Welcome to Litsy!

Last Saturday‘s Little Free Library finds on the way to ballet.

I do not think I can express on here the joy this gave me. @Gissy tagged every item with a note why she chose it for me. Disney, sloths, HP, coffee…all things I 💜. The candle smells amazing, the snow globe is adorable, the Belle cup and Cinderella measuring cups so cute, the books look great and the most perfect bookmarks. Thank you! Your choices couldn‘t be more perfect. #ListyFoundFamilySwap Thanks for hosting @KateReadsYA

#12Booksof2023 Month September @Andrew65

Beautiful book. It‘s still in my heart. Beautifully written. So sad too😢Looking forward to read Betty

I read that month 11 books that month and it was a fantastic reading month. I have to mention also: The Hobbit and Ninth House

And liked Promise Boys, The Haunting of Brynn Wilder and The Secret History

Great month!!! 📚❤️

What a beautiful writing style but so sad😢This story, set in the 80‘s, discussed social topics like, racism, homophobia, AIDS, social stereotypes, mental illness and other topics in a different way. I know the book has mixed reviews but it worked for me😭Beautiful, I want to read moe books by this author. This was her debut novel. 4.5⭐️An oldie book in my tbr.

#pantone2023 #grayedjade #airyblue #tangelo @Clwojick

How is this her debut novel?? Her writing is poetic, powerful, incredible. Not an easy book to read, but a worthwhile one. She takes horrible situations and injects light into them somehow. You think you can‘t possibly keep reading for the heartbreak, but you do, because the light is still there ♥️ @AmyG @TrishB this one rocked me!

#AuldLangSpine @ncsufoxes @monalyisha
The Devil has entered the town of Breathed, Ohio in the form of a 13-year-old boy. Or wait...has he? This tale of the events of a 1984 summer is relayed by the now elderly protagonist as if it were a fairy tale, full of ambiguity. At its core, it's a story of a child discovering the world to be less magical than he thought, full of hate and death. Beautiful language and imagery keep it from being depressing.

#12booksof2022 February.
Loved this book, I can still feel the heat and the whole vibe from it. Excellent read.

I loved Betty, so I was excited to read another of McDaniel‘s books. She takes another tragic tale with difficult subject matter (lots of trigger warnings which I‘ll list out in the comments) but uses such beautiful writing. It was a truly heartbreaking story on so many levels but I couldn‘t stop reading. Definitely a story that will stick with you. #NativeAmericanHeritageMonth #bookspin #litsylovereads

#alphabetgame
#letterR #letterS

@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

It seems fitting that a book about the devil would be so absolutely soul-crushing, but the internal injuries one suffers while reading this do not exist to shock. We are scathed into pondering the vivid picture of what lurks in the hearts of human beings. The heartbreak of it all is both startling and familiar, and the narrative demands an emotional interactiveness from the start.

“Madness. The compassing violin when in our head, the directionless chaos when out of it. Isn‘t that what madness is after all? Clarity to the beholder, insanity to the witnessing world.”

“Being the devil made him important. Made him visible. And isn‘t that the biggest tragedy of all? When a boy has to be the devil in order to be significant?”

“Pain is our most intimate encounter. It lives on the very inside of us, touching everything that makes us.”

“No one ever said you‘ve got to prepare being hated. You‘ve got to prepare for the yelling and the anger. You have got to prepare how to survive being the guilty one, even in innocence.”

There are no kings, there are no queens, there is just the unraveled, trying to live.

Ah, this was amazing and wonderful and sad. Even better than Betty.
A wonderfully woven, sad reflective tale 😥
I love this authors writing so much.

Lo sto leggendo ora.Impressioni contrastanti. Mixed thoughts.

This was a fantastic story with so many well developed quirky characters. Loved the audio!

Cannot get over this gorgeous writing 🤩

@Soubhiville Thank you! I planned to wait until I sent your book to post a photo but I am, as ever, tardy.

We went camping last weekend (first foray back into socializing) & I‘m wiped. Plus, my work‘s planning to ease back into full-services & I‘ve been moderately (read: majorly) obsessed with crafting an impassioned plea for maintaining one WFH (work from home) day per week. Focusing on anything else has been tough. I promise I‘ll mail it soon!

Thank you @Reggie for sending me this book ♥️. The language was beautiful, the story devastating. I loved the complexity of the characters. Good people do bad things sometimes and bad people sometimes do good things. I will definitely look out for the authors next novel.

\Ci sono estati che ti entrano sotto la pelle come ricordi eterni\
Non è il mio genere, quindi non metto "Pick".
Ma il libro è scritto veramente bene, scorrevole e piacevole.
Affronta due tematiche molto delicate e le affronta in modo crudo e diretto. Fa molto riflettere.
Dal punto di vista del contenuto, quindi, è abbastanza pesante e non si legge a cuor leggero.
Consigliato!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ McDaniel has secured a spot among my must-read authors! A frustrated attorney snarkily invites the devil to town. And to town he comes ... in the form of a 13-year-old boy ostensibly bringing with him the hottest summer in memory. Through subtle magical realism and allegorical characters, McDaniel broaches heavy themes focusing largely on good versus evil. Breathed, Ohio is literally and figuratively melting. A brilliant debut!

🎧🐾 Absolutely gorgeous walk/jog with the pupper this morning. ☀️ No jacket, no gloves ... finally! Champ is almost 1 year old now. Weird how covid time goes so slowly, yet so fast sometimes.

#audiowalk #dogsoflitsy #BFC21

This book is slow to start. I had a hard time with the anachronism of McDaniel‘s fictional Breathed, Ohio. (Although set in the 1980s/2055, Breathed is more 1940s, and the references to Atari and Nintendo feel a bit belaboured). The pacing is much tighter in the second half, but the ending is dark. Ultimately, a moving, albeit difficult, meditation on good, evil, and love. CN: violence, racial violence, child abuse, racial and homophobic slurs.

It took me a bit to get into this book. I‘m glad I stuck with it, because it ended up being outstanding. It definitely took a turn. At first I thought it would be lighthearted and humorous, yet it ended up being a 180 from that. The people in this book carry heavy burdens, and I really felt for their tragedies. This book makes the reader question good/evil and examine how quick we are to judge. There are heavy consequences for the choices made.

#MOvember When a #BeautifulStranger comes to town claiming to be the son of a devil, he upends the peace & tranquility of a small Ohio town.
🎶 I looked into your eyes
And my world came tumbling down
You're the devil in disguise
That's why I'm singing this song🎶

Yeah, guess who‘s not leaving the house for at least a week!🙋🏻‍♀️ I‘m supposed to be going to The Entrance for Australia Day tomorrow, but if today‘s 37C(99F) feels like 43C(109F), what exactly will tomorrow‘s forecast of 43C feel like? 49C(120F)!!!! #helpmeimmelting #hottimessummerinthecity #pleaselettherebenoblackouts #currentlyfryinganeggonmydriveway #3rddegreeburnsfromwalkingbarefootweather #welcometoaustralia

Devastatingly beautiful, The Summer That Melted Everything is a captivating story about community, redemption, and the dark places where evil really lies.

Sorry there is no short review for this one.

Please read my full review here:
TamaraTheReadingMermaid.weebly.com
Or you can watch my review on YouTube here:
https://youtu.be/i0rA04yyhqs

#LMPBC #GroupO
@parttimedomestic @WriterAtHeart @Julie548

"Was it Good, Devil, or wind that blew it upon release?"
Oh geez!!! ??????

What's yours?

@parttimedomestic hey Valerie I figured out what that word was that you were asking about in this book. If you recall when he introduces the devil to his brother grand grand says a greeting to him and calls him something in a language that's not very easy to understand. I did some research and this is what I found. It is actually the word "devil" written in Russian.

I got the book today! So excited to read it! 🤓📖
@parttimedomestic @WriterAtHeart @Julie548
#LMPBC #GroupO

I can‘t decide how I feel about this book. I enjoy the setting, premise, and characters. But, something feels off about it. Maybe the poetic language feels a little forced, causing characters to say things that don‘t ring true, taking me out of the story. Or, maybe it‘s that that lessons are being taught, but it feels a little preachy? I‘m 3/4 of the way through, so I haven‘t decided yet.

The ending of this book made me so mad I got distracted and burned the dang burrito I was heating up for dinner! While I do think this book is written beautifully (if a little heavy handed on the metaphors and flowery prose) I had a lot of problems with it. I‘ll keep it at that so as not to spoil it for my #LMPBC #groupo partners!

Really not feeling this one... just one big plotless metaphor.

#BookNDessert! The dessert that followed on this tropically hot and humid day was tropical ice cream at a new Peruvian ice cream cafe. I chose Guava. Delicious! Just the cool, refreshing treat we needed to beat the heat. 😋🍦

#BookNDessert! The dessert that followed on this obtrusively scorching day was at a new Peruvian ice cream cafe. How utterly delightful!!! Accompaniment: tamarind ice cream (the light brown one) and lucuma ice cream (the orange). If you haven't had either, the tamarind tastes something akin to blackberries with a bit of cantaloupe thrown in ( @BookBabe agrees w/ the 1st part); lucuma is too unique (not so fruity) to classify, w/ heavy texture. 🤤

#BookNDinner! (Audio format) I have A LOT to share with you from this past week (and others), but first, the FEAST! 😆 Accompaniment this sweltering and heavy evening was: beef pad thai with peanut sauce on the side, chicken satay, and thai iced tea. MMMmmmm 😋! Happy reads & happy eats! 😎👌🏻

It‘s here @Julie548 ! Thanks for the cute bookmark! I can tell this is going to be a great book for hiding inside from the summer heat! ⛱☀️⛱
#lmpbc #groupo

#BookNDinner! We saw The Equalizer 2 😎👌🏻👌🏻, this was the feast that followed! Accompaniment this warm and humid night: fried ravioli, a white pizza, and iced tea. MMMmmm 😋! Happy reads & happy eats! 😎👌🏻

#GroupO I finished this over the weekend! @TheReadingMermaid @parttimedomestic @WriterAtHeart Loved loved loved it!

#GroupO #LMPBC. I haven‘t gotten much reading done for our group this week. We have a new addition to our household! @TheReadingMermaid @parttimedomestic @WriterAtHeart

#GroupO I‘m going with this one! First chapter sucked me in! #LMPBC @TheReadingMermaid @parttimedomestic @WriterAtHeart

A huge shoutout and thank you to my spectacular, thoughtful and awesome #LitsyPenpal @Beck9lol for these perfect summertime gifts. Now I just need to plan a beach vacay!! Can't wait to dive into 'Call Me By Your Name' and break out these super cute and festive flip flop page clips!! Thanks again Becky .. you're the best! Love our Litsy community! ❣💜😄📚

Help #groupO ladies! @suvata @prettybooknerd @WriterAtHeart I have it narrowed down to three and I can‘t decide! I‘d appreciate your thoughts. The Summer That Melted Everything is one. The other two are The Story of Arthur Truluv OR The Hearts Invisible Furies