Welcome to Litsy!

In West Sussex.
#whereareyouMonday
@Cupcake12

I fell on our stairs on Friday night, ambulance trip etc. Home now but with a sore head.

What a delightful surprise, @AmyG, and just when I had hit my peak of “crabby-abbe-ness“ re: this f-in' shoulder. The book looks like a page turner to keep my mind off no more drugs (😱) except OTC stuff. I love the leather bookmark; it works beautifully with just one hand! The arrow bookmark and little ghost pen are beyond adorable, and the post-its made this grumpy girl laugh out loud. Thank you, dear friend. 😘😍😘

I absolutely adore the cover of this book! With spooky reading season just around the corner, this book promised to be an intriguing read. It features anonymous, mysterious notes being left behind and a murderer lurking in the shadows. I thoroughly enjoyed the pace of the narrative, as the suspense and mystery built at a satisfying speed. The narrators delivered an exceptional performance.

Full Review abookandadog.com/blog/the-stranger-diaries

Dark, atmospheric with a touch of the supernatural. A Mystery braided with Gothic dread.
The only complaint I have is the slow-burn, I was more in the mood for an immediate adrenaline hit.

#BookChain2025 #AuthorsLastNameSameLetter @TheAromaofBooks
#LitsyAtoZ #S @Texreader
#Pantone2025 #SaltedLime @Lauredhel

I read Book 2 for book club a couple years ago, so I was happy to circle back to the beginning of the story. I listened to the audiobook version, which was a good production using three main narrator voices and a fourth narrator for the “framework” story.

Meanwhile, two more are actively in progress.

#serieslove2025

Hey @bookandbedandtea I mailed this book to you last week but never posted because I'm bad about that 😂 @Jerdencon The Nature of Disappearing arrived safe and sound as well!! @robinb just keeping you in the loop haha

Thoughts on another round after this one?

I liked Harbinder! I also appreciated diverse characters.

I really love gothic atmosphere, this reminded me of that. I loved the mixture of darkness and common police work. The setting was amazing!

The murderer was a bit too easy to guess beforehand but this was really enjoyable to read.

#serieslove2024

Needed something different, this had been on my TBR for a long time. I went in not remembering anything about it. I enjoyed the story and the different povs.

Soft pick for me. I didn't care for the multiple POV's. I give it a soft pick, bc I never expected the culprit of the murder. I consider it a Gothic vibe mystery.

#audiobook #readaway,2024

I quite liked this. It was slow moving (as gothic stories tend to be), but the end definitely caught me by surprise! The book was from multiple different points of view: Clare‘s, Georgie‘s, and Harbinder Kaur, the main detective on the case. I was least interested in Harbinder‘s POV. Cont in comments...

Gothic novel with a couple murders, a story within a story, a rotating POV, and a bit of a ghost element thrown in. I liked it, but didn't love it. Definitely a perfect October read, but not one I'll return to. I never felt invested in the three main characters, but I did want to find out how the story ended. I wish there had been more about the Victorian-era author‘s life.

I read this one for #booked2023 #anypartofatrilogy. I had actually already read the middle book - The Postscript Murders- and I didn‘t find this one as enjoyable to read but it is written by an author who lives on my village about my local area so I did enjoy the familiarity of the surroundings.

#DarkAcademia #BookBinge

@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
@Eggs

Book 12

I listened to The Stranger Diaries. Clare is a high school English teacher who loves Gothic murder mysteries, including a short story written by a deceased alumnus of her school. When her colleagues are murdered, Clare, an avid journaler, begins receiving messages in her diary from the killer. The novel, interspersed with the short story, is an innovative and enjoyable murder mystery. I will read more by Elly Griffiths. ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

#StoryGraph: fiction mystery thriller dark mysterious tense slow-paced
368 pages | first published 2018

Clare Cassidy is no stranger to murder. A high school teacher specializing in the Gothic writer R. M. Holland, she even teaches a course on him. But when one of Clare‘s colleagues is found dead, with a line from Holland‘s iconic story “The Stranger” left by her body, Clare is horrified to see her life collide with her favorite literature.

1) It has to be set before the author was born. For example an Agatha Christie mystery set in the 1920s would not be historical fiction while Frances Brody's mysteries set in the 1920s are historical fiction.

2) “The Stranger“, the story within the story in the tagged book, is a very creepy piece of “Victorian“ writing.

@TheSpineView
#Two4Tuesday

Clare's friend and colleague Ella has been murdered. Clare is writing a book about R. M. Holland, a fictional 19thC writer of horror stories, whose home is now the school where she teaches.

The contemporary story was gripping but the story by R. M. Holland was by far the best thing in the book to the point where after reading the first extract I turned to the back to read the whole thing before starting the present-day narratives.

#sunlightwellness #mycover

"‘She‘s OK,‘ he says. ‘A bit tired. Ocean still isn‘t sleeping through the night.‘ I don‘t blame her. She‘s probably traumatised by her ridiculous name."

I've just started this and although I didn't realise it going in, it seems to have a seasonal vibe. So far a mysterious stranger is telling of his initiation on Halloween into a secret society which has a skull as its sign.

#BigJuneReadathon #Stranger

First book in the new series, Harbinder Kaur Series. Loved this book.

@Clwojick

It's my 5th litsyversary and I bought these books to celebrate

It took me about six months to read this book. It was okay, it had been recommended to me by someone who described it as like Nancy Drew. Can‘t say I agree. But now it isn‘t hanging over my head. 🤣

I always enjoy this author books. One of Clares teacher friends is murdered. And as she writes in her daily diary, she finds someone has written a note in it! There are lot of twists in this mystery.
Thanks @EadieB for gifting me this! You always know what I'll enjoy!❤❤❤

Reader, she went out. And was pissed. It was, of course, MY fault she went out. But I digress! This was the aftermath of our 13 inch snow just over a week ago. I‘m guessing that will be the pinnacle of snowstorms for us this winter in south central Michigan, but we‘ve got time to prove me wrong.

The book: I REALLY liked this one. Different from the Galloway series, with various perspectives and a gothic storyline and feel. ⬇️

And so it begins! A great day to finish the tagged read (very fun; I have the second book checked out from the library too) and get started on my #Bookspin!

Clare Cassidy finds herself at the center of a police inquiry when one of her colleague and friend is murdered.

I liked the story within the story, with the gothic short story The Stranger by fictional author R. M. Holland embedded in the murder plot. It's an entertaining book to read, even if the perpetrator is quite obvious, and some elements of the plot weren't that interesting (perhaps too much!?) like the witchcraft component to the story.

I loved this book!! It kept me guessing to the very end. I hope there‘s a third book coming because I‘m not done with Harbinder and the crazy cases she gets involved in 👍 Fun Fact: this is book 1 in the series, but I read book 2 first and nothing was spoiled. I love authors who can write a series but reading them in order isn‘t required 😍

Reading by Christmas tree light with the first snow of the year falling outside….. awwww, bliss 🥰😇🤩

I found this book quite pedestrian if I'm honest. Readable but uninspiring. It has a habit of jumping into the view of the pov character who has the least at stake in a scene. We observe Claire's pain rather than going through it with her. It also means the tension doesn't build in a satisfying way. The are some well written red herrings, but I found the ending ultimately uninteresting.

Just finished. 4 stars. I will definitely read the next in the series.

1. The Stranger Diaries by Elly Griffiths
2. 1st Goodreads and 2nd Storygraph
3. The Crow Trap by Ann Cleeves

@NataliePatalie @rachelsbrittain
#weekendreads

It‘s 3am, and I‘m listening to the tagged audiobook, and working on a paint by number. Hopefully I‘ll be able to fix my sleep schedule soon.😅

Week 3 of #Scarathlon has been going great for me for the most part! I‘ve finished 15 books (2 DNFs ☠️, and 2 five star reads 🔥), but I plan on making that 18 by the end of the day! 🖤

I‘m currently listening to the tagged audiobook, have started If I Die Tonight, and hope to get to Razorblade Tears. My goal for #OutstandingOctober was 9 books, so I‘ll be thrilled if I can double it! 👻

#TeamSlaughter #LittenListen #BookSpinBingo #Spookoween

Transformed my print brochure into a pretty little online resource at work today. I love Canva.

https://tinyurl.com/4zhayrsd

What a creepy story! I liked the three POVs and that they overlap, giving slightly different versions. The haunted house (school), the story within the story, and the copycat murders all added up to a page turning thrill. And the reveal! I did not see that coming! I see there is another book starring the Detective Sergeant from this book which I'm hoping to find at my library.

I started the book when it first came out but didn‘t finish because it didn‘t hook me in the first pages. (I didn‘t realize it was starting with a story within a story). But after reading the second book in the series I decided to try again and really enjoyed it. The narration on the audiobook was great. And I really like D.S. Kaur, the character who continues in this series. I am looking forward to the next one.

Friday afternoon reading soundtrack #readingsoundtrack

I have to say I came into this book expecting it to be predictable and I am very happy to say I was wrong. I loved seeing events from the different characters perspectives but didn‘t feel like you were jumping too much either. I would recommend to anyone who enjoys mysteries with a twist.

#TBRPile 📚 “If you‘ll permit me, said the stranger, I‘d like to tell you a story...”

review here: https://debbybrauer.org/#the-stranger-diaries

This was a pretty good murder mystery that paid homage to the greats of gothic literature, particularly Wilkie Collins. I was a little disappointed with the outcome as it seemed disingenuous, but the detective character was very well done. 3⭐️

Last book of 2020 was The Stranger Diaries - Elly Griffiths. Technically though, I was still reading it on January 1 so I guess it‘s my first book of 2021 as well 😂😁 I enjoyed it! Thanks @BookNAround 😁👋🏻😍 #lastfirst

Well! I might need to read more Gothic mysteries. This was excellent! 1st book finished in 2021 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

#12Booksof2020 #Day5

First book in a new series by Elly Griffiths. Great gothic links & loved the way how was written from different perspectives, lead to getting to know the characters better. A great book for readers and people who like books. Also read and loved the second book in the series, The Postscript Murders. Look forward to continuing with this series as it is written. Good book to try & work out who the killer was and still be wrong!