Welcome to Litsy!

4-29-20: My 34th finished book of 2020! 🌟🌟🌟 #Howtobegood #nickhornby 👍🏼📖#️⃣3️⃣4️⃣

This book #AboutaDoctor reminds me why I love Nick Hornby. Angst & insight stirred with sarcasm, wit, irreverance. Dr. Katie Carr searches for meaning in her life & discovers "It is the act of reading itself I miss, the opportunity to retreat further and further from the world until I have found some space . . . hearing something other than the chatter chatter chatter in my head." Aah! #MagnificentMarch @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @OriginalCyn620

Follow-up: I totally agree with @Sweettartlaura that this book shouldn‘t be claiming it‘s hilarious because it definitely isn‘t. I‘m sure that‘s why most people can‘t connect with it. They expect Hornby‘s usual sense of humour but it‘s missing here.

It ends up in self-reflection without offering solutions. Which has nothing to do with the hilariousness the publisher assigns to it in order to sell it. Classical case of belied expectations.

I like how Esther Schweins voices Katie, who is an authentic character to me. Katie isn‘t exaggerating but tries to consider things balancedly. I liked that. And I could understand that she wishes someone else would make some of her decisions so much.

But the audiobook production was just badly made. You often hear the reader breathe and the pauses in the narration were too long. Maybe they mark new chapters but for me it just doesn‘t fit.

I can see why people don‘t think it‘s a good or a “typical” Hornby since it‘s changing towards the end. All gets middle-class and common again. “Revolution” and “Hippie-time“ is over. But for me that‘s the authentic spark in the book that will linger in my head for a while. The book doesn‘t point with its finger. In the best case it makes you think about own notions and own lifestyle and if there is more room for a change.

Obviously I haven‘t yet reached the point were the story turns from “Like” to “Meh”. I‘m still intrigued by the concept. Hornby is holding up a mirror to those who live a middle-class life and are social, tolerant, and for equality.

And well, nothing new … It‘s a huge difference between _saying_ to have this attitude(s) and acting appropriately. Goodnews is a neat character to clarify that.

Giving this audiobook a try. After my last complex read I need a light intermezzo.

Also with #StormfrontSabine outside of all of my windows I still don‘t feel enough at ease to continue Dr. Alexander‘s journey through his near death experience.

So, #LongLiveLibraries, I kind of blindly pulled a not-so-asking audiobook out of my online library‘s bag.

As I see @Moony and @Sarah83 were no huge fans, so maybe I should hold down my expectations.

So I finished it. I was so curious about the book because I like Hornby. But this wasn't "my" book. On the first half, the book has many cool thoughts and its a rerun. The second half was boring. Sorry. #12littens12books

After the last day (it was an absolutly fail) today is good! I went 10.000 steps and finished my daily goal of active minutes. And my To-Do-List got smaller. 😁😎😎😎

So everyday is a new day. That's an important wisedom.

#bfc #bookfitnesschallenge

I wish you so much motivation: @wanderinglynn @JulesG @Cocoreads @Imabusybee @LibrarianJen @Laurenslibrary
@Reecaspieces
@britt_brooke

Good morning It's reading time.

#12Littens12books #catsoflitsy

My next #12littens12books arrived. And I'm very excited to read it because I love Nick Hornby. 😍

I found this book really odd. I couldn‘t love the characters, I couldn‘t love the story line. It was not for me.

Can‘t say I liked this one. The title seems to suggest it‘s about how one can be good, but to me it read more like a parody on the lengths we go to be happy. The MC is whiny and dissatisfied, is she supposed to be a caricature of modern day western people? The one redeeming thing is the fact that the book did get me thinking. About how I can help people around me be happier and isn‘t that a very nice way to be good?

#12Littens12Books

It‘s #12littens12books time again! Will keep the review for the notebook.

This book for #12littens12books was definitely a read outside my comfort zone. It does cover interesting questions though - what does it take to be good?
And if someone can explain the last sentence to me I‘d be thankful! I am not sure how to understand that at all...

Next up! A book for #12littens12books 😊

#12Littens12books #13in3

Finally finished this book today. It's hard for me to rate it, because it was so different what of I thought it would be like. 🤔
It's about a family and their ordinary life. It's about what you want your life to be like, it's about anger, hate and loss.
And it wasn't funny. I think that's my main problem. I thought it would be more like 'high fidelity'

I hope the other Littens like it more than me. 🙈 If not, sorry 🙈

Started this book for our bookclub #12littens12books

I got a book seat amongst my Mothers Day gifts...
Happy Mothers Day to all the Litsy mums 😘

My next book to be added to my reading list...
The first few paragraphs have me thinking this should be an enjoyable book. 📚

Dry, sarcastic humor isn't really my thing. I also don't particularly enjoy reading about infidelity and crumbling marriages.

I get some serious reading done during meets.

Not my kind of book.

#TBRtemptation post 1! Katie Carr is trying to be the best person possible, especially a good mom. Then she finds herself in a parking lot having slept with another man. It'll transform David, her husband, from the town's self-styled angriest man into a good person in the Gospels sense thanks to meeting Dr. Goodness. Will their marriage and family survive? #blameLitsy #blameMrBook 😎

What you don't catch a glimpse of on your wedding day- because how could you?- is that some days you will hate your spouse, that you will look at him and regret ever exchanging a word with him, let alone a ring and bodily fluids.

I don't believe in Heaven or anything. But I want to be the kind of person that qualifies for entry anyway.

The plain state of being human is dramatic enough for anyone; you don't need to be a heroin addict or a performance poet to experience extremity. You just have to love someone.

This one is on my #TBR #titlewithgood #aprilbookshowers @RealLifeReading

I think there are two problems with this book:
1. It's sold as "hilarious" and it isn't - it's quite serious
2. It challenges the reader in unsettling ways, with no kind of resolution.

I suppose you could say in these ways Hornby holds up a crystal-clear mirror to real life. But it doesn't make the reader feel any better to think that way. It's just depressing.

Not what I expected from Nick Hornby. Not at all ?

#nextup I'm ready for a short #funnybook
#litsyafterdark #192019challenge #2001

Whiskers likes this book more than I did. By a lot. I'd never read Nick Hornby before and this was a pretty big letdown. There were a few funny moments, but not enough. I surprised myself that I bothered finishing it. That's one off of my massive TBR pile though and I bet it might work for Read Harder.

I was not able to post things here in Litsy the past few days because I've been visiting bookstores here Baguio City, Philippines and here's one of them. This is BookEnds Bookshop and it's heaven! I found Nick Hornby and Kate Mosse books!

#HPBhaul