Welcome to Litsy!

Thanks @Shvonne for the #blitsyhistorymonth package! The tagged book has been on my TBR for a while, I can't wait to tear into the chocolate and I love love love love the library scarf! Thanks @Chelleo for organizing this swap!

In some books the writing cuts like a knife, this isn‘t one. This book is a series of small paper cuts that you finally notice and realise it hurts but you can‘t quite remember when it happened or how. There is so much underneath these stories bubbling away. The people feel real and it‘s not all darkness but when it hits an emotional nerve it strums it. A character danced to billie holiday in one story so that‘s my #booksandvinyl choice.

❤️ A beautiful, astounding collection of stories.

#valentinesday #blackhistorymonth #readblackauthors

I really enjoyed this collection of stories. I think Collins‘ writing is beautifully nuanced - there‘s a lot under the surface. It was interesting to read about middle class, highly educated Black women in the 1960s and 1970s, when the US was in the midst of so much upheaval re: civil and women‘s rights. A few of the stories didn‘t *quite* work for me, but the ones that did blew my mind. My favorites: The Uncle, Lifelines, and the title story.

If you loved Whatever Happened to Interracial Love? (tagged) like I did, here‘s a great review of the latest posthumous collection of Kathleen Collins‘ work. It‘s a combination of short stories, letters, and more. I can‘t wait to get my grubby little hands on it!

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/29/books/review-notes-from-black-womans-diary-ka...

My review of the tagged collection: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1924266922

Whatever Happened to Interracial Love? was different than I expected. The foreword, by Collins's daughter, was a revelation, explaining how she came to discover her mother's work, including these short stories, after her death and what they meant to her as she came to understand her mother's talent. The stories, despite their age, feel modern, and the 6 narrators of the text (I listened on Scribd) brought them to life and gave each a unique style.

Day 11: Short Stories #ForColoredGirlsPhotoChallenge #Blitsy

I wish I could have lingered longer on the stories, but Overdrive is taking this back in a few hours.

I can‘t believe these stories were lost for so long. This is an incredible collection. It makes me so sad that Kathleen Collins died before she could do more. It‘s a super fast read and I wish there were more stories. Please see this and watch the only film she ever made called Losing Ground

Thank you so much @TheBookHippie for this super cozy blanket! And this book!!!!!! You have no idea what a perfect pick it is. Thank you thank you thank you!! #blanketandabookswap
🙌🏼📚🎁📚🙌🏼

@Tiffy_Reads @JoeStalksBeck this was great fun! You rock for hosting such an awesome swap!

Interesting set of short stories about what it was like to live and love during the civil rights movement in the 60s. That being said, the overall arc of the stories is pretty depressing.

Poetic, evocative stories about African-American women as artists & thinkers dealing with systemic injustice. Title story is a tour de force. Quote above is by Elizabeth Alexander in her introduction to the book, about Collins' film Losing Ground, one of the earliest films directed by a black woman. I really want to watch it. Collins died of cancer in her 40s.

#ToBeYoungGiftedandBlack #FierceFeb @Cinfhen

Even amidst all the exciting new books I have waiting, I‘m trying to go back and read some of the books that I‘ve been wanting to read and just haven‘t gotten to for whatever reason.

This is what happens when I try deciding on my TBR pile for #LitsyPartyOfOne...

For me this collection is so special, because the stories are told with the voice of an African-American women in the 1960s. It's a rare witness of those times. The writing is low-key and yet powerful.

I listened to the audio narration and having different narrators actually enhanced the stories for me.

Am I the only one who pastes the BOTM #bookmarks (with judge comment) in the front of the books when I'm done reading them? Is that weird? I'll definitely lose it otherwise...😐 #fallintobooks

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#punctuate #anditsaugust

I really enjoyed the short stories in this book. It covered so many different aspects of life, from love and family, breakups, makeups, to finding yourself in the face of obstacles. I really enjoyed it.

My morning read and giant cup of coffee!

I love discovering new short story collections. Good, quick read from #botm ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I'd say this is somewhere between 3.5 and 4 ⭐️. I can't say I liked or got something out of every story, but I enjoyed about half of them, and the ones I liked, I really liked. Beautifully written.

• Pretty good collection! I love that womanhood and race are prevalent. I appreciate the author's strong, sure voice.
• Reviewers before me have noted the timeless quality of these stories and I agree-if I didn't know when these were written, I could almost be convinced they were written recently.
• I read this in small doses, a story at a time over the past week or two. I think the stories in the first half of the book are by far the best.

Highly recommend this collection if you like short stories.

#readingwomenmonth #womenofcolor
@thereadingwomen

My new glasses are finally ready!! YAHOO!! I am going to go pick them up Monday. Even though the glasses 👓 I have now are really scratched up and it's hard to concentrate, I am determined to finish this book this weekend gosh darnitt!! I am on my second round of antibiotics for this pesky tonsillitis which I am praying isn't mono. Here's Mogwai with her favorite toy!! #catsoflitsy #petsoflitsy Have a great weekend Littens!! ❤️❤️❤️📚📚😻😻

Loving this book so far!! It got me through a painful medical procedure and tedious rides to and from the doctor's office. I am on the title story and it is the best one yet. All of my friends are depressed today for some reason, but you guys are a bright spot. Thank You All for the bright spots you put in my days ❤️❤️❤️❤️Concentrating on books and not IRL people and problems adds much needed escape and structure at the same time. ❤️❤️📚

And just like that it's over. I kept tapping my kindle, hoping the next page would bring another story.

Well y'all, I'm feeling over emotional today, so I'm picking up a short story collection to read in the car at lunch. God I hate being a woman! I think that's why I don't want to finish Since We Fell. #overit #botm

This little book definitely packs a punch. The earlier stories were my favorite, though it was interesting to see characters and traits reappear later on. Whoever arranged this collection did an excellent job, as did Elizabeth Alexander in her introduction. Reading this made me want to learn more about Kathleen Collins.

Airport reading. And despite what it looks like, these pasty white legs are several shades darker than when I left for Playa del Carmen, if you can imagine. 😂🇲🇽

I loved it. Collins' background as a filmmaker is evident. The stories are cinematic, the essence distilled into a character or a certain mood and atmosphere. It's like a camera utilising time jumps and moving through space, fluidly going back and forth between time, the past existing alongside the present. The stories are short but contain a world of depth about racism and the inner lives of black women. And the humour is sly and delicious.

I haven't posted lately. I'm still here, just trying to make some big decisions. This is the first time I've been able to sit down and read since Monday.

Kathleen Collins's WHATEVER HAPPENED TO INTERRACIAL LOVE? is an immersive short story collection that poetically moves you from one story to the next. Originally written between 1970-80, these stories explore questions of race and identity in America. It's a short but powerful book that will stick with you for a long time. 🎧 Download Ep. 21 to hear our review. ⠀
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/reading-women/id1118019442?mt=2&i=1000385044...

#TBRtuesday

Here's what I'm hoping to read this week. I've essentially abandoned my planned monthly TBR, because I'm ahead on most of my challenges and nothing is really calling out to me. Also, my #library and #netgalley stacks are out of control.

Our theme this month is short stores and we will have six recommendations for you tomorrow. One of the books we are featuring is WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO INTERRACIAL LOVE? by Kathleen Collins. Oh. My. Goodness. With each story, I fell more in love with Kathleen's perspective and style. It's a short book, so just plan on blocking off a few hours and reading it in one sitting. You won't regret it. ⠀

This is my #maymostanticipated. Will be reviewing it for a local paper and I'm so excited to read it! #maybookflowers @RealLifeReading

These stories were sharp and thought provoking, and Collins' writing is pure poetry.

A very good passage of her writing about the importance of light skin.

This is a very good, well written book! The prose is almost like a poem in some stories. That said, it isn't my favorite short story collection. I don't particularly like lyrical writing. But I love the way she examines race and how important it is to be lighter skinned, etc.

In fact, I was the recipient of some wonderful causal racism at work yesterday. This woman mentioned how horrible it is to be white and have partially black children. 👇🏻

#keepingitshort

#37 Dead Memories...Dead Dreams

And with this short story I have finished this collection. I would definitely recommend it. A very ecclectic mix of short stories that deal with many different issues of race and relationships.

Omg, I got so excited that my first #botm came today that I ripped into the box like a mad dog! 😂 If only I'd slowed down, I would've seen that nice little flap there. Good thing my books are safely shrink wrapped though. 😝😍📚✌🏼

#CurrentlyReading

I thought I might get one more book finished today, but it wasn't possible. Nevertheless, I consider March a great reading month. The March Trilogy, Invisible Man, and Whatever Happened to Interracial Love? are three perspectives on the Civil Right Movement in 1950s and 60s U.S. All of them are terrific, if inherently heavy. #marchinmarch #marchintoreading #bestofmarch #marchsummary

#keepingitshort

#30 Stepping Back

#31 When Love Withers All of Life Cries

This collection is so good. I keep saying to myself "ok just 1 more story and then I'll start the (insert various responsibilities here)...."

I'm trying to read more story collections. There were a few stories here I really appreciated, but overall this one wasn't for me.

#TryPod #Radio4 #BookishPodcast

Radio 4 host speaks with Kathleen Collins' daughter, Nina Loren Collins, about this book. She also speaks to George Saunders about his debut novel, Lincoln in the Bardo.

A wonderful episode of the Radio 4 podcast. I enjoy her discussions with guests about their favorite books. Usually 2 guests and the host pick their favorite books, which they read, and then they talk about on the podcast. 💕📻🎙😊📚💕

#keepingitshort

#29 Treatment For A Story

I had never heard of Kathleen Collins before reading this intriguing collection of short stories. I'm not the biggest fan of short stories, but Collins writes in a way that allows us a full view of her characters, with all of their quirks & nuances.
My favorite story had to be "Dead Memories...Dead Dreams". There's a richness & vibrancy that makes it stand out as an engaging & thought-provoking tale.

#keepingitshort

#27 Conference Parts 1 and 2
#28 The Happy Family

About halfway through this collection of stories

When your current read and your lunch inadvertently match. Loving the book, tolerating the red cabbage soup.