Welcome to Litsy!

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I was a huge fan of Backman‘s “Anxious People”, so when I saw that my library had a well-loved copy of “A Man Called Ove”, I took the chance. This book is simultaneously heartwarming and heartbreaking, and I‘m so glad I read it. The found-family trope was well done and even the ending was very satisfying.

We read this for Bookclub. I liked it but didn‘t love it. There was some lovely wisdom and I did shed a tear at the end.

1) Fourth Wing and Throne of Glass series come to mind
2) Tagged. I know it's well loved by many
3) Joy in the Morning by Betty Smith

Thanks for the tag, @Eggs

So good!

This one was tough to get into. I got to about 150 pages and felt that it was all a grumpy older man with not much explanation as to why. I almost gave up on it but I'm glad I didn't. The writing is truly lovely and as soon as other characters came in and there was more given about Ove and why he was the way he was, there was humor and the story was endearing.

Thanks for the tag @TheSpineView

1. Exhausted pigeon… the true story of a teacher at the end of the school year
2. Done

@BethM @peaKnit @JenReadsAlot

What am I getting myself into???? Starting this book right now.

#BookishMonopoly

1- taxes, finances in anything, what student debt would do to you, car maintenance- but hey I‘ve got some skills in French and calculus 😂
2- Ove
#two4tuesday @TheSpineView

3.75⭐️ There were aspects of the story that I really liked, but was ho-hum about others. It felt liked it dragged in places, but overall I thought it was a really good book. It was one that I don‘t know if I will read again, but am glad that I did read. #2024 #fiction #bookclub #booksintranslation #contemporary

https://bookshop.org/p/books/a-man-called-ove-fredrik-backman/586402?ean=9781476...

#weekendreads

I hope to complete Prequel and work a bit more on The Alice Network this weekend. I just started the tagged book and am enjoying it.

“We always think there‘s enough time to do things with other people. Time to say things to them. And then something happens and then we stand there holding onto words like ‘if‘.”

1. Yes! I learned how to drive at the age of 15 because everyone in my family knew how and I wanted to know how. Both of my cars are currently manual, 5-speed and 6-speed 💨
2. A Man Called Ove, Ove taught his pregnant neighbor to drive a stick :)
#Two4Tuesday @TheSpineView

Late post. I finished the audiobook a while back and didn‘t post. I just finished the movie. Both were great, but I enjoyed the book more.

The unfortunate thing about this read, is that I knew whatever book I picked up after Fourth Wing was not going to get the rating it probably deserves.
This book at times was hard for me to get into, but by the end Ove stole a piece of my heart. A beautiful and heartbreaking story. One that will make you laugh one minute, and cry the next. A beautiful story about a man who loses the thing he loves most, to finding the most beautiful Found Family.

The difficult decision of what book to read after a 5 star book hangover…
I needed 48hrs after finishing Fourth Wing to stop thinking about it enough to pick up another book.
- I like to go for lighter reads that are a completely different genre: a palette cleanser.
- A book I can read with no expectation of it making me feel the same way my last book did.
- In this case… a book on my TBR that will refresh my brain during the wait for Iron Flame.

“People said Ove saw the world in black and white. But she was color. All the color he had.”
#September2023

“He‘d accepted long ago that some people, no matter how good their heart was or how much love they had to give, would always be alone.“

“We always think there's enough time to do things with other people. Time to say things to them. And then something happens and then we stand there holding on to words like 'if'.”

#SeniorCitizens
#BookBinge

Love Ove 💙

My first in what I feel will be a series of bails this week. I set this down last week and, upon picking it up today, I found I had lost interest. I feel like if I didn‘t set it down I would have got through but I lost my momentum and my patience for the character along with it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ not my favorite Backman, but still a good read! Parvaneh is the best

I picked this up yesterday on a whim. A friend said they liked the movie and I haven‘t read any Backman, so I‘m giving it a shot. Honestly, I‘m feeling a bit curmudgeonly about the book so far, but I‘m going to keep with it. Side note- As depicted above, my cat Finn decided to bite the cover in the nighttime, something he never does. He‘s still annoyed about our move I think, but perhaps it‘s appropriate he chose this book to deface?

#VolumesandVocals @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs
#StandByMe - Ben King

The song reminded me of how Ove stood by his wife even when she was ill.

I listened to A Man Called Ove about four months ago. It was narrated by the magnificent J. K. Simmons. I haven‘t loved a book so much in longer than I care to remember. ❣️❣️❣️

Oh man this one just about killed me. I'm a blubbering mess. I'd read the book, so nothing was a surprise except that the movie was really well adapted. I'm going to have a crying hangover in the morning. 🥺

#amancalledove #amancalledotto #Fredrickbackman #grumpyoldman #booksbooksbooks #bookstagram #booknerd #booksddict Ive seen the movie before I read the book Huge mistake! I can now understand why Tom hanks took the roll of a loveable grumpy old man! I wish I could tag Tom hanks because Tom hanks actullay brought Ove alive for me

This book made my eyes sweaty.
Loved it! Loved Ove, but my favorite character is the Cat. I love that cat.
Well written, characters with some depth (although a couple felt thrown in just to round out something), a good story.
5 ⭐️ highly recommend
(Now to watch the movie)

This is my commitment post to stick to reading and improving myself in this horizon.
Starting with this beautiful read and let‘s see how this journey unfolds.
Hola! -To the fellow readers.

Oof! I just finished the adaptation of this on Netflix and am hesitating to use one of my Libby holds on the audiobook - is it as much of a snotbomb as the Tom Hanks spectacular? I tend to listen to audiobooks in public and I‘d rather limit the amount that I look like a lunatic. 🫣

I don't usually have issues with movie version covers. BUT changing the name is a big no-no. Yuck. 👎

I know I'm in the minority here, but this just wasn't for me.

My colleague gave me this and said it was the best book he'd read in a long time. I went in with high hopes but found myself disappointed.

It has a lot of heart, sure. It is well written with realistic characters. I just found myself forcing my way through it, reading it was a bit of a chore.

Ove would have loved Visby, Sweden 🇸🇪.

On Wednesday, we went on a cycling 🚴‍♀️ tour on Gotland (2nd biggest island of the Baltic Sea). We saw lots of sheep 🐑 and lots of sheep 🐑 statues. The ice cream 🍦 shop is called „Gotlato“, which is hilarious.

#holiday #sightseeing #sweden

Today, we walked through Gamla Stan (Old Town) and I had time for a short visit into this lovely bookstore focused on fantasy! They had lots of English books as well, so I assume that the Swedish translation probably takes a while and that not every book might even get one. 🇸🇪📕🗺️⚓️

#sweden #stockholm #holiday

Finally read this one, might be one of the last people on earth 😅 I liked it! It was a little feel-goody and contrived, sure, but the Swedish locale helped. I probably would have hated it if was set in the US (I won‘t explore that thought more right now 😬). This author clearly also doesn‘t have a cat, but I was entertained by this Disney version of a feline.

There‘s something to be said for a happy ending. This book made laugh and cry (almost). Everyone needs an Ove at some point in their life, a curmudgeon with a heart that‘s literally and figuratively too large. Loved this book!

Hmm, something about this book just didn‘t click with me. Perhaps something was lost in translation.

Reminiscent of the film ‘Up‘, this had an undertone of heartbreak throughout and some genuinely sad moments. It felt as if many things were added purely for entertainment purposes, therefore it felt too try-hard at times. Ove is a loveable character, and the ending was just right.

It takes me longer to finish them now that I don‘t have a commute anymore, but I enjoy listening to audiobooks. They‘re good company on long trips, sometimes they have extras not included in the print version, and you learn how to pronounce unfamiliar names. #hsundayfunday

Lotsa heart, this one!

There really is something about his character‘s and their stories that really just sit with you. Even when you think you‘re not being affected, and then at the most random moments you find yourself thinking about them. Another beautifully told story about humans. #doublespin for March
Also: am struggling to see how Tom Hanks could pull this one off, after reading this I don‘t know if I really want to see that movie ❤️

Loved it ❤️❤️
#favourite

#MarchMadness @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs

At my age most characters are younger than me. Thank goodness for this book! 🤣🤣🤣

Has anyone seen the movie yet? Thoughts?

With the movie based on this book coming out not too long ago, I‘ve been wanting to do a reread of this book. Not sure if I want to watch the movie though 😬(I‘m a little peeved they changed his name). I loved this book the first time I read it and I‘m hoping it holds up to a reread 😊

#MCOlderThanYou 👴🏻❤️ #MarchMagic 💚💰🌈🍀

#BookNerd 🤓📚💙

I put this one off for some time. Decided to give in so I could see the US movie version. I enjoyed it more than I expected. The lonely curmudgeon that finds new purpose and a reason to love again has been done many times over. It is nice that each time, the characters and themes are still meaningful. 4⭐️ for a sweet, understated novel about friendship and community.

Worth reading!