Welcome to Litsy!

I‘ve surprised myself in middle age by becoming a huge fan of locked room mysteries, and this is a fine specimen. When Ern, author of books about writing mystery books, attends a family reunion at a ski resort when his brother gets out of jail, he hardly expects to be solving a murder, let alone two. The mystery is detailed and rife with family secrets and Ern is a forthright, sympathetic and humorous narrator. I‘ll be reading more of this series!

I‘d call this a low pick. It was entertaining, and had funny moments. I‘m not much of a mystery reader, andI mostly picked this up because the title sounded different. I don‘t think I‘ll continue the series though.

So this is an interesting mystery, great audio, and I enjoyed the mc‘s breaking the 4th wall to keep the reader “in league” with the story. But I have to admit, that gimmick got a bit annoying by the end. I‘m looking forward to seeing what the rest of the book group thinks (if I can remember enough of this by the time we meet!) but I don‘t think I‘ll continue with the series. Or maybe I will once time passes.. I‘m very indifferent here.

This was a great introduction to this author I can really picture this as a movie and hope it gets there. I enjoyed the characters and how the book was written. This is one of those few mystery novels that I believe everyone would enjoy

We stopped at one last store in Corvallis, OR. Before leaving what a great little store bought these two for my tbr pile .

This was (despite the content) a fairly light audio read.
I quite liked the narration breaking the forth wall, trying to point you towards the same conclusions by making sure you are following clues and things. It was an interesting way to do the mystery thing.

And the story overall held my interest. I never work out who did it… maybe I need to read more mysteries 😂

Of course! the title made me read it. But, if the narrator decides to break the fourth wall, they GOTTA be interesting enough to get me through 300+ pages. Still kept reading till 50% hoping it might get better, and I might get the hype.
#hailthebail

Has anyone read this? It's a series. I believe there are 3 books so far. Oh my gosh! What a hoot! It has a bit of everything. I'm so enjoying this

IF I am driving on the roadtrip to CO, I am hoping my passengers will join me in listening to this. #bookclub #AppleCrumbPie #iLovePie #CaresPieShow

Meh didn‘t love this one

Someone by Benjamin Stevenson
A book club pick and an easy read. I‘m not sure how I feel about the narrator breaking the fourth wall, but it was interesting. The author/narrator tells you to pay attention to the Easter eggs and then ties it all up in the end. I knew who the killer was, but I didn‘t know WHO the killer was…IYKYK Book #10 in 2025

This was hands down my favorite from May! I just loved the way the story was told and I‘ll definitely read more by this author.

#12booksof2024

The present opening was amazing…one thoughtful gift after another…3 wonderful books..none that I have read.a beautiful bookish calendar, a fun reindeer drink mixer, soap and hand cream, reindeer socks, a lovely lens cloth and chocolates and shortbreads!!!!
Carolyn thank you for this….the books…they all look so good!
Hope everyone has a lovely day.
#AussieSecretSanta @CarolynM @LeeRHarry @thegirlwiththelibrarybag @MrsMalaprop @Rissreads @LapReader

One from my TBR

#Family
#ChristmasCheer
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs

#Family ?‍?‍?‍???☠️

#ChristmasCheer ?°❆⛄⋆.ೃ࿔?*:･❄️

#BookNerd ???

Finished up this 5⭐️ audiobook today. Clever and darkly funny, perfect for the season.

#FirstLineFridays

I‘m at an isolated ski resort in Australia. #WhereAreYouMonday

Next paperback starting tonight

#currentlyreading

#WhereAreYouMonday

Today I am somewhere in the highlands of Australia 🇦🇺 at a snowy, slightly run down resort, with a rather unpleasant family. So far the death toll is two, but it is going to get worse…😬

I‘ll finish it, but this is one of those books where the entire plot could have been avoided if characters just had a conversation. 😳

“Anger is as much an heirloom as any Rolex.”

The narrative style of this book was not easy for me to process and I honestly needed a pen and paper to try and keep track of who was who. Once I got the characters sorted, I enjoyed the mystery of the book. Though I think, given the style of writing, I would much prefer this one as a film.

I wasn't paying attention and the tagged returned to the library with 1 hr to go. My September #bookspin plans are already derailed!

/1 hour!!!!/

I love the way the story is told, very funny and clever as the author breaks the fourth wall and talks directly to the reader. I was expecting some sort of literary family drama, but instead it‘s more of a murder mystery. It became a little convoluted about 60% in, but the way it was told kept me interested and engaged. Fantastic on audio. Recommended if you like old-school detective stories that follow format and still surprise you.

⭐️⭐️ When a cover and title grab you so quickly that you don‘t bother to actually read the premise. I‘m not a huge mystery fan unless it‘s a thoroughly developed story. It‘s not you, Aussie crime fiction, it‘s me. The snark and humor were fun, but I didn‘t love the story, and definitely did not dig the fourth-wall-breaking narrator.

“1. The criminal must be someone mentioned in the early part of the story, but must not be anyone who thoughts the reader has been allowed to follow.”

Rule one of the commandments of detective fiction, which the author recommends the reader reference throughout the story.

I borrowed the audiobook from my library and it took me a while to start enjoying it, almost 50%. But once I got to that point I was invested and interested in seeing how it all worked out. I liked following along with Ernest on his journey to figure out whodunnit. His approach to the mystery as a writer felt refreshing. The ending took me completely by surprise! 3.5⭐️
(July 26, 2024)

Really enjoyed this break-the-fourth-wall whodunnit. A fun beach read even though it takes place during a blizzard!

“Family is not whose blood runs in your veins , it‘s who you would spill it for .”

#ReadMyShelves

Really enjoyed this one. Finished it too early on my flight home :( so now I‘m on a plane without a physical book 📖—- didn‘t plan well at all!

#FillYourCupFriday

🌷Spend quiet time reading
🌷Watch more Bridgeton
🌷Maybe nap
🌷Look at class documents/requirements - set up a plan (school starts Monday)
🌷1 load of laundry
🌷Get ready for my upcoming 4 days of work

I really liked this one! I loved Ern and the way he told his family‘s story. This got very twisty but was done very well. Glad I finally got to this one!

#bookspinbingo
#pop24 - book with a title that‘s a full sentence
#readordonate
#readaway2024
#tbrtarot - book by a male author

Really liked this murder mystery. A family‘s past comes to a murderous conclusion after one son gets released from prison….the other son put him there. Written in a refreshing murderous way!

My expectations were high. I thought I'd be snort-laughing at the wit while also being blown away by how intricate the mystery was. None of that happened. It doesn't make this a bad book; more that as @BarbaraJean notes this type of book works when the tone of the narrator is something that gels with you, & for a good part of the novel Ernest (the narrator) annoyed me. But it all perks up quite nicely towards the end, so it's a 3-star pick!

These are my two picks for #readordonate for May! This challenge has pushed me to read book I own! 😊

Something I‘m realizing about first-person narratives is that I need to enjoy the “company” of the person I‘m going to spend 300-ish pages with. Or they have to at least not annoy me. Unfortunately, Ernest annoyed me.

I appreciated the way Stevenson constructed this—with a section for each family member, revealing who they‘d killed. I liked the setup with the “10 Commandments of Detective Fiction.” Ernest bending over backwards to emphasize ⤵️

@wideeyedreader and I picked this one for this month‘s mother-daughter murder mystery book club. I loved it and did not see the end coming. We‘re reading the 2nd one next month 😁

I‘m starting this month‘s IRL book club pick and felt the need to show off my new bookmark, which was a birthday gift from my husband a couple of weeks ago!

I enjoyed this one a lot. A twisty murder mystery with an interesting cast of characters who all turned out to be not quite what they seemed. I didn‘t expect anything about the resolution, and I must have missed something because there was one aspect of it I still don‘t understand🤔 🤷🏻‍♀️ I realised part way through that I had read the author‘s debut, Greenlight, and didn‘t like it much. He‘s obviously improved 😆 #ozfiction

#ReadAway2024 #SeriesLove2024 Wow! This was a terrific book! I give it aaalll the stars. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

This was a hilarious good time — sharply funny, keenly insightful, tricky and twisty just a leetle bit deceptive. The characters were cleanly drawn, with a variety of personalities that all had hidden depths, and our narrator was self-deprecating and clever — but not TOO clever. I was caught up almost immediately and can honestly say I didn‘t see that last twist coming. Recommend for an excellent mystery and a thoroughly enjoyable read.

This book is original and fun. It plays with the format and rules for golden age detective fiction. The plot is a bit convoluted, and there are a lot of characters to keep track of, but it doesn‘t detract from the story. I was often distracted by the narrator‘s pronunciation of “assume.” He uses an “sh” sound like in “shoe.” You never realize how often an author uses a word until it‘s said oddly! #audiowalk

I‘m liking this book, but I find I really do need to pay attention! I took my husband out for his birthday, and the views out the windows were what we saw as we ate our lovely meals. I kept waiting for the rain, but it never happened. #audiowalk