Welcome to Litsy!

⭐️5/5
I‘m probably being generous but I am a sucker for a collection of interconnected short stories that feel very literary fiction. While I didn‘t love the voice actor for this novel (which is being extra picky), the story itself was captivating. The alternating POV, the stories not being in chronological order, the look at friendship, love, sexuality, family, culture and heartbreak hit all the right buttons for me. One of my top reads so far!

The messy little stories that make up a big friendship.

The thing about studying in a library is that you‘re always tempted to check out more books📚.

New book! Ok, let‘s go!

Normally, I avoid short stories. I was very happy this made the #toblonglist though because it pushed me to read it.

These interconnected, intimate stories made for a great reading experience. Following the girls as they grew, seeing how their friendship evolved over time, felt realistic and the writing drew me into the lives of both Fiona and Jane making me want to see what the future would bring for them both.

#ToB23 #ToB2023

⭐️⭐️⭐️

I respect the complexity and intimacy of these interconnected, slice-of-life stories of two childhood friends throughout their lives, but the friendship didn‘t fully resonate with me. 🎧

This was a one sitting read. Told in alternating chapters we get glimpses of friends Fiona & Jane, from childhood through adulthood. Though the book doesn‘t go very deep, I enjoyed my time with the two characters. A decent debut and I‘m curious to see what the author writes next. #BorrowNotBuy #BOTMbacklog

Short stories about two Taiwanese-American friends experiencing the highs and lows of growing up, growing apart, and finding each other again.

Narrative ✨ Growing Pains ✨ Reflective

About as meh as my last dregs of watered down coffee....I want to say maybe it was the marketing because this book is not about these women's relationship with each other rather it is about 2 women going through relationships and they orbit around each other sometimes.
The way it is written I had a hard time knowing who's story we were following, or even how to tell the 2 apart though they had dramatically different story lines.

This was alright. Just didn‘t wow me. The stories of two friends as they travel through the years - sometimes close, then drifting apart, changing, and reconnecting. Somehow it just didn‘t really come together as a whole.

A coming of age story that was interesting but, for me, fell short of being a pick. The characters were well written and authentic but the storyline was all over the place and it kept taking me out of the story. #BOTM #BookspinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

This is a novel in pieces. Each chapter is from the point of view of either Fiona or Jane, two Taiwanese immigrants who have been in America since they were young girls. Their friendship waxes and wanes as they grow.

I‘m so in love with my Iris! I got them from my sister 3 years ago, and this is the first year they‘ve bloomed. 💜🌸

This novel of interconnected stories focuses on two women who struggle with the same things we all struggle with: friends, family, sexuality, careers. Very relatable.

Today‘s read: Fiona and Jane, stories about two young Taiwanese-American women who have been best friends since second grade

Today‘s snack: sesame balls with red bean filling

Today‘s drink: lemongrass tea

In Chapter 1 Jane‘s father moves to Taiwan for a year for a job. Jane visits him and learns Dad is in love with a man and never planning to come home. Jane tells her mom that dad is lying to and cheating on her, then feels guilty throughout the book about “outing dad.”

I guess I am just not accepting the book‘s conceit that this falls within the intended definition of “outing.”

This one was just okay to me. It wasn‘t bad, but also wasn‘t really a favorite. Nice story of friendship over time, just so so for me. I enjoyed the short stories aspect of it, showing me different times in the characters lives over decades.

Fiona and Jane follows the titular characters as they move through life separately and circle back to their friendship. I liked it overall, but I wish the audiobook had used two different voices for the characters, since they started to blend together after a while, even though they‘re quite different from one another. A soft pick for me.

You don‘t have to read this as autofiction to recognize that Fiona and Jane is Jane‘s story. The novel is bookended by two critical moments in her life: the first, a visit to her father in Taiwan, which ends in a revelation & a mistake that Jane will regret for years; the last, two decades later, when she finds a way to exorcise her guilt & come to terms with both of her parents.

https://sophronisba.com/2022/02/01/fiona-and-jane-on-friendship/

I found the first couple chapters to be very strong, but it got weaker from there. I wanted more depth out of the characters and their relationships. The vignette structure was just a little too superficial. #BOTM

Hmmm, this was okay. I liked the introduction to Fiona‘s life while she was a young child in Taiwan and coming to LA. I didn‘t find the friendship and experiences of Fiona and Jane particularly memorable. I kept thinking something would happen between Fiona and her father, and felt like that storyline was dangled out there but left hanging.

My last evening in Taiwan, my father wanted to show me Shilin Night Market. #FridayReads #morningreads #FirstLineFridays

Very mixed feelings on this book; I‘m love the complexity of the characters, the queer representation, and the fact that I know all the landmarks in this book. However, there‘s a lot not addresses in this book and that leaves me with my mixed feelings.

I am really enjoying this so far. The characters have a lot of depth and the writing is so precise. #morningreads

Book mail arrived! I‘ve been getting into reading more short story collections, and this one is interweaving tales of friendship and coming of age!

#bookmail #botm

First book purchase of 2022 arrived today! #botm (wow, I wrote 2021 and had to edit this… yikes)

My goal this year (I guess I can call it my resolution) is to read my subscription books in the month I receive them. Shouldn‘t be too hard as it‘s only 16 between Book of the Month and @strandbookstore but we‘ll see how it goes!

These interconnected short stories trace a very relatable friendship. F and J, Taiwanese-American girls, first met in elementary school. F was the striver, always top of the class. J has a big regret involving her father, which haunts her well into adulthood. As they age, men and distance come between them at times, but like many of my female friendships, they find their way back and support each other. Recommend! Great #botm choice.

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Whoo hoo! My Book of the Month box arrived today, just in time for the weekend! 🎉🎉🎉 Not that I'm going to start any of them this weekend! 😂🤣 I'm going to save Love & Other Disasters for February since it's a romance. 💕 The tagged book had two small rips in the cover but I think I'm going to just mend it at work with book tape rather than ask for them to send me a new one. ❤📖❤ #botm #bookmail

First snow of the year, and Molly and I are snuggled in the recliner. I‘m reading, and she‘s watching it fall. She‘s enjoying playing in it too. ❄️💜

My #botm box should be here soon. Hoping to devour the tagged book this weekend since I have no plans whatsoever for the first time since before Christmas!

It's a new year's miracle - I was trying to figure out how to explain my delivery or TWO BOTM boxes to my husband... For some reason, the mail came extra early today and I was able to sweep these babies into the house and onto the shelf before the hubs gets home from work 😎🎉🙌

Squee! #BOTM picks 🥰

I was planning on getting F&J anyway, and I thought about The Maid and Black Cake (which I may get on account two). Idk why I picked the nonfiction, but I think I‘ll be glad to have it when I‘m sick of fiction for a bit. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Excited to see what everyone one else got! #botm