Welcome to Litsy!

I literally bought this book because I liked the cover.
#DONTJUDGEABOOKBYITSCOVER

The cover is definitely better than the book. Also, the synopsis has essentially NOTHING to do with the story? Halfway through and still waiting for anything remotely mysterious or thrilling. Only one mystery has been solved so far -
This is going to another unfortunate soul via Little Free Library once I'm done.

#whatevenisthis #atleastthecoverisnice

Gwendolyn lies in a coma, the only survivor of her sister's poisoning of their extended family, casting back in her memory of what led up to it and whether it could have been avoided.

The twist had actually crossed my mind in the first few pages but the story was such a fascinating picture of the characters' lifestyle that I had quite forgotten about it by the time I reached the end, and then I found it unnecessary to the story being told.

WHEN YOUR SISTER murders three hundred people, you can‘t help but wonder why, especially if you were one of the intended victims — though I do forgive her, if you can believe it.

#coffeeandabook

This is a case of don‘t judge a book by it‘s cover - I had such high hopes but this book did not deliver. A family member poisons all 300 guests at a family gathering and we‘re meant to discover why. The why was so inadequate and then the “shocking” ending made no sense. NOPE 👎🏼 BIG DISAPPOINTMENT 😖

My daughter bought this because #CoverCrush and titillating blurb…. After 20 pages she bailed!! I‘m at 40 pages and slightly more intrigued. The cover really is stunning!!

I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this book. On the one hand, I didn't want to put it down even as I was both fascinated and repulsed by the opulence. On the other hand, it never became what I expected it to be. This is possibly a marketing issue but, as I went into it expecting a heart pounding thriller that never materialized, it felt like it dragged somewhat. Despite that I enjoyed the family drama and the twist took me by surprise. But ⬇️

I'm 20% in and utterly fascinated but desperate for a family tree.

Wow! Gorgeous cover—absolutely love the colors!😍

Can this butterfly count as cozy fire orange?

I really liked this book! It's all flashback, so it was hard to feel motivated at times, but the family intrigue kept me going. I loved the details about Indonesian culture and history.

I heard this compared to We Have Always Lived in the Castle though, and I feel that was misleading. Yes, the poisoning is similar, you learn about it first thing, but the feel and circumstances are so different!

I went into this book with zero knowledge of what it is about, which I think is the best way to go. It has been marketed as a “riveting” thriller, and while it does start with a bang, it is really more of a slow-burn, character-driven story that centers around two sisters from a wealthy Chinese-Indonesian family. I really enjoyed it, but I‘m still not sure how I feel about the ending. I can say that it took me by surprise though! 4⭐️ #CoverCrush

Wow, what an intriguing first line!

I was a winner of the #bookloversday contest sponsored by Simon & Schuster and Chico's! Today, I received both the book and the outfit (pants/top/jacket).

I can‘t wait to read “The Majesties” by Tiffany Tsao. I have never wore Chico‘s clothes. The online staff was amazing in helping me determine sizing and this outfit is so comfortable and versatile.

I'm not quite sure what to make of it. Not quite thriller, not quite family drama, comparisons to Crazy Rich Asians seem both inevitable & misguided. A story of extreme wealth, family dysfunction, & the corruption of souls & of an entire society, the book chronicles the lives of wealthy Chinese Indonesian sisters Estella & Gwendolyn. Although it's a world I've only glimpsed from the fringes, the details of Sino-SEAsian life ring true. Worth a read

Libro.fm has been reaching into my brain and putting out interviews lately and I thought I'd share the latest since it's a topic we've been discussing in #integrateyourshelf the last few weeks. I have Tsao's novel in my TBR but she is also a translator and discusses her process here: https://blog.libro.fm/translator-interview-tiffany-tsao/

#93 of my year and the lighting in my room was too perfect to pass up. I‘m not going to start this till tomorrow morning but I really loved the pic I took and couldn‘t wait till morning to post it lol I want to start this now but I gotta do my workout before my shower and bed 🙇🏻‍♀️ #thestruggleisreal

Loved this strange and haunting novel. Out in paperback this week.

https://wellreadneck.wordpress.com/2020/08/06/the-majesties-tiffany-tsao/

This had the bones of a really compelling story. I went in expecting a little bit We Have Always Lived in the Castle with a little bit My Sister the Serial Killer and a dash of Crazy Rich Asians on top. But, the pacing felt off and the telling of the story wasn‘t particularly active for all the juicy action and drama the plot actually contained. Not sure how I felt about the ending and whether the rest of the narrative supports where it ended up.

I don't feel like all the pieces came together. It was slow going and then all of a sudden it was winding up in a place i didn't expect. Maybe the clues were there all along?

Fur such an interesting (ghastly) premise, i thought more would be happening in this book so far. Halfway through and i enjoy the setting, the main character, and the interesting tidbits of Chinese-indonesian life. Ready for some action. March #bookspin is coming along! I might get there before may!

@TheAromaofBooks

And finally getting to my #bookspin. March has been a bit tough to finish books. My heads all over the place and childcare childcare childcare and, oh yeah, working from home ?! Anyway, getting in under the wire, @TheAromaofBooks

Whoops! Another #bookhaul already. That library sure is on top of things! Looking forward to my #bookspin - The Majesties

I Got my #march #bookspin ready to go ahead of time. I think I'm doing this right. It'll be my first time and I'm excited. Which books look good to you?.

I struggle mightily with how to “rate“ this. There were parts I liked and parts I didn't. Initially, I was very annoyed with the summary being so misleading, but I did like the book okay enough. The ending was weird and I'm still not sure I understand it. How's that for an endorsement???

Full review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2921458853

If you click on the link - I take no responsibility for the explosion of your TBR 🤣🤣🤣🤣

https://crimereads.com/the-most-anticipated-crime-books-of-2020-part-i/

Currently reading!! To say the summary is wildly misleading is an understatement, but it‘s a short enough book where I‘m interested to see what it‘s really about. Have you read this?

OMG! What a delicious debut. A little bit Crazy Rich Asians and a bit My Sister The Serial Killer. A delightfully devilish read. While the cover is beautiful, it doesn‘t convey the twisted goodness that lies beneath. #netgalley

This beauty showed up at my door today! Won on goodreads! http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48050528-the-majesties

#goodreadsgiveaway #free #books #giveaway #winner #themajesties #tiffanytsao #readinginlallahland #lallahbookreview #bookstagram

One last beach trip for labor day weekend. This book is being described as Crazy Rich Asians meets Gillian Flynn. So far the protagonist's sister poisoned and killed all 300 of her family members (barring the protagonist) at a gala birthday party in the first 5 pages, so needless to say I'm intrigued.
Edit: finished, 5 stars! If you like Big Little Lies you'll like this.
#netgalley #beachread #arc #laborday