Welcome to Litsy!

I‘m a fan of the Graham Norton show and now I‘m a fan of his books.

Vanilla flavoring. It was entertaining enough to continue listening through to the end, but I won‘t likely remember it.

#bookspin for December done! This was an easy read, took some serious suspension of belief though. Also some frustrating edit errors (Elizabeth referred to as Patricia in a later chapter which was super confusing). A comfy, cosy read though.

I like Graham Norton, and his writing did not disappoint! This had a lot more plot than the summary led me to believe, which was a nice surprise. I‘d read more stuff by him :)

Elizabeth lives in US but returns to Ireland after her mother‘s death to take care over her inheritance. But doing this task, she found some letters that will reveal family secrets about her mother and father. The story has various twists.
I enjoyed the story in general but some events were unreal to me. Poor Edward. The end was ok. 3.5

⭐⭐⭐.5
Between so-so and a pick. I love Graham Norton and wanted to love this book. I liked it well enough. But it wasn't great. He narrates the audiobook and does a decent job.

My #bookspin for January. 👍
@TheAromaofBooks

My #bookspinbingo for January. My #bookspin is Graham Norton's Keeper. #doublespin is Hidden Bodies by Caroline Kepnes.

Thanks @TheAromaofBooks for continuing to host this each year. It has really helped me focus on some of my backlog books. 🙂

Birthday gifts from my parents. They both think I read too much, but after 40....something years, I guess they've realized it's just who I am. 😁

What a great storyteller Norton is! I can't wait to read everything else he's written.

Started this one, for book club, and have been enjoying it too.

This has not had great reviews but think it's a pick for me. Just. The story kept me engaged despite it verging into the unbelievable and adsurd at times.

He longed for silence.

Next up . . . A 99p bargain on kindle. A friend has said its not great but I liked 'Holding' so willing to dive in to this one.

• Scribd audiobook • Library e-book

When Elizabeth Keane returns to Ireland after her mother‘s death, she‘s focused only on saying goodbye to that dark and dismal part of her life. Her childhood home is packed solid with useless junk, her mother‘s presence already fading. But within this mess, she discovers a small stash of letters—and ultimately, the truth.

This was NOT what I was expecting! This quiet Irish tale takes a dark turn. Elizabeth goes to Ireland to close her mother‘s estate after her death. She uncovers some truths about her parents & the book flashes back to her mother‘s POV in the past. She meets a lonely farmer through an ad & the 2 begin an awkward courtship. This writing was weak in parts, but the story was interesting. I could easily have cut the entire subplot w/Elizabeth‘s son.

This was a bit of an unsettling book in places, so it‘s not the most easy-going read, but it was still really interesting. The two timelines tie in perfectly. The author did a good job of revealing the final pieces of the puzzle.

I love Graham Norton‘s TV show. This novel is not bad either. I enjoyed it. Whilst reading it I could imagine this story being passed along a village gossip grapevine somewhere in rural Ireland. The note in the acknowledgments about the story coming from his mother seems to confirm this.

Could be some of the last patio days for reading. I'm soaking it up while I can! We've had two wild and wicked storms this week so today is a beautiful one!

Got some good reading in this week despite traveling.

Here is my recap of last with recommendations: http://obsessedbookaholic.com/2019/08/19/weekly-reading-round-up-august-19-2019/

What was your favorite read of last week?

Charity shop book haul.
Bought all of these today for a grand total of £10

#bookhaul

First purchase of 2019!!

I loved the Irish vibe of this and the original story, but overall it felt too bleak and far-fetched. Elizabeth returns to Ireland after her mother Patricia dies & slowly uncovers the truth of her family history. We go back in time to Patricia‘s life. The tone is engaging & observations about returning to home town ring true, but Patricia‘s story was too grim & bizarre for me. I became frustrated with the slow pace & unsympathetic characters.

#currentlyreading

Yup, it's *that* Graham Norton, and he really can write.

I almost gave up on this one, but glad I saw it through. Surprisingly sinister and infused with that Irish melancholy. I didn't love it as much as Graham's debut (Holding), that was gorgeous, but definitely worth a read.