Welcome to Litsy!

A pick for the writing alone. The story of orphaned Virginia coming to live with her adoptive parents and trying to understand the adult relationships she has been thrust into has an ominous feeling that grows as you piece together what Virginia is too young to understand. Unfortunately it never really builds into anything and the ending just fizzles away. The journey was better than the destination.

Reading this one today!

I‘m so excited about the list I received from @monalyisha for #NewYearWhoDis! I‘ve been meaning to read the tagged book for absolutely forever, and several of the others have been languishing on my TBR and this is the perfect chance to move them to the top. There were others as well that I‘m hoping to get to later in the year—I‘m so spoiled for choice!! Can‘t wait until January!! 📚📚📚

Wow. This one surprised me. Eloquently written, reminiscently gothic, and haunting. Definitely illustrated the impact of childhood trauma throughout one‘s life. Although the ending fell flat for me, and I was able to figure out a few plot points relatively early on, I really enjoyed this novel. It was a short, fastball that held my attention & broke my reading slump.

It has been an exhausting few weeks, and now I need a #selfcareday. I have my #pumpkincoffee and my book. My phone is on #donotdisturb & I‘m all good. Thank you, @nu-bibliophile for giving me this one in my #mysterymessageswap box. #litsyselfcare

Happy to add this book for #letterO in my #litsyatoz records. Three books to go, two of which I‘m reading now.

This story is told from the perspective of a newly adopted girl in WWII and the same person when she is 80-something living at Salt Winds. It‘s a somewhat slow, moody read about a tragedy the girl witnessed and its affect on her as she nears death, but its well written and good enough to keep your interest to the end. She‘s a flawed character making bad decisions at both ages, which is frustrating but necessary to the story. 3-1/2 stars

Love this description of snow.

“It‘s started snowing again. It‘s too dark to see anything through the indigo window—and anyway their reflections are in the way—but Virginia senses it all the same. There‘s a prickly silence that comes with snowfall, and it‘s more than just absence of sound. It‘s heavy. If you put that silence on the kitchen scales, they‘d tilt with a loud clang.”

““Ready?” Lorna whispered, taking the weapon back and crooking her finger around the trigger. Virginia nodded, caught halfway between gratitude and mild resentment. This wasn‘t the sort of thing proper mothers got up to with their daughters. On the other hand, it was exciting.”

Then I guess my mom wasn‘t proper! Ha! We were an intrepid bunch growing up in Texas. I learned at a very young age gun safety and how to shoot a rifle. It was exciting!

This is the #letterO book I picked to read while on vacation for #litsyatoz. It‘s very good so far.

“There were still a few veils of mist drifting over the ground, but wherever they parted she glimpsed streaks of gold, which must have been water but looked like pure light.”

Alright, let me explain why I think this book is only so-so. It‘s beautifully written and the imagery is wonderful, but I have an issue with the main character. Continued in comments....

I just wanted to check-in with my fellow #LMPBCnC -ers and make sure we all got our next book.

@Elma @TheLibrarian @monalyisha

#LMPBC

Mailing packages & taking names!

@MirrorMask Your #LMPBC #LMPBCnC package should arrive to you on Thursday, May 9th. Sorry I‘m tardy! #procrastinatorsunitetomorrow

P.S. This mural on the side of my local post office is really amazing, & someone graffitied over parts of it with not-so-amazing art. It‘s a super-bummer. At least my favorite section was high enough up to survive!

April Wrap up!

The Fifth Season: N.K. Jemisin 4.5 🌟

The Orphan of Salt Wind: Elizabeth Brooks 4 🌟

The Obelisk Gate: N. K. Jemisin 4 🌟

Everything Under: Daisy Johnson 3.5 🌟

The Other Americans: Laila Lalami 2.5 🌟

Heart Berries: Terese Marie Maihot 3.5 🌟

All Quiet on the Western Front: Remarque 5 🌟

The Incendiaries: R. O. Kwon 3 🌟

6 audio and 2 print

1 classic 1 nonfiction and 2 Si/Fi

Picked this up from my local bookshop for #IndependentBookstoreDay. I just love love love the cover and I can‘t wait to dive in.
#indiebookstoreday #readbetweenthelynes #shoplocal

Celebrated #indiebookstoreday at #watchungbooksellers in Montclair #NJ ! They even had some blind date books 😁😁 #bookhaul #bookstores #indie
My two books I picked out myself were The Orphan of Salt Wind (compared to Jane Eyre) and The Girl Who Never Read Noam Chomsky! The others were blind date books.

This offer available today through BookBub.

I don‘t want to oversell this...but I don‘t think I *could* oversell it. It‘s kind-of like if “Anne of Green Gables” went horribly, horribly wrong. @MirrorMask you‘re in for a treat (& I don‘t just mean the chocolate). I‘m planning to mail it out to you sometime this week! I‘ll tag you when I do.

#LMPBC #LitsyMarkupPostalBookClub
#LMPBCnC #LitsyMarkUpPostalBookClubNChocolate

My pencil is freshly-sharpened & I‘m ready to begin!

#LMPBCnC #LMPBC

Oh, hi @TheLibrarian 👋🏻! My book for #LMPBC #LMPBCnC arrived today! We‘re on the way out the door for a walk in the sunshine/some beers/some lunch but it‘s perfect timing, as I just finished a book!

Excited to read your thoughts! ✨🔮

Enjoyed the suspense of this historical novel set in England during WWII. Told in alternating chapters from the protagonists p.o.v at a 12 year old and a 70 year old. It had a haunting and Gothic feel.

I can‘t say much because it‘s part of my #LMPBC but I really enjoyed this well-written book.

Told in alternating chapters (2015 and 139/1940s), this story is about Virginia, a woman haunted by her past and the place she calls home.

Good morning!! I‘m getting a start on my #LMPBC read this morning along with coffee and a banana chocolate chip muffin.

Just spent a great weekend in Louisville KY. Got to visit one of my favorite bookstores.

Getting ready to pick a new read off my kindle but first I HAD TO CLEAN IT UP.

When I first got it, I just downloaded any free ebook I found. I‘ve never read them and I realized the amount of unwanted books on it keeps me from turning it on, so time to konmari my kindle.

OH. AND PLEASE READ THIS BOOK 😭 SO GOOD.

This is the second book that's left me feeling sort of blah. I was really hoping for a fairytale ending here. I enjoyed this story, though some parts made me very nervous. I will say that it kept me very engaged and entertained.
📖📚📖📚📖📚📖
Happy Reading!

I adore my local library ❤️

Loving this introductory quote!

Lovely story,sucked me in and I read it in one day. Beautifully written. Just what I needed.

I started this one last night and dm now thoroughly absorbed. It‘s out Jan. 15th.

I wanted to like this book. Virginia isn't a likable character and since the story is told through her there's a lot that the reader understands that she doesn't. I found Lorna a far more interesting character. I would have loved to perhaps have seen the book told through noth both women's eyes.

This was such an interesting book! It was so atmospheric and you could feel the impending doom from the very first page. I loved the way the story unfolded and the alternating chapters between the current Virginia and her childhood. And the creaking old house was probably my very favorite character!

My only complaint is that it didn't seem very British. Maybe things were changed for the American audience, but the dialogue felt American.

Great setting and villain, but the story left much to be desired. Full review is on my blog.

Starting paperback December. I received this a few weeks ago and it seems interesting. A blustery day today and tomorrow it's supposed to be cold and snowy. A perfect weekend to read.

This really was a beautiful story with a gothic undertone. Virginia is a 10 year old girl adopted during WWII in England and is brought home to parents that have struggles of their own. Virginia overhears whispered arguments and a creepy neighbor always seems to appear, putting Clem on edge.
This book goes back and forth between 1940-1941 and 2015. Overall I gave 4.5 ⭐ I thought it was wonderful and sad all filled into one.

This book is starting to get good. I just want to read it instead of work

My dogs will not allow me to enjoy the cozy fire and quietness of the cold fall morning. But I've spent the past half hour scrolling through litsy posts. Sometimes it's a comforting feeling just to see what everyone is reading and that there is a social media platform where im not reading every two seconds about politics and the fact that the world is such a mess right now. Love you guys xoxo ✌

Not the greatest angle for me but this pic of moose pretty much sums up our week in an attempt to get ready for the craziness that is about to ensue. I have been quiet but im working on finishing a few books I will be reviewing. I hope this week is filled with joy, family, laughter and lots and lots of full tummies. Xoxo

Starting this #arc today. What you dont see is a sleepy lab laying underneath this book 😂

After a very tragic end to the week I came home to some book mail. What a wonderful thing. I was lucky to get an ARC of The Orphan of Salt Winds from tinhouse and also got some awesomw stuff (as usual) from the one and only @Mommamanzi (won't lie the popcorn may already be half eaten) thank you for the wonderful little gifts. And to all my litten friends. If you're every feeling down just know you have a community that's there for you (see below)

It's a good cold day with drizzle and the tease of snow in a few days. Received this beauty today from Tin House. Can't wait to read it. I love the magazine and the fiction has stayed with me through the years.