Welcome to Litsy!

Absolutely loved this, even though Alethea had led such a sad life, this felt quite uplifting!

First #roll100 read down, and also #fourfoursin24 as Alethea works in retail and part of the plot is centred around this 🙌 - Retail Greyscale ✅

Well, a lot happens to Alethea in just one month. A bit too much if you ask me. It doesn‘t make the book very believable but I did certainly enjoy it. Alethea is a great character and I am happy with the way things are turning out for her after that month that changes everything. Set in #Trinidad so another #ReadingtheAmericas23 read 🇹🇹 and another light pick.

#WeeklyForecast 07/23

I have started The Women Could Fly for our #IndependentWomen buddyread the first weekend of March. Next will be the tagged one for #ReadingTheAmericas2023 and if there‘s time, I‘d love to start this Japanese thriller, the second one in a great series.

A harrowing read but powerful and ultimately hopeful in the end. This is a story of a feisty 40-year-old, Alethea, who has faced abuse in many forms all her life and is trapped in traumatic relationships. She is very much a loner and an avid reader. As she starts to make some meaningful bonds with some of her past connections and learns to make meaningful friendships, she slowly starts to make decisions to turn her life around.

I definitely enjoyed the book a lot. The Trinidad dialect took a few pages to get used to. I loved the amount of substance the book touched and how it was nicely paced out throughout the book. Tbh, I was a bit annoyed by the protagonist's tendency to justify everything in present for the mere sake of 'love'. Please read the trigger warnings before reading. The ending and the side characters made the book enjoyable. Definitely a pick.
4/5🌟

"This is how I does see the world: by reading books. I does go to London, Hong Kong, Siberia, even, when I read a book. I does meet all kind of people. Learn all kinds of words. Live all kinds of lives."
- Althea
PS - Ending the year with this lovely lovely quote.

Amazing should have won the womens prize in my humble opinion. It‘s a remarkable book I can‘t believe it‘s a debut it‘s one of the best books Iv read this year in my top 5 for sure ! There is a lot of pain so be warned and the abuse pages are hard to read but the author handled those amazingly.I could easily have gone on to read another 100 plus pages , Now on to trespasses so today Iv gone from Trinidad to Northern Ireland 😆

Bath time reads - wow 🤩 the devil the bread the knead is a remarkable book I can‘t believe it‘s a debut it‘s one of the best books Iv read this year in my top 5 for sure ! There is a lot of pain so be warned and the abuse pages are hard to read but the author handled those amazingly . I could easily have gone on to read another 100 plus pages . Now on to trespasses so today Iv gone from Trinidad 🇹🇹 to Northern Ireland

Just started ! Finally 😅😀

Could be the last time of reading 📖 in the sunshine ☀️ in the uk I‘m not ready for autumn 🍂 😩Iv had a couple of slow reading months so September will be better ! Planning to definitely read the bread the devil knead , the paper palace for bookclub & the prime of miss Jean Brodie & trespass by Louise Kennedy all have wonderful reviews 🤩🤩happy September folks 😘

I loved this. I think it was my favorite July read. It was on the short list for the Women's prize. And this cover drew me in. Set in Trinidad, it's the story of an abused woman who begins to rethink her life.

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

Picked up my free totebag from the library today. New favorite thing.

Tagged is my current library read which I LOVE.

A really moving and compelling story of Alethea, who is subject to domestic abuse and sees no way out. Despite the difficult subject matter I found this this a warm and uplifting story and loved the writing.
And there we have it, I‘ve read the Women‘s Prize shortlist and am feeling quite pleased with myself! What a brilliant range of books.

Today's beach read. ❤🏖

Probably shouldn't bring a library book to the beach. Shhh don't tell on me.

Really enjoyed this one and I can see why it was shortlisted for the Women‘s Prize. Great story with great characters. I would definitely read another of her books

A sad and hard story to read but with hope at the end. This story has many triggers like domestic violence, sexual, physical and psychological abuse, racism, is about poverty, opportunities, support love. Aletheia is an amazing character and I just live Collins. I wish I could have an audiobook to listen the Trinidadian creole accent, it‘s part of the character cultural identity. Beautiful book and in reality, the story could be worsen.4/4.5⭐️ ⬇️

Only a couple of hours until the #WomensPrize for Fiction 2022 is announced. Prediction? Favourites?
I have read 5/6 shortlist books and they were all good and very different reads. With the caveat that I haven't read the Ozeki yet, I think/hope that the winner will be The Bread The Devil Knead. I don't remember when I last hoped that hard for a happy ending for a character!

My last from the #womensprize shortlist and it was a good one. As many have warned, this is a difficult and distressing read. Alethea is a great character - endearing and so resilient. Thank goodness Allen-Agostini gives us a little hope at the end.

The judges have a very difficult task this year in selecting the winner (announced June 15). Can‘t wait to see where they land!

Gosh, what a read.
The Trinidadian Creole dialect took some getting used to but I found I really liked the tone eventually.
The fact I kept thinking about the story whilst not reading it shows how much it got into me.
Not a pleasant tale but one which shocks and then settles, time after time.
Interested to see what other book club folk will think.

Excited for this one!

Perfect timing... on hold on Libby, book club chose it, then it dropped into my account. Hurrah!

“When I wake up that morning, oh, God, my back and my belly was hurting.”

#FirstLineFridays

Fascinating to hear the author's reaction to the reading.

#WomensPrize #Shortlist

https://youtu.be/L2pbMZCBQAs

A playlist of all episodes in the Bite-sized Book Chat series: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLU-61cZp1pQdBH5V0Zb9q-2ujl4PY8nhf

Chat #1: with Freddie from Malaysia

The Bread the Devil Knead by Lisa Allen-Agostini

Chat #2: with Kezia from Ohio

His Only Wife by Peace Adzo Medie

Of the 5 #womensprize shortlist books I've read, I think this is the frontrunner for me. I just loved Alethea. Her story is both heartbreaking but hopeful. And I loved that it was in Trinidadian Creole. All the stars.
Also extra love for amazing title and cover.

This one is living up to the stellar reviews I've seen so far

Shortlisted for the 2022 #WomansPrizeForFiction and maybe my front runner…..
Alethea Lopez is living in Trinidad , nearing forty & trying to survive the daily grind of past traumas & her current situation - an abusive relationship with a once famous local boy band member. Written in Creole, this story weaves all the colors, tones, flavors of the Caribbean. When Alethea‘s past collides with her present new opportunities arise for sorrow & hope.

Just the title of the novel is enough to get my vote for 2022 #WomansFictionPrize but I‘m pleased to say the writing, story, characterization are equally fantastic!! I‘m about 40% in and I can‘t put the book down!!!! I wish this was available on audio, as I‘d love to hear the book spoken in its native tone.

Finally! It has arrived! I‘ve been waiting for this last one from the #womensprize shortlist. Now I just need to get to it before the winner is announced. Sounds kind of heavy, but looking forward to it. #bookmail

Unflinching and heartbreaking, but tinged with beauty and wit. Parts of this are incredibly difficult to read, please heed trigger warnings if they pertain to you. But if you can, it is a strong portrait of a woman buried in trauma and circumstance who just may be finding a way to herself

"... brutality is an inescapable inheritance of humanity, but so is Love. As terribly as we can be hurt, so deeply can we be healed. And we cannot stand alone."

So glad this was on the Women's Prize for Fiction list, I had never heard of it before that.
This isn't an easy book. TW for incest, child abuse, domestic abuse, infertility
The topics are heavy, but the book contains hope, friendship and strength, and though some pages were very hard overall it felt real and hopeful. I enjoyed getting to know Athelea and watching her overcome her upbringing and be supported by so many.

A gut wrenching story with glimmers of hope. I really enjoyed the narrative style and loved the main character so much, and really wanted her to find the freedom and healing she so deserved. ❤️

#womensprize shortlist

Four of the six I was hoping to see here made it so happy with that. I much preferred Build Your House Around Around My Body and Remote Sympathy to Great Circle. Sad to see those two go.

Now I just need to read The Bread the Devil Knead before the winner is announced on June 15.

#weeklyforecast
Final April push

Current read distracted by the coffee shop conversation going on beside me
Her: I see you are reading a book on polygamy. I am very interested in polygamy
Him: Mormon polygamy or regular?
Her Regular in my own life but like reading about Mormon, the books are often pretty wild
Spoiler alert - Rachel and Tom are going on a date on Wednesday.

Bringing in the Dolly mug for #weeklyforecast
Going to tackle 2 Women's Prize Long List books this week, I am way behind on them and will be far from finished when the short list is announced but that is my normal with this prize, too many books too little time.

#weeklyforecast

Also finishing up Just Like Home on EBook, only have 50 pages left on that.

Learning...

The book I was reading wasn't Tolstoy, just some murder mystery I borrow from the library. The detective was a woman who had a bookshop in London. This is how I does see the world: by reading books. I does go to London, Hong Kong, Siberia, even, when I read a book. I does meet all kind of people. Learn all kinds of words. Live all kinds of lives.

Thank God for books.

In this #womensprize nominated book, Trinidadian Alethea is about to turn 40 and is in an abusive relationship with her boyfriend.

The author doesn‘t flinch away from brutality (the book also includes rape and child abuse) but it is beautifully written and there is hope there too, but please heed the TWs before reading. 🙁

Written in Trinidadian dialect, I would have liked to listen to this but I couldn‘t find it on audio.

#WomensPrize

Rating: ⭐️⭐️/5

TW: Domestic violence, Sexual Abuse, Abuse against Children, Gun Violence

This brought me to tears by the time I finished. For a book with such dark themes (please check the content warnings prior to reading this), the author gives her main character strength, wit, and a unique perspective of the world to narrate her story. You'll feel like one of Alethea's friends, piecing her life story with her bit by bit. There is nothing to romanticize here. Alethea tells it like it is, and you just fervently hope for something

This book is really delivering on powerful writing. 💎

Longlisted for the womens prize this is the story of survival despite a lifetime of abuse and lies written in Trinidadian it is a good if tough read

The way I knew I had to get this book and read it from this line alone.

The tagged book was recently longlisted for the Women's Prize For Fiction.

Although a heart wrenching story, it is a true testament to what it means to be resilient. The strength and patience the protagonist - Alethea exudes was unwavering and remarkable. It took more patience than Job, to endure a life filled with drudgery and an insurmountable amount of abuse. Alethea was very fortunate to have friends and family that would support her.