Welcome to Litsy!

I made it through a goodly chunk of TELL ME HOW TO BE while I built this tiny crystal windmill. I can‘t say I dislike the book, but it feels very EXPECTED, with a fair few stereotypes in play and without enough of a spark to compensate for any of it. I‘m surprised, given how many Littens adored it. Sparkiness is subjective, though, and at least I can be glad it was there for them, even if it‘s not there for me. #audiopuzzling

The book alternates between a mother and her adult son, both desperately wanting to be loved and accepted, but unable to disclose the secrets that keep them apart. A death in the family finally creates a moment where change might be possible. The story deals with the struggle to live an authentic life and the weight of holding up the expectations of others.

There are no words for how deeply moved I was by this book. I honestly expected a fluff read but found that it spoke to me. Beautifully. I‘ll update this review later…I‘m honestly too shook to think straight but wanted to post *something*. Wow. Just wow. Excellent.

Here are my books for #bookspin and #doublespin this month! Sometimes I see what they are and think “oh, no” but this month I‘m looking forward to both of them!
#bookspin is a recommendation from @Cinfhen I think?! Doublespin was a #litsylove gift from @CBee ❤️❤️❤️. I hope you all got good picks!!👍

One great thing about The Kid‘s indoor baseball clinics is that they are too short for me to run errands (except for a quick Starbucks run), but just long enough to get into the book I‘ve been carrying around for over a week! A good book + good music + heated seats = me time! 🤓

Living with secrets always takes its toll! Really enjoyed this story of emotional reflections via mother/son on their lives.
Another one brought from Cindy‘s best ofs!

#quicklunchtimeread time for a few Pringles and pages.
It‘s a good job I never make any healthy eating resolutions. Though I should.

Bought the tagged because it looks right up my alley, and I‘ve been wanting the Mackesy book for ages! #bookhaul

#12BooksOf2022 - May @Andrew65

A tender hearted emotionally complex story of a mother and son burdened with hidden desires and long held secrets. Stunning writing and sharp observations raise the level from ordinary to extraordinary. I still can‘t believe this was a debut. It completely blew me away and the audio narration was outstanding.

Today‘s book mail from Macmillan plus the cute bookmark I found on Etsy while I was shopping for my sailor son‘s Christmas stocking. He wouldn‘t use this but it was too perfect to pass up so I bought it for myself. 😂

Loved the dueling points-of-view, and the sharing of intimate secrets!

#BookReport 23/22

A week filled with books I enjoyed but probably won‘t remember in the long run. My head so full with other thoughts. Anyhow, they have succeeded in distracting me when I needed it.

#RememberingJenny

This is a very sad book about a mother and her adult sons who come together a year after the father died. Their shared past is filled with lies and secrets, with misunderstandings and things unspoken.
He has died a year earlier but the invisible father still seems the only one to bring them back together.

#52BooksIn52weeks #RedoOneOfThisYearsPrompts

May was such a FANTASTIC reading month!! I had so many 4 and 5 star books to choose from but ultimately the tagged book is this month‘s winner #2022ChallengeBracket

#WeeklyForecast 22/22

Keeping it easy the upcoming week. I am reading Seven Days in June of course, for our #Summerheat weekend and next plan to read your highly recommended Tell Me How to Be, a 5⭐️ read for @ReadingEnvy too so I‘ll be #RememberingJenny with it. If I‘m in the mood I‘ll reread How High We Go in the Dark for #CampLitsy 🏕📚

#bookhaul

Too many influencers here on Litsy - with #CampLitsy, #CampToB and #Booker22 yet to come 😳😳
But I really felt I need to read these!

Without a doubt the best book/audiobook I‘ve read in 2022. A tender hearted emotionally complex story of a mother and son burdened with hidden desires and long held secrets. Stunning writing and sharp observations raise the level from ordinary to extraordinary. I still can‘t believe this was a debut. It completely blew me away and the narration was outstanding.

This book is breaking my heart 😭😭

Simply amazing…audio is perfection ♥️tender hearted family drama
Mother & son, each holding unto deep-held secrets

I am LOVING this audiobook! Such a great story and the narrator(Vikas Adam) is so so great- he has made these characters come alive. I am so glad I decided to do audio after I saw some posts here on Litsy extolling it‘s virtues. The puzzle I‘m not so sure about #audiopuzzling

I absolutely loved everything about this book - first 5 star read of the year for me. Alternating between the mother and son as main characters with parallel but unique journeys worked so well. And I loved all the 90s/00s R&B references! Patel is an incredible writer and I hope this one gets more attention.

Another read from my NetGalley backlog! I really like the first cover because it reflects the alternating povs between a recent widow who is moving back to London after a lifetime in Chicago, and her son who is a bit estranged after ruining his brother's wedding.

But the truth is not as it appears. ...↘️

I LOVED this book, and narrator Vikas Adam truly brought these characters to life. Akash is a closeted gay Indian-American young man who has returned to help his mother, Renu, move out of his childhood home. Each is holding a candle for a man from their past. As story alternates between mother and son, they address complicated feelings for their beloveds as well as brother/other son and recently dead father/husband. Just fantastic! #audiobook

The #DriveTo500 is complete!! I finished reading books 499 and 500 of the year today!! So pleased that Neel‘s book was 500 because it was fantastic. Reviews of these two coming this weekend. Party time!! 🥳📚🥳📚🥳

I never thought I could do this!!

Two audiobooks from audible this #NewReleaseTuesday!

I really enjoyed Neel‘s debut short story collection, so I had to snap up his first novel. Tagged ⬆️

Subdivision is a new-to-audio release that is on the #ToBshortlist. I started it this morning, and so far it is odd but enjoyable. We shall see… tagged ⬇️

Have a good day y‘all!

A widowed mother and her younger son are dissatisfied with their lives, keeping big secrets, and wondering what to do next in this family drama coming out on December 7. Read my full review here: https://debbybrauer.org/#tell-me-how-to-be

#NetGalley #MacmillanAudio #FlatironBooks #TellMeHowToBe

I really liked this story once I got into it. It‘s told from 2 perspectives, a mother and her sons. They both long for love, but in very different ways. The story also tells of life‘s evils that haunt them both. I wish both of their stories would have ended a little differently, but that isn‘t how life goes sometimes. Thank you, good reads, for the ARC. This book is due out in December 2021, and I recommend it.