Welcome to Litsy!

This is so pretty. Book browsing is my favourite pastime after reading. Whether it be in shops, libraries or friends bookshelves. I can't walk past a bookshelf without a head tilt and sneaky peek.

All my latest book buys and library loans are tagged in the comments.

Hail #SpookySeason 🖤🎃🖤

Illustration by @nicolasaqo 🍂🧡

A fun dark read with podcast elements (one of my favourites) and I was completely sucked in by it and couldnt put it down.I couldn't get enough of It it's set in a bookshop, dark humour, murderous thoughts.The characters and their stories were so much deeper and fleshed out than I had first anticipated and although this was a darkly humoured book it was also very layered thriller about obsessions and I couldn't get enough of it. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Very so- so . I only read it because it was recent and was an op shop find. The best part was a little snail drawing that was creeping along the bottom of some pages. For me it was not ‘ an all consuming thriller “ .

Roach - bookseller loner and true crime obsessive is not interested in making friends. That is until Laura joins the bookshop.
It becomes clear that Roach is prepared to infiltrate Laura's life at any cost.

I went to B&N to get Butter but left with these too thrillers instead. 😹
#impulsebuy

The two things I enjoyed most is that it‘s set in London and that it focuses on a bookstore and its employees. The story is pretty wild.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

The cover is gorgeous. That‘s the nicest thing I have to say. I don‘t hate it. I just struggled to like ANYONE and kept wondering why I care and why anyone does.

Just okay for me. I was invested enough to want to finish, but I felt like it could have been shorter/tighter. And man, the characters were all terrible! Not fun terrible, annoying terrible.

#ScarathlonPhototChallenge #Purple
@Clwojick @StayCurious

So many similarities to another I read recently: “How Can I Help You”. This is the British bookseller counterpart to the American library setting of the title I just read a few weeks ago. Both have two women, at odds, one of which is writing crime books about the other, in a bookish setting. This is like catnip for me apparently! But this one was slightly more creepy and a bit more fleshed out with commentary on true crime. The snail 😆 😱

Still reading Times Convert, so thought I‘d post the #BookMail that‘s arrived in the last few weeks. Buckle up, there‘s a few! First up is this gorgeous edition of Alice Slaters debut thriller. Roach is a bookseller, loner, true crime fanatic & parent to pet snail Bleep. Then Laura joins the staff, with her literary tote bags, poetry & trailing rose scent,she‘s Roachs opposite, but there‘s a hidden darkness that Roach is quickly obsessed with.

This was sooooo fun! Surprisingly cozy, in spite of the dark content - takes place in a bookstore in London in the fall. It was spot on in its descriptions of the bookselling business. I really enjoyed it!

some stuff here I liked but I was put off by how it dealt with class. Laura was such a Nice Middle Class Woman while Roach (literally called roach) was constantly being described as dirty, classless, uneducated, with a horrible working class gross mum etc. It felt very mean about ‘classless‘ women when I think the type of true crime fans she‘s trying to critique are more likely to be middle class anyway? Just felt like an odd choice.

I thought it was ok 🤷‍♀️ I got a bit bored, wanted it to hurry up and didn‘t like anyone except the book references.

I‘m not quite sure what this taste is but I am quite sure I don‘t want to try it!!

CASE SOLVED 🕵🏼‍♂️

Thanks for the tip @rwmg to email the author. She responded right away. 😃 It is an error in the text. Presumably it will be corrected in subsequent printings!

😫HELP! What does “nivelin” mean? This word is used frequently in this book. When I google it, I get only that it means “level” in Esparanto?!?!? It‘s driving me crazy not knowing. Does any Litten know the definition?

This engrossing story follows two booksellers in the same orbit as changes are happening at the bookshop. Slater injects fantastic nuance into these characters, making you question who you should be rooting for. I thought this was superbly crafted and can‘t believe it‘s a debut.

I had a hard time putting this one down. A delightfully quirky cast of characters and 2 rather maddening MCs, it was creepy without being scary.

This book was like watching a screaming train hit a stalled semi...in slow motion. You are compelled keep reading to find out how the heck this will finish. Slow burn. Creepy ending! Great writing and a strong debut. 🐌

This is an unusual and unsettling tale. I loved the setting and I liked the literary references. Of the two main characters one of them would scare me to death, though. She really made my skin crawl with her oddities. It‘s quite a slow burner with the narrative building slowly, gradually drawing the reader in, and it has some cringeworthy moments. All in all I found this a dark, creepy and compelling read with a spine chilling ending. #Pigeonhole

Happy Pub Day Alice Slater! Thank you @AardvarkBookClub for picking such an incredible thriller. It‘s one of the best I‘ve read! Top shelf stuff for sure. Aside from the one time where I had to get up and grab a bag of popcorn during a particularly titillating scene 🍿😅, I couldn‘t put this book down. I am pleasantly shocked that this is Slater‘s debut. Looking forward to reading more from her! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🤩

#Aardvark for the win 2 months in a row! Very decent shipping speed to my far flung spot, which I really appreciate! I‘m looking forward to all of these!

#Pigeonhole

Decided to read this book next. #aardvark #currentlyreading

#Bookmail is best mail!

Love this cover! #aardvark bookmail

My #aardvark pick is here! Another cover winner.

I just love how creative Aardvark Book Club‘s packaging is! Fast too! I was supposed to get this book on Monday. What a pleasant surprise! 😃

More excited about this month‘s Aardvark‘s picks than BOTM‘s April picks. A rare occurrence for me.

#Aardvark's April picks are up! Their clues had me ALL OVER the place this month but it kept me on my toes I got there eventually. This was my choice, and I love their logo placement, lol

GAHHHH, the #Aardvark clues are giving me WHIPLASH. My guesses are all over the place 🤦🏽‍♀️

This is a slow burn suspense novel about two women who work in a book shop, one of whom is obsessed with true crime and the dangers of the obsession.
It was intriguing, dark, full of awful people and once it got going I couldn‘t stop listening. Didn‘t expect the ending either
Really enjoyed this one

#netgalley

TBH, this was not what I was expecting when I selected this book. I was thinking something something more comedic, but this was more of a dramedy. That said, I did find the book very engrossing and really enjoyable. We have 2 POVs and let's just say neither of our MCs are perfect. The ending was certainly unexpected for me as well.