it. 5🎻 😊

#selfImprovementSept @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @OriginalCyn620
#Music

The MC is a musician turned violin maker.

I can't get into this. I keep falling asleep. I guess that means bail. 😴

#BOTM

#WanderingJune @Cinfhen @BarbaraBB
#LostinFrance

A book about music and friendship. Some parts were not as developed as I might have liked, but the denouement made me cry.

A cute cheating/adultery story.

The ending was sweet, pushing the rating from a “pan” to a “so-so” for me. I thought often about bailing on this book (many parts were very slow), but I stuck with it, and I guess I‘m glad I did.

This was a bloody triumph of a book. It was not AT ALL what I expected but was so, so good. 5/5 from me.

My bookstagram top 9 for the year! Wish Litsy had a similar feature. It's been a very bookish year! Can't wait til I do my Goodreads wrap-up, I'm over 370 books right now!

#top9of2018 #top9
( www.instagram.com/bookandcat_ig )

Finals are over and I finally have gotten the chance to start my August #BOTM. I‘m really enjoying the writing so far and love how weird of a character Grace is. I am excited to read more but sadly have to go to sleep

I absolutely loved this book! I was expecting fluffy chick lit, but it turned out to be so much more. A well rounded, endearing cast of characters, with drama, mystery & travelogue. I loved learning about the world of musical instrument creation, and more about classical music generally. 100% recommend!

I really liked this book. I raced through the last third today and it just made me want to go to beautiful Cremona in Italy to the Museo del Violino 🎻

Happy National coffee day littens! Coffee is better with a good book 😊

#kindledeal #kindledeals #ebooksale

This is a lovely story. A coming of age story, only the heroine is 40. It is a tale of friendship and of music. It is a book to recommend.

Currently reading Goodbye, Paris. What are some of your favorite contemporary fiction novels?

#2x2giveaway @DivaDiane I recommend this new release about a master instrument maker and her complicated relationships with those around her. It‘s really lovely!

Truthfully I have a love hate relationship with this book. I loved the 'trio' of characters and where they ended up, their interaction with each other and others. Grace has really low self-esteem. She builds as the novel progresses. I hated how many times she took it in the chin from her man. The rating for the book this time is hard at times it pans, it has so so moments, and has pick moments.

One of my August #botm picks was just okay. It was a cute story, but it kind of dragged. I loved Grace‘s group of friends and the strong person Grace becomes.

I dug this one. It‘s a good examination of our perceptions of others and ourselves and how it doesn‘t always match up with reality. The musical aspect of the story was also great.

I wasn't a fan of this book at all. I didn't really like the main character, but I liked the music aspect of the book. It was a quick read. #botm

Unpopular Opinion Theater presents: Goodbye, Paris

By the time I was finished with this book, I was more than ready to say goodbye to Paris. I found almost everything about it tedious - from the writing (internally, I was screaming, "SHOW, DON'T TELL" through the entire book), to the MC's situation, to her naivety and lack of self-awareness. I held on hoping for a big payoff in the end, but it just fizzled out for me.

But, hey, pretty cover.

I was not expecting to like this. The description did not appeal to me, but boy, was I pleasantly surprised. I became emotionally attached to Grace, Nadia, and especially Mr. Williams. I disagree with the comparisons to Eleanor Oliphant is Completely fine as I don't view Goodbye, Paris as a comedy, but I definitly recommend to anyone looking for a feel good read.

📷 Snowy Paris this past March

Once again #botm has done it again with their pleasant surprises!! As a pianist, I absolutely adored the musical backdrop--but you don't need to study music to enjoy this beautiful homage to rebirth and new beginnings 🎻🎹 #goodbyeparis

And another #botm selection begins. I‘m trying to dwindle down my #botm pile some since I have a bajillion of them and only read 13 of them

Beautifully written. I found myself rereading passages just to hear the language again in my head. The main character is a respected instrument maker in a long term relationship with a married man. I don‘t want to really give anything else away, except to say that both the story and its telling exceeded my expectations. It felt fresh.

Keeping a good pace...

#botmbacklog @bookandcat

I finished my third and final book in the BOTM backlog challenge last night. Glad to see a dent, however small, in my backlog. The book was good even though I cringed at some of the decisions Grace made. I felt like saying to her, "Did you really expect a different outcome?" Just the right length and style to make a good beach read. 4⭐

#botmbacklog Book 5 - and I LOVED it. Grace is a string instrument maker who can't seem to make her own music - literally and metaphorically - she no longer plays her cello, and her long time boyfriend David is still married to his wife in France. Then one day, everything changes...
This book was moving, heartfelt, enchanting. Harris's prose is appropriately musical and Grace's journey will pull at your heartstrings. 4/5 🌟
#botm #bookofthemonth

#12INTWO @Samplergal

I logged just over 6 hours read time yesterday. This challenge has motivated me to tackle my TBR pile. 📚

Current read

I‘m just in the middle on this one. I love the musical theme throughout the book and really felt like the writing was very good. But, I really just didn‘t like the characters and found myself not quite feeling too engaged in the story. It was unique and I definitely found it thought provoking in some ways, but I didn‘t love this one. #botm

This no frills subscription box is fast becoming my favorite, I‘ve enjoyed every book I‘ve read so far! #botm #romantsy #bookmail

I really enjoyed this! There was an ease to the writing that pulled me right in and kept me reading until I finished (much quicker than I intended). Sure, I wanted to smack Grace here and there for some really frustratingly bad choices but we've all been there, right? Perfect summer read ❤️😊

Happy #BookLoversDay everyone! 😊

My BOTM #1
Goodbye, Paris
By: Anstey Harris

My August Book of the Month picks! #botm #bookofthemonth

Just got my BOMC choices and stayed up late reading this one. Really enjoyed the settings in Paris and Italy. I learned a bit about luthiers. Recommend it for an enjoyable, light read. And now to bed!😴

#botm arrived today! I love all of these covers.

When you have the shot, then you miss the shot, then you have to wait for the shot to recreate itself.

#BOTM #catsoflitsy #petsoflitsy #neverworkwithanimalsorchildren

Better dented than never!!!! Right? 😂 #botm #goodbyeparis