Welcome to Litsy!

Although not holiday themed, this is my most anticipated December read. My cousin and I have been wanting to read it, so we figured why not tandem read when we have break! +10 #XmasChaCha #wintergames2024

"A Little Life" by Hanya Yanagihara is a profound and emotionally wrenching novel that follows the lives of four young menā€”Jude, Willem, Malcolm, and JBā€”over several decades in New York City. The narrative delves deeply into themes of friendship, trauma, and the enduring scars of the past, centering primarily on Jude St. Francis.

I cried but not to the extent everyone else did -geesh. It was a touching story and I‘m glad it‘s done!

Moving on to these next two books šŸ“• #ALittleLife has such a beautiful cover šŸ˜¢ and #Crave is similar to Twilight thus far. Happy Reading! ā™„ļø

Haiku Review:
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Real talk. That's 2/2 books I've read by this author that had me slowly set the book down at the end and say, ā€œDamn. That was f'd up.ā€œ
Incredibly sad, full of trauma, and not easy to read nonstop. (Unless that's your thing?)
Took about 6 months to read due to how raw it was. Many tears were shed. Would I read it again? HELL NO! But I'm incredibly glad I read it once. A masterpiece of sorrow.

ā­ļøā­ļøā­ļøā­ļøā­ļø5/5 Gut wrenching. One of the best if not the best book I‘ve ever read. You better have a strong stomach to read this book.šŸ“–

I wish I even knew where I could start to review this book. I wish also that I could say that the 800 pages of pure horror and depression that this book is were worth reading. But in all honesty I wish I hadn‘t read it. The trigger warning list that this book contains is a mile long and unspeakably awful. The book is well written but past that I‘m so glad it‘s over.

Late to this one. Like everyone else, I have some quibbles about which books ended up on The NY Times list of 100 best books of the 21st century. For me, ā€œA Little Lifeā€ should have been on here somewhere. And where is Margaret Atwood? I was surprised that I‘ve only read 24 of these books, but so many are on my endless TBR šŸ˜‚ I‘ve been meaning to read them, truly!

EDIT: The readers‘ favorite list is up now for comparison. A Little Life is #11.

Finally finished tagged book in April - still sitting with this one on my heart - #readyourkindle challenge... Updates on challenge include Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine and Burning Bright (Peter Ash series).

Still digesting and processing šŸ’”

Absolutely worth it. What a ride

Let the games begin!!
Finally ready to start this reportedly legendary novel. I have my annotation system set up and ready to rock

Finished 10 April 2024.

Booktok was bawling over this book but then there's me seething in anger. Good book. 10/10 would never read again.

#readyourkindle
@CBee - halfway through - haven't had to bust out the Kleenex yet, but man oh man, the trauma - whew... Jude has my heart breaking for him...

Reading by the lake with my dog BFF. šŸ¾šŸ’•

newly added to my library wooooooo, equally excited & nervous to start this :P

I don't have children myself, but I find myself relating and understanding quite a few quotes in this chapter.

I can't even imagine the anxiety. I already have it bad enough. If I had a child, it would be tenfold.

#currentlyreading #relatable

"Having a child, I thought, was something you should actively want, crave even. It was not an adventure for the ambivalent or passionless."

Just found out Spotify Premium includes an audiobook version of A Little Life! Seeing as I have 4 days to read 600+ pages before my book is due, this will allow me to continue reading at my own pace šŸ˜Š

#audiobooks
#currentlyreading

When you finally find that long-awaited TBR at the library, only to realize 2 people placed a hold on it right after you the very same day - so now you have to binge read an 800+ page novel šŸ« 

#currentlyreading #libraryhaul #bubblebathbooks

I am beyond frustrated by this book. Yanagihara is a superb writer, creating terrific characters and molding the story in an incredibly engaging way. But there is NO balance, especially in the second half. It becomes misery porn, giving me compassion fatigue and I wanted so badly to continue to feel for these characters. A reader needs time and room to breathe, and this book doesn‘t allow that.

I went into this fully forewarned and was still emotionally devastated. Am I glad I read it? Yes. I think these characters will live in my head for years to come. I am, however, putting a warning label on the cover before I send it on to my sister.
#24in2024

Gotta love the random things you find in used books. What is the strangest thing you have ever found in one?

My Always Fully Booked planner came with a #24in2024 spread so I‘m taking it as a sign from the bookish overlords to jump in with @Jas16 on this challenge.

My list is all books I was SUPER excited to bring home and have sat languishing on my shelves for years.

It was as if someone said to the author, "Write the most depressing novel imaginable," and Yanagihara responded, "Challenge accepted."

Holy. Fucking. Shit.

Never have I read a novel in which, after its conclusion, I sat there, paralyzed, for about thirty minutes.

But no matter how good this was, I will never read it again. Why would I possibly do that to myself?

šŸ¤£šŸŒˆ

My goodness! This epic story of four college friends follows their lives and experiences both before and after they met. The writing is amazing and the author has plotted the book in a unique way that keeps you reading, even when encountering some of the most difficult story lines I‘ve ever read. This is a heartbreaker of a book, proceed with caution. I will be thinking about these characters for a long time. #BookspinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

Diving into this #chunkster after it‘s been on my #TBR for years. Am I ready? Unlikely.

God damn right!

I saw the production of "A Little Life" yesterday, and I can not stop thinking about it.
James Norton was phenomenal as Jude.

I will be thinking about it for a long time. The play definitely did the book justice.

???

I was so excited to get my hands on this copy. It seemed to make everyone emotional. But when I finally read the first few pages... it bored me to death! I tried.. I really did. But I bailed about 10% in.

really struggled with how much trauma is dumped in here but at least Yanagihara writes beautifully

Probably my first picture here on litsy.
Major updates:
1. Have been in a major reading slump after I finished 'A little life.'
2. Getting back my reading pace finally, and hopefully.
3. Settling into a new job (read: first job).
4. Trying to add a little more personalized touch here.
Thank you for reading through my updates.

5šŸŒŸ/5šŸŒŸ

A wonderful short interview with James Norton and Luke Thompson as they return to the stage for another stint in A Little Life. ā¤ļøā¤ļøā¤ļø

I had no idea James was diabetic, and the challenges that brings.

Watch from around 45 mins into the programme.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001nq3x

Mate date with the bestie booked. At least we have a couple of months to mentally prepare.

Den sætter sig dybt i læseren. Løber lidt omveje, men den kan bære det.

For all the people who've read it -
I finished this book like an hour back and I didn't even wonder about how sad can this book make me?
But, then I realise something super freakin' weird.
It is 12th June today.

PS - Will probably take some time before reviewing it here.

This is the most accurate description of me reading 'A little life' rn. There's so much that has happened, there's so much that's gonna happen. And it's a huge ass book. Also, wtf is wrong with Caleb!?šŸ˜‘

I'm not crying, you're crying!!!! šŸ˜­šŸ˜­šŸ˜­

OK, I may be crying a bit.

Wow, that was phenomenal. Fantastic interpretation of the book. Heartbroken all over again šŸ’”

Thanks for the day @TrishB @squirrelbrain @Oryx @jhod šŸ’•

Thanks for a lovely day out to see this play @trishb @squirrelbrain @jhod @RaeLovesToRead

The play was excellent.
So moving.

On the train and on my way @jhod @TrishB @squirrelbrain @RaeLovesToRead

#TemptingTitles
Day 15. With life
#WithLife

Playing a bit of catch up. This book is on my tbr.

One of my favorites ever! #temptingtitles #withlife @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs

I've never read a book of this length that was so mentally challenging.
Thanks to my previous job, I am emotionally hardened. It takes a lot to get under my skin. And this did.
Whilst I didn't ugly cry (robot, I know), I found myself BOILING with rage throughout.
It was a heavy & slow read but worth the commitment. I adored Andy. ā¤ļø
There's just enough heartwarming content sprinkled throughout so that I didn't need the Samaritans on speed dial.

Almost there! This one has put me through the wringer mentally and emotionally.
I'm having to have a break from it now. It's time for a cup of tea, an episode of Friends, and a Cadburys Creme Egg.

Well, I made it through my re-readā€¦. With only a few tears.

I am using this for #pop23 #abookyouwishyoucouldreadforthefirsttimeagain but I also think it was better the second time around. I knew what was coming with the terrible parts, which meant I could more appreciate the relationships between the boys, Andy and Harold.

I‘m interested to see how it translates to the stage when we go in two weeks‘ time. ā¬‡ļø