Welcome to Litsy!

Ali Smith writes in her intro that A Winter Book "is full of stories that make art of life & celebrate the life of art", which to me is kind of a perfect summation of Jansson's work in general. The first half of this collection has short, brief sketches told from the POV of a child narrator, so it can seem deceptively slight. But it slowly builds up to something larger & wiser & profound. "The Squirrel" & "Travelling Light" are both brilliant.

Maybe the strangest reading spot I've had - we spent two nights (4pm to 7am) in this hide in Finland wilderness waiting for bears and wolverines. So I had a bit of reading time while we scanned for movement. No talking allowed either. We had success and saw both animals 😊 🐻. And I read one and a half books. (PS the hide had bunk beds, so we could sleep in shifts while the other person kept watch).

I really enjoyed this collection of midwinter short stories from Tove Jansson. Perhaps I loved it less than a Summer Book, but I did love them, particularly the earlier ones bag felt more childish and dreamy.

#wintergames2020 #merryreaders @Clwojick short stories so lots of points but I‘ve got them all on the spreadsheet

Impeccable short stories. I cannot do better than Ali Smith‘s introduction in reviewing this book. It‘s a tonic. The stories, especially the winter themed ones which introduce the idea of ‘hibernation‘ familiar from the Moomins, are perfect iso reading. I love her spare language - she can convey a tone, a childish seriousness, wry humour, with beautifully crafted sentences. Wonderful on living with artists (inspired by her parents), art & nature.

This is a charming book. Very Tove Jansson, so very dark and melancholic in places, but also a lot of stories told from the innocence/honesty of a child's perspective. There are lovely descriptions of the landscape on the island and Jansson's passion for nature runs through the book, as does her fascination with the complexities of human nature.

💙

There's a section here called messages which includes what I guess are marketing suggestions she was sent and.... Wow.

#ReadHarder challenge 23: a translated book written and/or translated by a woman.

I read The Summer Book last month, I ought to complement it with A Winter Book later in the year.

#BlueBooks
#AugustABC
@Eggs

Currently cuddled up on the couch with A Winter Book. Loving it so far!

😢 I wasn‘t feeling all the love for this short story collection. There were a couple I really enjoyed, but overall they just didn‘t spark a connection. I so loved The Summer Book with the personable & developing characters, the tone, observations of island nature......perhaps my expectations were too high.

An author Littens introduce to me!
#winterwonderland #awinterstale

My latest £1.50 book haul. I've been lucky in this little charity shop recently. Although I'm not sure about My Absolute Darling, have heard it's pretty bleak. But for 50p it was hard to resist.

Stories which span the whole of Jansson‘s life from childish innocence to weary old age. Philip Pullman describes them: “tough as good rope,... as smooth and odd and beautiful as sea-worn driftwood, as full of light and air and wind as the Nordic summer.

We see Tove‘s growing feeling of injustice in how women were expected to behave, that residents understand the island and sea and visitors/tourists do not. So beautiful, I highlighted so much!

A Winter Book round two ❤️ #book #bookrecommendation

First 3/4 5⭐️'s The stories are fun, imaginative, fantastical, funny and just plain entertaining! I have to admit the last 4 stories fell a bit flat for me, but the first 3/4 were so great I would read it again! #litsy #review #shortstories #tovejansson

Probably my last book exchange for a while, but only 5 more days to sign up! #secretsantagoespostal #wintersolsticebookexchange #bookswap

#litsybingo Two more for this one! The stories were originally written in Finnish and have been published by a publisher I hadn't heard of before: Sort of Books!

Making pretty good progress so far, although nothing too far out of my comfort zone yet. Music/theatre is going to be a tough one for me. 😕 Anyone have any recommendations?

#litsyreadingchallenge2017

Lovely short story collection by the author of the Moomins. Mostly set around her childhood and her life on an island in Finland, this book just makes me want to go and sit there looking out at the sea.

I especially enjoyed 'Messages' and 'The Boat'. The whole collection is perfect for the weather at the moment.

#litsyAtoZ @BookishMarginalia

Not sure if this is intentional, a line of typos, or a spacing issue. Hmm.

Flashback to me very #firsteverlitsypost about The Summer Book. A few months on, NYC is less sweltering, and I am half way through The Winter Book!

#Booktober