Welcome to Litsy!

4-29-21: My 43rd finished book of 2021! This story is told from 3 different perspectives and travels from the present to the past and back again. Evangeline is a ballet teacher and Eamon is a cop. They fall in love and what ensues is a story about love and loss and grief and finding your way back amidst terrible situations. I really loved this one. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 👍🏼#️⃣4️⃣3️⃣ #whiskeyandribbons #leesacrosssmith

I‘ve heard a lot about this book, so starting it today❤️

This was a 5 🌟 book for me for #bookspin. Such beautiful prose, emotional depth, yet joy too. @TheAromaofBooks

Here's my October #bookspin and #doublespin, @TheAromaofBooks

It may seem strange to call this a feel-good read when so much tragedy is in it, but the characters are all so kind to each other.

Congrats @laur89 on your milestone!

#giveaway Details: One lucky Litten will receive a $10 Half Price Books e-gift card.

To enter:
💌 Tag your favorite feel-good read
💌 Post this picture
💌 Include #10for10 in your caption
💌 Share it by tagging @laur89

Closes at midnight (ET) on 8/31. ☺️

Read for Open Canon Bookclub‘s May 2019 Read. This is an amazing story about family, love, loss, secrets and resilience. I was blown away by the prose, the structure & the storyline. The story is told by 3 narrators, Evi, Eamon, & Dalton, in sequential chapters. Definitely one of the best books I‘ve read this year!

https://wellreadneck.wordpress.com/2019/05/20/whiskey-ribbons-leesa-cross-smith/

Picked this one up after last year‘s Decatur Book Festival #DBF2018 Just getting around to checking it off #MountTBR

Read it in two evenings. Great character building here.

Enormously beautiful. The book goes backwards & forwards revealing bit by bit how Evi and Eamon got together, why Dalton won‘t settle down with his on-off girlfriend Frances, and how both Evi and Dalton are surviving without Eamon. Each chapter shifts POV to each of the 3 leads, seamlessly providing every hidden piece and every visceral feeling of their stories.

“What no one tells you about grief is that you don‘t want to figure out a way to live with it—you want the part of you that hurts to die instead” 🥃🎀 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
A police officer has been killed, his widow is pregnant & she falls in love with his brother. Whoa! A beautiful debut. I loved how stories from the past intersect with the present. The element of music guides you through family dynamics, love & grief. #spinesvines #diversespines

"Women, you are sleek and gorgeous. You hold us together, you're the ribbons. We're men. Dangerous only if you take us too seriously. We're the whiskey."

Ahhh had some much-needed library therapy. As a reward for making it through an entire afternoon of editing I picked out a few new releases 😃 #libraryhaul

What does it say about a book festival with so many amazing authors that for most time slots I'm struggling to decide between at least 2 (and sometimes as many as 4) sessions? It says it's a kick ass book festival!! The Decatur Book Festival makes my Labor Day weekend every year. #dbf2018

When Eamon, a police officer, is killed in the line of duty, his friend/brother takes responsibility for Evangeline, Eamon‘s pregnant wife.

If the main focus had been on Eamon and Dalton‘s relationship and Dalton‘s search for belonging, I would have liked this more. The religious overtones and the love triangle didn‘t work for me.

The writing was fine, but I was so turned off by the story that I will be unlikely to read more by this author.

4/5 ⭐ I really enjoyed this.

When you are reading and a song is mentioned and then it starts playing!

A beautiful day at Matthiessen State Park with my kids and my parents. Now my wonderful husband is cooking dinner while I read and the kids watch Family Matters on Hulu.

I love the imagery this produces.

💖💖💖 #24in48

I love finding things in library books. Today is is a book list. Someday I plan on making something with all the goodies. #librarybookfinds #24in48 #astrangersbooklist.

Back at the #24in48 reading after an extended break to have dinner with friends we haven‘t seen in way too long.

This book is intense but in a beautiful way. It is impossibly sad but also incredibly hopeful! More importantly it is fantastically written!

Finished this one this morning. It was a good story about love, friendship, grief and moving forward after great loss. ⭐⭐⭐

Got this awesome ebook on sale!! It was $1.99!

#diversespines | Day 3 Summer Reads ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
🎶...Summer, summer, summertime. Time to sit back and unwind. 🎶 - #WillSmith

It‘s the first day of summer & I love summertime reading! I‘m looking forward to my Diverse Spines lineup and also seeing what you all are reading! 🌞📚🍷 ⠀⠀⠀ ⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
June 2018 -WHEN THEY CALL YOU A TERRORIST
July 2018 - FRESHWATER
August 2018 - WHISKEY & RIBBONS

#spinesvines #photochallenge #day3 #summerreads

I‘m on a roll tonight! Finally finished this book, which was a lovely, complicated, intimate look at love and grief. It was SO MUCH like An American Marriage, except I *hated* everyone in that while all the characters in this book are so damn perfect. I‘m actually knocking off a star because, with the exception of Dalton, I thought the other two POVs were maybe *too* perfect. A lovely debut novel from an author with lots of potential.

#blacklitsy

Sad and sweet and realistic in its complexity. I devoured it in 24 hours, which rarely happens any more.

This book exceeded all expectations. This is an emotional journey and you will need tissues. I loved the three character‘s POV‘s, including all their imperfections.

Next book on my TBR list. I have heard really good things about this one.

Brought this novel along with me on a work trip to Atlanta. I‘m not too far in, but it reminds me a little of An American Marriage 😍

#blacklitsy

I picked up this novel on impulse at our small, local book store and I‘m ultimately glad that I did. While there are a few plot elements that I disliked as a matter of personal taste, Cross-Smith is a beautiful writer of emotion and this book stays with you even after you read the last page and put it down. It‘s worth a read.

Finished this book (Whiskey & Ribbons by @leesacrosssmith) last night and absolutely loved it. It kind of reminds me of An American Marriage, however this beautifully written novel didn‘t make me want to hate all the characters. lol In fact....I loved each of them in their own ways. Definitely one you should add to your summer reading list. More of my review on the blog. Link in the bio. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ #whiskeyandribbons #hcbt🐝 #hcbt

Had to get the #KindleDeal today! Also, how excellent of a lineup is my Kindle right now? 👌🏻

This book was exactly what i needed to read, psychologically, right now. The characters are faced with tragic circumstances, and they support one another with love and understanding. There's no created drama--the tragedy is all due to fate and ill luck. The plot is driven by circumstance, but nobody has like, an abusive flip-out to further the action. Big ups to the author for writing what feels like a truly fresh and new novel.

I am rationing my reading because I don‘t want to be done with this book. 😕😢❤️💔❤️

(Image is a flowering tree in the snow.)

This was an impulse buy and while I‘m happy I supported the author, I‘m not a fan of the book. However, I just don‘t think I‘m the right match for this book. Set in Louisville, this novel surrounding Evi, a woman who has lost her husband and her eventual healing journey with another man. It ain‘t for me guys, because being snowed in for two days trapped with a hot guy for this long and fighting sexual tension would be my actual nightmare. Lol 😂.

The writing is lovely. This book isn‘t on plot but emotions. I liked it. I was at work crying. I didn‘t love it but it was so beautifully written, I can‘t complain.

So far, this is perfect for my melancholy yet hopeful general mood.

I absolutely love the way this author writes. It‘s a story of family, loss and promises and a secret along the way.

🥃🎀

I won this fabulous gift set! Skill testing question - what is your favourite 80s rock ballad? I answered -Is This Love by Whitesnake. 😁😂👍🏻💕

I‘m back at TJ Maxx today! I had to leave yesterday because the check out lines were so long! Morgan, I made it and it‘s not AS bad!!! 😘 Hopefully I am DONE after this or I will need some whiskey 👆🏻 lol and I don‘t drink!! Pictured is one of my beautiful gifts from my hubby!! He got me so many awesome gifts!! 🎁🎁 I hope everyone is having a wonderful Friday!! 😘😘😘
#Ribbonsandbows
#Jingleshelves

#22 Ribbons and Bows # jingleshelves
Ribbons & bows oh my! I re-use bows don't get many ribbons to think of it...when i do they are ripped open or cut. I love presents with one or both!!!
#ribbonsandbows ✂🎀🎁 @bookloo @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks