Welcome to Litsy!

My review of this book can be found on my YouTube Vlog at:

https://youtu.be/QDpN4Aej-hA

Enjoy!

Book 211
#nonfictionnovember

Well, my heart is in a million pieces on the floor. My heavens, this book is BRUTAL. I sobbed 😭
Thank you @Megabooks for this rec. It‘s hard to be a human in this world, but it‘s also a beautiful world. One of those books that embodies the cliche “everyone is fighting a battle you know nothing about; BE KIND”. But oh so true. Disclaimer: I‘ve been going through some things, so it‘s possible I was hit extra hard due to my current mental state.

@Megabooks made me do it! I have 4 on deck before this but should be able to get to it soon 🎧

This was a great reread of a favorite from last year. Helena listens to strangers she meets on Craigslist tell their stories. Each person‘s conversation is distilled from around 2 hours of talk to 5 pages. They read like mini-memoirs, capturing the essence of each person she connects with. This is a book I will continue recommending far and wide, especially as we‘re reconnecting post-pandemic.

@Chelsea.Poole have you read this?

This is a nonfiction collection of short stories broken down by sections pertaining to life in general such as Loss or Family all based on one woman‘s ad on Craigslist for people to tell her their stories. Trigger warnings for everything (suicide, rape, child abuse, molestation, depression and other mental illness, domestic violence, pregnancy loss and much more). This really shows you that no matter what you have going on, you are NOT alone.

This book is vitally important. It reminds us of the humanity all of us possess, especially the people you don‘t know. We all have secrets and battles and are trying to get through this life the best we can. I couldn‘t think of a better book to kick off 2021.

2020 was such a doozy that it doesn‘t even deserve being shown to the door. I‘m calling it a night with a frozen eye mask and this on audio and sleeping till 2021 shows up. Here‘s to hoping your trip around the sun is filled with laughter, kindness, and lots of books. Happy New Year Littens. Couldn‘t have survived this year without you. 💜

Another great reread!

Helena places ads on Craigslist and invites people to open their hearts with whatever joys or struggles they need to share while she listens. There are stories of love, obsession, sorrow, and redemption. Each is a memoir of an individual point in someone‘s life that lasts 4-6 pages. Helena not only has the gift of listening, but also of creating a cohesive narrative from each person‘s story. 5⭐️

This is my 2nd read of this book, and this is the 4th essay where a man is completely clueless about all the unpaid labor women perform!!

In this confession, Justin has lost his job due to disability and is now home “taking care of the house,” but I‘m guessing she still probably does quite a bit, too.

The other thing I‘ve noticed in these essays is that the men feel they should be repaid in sex for doing stuff around the house. Sigh.

I hope a book like this will open more hearts toward compassion and help us all see beyond our own painful worlds. There is no doubt that we all have at least one story we could contribute to the collection. Many of us must hold and hide so many more. Undoubtedly, we need more Helenas in this world to pull us out of our isolating silence, as I firmly believe nothing ever heals in the dark.

It's cold outside (46° F) but I'm reading outside. The fire helps a little!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This book is an anthology of stories people told the author when she asked for people to share their secrets through a Craigslist post. These are raw stories told by hurting people who have been hurt.

Now reading

Book 123 The author quits her career as a lawyer and advertises in Craigslist to be a listening ear. Each chapter of the book is one person's story. Though the idea has potential, the stories are, at best, monotonous, and, at worst, depressing.

I love the premise of the author‘s project - doing interviews with people who don‘t feel like they have other places to go with their stories. I‘m hopeful, that so many people found the courage to tell both their dark and dirty secrets, and their wonders and triumphs 🙌 the surest way to become closer to others, is by sharing yourself, and I found this so inspiring!

#BookSpinBingo

I think many people often feel as though they are screaming in the middle of a crowded place and no one is listening. Dea Bala taps into this by offering people a listening ear via craigslist ads. The stories are very affecting—it‘s hard not to empathize and see pieces of yourself or others in some of them. Thanks to @Megabooks for putting this on my radar—I would not have picked it up otherwise.

For fans of Humans of New York a collection of raw, urgent, and heartfelt stories, shared anonymously.

Every confession presents a point of view not often seen, not often talked about. Craigslist Confessional challenges us to explore the depth of our empathy and it‘s a call to listen to one another.

This was a collection of real-life stories covering all sorts of difficult topics, such as illness, death and addiction.

It‘s admirable how ready people were to open up and to talk about things they had often never spoken about before.

It was never an easy listen, due to the subject matter, but some of the stories do leave you with a sense of hope in the darkness.

Thanks for putting it on my radar @Megabooks @Cinfhen 😘

#84 of my year. Listening to Scars by Ondi Vil, Mishaal🌻

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Truth is, we all have a story, a moment - probably several - that could easily sneak into this collection. That‘s both the beauty and the bane of it. We are incredibly flawed creatures. The Alzheimer‘s stories broke me. The addiction ones hit close to home, too. This is not an easy read, but gaining perspective is vital to better understanding ourselves and others. Thank you to those willing to share their experiences.

Some of these stories were really difficult, and what really got to me was the raw honesty & eloquence and how much pain people were willing to share in such vivid detail and lyrical prose. The narration was haunting. Sadly a common theme to these confessionals were mental illness with drug & alcohol dependency. Not an easy listen but riveting.
Thanks for the recommendation @megabooks 🎧🙌🏻❤️
#ReadingEurope2020 #Albania

You were right @Megabooks #AudioGuru 🙌🏻This one is SO GOOD 🎧it‘s a multi cast narration and the stories are so emotionally gripping ❤️Reminds me of the Lori Gottlieb book Maybe You Should Talk To Someone.

A collection of 40 life stories spanning a variety of topics including infidelity, addiction, rape, family, mental health, illness and religion, this book is at times a difficult read whilst also being relatable.

It's easy to have sympathy for the subjects, even if they have done something wrong, and every story is fascinating or heartbreaking in its own way.

All the ⭐️💫🌟✨⭐️ to this one!! Let‘s get some Litsy buzz going!!

This amazing #nonfiction story collection started as a dialogue between Helena and a homeless man outside her office building. Later, she placed ads in Craigslist to listen to people from all walks of life unburden their stories to her. For those that allowed it, she took notes, and these are some of their stories. Some of the stories are hard to read, but one can skip around. ⬇️⬇️

Some #bookmail from yesterday that I can‘t put down! Helena listens to anonymous people unburden themselves about various parts of their lives. If they allow it, she takes notes and reconstructs the story later. I‘ve related a bit to all the stories I‘ve read and a lot to one.

Also works for #readingeurope2020 #albania, as the author was born there and later immigrated to the US.

I‘m surprised it hasn‘t gotten more buzz!

“The forty first-person confessions in this book are vivid, intimate, and real; they range from devastating traumas, to lost loves, to reflections on hard choices.” ~from book jacket blurb

I‘m so glad my copy finally arrived today!