Welcome to Litsy!

Speculative • Dickensian • Atmospheric • Suspenseful • 4 Stars

First published in May 2016, this novel is set in an alternate historical England where people who are wicked in thought or deed are marked by the Smoke that pours forth from their bodies, a sign of their fallen state. The aristocracy do not smoke, proof of their virtue and right to rule, while the lower classes are drenched in sin and soot.

Some of you may feel like you must succumb. I have one word for you."
He pauses, fixes on their faces.
"Don't."

Half way through reading/listening to it and still can‘t decide what I think about it…

I suspect that had I read this one before I read R.F. Kuang's Babel, I might have felt differently about both. The worlds they weave are very similar, in a similar time period with a similar message---the powerful holding onto power by monopolizing resources and leveraging an existing caste system---but conveyed from a slightly different angle. I liked Babel better, but I can't tell if that's because I read it first or if it's just better.

Camille and I treated ourselves to a lazy-ish morning listening to the tagged and updating my First Line Journal before a busy afternoon and evening and rest of the week. I need to take stretching lessons from Camille; she's an expert.

1/5⭐ 30% in and almost nothing has happened. We learn a couple unsurprising things about the smoke, which doesn't seem to be developed consistently anyway. The book meanders through pointless scenes and point of view changes, creating a bloated product with uninteresting characters. #roll100

I am posting one book per day from my to-be-read collection. No description and providing no reason for wanting to read it, I just do. Some will be old, some will be new - don‘t judge me I have a lot of books.
Join the fun if you want. This is day 127.
#bookstoread
#tbrpile
#bookstagram

I am posting one book per day from my extensive to-be-read collection. No description or reason for wanting to read the book. Some are old and some will be new. Don't judge me - I have a lot of books.
Day 265

#tbrmountain #bookbuyingdiet

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I loved this book! It is described as a sci fi Dickensian story and that description holds up. The feel is raw and gritty and sad and I think a great fall book. The ending was brilliant and I cannot wait to read the follow up called Soot. This was my No. 19 #doublespin book

I‘m 4/5ths of the way through this but a woman just pushed a man‘s hand up the bottom of her corset to feel a scar on her stomach and that is not even physically possible given fashions of the time.

Omg, halfway through this one and it is creeping me out bigtime! In a good way tho. 👀

Next ebook! The sample selection sucked me in. I love Charles Dickens, and the epigraph from Dombey and Son implies that the whole concept of this book is a literal interpretation of a Dickens metaphor. This is so far up my alley.

I am absolutely loving this book! It‘s been a while since I‘ve read something that has gripped me and transported me like this has. I can‘t what to find out how it ends!

Day 15 - #smoke #quotsynov18

#riotgrams #day16 - #orange & #purple

This is really quite a beautiful cover. I need to remember to get to this story; high-concept fantasy is a bit of a blind spot for me.

Library book sale haul 4 of 7! Been going back and forth on whether or not to read this one for a while but I figured there's no harm in owning a good condition hardcover just in case. :-)

Day 11 - #SockSunday: I love socks. Sometimes I fall asleep in socks. I have a huge basket full of socks. I was ready for this challenge until I saw YOUR socks. Where are socks like those found? I saw yellow duckies, pink flamingo, pigs in pink boots and rainbows. I even saw a throwback pair (cool). You folks dazzle me. Here‘s my attempt to be represented amongst your fantastic company with a hyped-up book that I have yet to read. #MarchInBooks ⤵️

This alternative historical fiction had a great premise and started out really strong, but the vibe definitely changed as I kept reading. While I appreciated the darker elements and the heavy questions about humanity, I finished the book feeling kind of unsatisfied. I was led to believe there would be this huge mystery and a lot of my questions weren't really answered. A++ for the cover though, the art is absolutely breathtaking.

Haven't posted in a while! My current weekend reads. I've got so many good ones on my shelf I want to start more but I'm making myself wait!! #weekendread

This was so good for people like me who get caught up in atmospheric details and not-so-straight-forward characters. Such a Dickensian style novel! Not for those who want something happy and light. It left me with questions of what it means to be human - and maybe the kind that can‘t really be answered. I found myself desperately wanting to finish up my day so I could curl up in bed in the evening and finish the book. Highly recommend!

Can‘t say that I‘ve read Melville all the way through but maybe I‘ll feel inspired at some point later this year.
.
#stillreading #smoke #danvyleta #hermanmelville #mobydick #classics #day50 #bookquote #bookstagram

I am loving this book. I‘ve still got another 100 pages or so and hoping it ends well so I can continue raving about it.

My local neighbourhood chapters is going out of business. I don‘t buy new books often anymore, and when I do it‘s always from my indie book sellers so I‘m not too torn up. BUT! Look at the haul I got for 12$! #bookhaul

Interesting premise, not what I expected.

Alternative historical fiction with a plot that ABSOLUTELY must reference the role of religion? SIGN👏ME👏UP👏

What a huge surprise. 😍😍😍 Look Littens what the marvelous @scripturient got me. 😍 A Halloween colouring book, a book sleeve, the tagged book, a lipstick and a cute bookmark by @BookBabe . What a wonderful start in the weekend. 😍😘 A big thank you. 😍

Trying to decide if I want to add this to my TBR list. It gets mixed reviews on Goodreads. Can any Littens give me an opinion on it?

Visiting Seattle and went to Elliott Bay Books. Huge bookstore. Funky and friendly neighborhood. Picked up "Smoke" for plane ride back to Georgia.

You can't see the smoke/steam from dinner but it was there. This smoke doesn't indicate sin though. Vegan tofu and cashew rice.

I was tagged by @Laalaleighh (sparkly book) and @Cupofjo (favorite color) for the #bookcolortag so here is my little stack! Purple is my fave and it's hard to tell but Smoke has a sparkly cover ☺️ Oddly enough this one was a gift from @Laalaleighh 😋 I nominate @Kshakal to post a stack of Halloween colors!

Found in my laundry room! Not only is it a free book, it's an #ARC ... Wonder else who in my building is an avid reader 🤔

#TBRtemptation post 1! Finally just came out in paperback! I like this cover. So, this is a story set in an alternative England around 100 years ago. If someone is wicked in thought or deed, their body smokes. The aristocracy don't smoke, & the lower classes are sooty. A Dickensian world where boys are groomed for power as a birthright, a grand estate holds secrets aplenty, a love triangle forms, revolutionaries act. #blameLitsy #blameMrBook 😎

Currently reading this book.
This is the German edition, it's a bit strange so far, I don't fully understand the concept of the smoke but neither do the main characters. I'm pretty sure it'll become very interesting.
Have you read this book? Thoughts?

Finally finished this one. My aunt has been telling me to read it for months now, and she was right about it being my type of book. Listening to the audiobook might have been the wrong choice for this story tho. Did the book ever explain what caused the smoke? If so I completely missed it 😕

A narrative about sin, told through smoke. The characters change as they encounter nuanced issues: is lust bad when bound in love? Can love be joined with disgust, or shame? These sorts of questions emerge beneath a tale of adventure, a race to save the world, and madmen in masks. Truly imaginative and surprising!

Started this one a while back. In an effort to clean up my currently reading, I'm pulling it back out! I do like the characters and the premise is wild! Definitely something I've never read.

Noticing a theme on my desk tonight... probably means Smoke should be my next read :). I've looked so forward to reading it I'm almost nervous to start!! Anyone read it??

Got my new BookBuddle in the post this week and I L.O.V.E. it - the shop is on etsy under the same name! This is a large one, so it comfortably fits a hardback or two paperbacks (I have Smoke and The Sellout in it right now)

Loving this Dickensian fantasy so far! Been reading it a few pages at a time before bed all week. Looking forward to some sustained immersion in this creepy world today!

⭐️⭐️⭐️,5 Fazit:
Eine hervorragende neue Idee, dessen Umsetzung mich nicht vollends abholen konnte. Ein schöner Schreibstil, eine niveauvolle Geschichte mit einem seltsamen Ende. --> https://monerls-bunte-welt.blogspot.de/2017/04/buchvorstellung-smoke.html?m=1

This book has an interesting premise, and parts of it are great. Unfortunately, it loses steam for big chunks at a time. (hehe, see what I did there?) #LitsyAtoZ #LetterV

Endlich fertig! Und jetzt muss ich nachdenken...

Wenn die schönen PostITs ausgehen und die Fragen immer mehr werden...

#endspurt Noch 133 Seiten und ich bin endlich durch! Wird mich das Ende überzeugen können?! Wir werden sehen...

I had read some rather negative reviews of this one, largely that it was too slow in the middle/people lost interest, but I found it quite enjoyable and thought it moved at a pretty good pace. To each their own, I suppose.

Intriguing premise but lacking in execution. Dickensian London is plagued with smoke as an external manifestation of sin. The gritty magical realism takes backstage to a love-triangle narrative. Would love to see more stories where main characters aren't pining after the same love interest.

Home stretch