Welcome to Litsy!

I am still riddling out the end. Since the book is about people being poisoned, not sure what dish I will make. #foodandit #foodandlit2022 #Japan.

Arrived at National Airport to start my trek home. Settling in for a bite and hoping I am not too tired to make progress on this title. Sat next to a lovely talker on the flight out. This has been a good book trip but not great for actual reading.

This weekends slated plane reading. Heading to NYC to see Tina Turner the Musical and celebrate my best friends half century birthday.

A really interesting read. Sometimes I got a bit confused about who was narrating a specific chapter. It was enigmatic and didn't end with any clear answers. I enjoyed the different perspectives and possibilities! ⭐⭐⭐

#BookReport 10/22

I read these three books and enjoyed them all. March is already turning into a much better reading month than January and February!

A slowly unraveling story about a murder that took place years ago and was never resolved. Different people remember the tragedy and share their point of view. The plot and the twist aren‘t that mindblowing but I can read such Japanese books anytime, just for their setting.

#19822022 #2005 #pop22 #FeaturingAParty #Booked2022 #MurderMystery

(Pic: Dubai Marina)

Selected by NYT as one of MOST NOTABLE BOOKS of 2020.

On a stormy summer day the Aosawas, owners of a prominent local hospital, host a large birthday party. The occasion turns into tragedy when 17 people die from cyanide in their drinks. The only surviving links to what might have happened are a cryptic verse that could be the killer's, and the physician's bewitching blind daughter, Hisako, the only person spared injury.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A slow burn. Thirty years ago, seventeen people were murdered at a party, the drinks spiked with cyanide, of the party goers only two survived; the housekeeper and the blind daughter of the family. Told through interviews and excerpts, the reader questions memory, familial ties and morality. Very enjoyable @BarbaraBB

All the members of a wealthy family are killed in a mass poisoning except their young daughter, Hisako, who is blind. The story is told from the perspective of multiple characters, and the book is more about the storytelling than about giving the reader an easy solution to the "mystery". It's a book to savor and be patient with, masterfully crafted. I especially recommend it for those with an interest in Japanese culture. 4*.

I really enjoyed the style of this book; the shifting perspective was really well done. The big reveal was more of a whimper, but I still recommend it as does my sous chef #EarlGrey

#morningreadingview

Cozy blanket ✅ coffee ✅ fire ✅ Let Sunday morning..... BEGIN

⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
I enjoyed the gradual introduction of information and the slow building tension. It was successful at getting me to want to read more. But overall I did feel like the story was a little too slow paced for me, so while I did often want to keep reading, I also found it boring at times.

#catsoflitsy #Ember

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/books/notable-books.html?referringSourc...

I thought this would be perfect for me:
1. Award winner in Japan
2. Shifting viewpoints
3. Variety of formats (police transcript, fragment of novelization of a true crime, interviews across 3 decades)
4. Focus is on women
And yes, I did enjoy this mystery & the way characters are seen in a different light depending on POV, but I was left feeling “Is that all there is?” Still, worth reading. Translation is by Alison Watts.

It is a lovely expression. I have only heard it once before, from a French couple I was staying with in Nice. “Un ange passe.”

There are two kinds of people in this world, I believe. Those who frequent bookshops and those who do not.

Fiction versus non-fiction… 🧐
Is the notion of non-fiction an illusion? Littens, what do you think?

#truth

I‘m not sure if all Japanese mysteries are told in this manner: variety of perspectives shedding light on the event, clues sprinkled throughout the testimonies, quiet buildup that allows the reader to analyze seemingly known information; if so, then I need to read more Japanese mysteries. Splendid, but not perfect.

Another Pooh death :(

Beautifully written and so descriptive of mood, inner thoughts and especially the weather. You can feel the humidity of summer and the rain. It‘s an intense, intriguing ramble to solve a dark puzzle. Brilliantly different and I loved it.

https://orlando-books.blog/2020/02/22/the-aosawa-murders-by-riku-onda-book-revie...

‘The Aosawa Murders‘ is a complex whodunnit story, trying to uncover the truth behind a poisoning that wiped out a whole family. This story has a unique format that I really enjoyed. I‘m giving this one a big thumbs up with 4 stars.

My full review is up on my blog now 📚