Welcome to Litsy!

Hi! It's been a minute! In fact it's been 5 years, 4 moves, and 3 states!

I recently finished The Final Revival of Opal & Nev and immediately added it to my favorites corner on my small bookshelf, taking its rightful place next to Daisy Jones and the Six. A must read for people who love 70s music and culture. Interview style fiction is quickly becoming of favorite of mine. I also cannot recommend the full cast audiobook highly enough

#bookshelf

I really enjoyed this book, which sadly didn't make the shortlist for the Women's Price for Fiction. I liked the format of interview style and thought Opal was really fantastic. I enjoyed the history of how the band got together and the family relationships too.

In the 70s Opal and Nev were THE Punk duo. A fierce African American woman and a white British male. This is their story to fame and potential reunion.

Looking at racism, sexism, white male entitlement and doing what you believe is right.

#BookReport

I finished Summer, read The Final Revival of Opal & Nev and have just started Flamingo.

Not much reading done this week, but on Tuesday I was at a Whitney Houston tribute and Thursday my work had its Spring Party. Sometimes you have to be a little social too.

Totally understandable why this won the Audie award. The full cast reading is perfect for a story told as an oral history about a music duo who lost a band member to racial violence at an event and the different ways that affected their lives.

The tagged book already started and loving it. Next will start The Great Godden, it is a short read.

Strong pick for me. Really unique organization of the novel, from POV of MC who‘s an investigative journalist. Refreshing approach when you read as much as I do. Walton excels at suspense, twice building towards a pivotal scene, tension so taut I read late into the night. Such a good story and one that puts a spotlight on black and white personal and professional relations over the course of 40 years.

Book and breakfast: pulut hitam (black glutinous rice) with a drizzle of coconut milk. And this book about a fictional interracial Afro-punk band. I‘m still waiting for my hold on the audiobook to come in but thought I‘d start reading the ebook first. What are some books about music and musicians that you‘ve loved?

The Women's Prize longlist was released this morning _and_ the Morning News Tournament of Books starts and still, for some reason, this is not a national holiday and I must go to work.

This is an outrage, obviously, but for now here is the Women's Prize longlist:

* The Bread the Devil Knead, Lisa Allen Agostini
* Salt Lick, Lulu Allison
* Careless, Kirsty Capes

(continued)

Opal, the Afro punk singer at the heart of this novel, is an unforgettable character. Utterly unique and ahead of her time. If you enjoyed Daisy Jones and the Six, check this out because it‘s even BETTER! Multiple viewpoints are interpreted in the audio production by a full cast of 17 readers, with Janina Edwards and Bahni Taupin narrating the lead roles.

I relied greatly on audiobooks, graphic novels and picture books this month, since I'm still having vision issues from a concussion in December.

It's impossible not to compare this one to Daisy Jones if you've read both. Whichever one you read first (Daisy for me) will stick in your mind as the more original. I felt like this one delved deeper into serious issues, race & addiction, but wasn't as fun to read as Daisy. Taken on its own, I liked this one, but I think it could have been edited down a bit. The plot gets bogged down, but I loved the character of Opal and her journey to maturity.

I have the worst memory! I hit an online book sale in July. When the box came I pushed it into a corner unopened. Guess what? I just opened it! Glad I hadn‘t bought any of these again in the meantime.

🎉So the tagged book is on my TBR after listening to the author on The Stacks as is Harlem Shuffle. Good list, sir! 🎉. #blitsyswap

This one is a pick for me, but not ‘amazing‘. Seeing as everyone else compares it to Daisy Jones (and it *is* very similar) I will too…. There were aspects of this one I preferred; in particular there was a strong message, but that weakened towards the end. The characters were more 3-dimensional and, as a result, more interesting. I think Daisy Jones was more of an engrossing read though, I felt detached from this sometimes.

I could listen to Traci Thomas talk about books forever! And every episode leaves me frantically adding a stack to my TBR. I wouldn‘t have gravitated towards the tagged book - but after Traci‘s interview it‘s rocketed up my TBR!

I‘m in to my September reviews now!

This one needs to be experienced on audiobook… a full, awesome cast (including Bahni Turpin and Steve West, two of my faves), but it‘s of course nothing without the strong storyline and Walton‘s great writing. I love, love, love Opal, the feelings this book gave me, and all of the social commentary. Since everyone is comparing it to Daisy Jones, I suppose I should too: loved this one even more.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Catching up my September reviews! I wasn‘t into this book at first because I don‘t really like fictionalized oral history but I ended up really enjoying it. I think this was better than Daisy Jones & the Six, which it is of course compared to, because the story was deeper. I want to know who inspired these characters. I wish Opal were real.

I wanted to like this book, but the style just didn‘t work for me. It reminded me a lot of Daisy Jones and I‘m one of the very few who didn‘t care for that one either. I just found the style to be hard to follow or connect with the characters and I got very confused in parts and bored. I love the idea for this story, but the way it was written just killed it for me.

I listened to this on audio even though I bought the book and I highly recommend it. There is a cast of characters, one voice actor being Ms Bahni Turpin who is always fantastic.
The ending came a bit abruptly, and I wish there was one loose in in particular that had been wrapped up but overall the balance of present and past was well done and the pacing was good.
I hope this and Daisy is the beginning of these VH1 type books I love them.

This is going to annoy white liberals 😂

I'm a sucker for an epistolary novel. (This one wasn't letters, but transcripts of fictional interviews, so same vibe.) Add in historical fiction, & I'm hooked. Like Daisy Jones, I had to make sure that this band was fictional. The comparisons are inevitable, & this one holds up.

Foe those who have read it, how much did you love Virgil? Far & away my fave character - one of my all-time fave "sidekicks".

⭐⭐⭐⭐✨/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ⬇️

Somewhere between a pick and a so-so. I loved Opal and I liked the social commentary. Some bits dragged but it was better than Daisy Jones which it seems to get compared with.
#booked2021 #musicalinstrumentoncover

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3864972281

I‘m loving this but seriously, it would be a completely different experience on paper. The audio is incredible. Multi voice and I cannot even imagine not listening to this one

Sunday afternoon.
Someone (here) told me to read this. I can‘t recall the precise wording of the recommendation, but I am listening to the guidance.
So far, it seems like you know me well.

Told as a fictional oral history, narrator S. Sunny Shelton reflects on a moment of civil disobedience in music history, only to reveal a more complicated truth. I expected this book to be a knock off Daisy Jones and the Six, and instead found a layered and thoughtful reflection on the performative nature of allyship (during the 70s and in present times) and what the responsibility of speaking your “truth” can do to marginalized groups of people.

Solid end to the #LittenListen Audiothon hosted by @aperfectmjk . This was a great way to prioritize audiobooks in June, although I didn‘t make as much of a dent in my Audible titles as I wanted to. Thank you again Malina for hosting! I would definitely be interested in doing this again if you wanted to host another audiobook event.

My total for the whole event was 1465 points.

The comparisons to Daisy Jones & the Six are warranted, but this one did leave wanting a little bit something. While the full cast narration was excellent, if my mind wandered at all while listening I would forget who was speaking or miss the name being introduced. I might have appreciated the story more if I had read the print version. That said, I did really enjoy the peek into 1960s-70s NYC music scene. Opal was definitely a badass. 3 ⭐️

I really enjoyed this. As much as the actors did a great job on the audiobook I would have rather read it physically than listened to it. The format, for me, would have been better. But like I said the VO was great!

Here is my final #BookspinBingo board. I ended up with two bingo lines, not too bad for my first time. And I read my main #Bookspin book - Strange Planet. Looking forward to continuing with playing in July!

Haven't been on here this year but I've still been reading. I recommend these 4 books without reservation. Just fantastic reads!

Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall - non-fiction about the women forgotten by the feminist movement
Quiet In Her Bones by Nalini Singh - thriller by one of my fav authors
The Final Revival of Opal & Nev by Dawnie Walton - historical about a musical duo in the 1970's
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir - sci-fi (need I say more?)

This had a slow start & the interview style grated on my nerves (mainly bc people don‘t really talk like this conversationally) — but the political bend/Editorial aspects gave the story real life.

#JoysofJune Finished all my planned books and one other. Thanks for hosting @Andrew65

I am holding off on putting up a “bailed” review of this one as this is simply a “pause”

So far I can tell the characters are interesting, but the format is not what I‘m in the mood for right now I guess. I made it to chapter ten and decided to take a break on this one for now.

For now it‘s a DNF. For my #bookspin book for June.

I loved this book and it was exactly what I needed this week! Kinda low key obsessed with these characters and am totally digging the playlist the author has up on Spotify. All the wins today! 🤩🎶😍

I thought this book was good, but not as good as I wanted or thought it would be...honestly, it was a bit of a slog for awhile. That said, it's still a pick for me. Plus, it's my #bookspin read for the month AND knocks off a #booked2021 prompt: #musicalinstrumentonthecover

@TheAromaofBooks @Cinfhen @BarbaraTheBibliophage @4thhouseontheleft

So good. I highly recommend listening to the Spotify playlist Dawnie Walton created to go along with this one. It gives life to the sound, music, and legacy of Nev&Opal, and definitely heightened my experience of this read. I was struggling to understand the duo's "proto-punk" sound before I found it, which made it harder to invest in the book. But once I "got it", I couldn't put it down.

Soooo good. #summerreading

All good music books should have a soundtrack! I'm loving this one, but was having a hard time imagining the sound of Opal and Nev's music. I just discovered that Walton put together a Spotify Playlist for the book, so I know what I'll be listening to for the next little while! Here's the link if you're interested: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0a6MAK1ycbv8oetTEbOwdo?si=FqXOC36rQDC-adlh08_W...

Here‘s my board!

I have a really busy month ahead of me so I will probably lean on audiobooks more that usual.

I have a good amount of personal/professional development books on the grid this month. Interested to see what I get to!

#bookspinbingo #doublespin

Woo-hoo! Annual pic of the first summer reading on the deck. My happy place! #SummerReading #ReadingOutsideisanOutdoorActivity

"H?? ??? ? ??? ???? ??? ???? ??? ?? ????? ?‘? ?????, ? ???‘? ??????? ??? ???? ????, ??? ??‘? ??????? ???? ????. ? ??????? ?? ?????? ????? ???."
?????? ??????, ??? ????? ??????? ?? ???? & ???

This is between a pick & a so-so for me. I'm going with a so-so because the interview/article/memoir approach for this novel was too much. I also found the "Author's Note" every few chapters disruptive to the narrative. Whenever I finally found a groove that worked in the interview style an Author's Note would be inserted & throw me off. While the underlying story & message were powerful, I think they got lost in the style. ⭐⭐⭐?

While the accolades are well deserved for Opal Jewel standing true to herself, I just don't think I personally felt a connection to any of the story since I lacked any context to either Nev or Opal, their music, or history. For the readers whom it does resonate with, it's well researched and mimics the writing style of the fictional account of Daisy Jones and the Six.

For all the same reasons it is important for readers to see themselves in books!!!

Examines a fictional, 70s (?) Proto-punk duo that pushed racial boundaries of the time through a series of faux-interviews. Very similar in structure and feel to Daisy Jones and the Six, so check it out (especially on audio!) if you like that book. I also enjoyed the inclusion in this of allyship and performative allyship and how they might lead to art and career, while still being exclusionary.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Walton‘s provoking oral history shows how racial injustices repeat over time and calls out for necessary change. The unique voices of the characters shine; I felt like I could actually hear them telling me their stories. The multiple editors notes made it hard for me to get into a good rhythm with this book. Although I enjoyed it, I found myself wanting to pick up other books instead, so it took me awhile to read. #BOTM

The comparisons to DJATS are evident , but there are plenty of directions to go when recording the fictional oral history of wild 70s rock-n-roll lives! However, considering the powerful voice of a black woman making her way in the 70s music industry and also how she feels at the age of 67 watching 2016 unfold makes this an unique telling.