Welcome to Litsy!

I loved Ozeki‘s Tale for the Time Being. This was wonderful, too, but the second half seemed to lose momentum. Still, the idea of a book as a narrator was inventive and I will probably end up reading everything she‘s written.

I'm not ready to bail on my July #bookspin selection, but I am putting it away for later. I read about 20%, but I'm just #notinthemood. I'll appreciate it more if I'm not forcing myself to read it.

I stayed up reading until 1am. I couldn‘t help it! Ozeki is a singular writer; her imagination is vast & she‘s so well read: everything from Jorge Luis Borges; to the eclectic German-Jewish philosopher & theorist Walter Benjamin; to Marie Kondo. She knows about jazz, religion, politics, & current events. The dual nature of this (both sprawling & specific) can be overwhelming. Don‘t be daunted. Pursue what you want & let the rest wash over you.👇🏻

I'm all for a character driven story & this one is well written in that way, but I got 4 hours into the audiobook & needed SOME plot to kick in. It's very slow moving & I had no idea where we were supposed to be heading. It got to the point that the main character was in a situation that had me 😬 & I bailed.
I've heard good things about this author & I did enjoy her writing style so I plan to try a different of hers for #AuthorAMonth @Soubhiville

My second book by Ozeki and she just isn‘t for me. I really wanted to finish this one for #authoramonth but was finding too many creative reasons to avoid picking it back up.

I'm unable to quite describe my feelings about this book. It was weirdly beautiful; however, it was equally just plain weird. Plus I found both of the main characters, Benny & Annabelle, incredibly infuriating & annoying. The Bottleman was my favorite character by far, so full of colorful personality & wisdom. ... ⤵️

I'm sad....I loved A Tale for the Time Being, but after 100 pages of this one I just can't get engaged. #authoramonth @Soubhiville

1. Tagged for #authoramonth
2. I don't so I should probably change that 😂
Thanks @Kshakal @TheSpineView #two4tuesday

@Tkimsal generously offered up a copy of Ozeki‘s most recent novel and I jumped on the post so fast!

A Tale for the Time Being might be one of my favorite books ever. So, I‘ve got sky high expectations (and no hopes of tamping them down). Reviews have been favorable. Fingers crossed!

Color me surprised when the book showed up in the mail with a bonus mug, to boot! Tim, your gift made me smile. And a smile in the winter is priceless.

Thanks! 🥳

Book giveaway! I‘m happy to share my gently used copy of Ruth Ozeki‘s excellent novel, THE BOOK OF FORM AND EMPTINESS with a reader in the United States. Please comment below if you are interested. #BookGiveaway #BookMail

Such an interesting narrative format, such a unique look at mental illness. Timely, set during the 2016 election, but works well. Not distracting. Made me cry so many times. Dark but still not depressing. Loved it. Made me want to read more.

I really hate it when I book has an interesting story and a unique concept & I can't finish it. I wanted to like it, I tried to like it...but when it was still hard to get into at page 200 I had to bail. The book is over 500 pages & it was just too much. Overly descriptive & overly worded chapters just made it hard to connect.

“Every person is trapped in their own particular bubble of delusion, and it‘s every person‘s task in life to break free. Books can help. We can make the past into the present, take you back in time and help you remember. We can show you things, shift your realities and widen your world, but the work of waking up is up to you.”

30 Books Recommendations in 30 Days — Day 12 “The Book of Form and Emptiness” by Ruth Ozeki. Each of us is the author of our own story.

Such an interesting narrative format, such a unique look at mental illness. Timely, set during the 2016 election, but works well. Not distracting. Made me cry so many times. Dark but still not depressing. Loved it. Made me want to read more.

This is my second book by Ozeki, and she's risen to the level where I'll try a book just because she's the author. This story was human, painful in a lot of ways, but so deeply compassionate to struggling characters. It tackles grief and loss and mental health, how those things complicate our relationship with other people. Ozeki mixes despair and hope, and manages to leave the book in a place where things feel realistically optimistic. (1/2)

I bought this because of it‘s beautiful cover, but the inside is also beautiful but in a painful kind of way. Benny and his mom struggle after the death of Benny‘s dad- both in different ways. While his mom starts to clutter their home the boy starts hearing voices. The book follows their pain and their way through life. I hope to finish it tonight! It‘s really intriguing and I can definitely recommend it!

I took the dust jacket off a while ago and now I can't find it. Naturally 🤣🤣.

Anyway, I mostly enjoyed this. Dragged a bit in the middle and the ending wrapped things up a bit too quickly, but Ozeki is a beautiful writer.

#theunreadshelfproject2023

Since I‘m loving A Tale for the Time Being so very much, I couldn‘t pass this up! #auldlangspine @Sapphire @monalyisha (I‘m reading Tale partly because you said it‘s one of your favorites, Alyisha!) 😊😊

#wws #winterwonderlandswap @AbigailJaneBlog

Thank you for everything Abi - I seriously love everything. I really enjoyed my first Ozeki last year so looking forward to trying another - I think she may become an auto-buy author for me.

And as you can see, I've put the decoration on the tree!

@Chrissyreadit @TheBookHippie

Best book I‘ve read this year. #FirstSaturdayReaders #BooksWithBeth

#adventrecommends @emilyrose_x

It's only fitting that I post this book today since the #ToB23 shortlist just came out. Without the #ToB last year, I wouldn't have read this and it ended up being a favorite of mine.

I was just chatting with a friend about this book and realized I hadn‘t put it in Litsy! I LOVED this book. It can be a challenging read! Highly recommend reading it with others. I have not stopped thinking about this book, it‘s one I feel will be with me for a long time. 💜

That was...messy. Which I THINK was the point - Ozeki was trying to make A LOT of points, too many to summarize here. Not sure how the mental health community received this book; would not recommend for anybody with anxiety around hoarding/clutter/claustrophobia. Sadly, not the enchanting tale of a book which converses, and objects that can talk, that I thought it would be. Perhaps useful as an in-depth look at grief/trauma manifestation.

🤨

A terrible photo even though I was 3 rows back. Ozeki was wonderful. Of course she did a reading but she also talked quite a bit about how meditation allowed her to get to her characters, hearing voices, how Tale for the Time Being was a cousin to this book, and how much she disliked the audio version of this book. She hopes to re-record it herself. Her responses to questions were warm and generous, taking the time to have a bit of a conversation.

Any thoughts I had that this shouldn't have won the Women's Prize have totally evaporated. This book is next level. And good luck carting this chunkster around. Might I suggest the ebook?

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

This was a wonderful audiobook with such well written characters and an interesting storyline. Both sad and heartwarming at the same time, it was an excellent listen

What a beautifully written book. Simultaneously heart breaking and uplifting, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I read this whilst glamping down south. The weather was cold and rainy, perfect for reading! This book held my attention and contained some great characters but I anticipated more form the Women‘s prize for fiction winner 2022. It didn‘t have the ‘Wow‘ factor I was expecting.

📖 8-23-22 || This chunkster is my #DoubleSpin pick for the month. Loved it! A mother and son experience grief and mental illness and ultimately finding healing through stories and friendship. There are several unique and loveable, relatable characters along the way, too!
#BookSpin

Not my favourite from the Women's Prize shortlist, but I guess I can see why it won. I dunno. I liked it, but I found a bit... cute and trite rather than gripping and profound. A tiny bit overbearing with the whole zen thing. It's still a pick. I really enjoyed the library and the Marxist poet hobo and the Borgesian performance artist. I think it was just... the tone? Or I expected something more? Yeah, super helpful and clear review. 🙄🤦🏻‍♀️😂

Two down 2/3 of one to go. Will have to take the 10p per day fine for this one and keep it an extra day or three to finish it. (Two not being an option, since the library is closed on Wednesdays.)
Also, the publisher is being a bit sneaky here. Or am I the only one who assumed at first glance that this particular book is Booker prize shortlisted (as opposed to some previous book of the author's)?

This years women‘s prize for fiction winner! I absolutely loved this; it is definitely a book for book lovers. The tone felt playful and whimsical and was giving me Neil Gaiman vibes.

Oh goodness this came up on my reading list at the wrong time.
This was the winner of the 2022 #WomensPrizeForFiction and it is well deserved. Complex but interesting and easy to follow storyline, deep creative characters, a look at mental illness that doesn't demonize. This is an excellent book. I am going to recommend it to many.
Unfortunately for me it hit me right in a sci/fi mood and it took me ages to get through.

This May be the best book I have read in a long time, and it‘s been a year of pretty good books. I get how it might not be for everyone and Ozeki is already one of my top 10 fav authors. But explaining what mental illness looks like from the inside by using a book as the narrator is ingenious. Plus I totally got sucked into the is she/he real or not twists without feeling duped. So so good! Ozeki tackles hard topics in fresh and inventive ways.

This is my stack of all the books I read in June (except The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer which I read as an ebook). I‘ve really enjoyed reading more than usual this month and I‘m glad I read so many great books.

I especially enjoyed The Book of Form and Emptiness, and the getting to meet Ruth Ozeki at the Women‘s Prize event. I‘ve got a couple more books to read from the Women‘s Prize shortlist to kick off my July reading.

I‘ve got mixed feelings. Whilst I liked and sympathised with the main characters, to me their story was one of a spiral into grief and mental ill health and for much of it I struggled to understand the talking inanimate objects and just felt frustrated I wasn‘t getting it. The last 100 pages turned it around and left me feeling surprisingly teary and nostalgic for a book I just finished and hadn‘t really enjoyed! The great weirdness of reading!

I have been sick with a virus (Covid neg) for a week now. With all the rest and fluids, I had hoped to read more. But alas a stuffy head does not cooperate. First actual full day off work and am finally making progress. Ozeki is profound but reads easy. She remains one of my favorite authors, yet each of her books is so different from the rest.

Not a bad way to pass airport time.

I‘m pleased to see Ruth Ozeki win the Women‘s Prize! 🇨🇦

Music or madness. It‘s totally up to you.

This is a hard book to review. I liked parts of it but overall it landed on more of a miss for me. I think the author tried to tackle too many topics, it was wayyyyy too long, it veered into whacky territory at times and it was VERY depressing, although there were moments of levity. Im glad I gave it a try but #MoreMehThanYeah and Im so happy it was a #BorrowNotBuy

Now I remember why I was so reluctant to pick up this book…it‘s a #Chunkster 😝audio is 18+ hours & while im enjoying…. its really LOOOOOONG!!! I‘m at the 50% mark and I still have another 9 hours to go😅

I can‘t believe I didn‘t want to read this book, it‘s amazing. I‘ve been avoiding it for so long. And the magical realism, which I normally detest , completely works in this story 🥰 Audio narration is fantastic 🎧🎉🧡

Woohoo 🥳 my library hold came in before the #WomansPrizeForFiction22 has been awarded 📚🍾 🥇 This is my last read from the shortlist.

For once in my life managed to get to Kinokuniya on the first day of their foreign foreign book sale (20% off!) Can‘t wait for the weekend🌟❣️🌟