Welcome to Litsy!

Happy birthday to THE GUEST ROOM, published nine years ago this week, a thriller about the absolute worst bachelor party of all time.

3 stars

4¼⭐Lately, I‘ve been picking the wrong books, but this one was a good choice. Packed with indelible characters, and moral dilemmas, I don't believe you can go wrong with this one...as long as you're not put off by its triggers warnings. It even ended with a harrowing conclusion.
@theAromaofBooks (This is my #bookspin for August)

Finally read my #AuthorAMonth book, which has been on my shelves for a loooong time. My first Bohjalian, this is a fast-paced, rather dark story dealing with some serious stuff. I have a habit of going in to books blind, and based solely on the cover, I was immediately like 😮 when I got going on this one. Not at all what I was expecting, but 100% enthralling.

⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

I‘d definitely recommend The Lioness over this if you‘re looking for an #AuthorAMonth #audiobook. The mediocre narration pulled this to a low pick.

A wild bachelor party goes awry when one of the female entertainers kills the Russian thugs watching over them. The chapters where the enslaved sex worker explains her story were weaker and had the worse narrator than the ones following the man caught up in the scandal, which is unfortunate.

Gosh, I love books and I‘m so grateful I have access to too many to read in a lifetime! So many good ones here with the tagged coming out as my favorite of this grid.

5* = Loved It, want to shout out loud about this book! I do/will own/keep a physical copy. A+
4*= I liked it, would love to discuss. Solid B
3*=Meh, no need to discuss. Average C
2*=Nope D
1*=DNF F

Oh wow. I‘ve said this before but it‘s still true: I read a pile of books written by and for women. It‘s not really by intention, just what I‘m drawn to, I guess. Then I read this author and a book like this, with a delivery very different than my typical book and I‘m reminded to keep my options open. This book drew me in.

June #AuthorAMonth @Soubhiville I have 5 books to read for this challenge this month!

⭐️⭐️⭐️ Fast-paced read, deals with heavy subject matter.

Excellent - one of his best.

A fast-paced thriller that ramps up the intensity right out of the gates and continues to drop you tasty nuggets for the whole ride. There‘s a bit of everything packed in here...utter debauchery in the form of a wild bachelor party, complete with strippers, cheating, sex slavery, murder, blackmail, and family. What a great ride.

“No one, he knew, was ever going to look at him quite the same way again.”

The premise: bachelor party gone horribly wrong.

Who would have thought the strippers hired for a bachelor party were actually sex slaves? And what already is bad just turns worse when the two bodyguards for these poor girls turn up dead.

But that is pretty much the full story right there. It was an all right listen, but don‘t expect any shocking twists.

I appreciated the different character perspectives and viewpoints. However, meh overall.

Good points: I went for a three mile hike despite the heat... I had a lovely steak dinner with a new wine... I am ready for the weekend!

Onto the book. Just began The Guest Room, about a bachelor party that took a fatal turn, and I see so many positive reviews. I was intrigued for the first few chapters, and wondering if this one will keep my attention. I may end up being in the minority...

But only time will tell, and I‘ll keep listening !

Finished this one (which although I enjoyed, I wouldn‘t say it was amazing), and just passed my goal of 5 hrs for #24B4monday ! The weather stayed nice enough for me to walk home, so I also hit my daily step goal for #BookFitnessChallenge 🤩

I‘m off to complete my first test for my Working and Communicating in a Medical Setting class, and a little bit of Med Terminology studying, then the rest of the day it all mine to read 🤓

#MayMadness

Laughing at my previous self from 3 hours ago, thinking I would go for a walk. Nope, I‘m currently starting this audiobook while I drift off to sleep. Time for a nap/ the possibility of sleeping from 8am-6am 😅

#bookfitnesschallenge @wanderinglynn

This was a really interesting book about sex trafficking and all of the scary things surrounding this nightmare that effects so many people. It really came together well and wasn‘t overly complicated. It was readable and easy to get sucked into. Definitely a compelling book.

These words? Spoken by Alexandra, the young sex slave in THE GUEST ROOM, my 2016 novel about the world's worst bachelor party -- and sexual slavery. Today is Super Bowl⁠ ⁠ Sunday. Human trafficking is a $150 billion industry. One in seven U.S. runaways is likely a sex slave. FYI.

A bachelor party goes horribly wrong when the two young women hired to provide the “entertainment” kill their Russian bodyguards and flee. And that‘s just the beginning of the book. A sobering novel about sex trafficking and decisions made and the consequences that follow. This book kept my attention throughout with a suitable and realistic ending.

I finished listening to this book tonight. While I ended up liking it a lot, I almost gave up on it part way through. The first part is quite disturbing and reading it right now (October 2018) was a challenge. Glad I stuck with it.

#audioroadtrip ?

Audiobooks are still a pretty new thing for me. I‘m relying on what I can get at the library and sticking with “easy” things like thrillers etc.

I am loving this book so far though! I‘m glad to have it as a companion as I spend the next 5-6 hours in the car...road trip to DC for the weekend to see friends! 😊

However, the driving time will probably be my only chance to spend with a book until Monday 😱

#QuotsyMay18 Day14 #Awkward

I'm so excited to read this! But I made a goal to finish knitting a sweater this weekend... This is the sad state of my Kindle. Closed. Waiting.

Guys! Can I tell you I went to an event yesterday and got some time to sit down and read and OH MY GOD! I am thirty pages into this book and it is already action packed/mystery. I did not want to put it down. Might have to let my kids play in the tub for an hour tonight while I sit with them and read this book!

I was so excited to hear this will become a movie. Although I haven‘t read it, I love the author and get so excited to see books become movies. Had to add a couple extra pictures. Look at that sweet deer.

Just finished this on audio - a very neatly interwoven story where the small details do matter. This is one of those books where the focus is all on the character; the crime is just the catalyst to being us into the story. Definitely will be picking up his other works!

• so far (28 pages in ebook) it‘s terrible...the writing, the pacing, the characters...can anyone out there tell me it gets better? my first book by this author. maybe I‘m just rushing to judgment here? •

#currentlyreading #ebook #digitalreads #cloudLibrary #fiction

✨I‘m #currentlyreading #theguestroom by #chrisbohjalian and so far the writing is fantastic and there‘s already suspense. I‘m dying to know what‘s going to happen!!!✨ #mystery #thriller

"But if you need no one's approval, you are probably crazy, and live alone on an island or the top of a mountain somewhere." Happy birthday to The Guest Room: two years young this month.

There are many reasons why I wrote THE GUEST ROOM. This is one: #HumanTraffickingAwarenessDay. My thanks to groups like CAST Los Angeles for their fight against trafficking and slavery, and my publisher, Vintage Books.

✨Just a few of the booksI would like to read soon! A couple of these are re-reads and not all of the ones on my TBR for the beginning of the year are pictured. Oh, and of course my #tbr is already getting out of control. I went from about 10 books to 30 books I want to read immediately. 😆😩 Help! I need an intervention. Anyone want to start a support group for people with out of control TBR issues? Lol!✨ #bookshelf #shelfie

Color me grateful to Salon Magazine and Marci Rae Johnson for suggesting "The Guest Room" as one of 25 great, last-minute stocking stuffers books. Thank you!

1. Red hots;
2. The Guest Room;
3. French;
4. Seven, four still living;
5. 💖
#friYayintro @jess.how

I reviewed The Guest Room on my blog this weekend! I really liked it and hope to read more of his books soon. I just need to get through my huge stack of books 📚 www.ashsscript.com
#theguestroom #bookreview

This book gripped me. There were moments when I thought “Oh yes, a man wrote this,” but for the most part Bohjalian writes women well. And the pacing is spot on, refusing to let you go until the bitter (and it was bitter) end. And the premise, the disastrous effects of one bad mistake, make for some great discussion possibilities.

My weekend plans!

Red was a good choice for me @elkeo ! I was nominated by Elkeo to post a #red stack for #bookcolortag. The majority of my TBR is either red or black, so it was pretty easy. (I have read some of these though).

I nominate @LauraBeth @Hooked_on_books @Foragingfantasy @ScientistSam and @Lizpixie to make me a Rainbow 🌈💜💙💚💛💜🦄

Selfie with wonderful reader Bethany Logan, who spotted me resting at the Addison General Store during today's #Vermont bike ride. She had her copy of THE GUEST ROOM in her car. #grateful #bikelife #amreading #getcaughtreading

#TBRtemptation post 2! From
NYT-bestselling author Chris Bohjalian! hosts his younger brother's bachelor party at his Westchester home. What happens is a dangerously intimate moment with Alexandra & 2 naked Russian women killing their bodyguards. Now, the police booted him out of his house, his firm has him on indefinite leave, & his wife pushes him away. And Alexandra, she's got 2 options: arrest or death. #blameLitsy #blameMrBook 😎

As a person who lost a parent to cancer as a teenager, this is the first time I've read something that really made me stop and nod my head. Not that I spend time reading about cancer- I try not to. (That "total teenage denial" lasts way longer than teen years) But every once in awhile it creeps in and I usually cringe. As usual, @ChrisBohjalian has a completely unique way with words that rings true and pure.

Started this today, a rainy weekend off. As usual @ChrisBohjalian writes suspenseful page turning books, this one tackles sex trafficking and how a lapse of judgement can turn a seemingly normal life into a nightmare.

Listening to The Guest Room. The word "Bacchanalia" was used. Just heard it again while watching The Originals! Can't think how many years ago since I have heard that word! Funny how that happens!
( this is a guest room somewhere in Edinburgh). #bohjalian2017

Started this on my commute this morning.

I nabbed this guy at a library book sale and will be on the lookout for other books by the author. 2 thumbs up! I was drawn in right away, and it was just a great and entertaining read.

I used Libib to catalogue my TBR shelf yesterday. I found a few doubles, that's okay. Now that I am organized that won't happen again. More troubling was the number of unread physical books... over 200...

Just visited the absolutely wonderful Vermont Barnes & Noble and signed a lot of books. Thank you ! @Crownpublishing @DoubledayBooks

Also free to read from my library and cloudLibrary app.

Voila! The French edition!

This was crazy and really good! I definitely did not expect it to end the way it did. It was also eye-opening and heartbreaking. I highly recommend it.