Welcome to Litsy!

I‘m pretty sure I saw this on a list of “if you enjoyed A Man Called Ove.” It fits to an extent, with a prickly cactus of a main character who becomes more relatable.

The cover has the feel of romance books lately, and I‘d say it‘s not really that. It‘s mostly the story of a woman who recently finds herself accidentally pregnant and then has to deal with her mother‘s death. There is family drama.

I enjoyed it but more meh than pick.

Book 2 of 2021 was The Cactus by Sarah Haywood. I originally gave it 4 stars and it held up for sure and the MC Susan Green has stuck with me…especially because she reminded me of Angela Martin from The Office.

What a thoroughly unlikable character.

A predictable, easy read that was perfect for reading on holiday with a glass of wine in hand. I do love a protagonist that finds joy later on in life. Her naivety about having a baby and the birth scene made me laugh. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

It isn‘t often books make me cry, but on my way to work today, I got teary eyed listening to the ending. Something about Susan‘s struggle to figure out her way through all sorts of challenges just moved me.

From a psychologist perspective I couldn‘t help wondering if Susan‘s on the autism spectrum. I had to stop myself from diagnosing, and just focus on enjoying myself 🌵

#Pop21 - definitely seen it on @Cinfhen (virtual/audio) bookshelf

9/53

Nice book😻

Started slow but picked up in the last third. Lots of themes in this book: grief, late-life pregnancy, single motherhood, alcoholism, family secrets, parental love, out of control sibling rivalry.

Listened on #audiobook Good narration but the book was just ok. I agree that dabs if Eleanor Oliphant ... will like this one.

I quilt and cross stitch. I have been making lots of baby quits but this one is one of my favorites. Thankful my daughter was able to get vaccinated today.

#ThankfulThursday

#bookreport #katies_always_booked
🎧 Redemption Road - 3⭐️
📖 Room Maid - 5⭐️
🎧 Dear Martin - 4⭐️
📖 They Both Die at the End - 4⭐️
📖 My Friend Daumier - 4⭐️
🎧 The Cactus - 4⭐️

#currentlyreading
🎧 Strange the Dreamer
📖 Dear Girls

#weeklyforcast
📖 Cinder
🎧 This is How You Lose the Time War

Bit of a love/hate one this.

LOVE 💘
- The MC & all her prickliness
- The later life pregnancy storyline
- The family dynamics & back story
- The revels (guessed early on but still 😲)
HATE 💩
- The totally unnecessary romance storyline
- The idea that there was something wrong with Susan/that becoming less introverted is 'blooming' & universally desirable.
- Did I mention the least romantic romance ever?

So So-So it is.

🌵🌵🌵🌵🌵🌵🌵🌵🌵

Today's read is The Cactus. 🌵🌵🌵

The above isn't my cactus. I've never managed to keep one alive...😟🤔

With thanks to #netgalley for this book 😁

Character driven and quirky- fans of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine will enjoy this one. A funny and engaging story of the quest to have a perfectly ordered life until some unexpected bumps side track out protagonist along the way.

I listened to the audio version and just loved it. Great humor and thoughtfulness too. Well done again, Reese.

I‘m not sure how I came across this book as it wasn‘t something I would‘ve naturally selected. It took me awhile to like Susan, I don‘t relate well to uptight women who hold themselves in such a high regard. I guessed the ending about her mom. Overall it‘s okay. Book 14 of 2020

The main character was too annoying and quite boring

Susan is quite unemotional, or so she thinks. It‘s amazing to see how she and her life change as she navigates pregnancy, romance, death, resentment, shame, and uncertainty over her family‘s love for her. Belonging and family are what she makes of them. No surprise. :)
This audiobook is very well narrated. The main character‘s orderly and straightforward way of thinking come through perfectly. I would recommend the audiobook of this title.

Thanks for this book @Cinfhen (tagging you, too!) I‘m reading it now.

1. I‘ve had some unusual cases as a vet (a dog eating Kinetics play sand, Ehlers-Danlos in a dog), but I‘ve never had an unusual job!

2. Seeing my dad!

#thankfulthursday @Cosmos_Moon (thanks for the tag 🤗)

Tagging @KVanRead @CoffeeK8 @maich @Kalalalatja 💙💙

I heard that Reese was making this one a movie, so of course I had to read it. I definitely enjoyed it, but it was a little slow. It‘s very similar to Eleanor Oliphant.

I really loved this book. Loved Susan!! Susan is orphaned at 45 and is in a bit of predicament already, when her mom passes. She has to deal with why her mother would give the family home to her irresponsible brother and put up with his annoyingly tall friend Rob. I never did warm up to her Aunt Sylvia.. 😕

Currently reading 'The Cactus' by Sarah Haywood.

I'm dying🤣🤣 She's using her mother's ashes as a doorstop. I'm enjoying Susan's antics.

Took me a while to get into this - Susan really is as spiky and hard to get close to as her cactus collection, but I ended up really enjoying it.

If Reese Witherspoon is going to be in the TV series I reckon now is the time to read it...

A really cute ya about a women and her life after her mother passed. She and her brother don‘t get along. There are disputes. Plus she is dealing with another life change.

We slave away to earn money, then get home and start slaving there, too. And what do they do when they finish work? Put their feet up

Working as a data analyst in London and with a perfectly well run life - Susan un expectantly finds herself pregnant at age 45! If that‘s not enough to cope with her mother then dies leaving the family house to Susan‘s brother for as long as he wants to live in it.

⭐️⭐️/5 I just... didn‘t like this book. It was a chore to get through. The characters were not interesting and hardly likable. Idk. Wasn‘t for me. An extra star for my cute doggie! 🐶

Listened to this one. Loved the narrator. Cute book too.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Just finished this audiobook. Loved it! ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Loved seeing Susan's journey to motherhood and discovering new depths to herself. #audio #library #hoopla

Didn't really feel much for the female narrator at first although I did kind of see parts of myself in her...May be that's why.
I liked the overall book. Nice quick read.

Started this read today...

I'm enjoying the dry humor and MC's abrasive manner, but the pace picks up! #currentlyreading #hellosunshine

I like tag-teaming books with audio while driving and reading at home, which is what I'm doing with The Cactus. I actually prefer the audio on this one. The narrator is lovely and the voice fits the main character so well. This seems to be the unpopular opinion, but I'm really enjoying this read so far.

If you liked Eleanor Oliphant, you will like Susan Green. Look for the twist in the second half - didn‘t see that one coming! #reesewitherspoonbookclub

This book was the post-holiday, vacation candy I needed.

I rated this one as a pick, but with a disclaimer that the book didn‘t even begin to meet the description on the back cover until around 245 pages in. I enjoyed Susan enough to stick with it, but it took a while to get to the actual story line I expected.

This book took me awhile to get through. I enjoyed parts of it but also didn‘t like the main character at parts. I did like the ending and was glad I finished it but overall felt just ok about the writing.

This book was a slow read. I had a really hard time connecting or really caring about the main character for most of the book. For some reason though, I didn‘t want to abandon it and I‘m glad I didn‘t. The ending made up for a lot of the book however I felt it was rushed in comparison to the rest of the book.

“Is it possible ever to know someone completely? To know their thoughts and feelings, their hopes, their dreams, their sorrows and regrets, the parts of themselves they hide from public view? Only God can truly know us like that.”

I am so lucky to have found Litsy and the wonderful people here! @Cinfhen was thinking flowers when she sent me The Cactus and a floral bookmark. I‘ve been dying to read this book!!

Also, my whole family will be staying warm with yummy tea this winter!! All three of us love black tea, and this sounds fantastic for the winter months.

Thank you so much for your thoughtfulness dear friend!

Today is full of preparation for activities and finishing up mugs the teens I work with made last week, which means it‘s an audiobook/podcast day for me!!

This started slow and was hard to get into, but then the characters hooked me. Susan, the main character, is SO unlikeable. I agree with the comparisons to Eleanor Oliphant. But it turns out that Susan has good reasons for being the way she is, which are revealed gradually, and she also undergoes self-growth as a result of her unexpected pregnancy and her fight against her brother over their mother‘s will. Good audio version, available on Scribd.

Hard to get through, took forever to finish up

So much of this was just a chore to get through... I almost bailed. I did like the last 50 pages or so.

A glorious day for fall reading ☀️🍂☕️📖🍁
My 🧡 sings

If we were still doing the #gratitude21, this would be an entry!! @Eggs

Just started this book yesterday & like it so far 👍🏼 although I‘m sort of wishing I were reading a book that matches the season 🎃 have to look into that.
But for now - back to reading 😎

And a shoutout to @Cinfhen !!! You can do it 💪🏼 Did you squeeze in your 20 min of reading yet?

This has been my handbag book for the last couple of weeks. I really enjoyed (and I have to say identified with😳😬) it's prickly heroine, Susan, and found the story thoroughly engaging. It's a delightful, easy read. Thank you again, Jessie, for such a lovely gift😘

Hmmm. See previous post for mid-blurb. Final consensus 3☆. Didn't love the MC. Pacing felt off, slow but steady for 90% of the book and a rushed conclusion that felt nothing short of hitting a writing deadline. Maybe the first title I truly didn't enjoy from Hello Sunshine.