Welcome to Litsy!

I'll be the first to admit historical fiction is not really my thing. I did appreciate the story but it never really fully engaged me. I also found it hard to believe that identical twins would have such vastly different capabilities which took me out of the story. I'm sure people that love historical fiction would have a good time with this it's most likely a case of me not the book.

I very much enjoyed this historical fiction that takes place during WWI in Oxford. Peggy and her twin Maude live on a houseboat and work in a bookbinders. It‘s from Peggy‘s point of view, and with her we learn about how books were made at the time (are they still? I imagine the process has changed a lot), volunteer in a makeshift hospital for war victims, and attempt to win a college scholarship in a time poor women didn‘t get to go often. ⬇️

This was a lovely story of two British sisters who work in a book bindery and how their lives are affected during WWI. It's about family, obligation, ambitions, and class structure. I didn't love it quite as much as The Dictionary of Lost Words, but still a strong pick.

October #wrapup #spookoween #31by31 #witchathon

Had so much during Litsy spooky time with all the marathons. I read 4 books, one of them was witchy, 2 comics, 1 children‘s picture book, and 1 middle grade fiction with over 32 hours of reading time for the month. Thank you to all the wonderful Littens for hosting these events @TEArificbooks @TheSpineView @Catsandbooks

I‘m finally getting caught up on my reading and readathons! First book of #spookoween completed and nearly 14 hours reading time towards my monthly goal of 31 hours for #31by31

I give this book a soft pick as it was light on plot and sadly a bit dull. It tells the tale of a young girl that binds books in Oxford England during WW1 as she dreams of attending university.

I enjoyed this historical fiction book. Good character development and growth.

An engaging historical novel telling the story of two young British women and how their lives are affected by the beginning of World War I. Peggy and her neurodivergent twin, Maude work for the bindery at Oxford‘s University Press. Peggy longs for access to higher education, but fears the Maude cannot live without her support. Refugees from Belgium change their world, offering new vistas. No easy solutions or pat endings here. An interesting read.

5 star read for me. Genres: Historical (WWI), literary. The novel follows identical twin sisters Peggy and Maude, bindery girls for Oxford University Press. Issues of class, women‘s rights (or lack thereof) are woven throughout the book. What this novel brings to the forefront is the erasure of women and their contributions in history. If interested, read Williams other book The Dictionary of Lost Words first-there is crossover between the books

#FirstLineFridays

Scraps. That‘s all I got. Fragments that made no sense without the words before or the words after.

I love books about books, and historical books about books are particularly great.

https://bookriot.com/historical-fiction-books-about-books/

“‘Sisters: Women bonded by a shared desire for change.‘ I was not alone, I realized, in wanting something I was not born to have.”

Set in England during the Great War, this focuses on twin sisters Peggy and Maude, who work as Bindery Girls at Oxford University Press. While Maude is happy where she is, Peggy dreams of joining the students at the college across the street.

I really enjoyed this and have already bought her other book 😁

I was curious about this stand alone book because the subject matter was so similar to her previous book. I would say this one is character-driven using history to tell the story whilst the Lost Words was history-driven using characters to weave the story. In fact, I wondered if her research for Lost Words provided her the makings for another story. Sure enough , the author‘s note at the end confirmed what I suspected.

Who else loves bookish holiday traditions? I wrote an article over on Book Riot about Jolabokaflod, one of my favorite new Christmas traditions. And Litsy gets a shout out as the first place I heard about this lovely book exchange!

bookriot.com/bookish-tradition-jolabokaflod/

Set in the same universe as Williams's The Dictionary of Lost Words, this is a story of a female bookbinder who longs to study at Oxford at the dawn of WWI. I enjoyed this novel more than The Dictionary of Lost Words. The setting is immersive, the plot is evenly paced, and the dialogue is good. I also learned so much about the process of bookbinding at the turn of the 20th century and took a deep internet rabbit hole dive on WWI. Excellent read.

This was a slow read but overall I enjoy a historical fiction, especially based on an academic setting. J didn‘t think I enjoyed it while reading it but I do keep thinking back on it 4⭐️

Most readers will focus on Williams‘ love of books and the empowering story of women in WWI. I was much more taken by the themes of sacrifice: Peggy makes sacrifices for family and learning, Bastiaan sacrifices for love of country and love of a woman. Books themselves sacrifice their beautiful binding for their readers. And in the end, readers are left sacrificing the perfect ending for the reality and gravity of the time period.

A cool, occasionally rainy, day and some fall colored new books. 🥰

A beautiful ode to books and love. Set in WWI in Oxford following the life of a bookbinding girl along with many wonderful characters. It has such a smooth rhythm that absorbs you in the best possible way. Such an amazing read!

I read William‘s 1st book The Dictionary of Lost Words a few years ago for book club. This book, her latest, was chosen for book club this month.
Most people who‘ve read them rave about them, but for me, whilst they are a pick, I didn‘t love them.
I felt more engaged with The Bookbinder and the characters, setting and story were well developed.
It‘s great to be reading so many historical books lately that elevate the stories of women 💪❤️🔥.

Another gorgeous WWI era historical fiction novel about books from Pip Williams, this time following a bindery girl who longs to read books at Oxford, not just bind them. I really appreciated the insight into the divide between Town and Gown in Oxford and the look at refugees and attitudes toward war in England before, during, and after WWI. A really excellent historical fiction novel.

#NetgalleyBingo : Author You've Read Before

Me time 📖🥰🙏
#currentlyreading
#bookclub

My #weekendreads. An ebook and two audiobooks.

Really nice read after The Dictionary of Lost Words. Audio by Annabelle Tudor great to listen to. I didn‘t feel as connected to the story as I did with DoLW but I still enjoyed the characters. I wouldn‘t have enjoyed it as much if I hadn‘t read DoLW first though.

I really enjoyed her previous book, and this one is great, too! Peggy is a book binder alongside her twin sister Maud (who seems to be ND) but longs to read and study the books instead of binding them. Set in the backdrop of WWI, this is an affecting love letter to the book as object and a story of a lovely young woman.

One of those books to read slowly and savor. It‘s so many things, and does all of them well: a period WWI story, a book about books and the physical making of them, a study of relationships, and an exploration of dreams and ambitions, and the sacrifices made to achieve them. Loved the characters, the setting, everything. Definitely worth a read. (A shelfie seemed appropriate).

Loved it! Loved the characters, the storyline, the setting, the way it was written, the little tie in to The Dictionary of Lost Words. Loved that it was set in the bindery of the Oxford University Press. This is a beautiful novel showing us a slice of history told through women‘s eyes.

I‘d forgotten that I‘d preordered this for my Kindle, but I loved The Dictionary of Lost Words so much, I just couldn‘t resist. I‘m not waiting. I‘m starting this now!

I loved this book! I found myself completely swept up in this WWI story. The characters were all so very vivid and you can tell the author loves everything about a book. This is really a love note to books and the art behind how one is made.

Heads up that #BOTM put up a new add-on early! 📚

Just finished ,sitting outside in the glorious winter sunshine and warmth. I loved this book almost as much as her Dictionary of Lost Words. Takes place around the First World War. I seem to be reading a lot lately about women lost to history because past history written by men. The authors note very interesting. The book is peppered with facts. Those I found intriguing especially a bit about an Aussie serviceman .

Going to be working through my arcs the next couple of weeks. I‘ve let them get so backed up. There‘s like double this amount 😩