Welcome to Litsy!

I've been reading this book for 2 years. It didn't need to take me 2 years, but i think I started it at a time when I really needed it and it drew me back in those moments when it would do me the most good. #61-2024

Some interesting ideas. The narrative was a little too winding for me. She certainly did research, but maybe the concepts were too broad and not focused enough for me. But writing a book about bittersweetness may have to be that way.

“What are you longing for?”

Powerful message!!
…Second obligation is to create a life worth living!
…But the key of fulfillment, says Breitbart, is learning to live who you are rather than what you‘ve done.

Briefly, the point is that in a culture centered on faking positivity and optimism, anxiety and depression spike, as people are not allowed to show and voice their pain and problems and accept that human sorrow is natural and inevitable.
I found this one rather boring and repetitive, maybe because I come from a culture where the role of a bittersweet state of mind is already acknowledged in overcoming pain and responding to grief with compassion.

Zoned out quite a bit when listening to this one

Oprah‘s Bookclub pick up next💗

A reminder that we can only know joy by also knowing sorrow. Life truly is bittersweet, as I know all too well: watching my young sons grow and interact with their great grandparents (my beloved grandparents) warms my heart but at the same time brings a tear to my eye knowing they only have a short time together. Cain discusses sad music, those with a “melancholic” disposition, and how to live while we‘re all dying. Bittersweet indeed. Great audio

This book took me forever to read because sprinkled throughout the chapters are many reflective questions that just had to be considered. But it was worth it. This is one of those books that seems like you could read several times and different parts would speak to you, depending on what you are looking (or longing) for.

A beautiful, thought-provoking book on the place for grief and pain in our lives, and on people who are particularly attuned to those feelings as well as to joy and love. Not a self-help book, but still one that encourages insight and practice into tapping into, examining, honouring, and expressing these emotions, especially in a culture where many of us feel they need to be hidden or repressed.
#Booked2022 #Writtenin2022
#Nonfiction2022 #Quiet

"Whatever pain you can't get rid of, make it your creative offering."

I love Susan Cain. I‘ve really enjoyed listening to her speak about this book in interviews, so I couldn‘t wait to start reading this. But, I‘ve gotta admit that it took me ages to get through the first 1/3. After that though, I got really into it and flew through the rest of the book. I found the subject matter really interesting and it gave me a lot to think about. I definitely received some new insights and am glad to have read it.

Finally decided to purchase the audiobook of Susan Cain's new book after being on the library hold list for what seems like ages. I've heard Susan Cain interviewed on multiple podcasts on her new book and just couldn't wait any longer for it.

I was skeptical at first but I‘m glad I preserved. The author uses her fraught relationship with her mother as a springboard to explore the benefits of sorrow. A must-read for sad girls everywhere! #BOTM

I honestly didn‘t love the writing in this one. I felt like there were a lot of popular references that could have been good but also in some ways if you weren‘t familiar were hard to follow. It felt a little disjointed in parts for me and I just had a hard time getting into this one. It just wasn‘t for me even though I love non fiction books.

I honestly didn‘t love the writing in this one. I felt like there were a lot of popular references that could have been good but also in some ways if you weren‘t familiar were hard to follow. It felt a little disjointed in parts for me and I just had a hard time getting into this one. It just wasn‘t for me even though I love non fiction books.

Leonard Cohen‘s artistic inspiration was moving apart from Norwegian woman named Marianne Ihlen

“Whatever pain you can‘t get rid of, make it your creative offering”
#poignantsoul #bittersweet

“This longing you express
is the return message.”
Your pure sadness
that wants help
is the secret cup.
-Rumi

Books 53 and 54.

🎧6-10-22 || The author‘s first book Quiet was such an impactful read for me that I couldn‘t pass this one up. As a “melancholic” and introverted type, I identified with much in this book. Also, I appreciated listening to this as her voice is very soothing!

The pace was too slow for my liking, but the subject was interesting. I definitely relate to the sad music and doing art as therapy. #MarvelousMay

This book has an emphasis on music and how it affects us. I just bought it and am looking forward to that part. I‘ve always been triggered by music and I think this book will be very interesting!

Oh gosh, this triggered memories of my sorrowful years in the aughts. She speaks to how melancholy music (think Leonard Coen) helps listeners give away their own sorrow to a song as a means to move forward. How does she know me and my 60-gig now-powerless I-Pod filled with playlists named PlainSad, PlainGrief, PlainPathetic!? …And recently I told Alexa to play the This Is Us song, Forever Now, on repeat.

1. Medication, and alone time plus learning to spend less time on social media.
2. This week I have done more pour painting, and spent time outside reading and listening music.
@MoonWitch94

This book was bittersweet for me. It offered a lot in the way of detailing how the sour in life is necessary. She makes some very good points, and I found her emphasis on music especially interesting.

There is a quiz at the start of this book to determine if you inhabit the bittersweet state. Some of the questions are:

Do you react intensely to music, art, or nature?

Are you moved to goosebumps several times a day?

Do you tend to see the happiness and sadness in things, all at once?

My score determined that I am "a true connoisseur of the place where light and dark meet."

Lots of food for thought and fascinating insight.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A poignant, contemplative book on honoring pain and sorrow in order to transform it into connection, compassion, and creativity. The section on intergenerational trauma and how suffering and healing can be passed through our ancestors was particularly fascinating. I can see myself revisiting this curled up on a rainy day with a beautifully melancholic playlist and time to think. 🎧

Curious about Cain‘s perspectives.

This was such a thoughtful book and I kept thinking about it even when I wasn‘t listening to it. Read by the author. About turning the bitter moment in life into something sweet. She takes it to places I didn‘t expect - particularly interesting was the chapter on America‘s culture of positivity.

I really loved her first book Quiet, but this was just okay for me.

For Cain, it‘s Leonard Cohen, but for me, it‘s Elton John‘s “Sad Songs”. Either way, we both relate to the melancholic, bittersweet side of life. Cain investigates this tendency and argues that America‘s relentless positivity is actually a negative. She talks to scientists and religious clerics and shares a lot about her own strained relationship with her Orthodox Jewish mother. If you‘re a melancholic soul or enjoyed Quiet, check this out.

This is a nice companion to Quiet given the significant overlap between introverts and naturally bittersweet types.

Cain argues against our relentless obsession with “normative sunshine” and explores the power of embracing a healthy dose of melancholy. Nothing earth-shattering, but leaves you with some good food for thought.

I‘m always b*tching that #botm doesn‘t offer enough narrative nonfiction. But yay!! This month they did so I snapped it right up. Also read some good stuff about True Biz, so I couldn‘t resist.

Did anyone read "Quiet" by this author??

#botm

This one just got added to my TBR!!

Unlike her earlier book, Quiet, this one be done don‘t quite gel for me. Some interesting ideas here, but the organization or something was off for me and it just didn‘t feel like a cohesive whole. #ARC #Edelweiss

Following up Quiet, Susan Cain explores the stream of consciousness she refers to as the 'Bittersweet', a realm where sorrow, longing and depression reside. Utilizing art and creativity, she looks at past examples to meditate over and ponder on order to reconcile the obstacles and come up with a viable solution.