Welcome to Litsy!

(Finished listening to this while driving through Stowe, VT on my way home.) A killer sits on death row and as the hours count down we learn about his life and the lives of those he played a role in. I was completely immersed in the story and found myself feeling compassion for everyone in the story, including the killer. The audiobook was great. There was a minor thread, the killer‘s theories on life, that I would have loved to explore more.

Just finished the tagged book but I‘m also reading & listening to the other two books. I seem to have picked 3 books to read at the same time that involve prison, inhumane conditions & some horrid experiences. 🤦🏻‍♀️ Thanks to @Lindy I looked for the non-fiction No Friend but the Mountains by Boochani. His description of surviving a boat that‘s capsized with refugees aboard was so intense… and that‘s just at the beginning of the book!

I‘m so curious whether this author ever lived in Vermont. She keeps referencing Lake Champlain (above) and the Adirondacks of New York (the mountains above). She also references Northern Vermont University (NVU) which is 20 minutes from where I currently live. That university was only recently rebranded with that name. There is a writer and artist retreat right next to NVU (the Vermont Studio Center) and I wonder if she spent time writing there.

Housesitting, knitting, listening to this audiobook, flipping back and forth between Boston Celtics and Boston Bruins. My Lyme-brain is pushing me a bit too hard to do too much. I usually prefer to focus on one thing at a time.

A perfect reflection on the current multiverse trend

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Normally, I‘d prefer a nonfiction book about such a topic, but Kukafka nailed the characters and atmosphere. It feels real. Told from multiple perspectives, including that of fictional serial killer Ansel Packer, and the women who are/were in his life. As the time to his execution ticks down, you‘re taken into his mind. Meanwhile, the female voices provide the other side; the rational perspective. Unique and completely engrossing.

Is this a thriller? Certainly no whodunnit because we know from the start who did it. He‘s on death row, hours before his execution. So maybe no thriller, but definitely one of the best books I read this year. Is it possible to pity a serial killer? Danya Kukafka made me in what is best described as a psychological drama. Wow.

(Pic: French Alps)

So I'm in the minority of people who didn't like this book. There are 3 POVS, 2 being of women from this serial killers past. And I feel like a lot of it was glorifying the serial killer. Also he was a serial killer and I felt as though the book is saying he shouldn't be on death row because he did a bad thing but isn't a bad person? Which is easy to say, until it's your loved one who was killed. 2/5

The story of a serial killer on death row and the women caught up in his crimes. This was excellent. I couldn‘t put it down. Our sympathies switch as we hear from each character & the countdown to his execution builds suspense. Beautifully written, it reads as a literary novel but has some crime elements & plenty of tension. Much to discuss, it‘s a good one for book club.

Not an easy read, but compelling.
I appreciate that it gives you a raw look at a number of minds without judgement or justification, or a final tied bow of conclusion.
I am glad that it focuses more on the women adjacent to a killer's life, rather than the actions of that killer.
Appears to indict not just US's criminal justice system, but also social institutions and the cracks kids fall through. Left to wonder if things could be different.

"...a group of men grieving over something more despicable than themselves."

Perhaps it's odd that I didn't expect a book with the word 'Execution' in the title to address the topic, but I'm pleasantly(?) surprised to find such a powerful passage against capital punishment and incarceration, especially as it aids and abets systemic racism.

Thank you Misty and Renee. What a wonderful surprise. Litsy is full of so many kind people. I look forward to reading this. #litsylove

Well, even with being sick, I read this in a day. It lived up to the reviews. Ansley Parker is on death row and today is his execution. The book goes between him and the women in his life. It was really good to me.

2nd book in #winterreadathon @Andrew65

My next read. Have heard good things about it. Libby hold that came in, hopefully, I will get to read a Christmas book before Christmas 🙂

Are we on book 4 already? Great idea starting this book off with such a loaded question @BooksNBowls !

#LitsyloveWritesNBooks #ReadwithFriends

This book reminded me some of Rene Denfeld‘s The Enchanted in its theme, though it is written in a much more straightforward style. It‘s similar in that it doesn‘t shy away from the ugly and it tries to give a balanced view of how a killer might be made, without ever excusing the crime or the criminal. Not a standard mystery, but still gripping in its way as it counts down the hours to the state execution. This is a #BlameitonLitsy book for me.

Love a weird first line!

An interesting book cos of multiple POV & diverse characters. I really enjoyed this one even though it doesn‘t feel like a thriller / detective one. Few details & events felt unnecessary but crafting of the story is brilliant. And I loved that name Saffron 🧡 one must read this for the writing style, crisp proses & vivid characters. 4.5⭐️ this was my Nov #bookspin #bookspinbingo

This manages to be a sort of thriller while also making you think about how circumstances dictate possible outcomes. I liked it. Even felt slightly sorry for the bad dude. At times. Not often.

I REALLY like this author.

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

49 pages in and good so far, but it‘s only 430 and I‘m ready to go to bed! I hate this time change!! Hopefully this is the last “fall back!”

#LitsyLoveWritesInBooks
#LitsyLove
#LitsyLoveReads

Starting this one today for #LitsyLoveWritesNBooks 💜

Anyone read it?

Notes on An Execution was a total mind f@ck. The multiple POV really helped put me in the mindset of both the hunter, hunted and haunted. Parts of the story did drag but the overall arc of the plot was super satisfying. I really like when creepy thrillers leave you pondering morals, ethics and society‘s norms. The US Justice system is definitely flawed and this book was insightful and informative. Really well done. Great on audio 💕

#UpNext

Wow! This book! Don‘t want to say too much since it‘s a #LitsyLoveWritesNBooks read. I would have never picked up this book on my own! Great pick!

This was mailed out on Friday!

#teammonstermash #scarathlon2022 #31by31 #spookoween #pointsathon #theoctoberreadathon

56 of 2022. ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

#scarathalondailyprompt: Killer #TeamMonsterMash @StayCurious

As a man is waiting for his execution on death row, we hear the story of how he got there thought the eyes of the women in his life. It dragged a bit but I really liked the way the story was framed.

...and also a perfectly matched photo of the local fox who seems to have successfully “hunted“ a hot dog...probably from an unsuspecting neighbour who turned their back on the BBQ...

I borrowed this one from the library since I wasn't sure how much I'd like it. I read a good amount of true crime so I was skeptical about reading a novel about a serial killer on death row. Ultimately, I did find this book to be very good. It is definitely literary fiction which won't be for everyone. It was gritty and some parts were rough. Also, the author kept referencing the smell of character's breath. I could do without that! 4 ⭐

Great writing and a grim story I couldn‘t put down.

Wow wow wow! Great book on a tough and controversial subject. This had my feelings on the antagonist going back and forth. Perfect balance with the different POVs. I am so excited for my group to read this one! 4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

☠️☠️☠️. May I never see the word “Theory” again 😭

It was a slow start to the #AwesomeAugust Readathon for me this weekend. I‘ve finished Notes on an Execution, and A Beautiful Corpse, and am now just getting started on The Adults for #AugustARC. Not averaging 2 books a day, but there‘s still hope! @Andrew65

#AwesomeAugust goals:

👉🏻Read my hold Notes On an Execution
👉🏻Finish at least 9 books for #AugustARC
👉🏻Average 2 books a day, by finishing a minimum of 18 total books

@Andrew65

Damn that ending got me! 🥲

Wow, brilliant writing and a strong theme throughout.

The questions remain who are we, what are we capable of, and how could we have done it better?

12 hours until Ansels execution as he reflects on his past as 3 females evaluate his existence.

5 out 5.

Many messages to be taken from this book. How the choices of one person can affect so many peoples lives. I did wish it was written more from the womens pov rather than as much from the murderer and detective. A pick overall

There is good and there is evil, and the contradiction lives in everyone. The good is simply the stuff worth remembering. The good is the point of it all 😈😇

4⭐/5⭐

Not sure if anyone‘s posted about this yet, but Amazon‘s running 3 for 2 right now, so I bought some from my wishlist. 🤫👍🏻

This was a soft pick for me. It was well-written, but I didn't connect with the characters. I admit some chapters bored me, so I skipped through them. Other chapters were truly riveting. I'd give this 3-1\u002 stars.

A boy abandoned by his parents ends up in foster care and goes on to become a murderer. The story goes back and forth in time and through the voices of Ansel, his mother, his wife‘s sister and a homicide detective, and we see how one person‘s life can affect so many others.

#kindledailydeal
Good one today 😁

Been wanting this one for ages!

#BookMoods #4WordTitle
@Eggs @alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Just ordered this from my local library.

I know I will devour this. I have my masters in Forensic Psychology and I am fascinated by any topics surrounding the psyche of a criminal, of their background, of the death penalty, and of media surrounding true crime.

This is a fictional story of a man evaluting his life with 12 hours to live and a story of 3 women's experiences watching him grow up and chance.

I predict a 5 star read.

You know that feeling you get when you finish a good book: that your view of the world has changed? Ms Kukafka drags us into the tragedy of Ansel Packer‘s life, his crimes, and his upcoming execution. Along the journey we meet the people that created and warped his soul, and those he savaged. It‘s a train wreck, but beautifully written and is so painful. Mis-classed by my Library as a thriller, don‘t be fooled … this is a wonderful novel.

3.5 stars

I REALLY liked the message, but it could have been done better. Way to much flower-y language. I also wish the audio had multiple narrators.

Lives devastated by the horrific actions of a serial killer are portrayed here with empathy & sensitivity. However the book claims to reverse the trends of crime fascinated readers focusing on the serial killer, yet the whole arch of this book, the narrative structure & the segments of the women lives are dictated by the actions, behaviours & timing needed of the serial killer. So whilst a good read, it wasn't as victim focused as I was hoping.

Up next - after my last read which was far too up in the clouds - need a grounding read with a timeline and story I can understand! 🤣

Notes on an Execution was pretty close to a perfect reading experience for me. It‘s a chilling, starkly constructed, victim-centred crime novel that balances the procedural and psychological expertly. The blurb suggests that Kukafka asks us to “consider the false promise of looking for meaning in the minds of violent men” and I think this is the best description of what is done so well in this novel. LOVED IT.

When I heard the description of this, it made me want to skip it, but I‘m glad I didn‘t. While it tells the story of a man who is a serial killer, that plot is simply used as a frame to study several female characters in his orbit, and the story is really theirs. I really enjoyed meeting these women and will be looking for other reads from Kukafka.