Welcome to Litsy!

Not so much of a big win in today‘s LitsyToB24 semi-final - 60/40 in favour of Wellness.

The Rachel Incident has been storming through the brackets up until now, but appears to have finally met its match in Wellness. Which did you vote for and are you sorry to see Rachel go?

Look out later today, when Barbara will be posting the results of our zombie 🧟‍♀️ votes - who will Wellness go up against?! 🤔

I guess I need to take somebody for a walk.

I'm liking this book - I loved The Nix a lot, and glad this one is proving equally addictive.

This was the least voted on match (since one didn‘t have to vote in every match), but nevertheless Wellness won on a roughly 60/40 split. Are you happy with this outcome? If you didn‘t read one or both books, was there a reason? Wellness was one of my favorite books of 2023, and Birthday Party was my least favorite of the whole list, so I am happy. 😂😂

Tomorrow, I‘ll post the last quarterfinal match and a link to semifinal voting! #LitsyToB24

Another very close-run vote for today‘s bracket in #LitsyToB24, but Wellness just wins it by 11 votes to 9.

We chose to bracket these books together due to their unique storytelling about a couple. What did you think about each portrayal - did they ring true for you?

Both could also be classed as a depiction of American life. Were there any parallels here between the two books, or did the dystopia in Biography make them completely different?

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Nothing makes me happier than a witty rendition of all the dumb shit humans do. This is quite the exploration of modern American depths and shallows. College sweethearts Jack and Elizabeth hit multiple bumps at 20 years married, and try to navigate careers, parenthood, and their relationship in a variety of ways. You‘re going to find something relatable. A brilliant satire on contemporary life!

Book haul from a lovely Barnes & Noble morning 📚 I bought all of these books for a total of $23 ! Which feels like a blessing today.

I‘m still processing the layers of this story. It looks at relationships, marriage and parenting, but also at how what we believe can be so powerful. How things we believe our whole lives can shape us. How beliefs can set in, cult-like. And how our belief in something gives it its power - sometimes good, sometimes not. A great book! #LitsyTOB

Thank you to Litsy tech support for helping me get back on here after many months of disabled Facebook sign-ons! As a huge fan of The Nix, this book did not disappoint. Incredibly impressive, deep, disturbing, inspiring. The algorithms section was virtuosic and I‘ll remember it for a long time. Bravo!

I feel like I've been reading this book for months. It's never going to end.

ETA: Okay, you're right! The last part was very good. It was enough to make me happy I stuck with this. But it was a JOURNEY. ⭐⭐⭐

My #hyggehour will be spent finishing this one. Even without a fire going, my fireplace is a very cozy space 🥰

“He lives alone on the fourth floor of an old brick building with no view of the sky.”

#FirstLineFridays
@ShyBookOwl

I love this novel. Some parts are a smidgen on the nose, but the themes and interactions really resonate with me. Also, the MCs are almost exactly my age and not only saw some of the same bands around the same time I did, but are going through similar mid-life stuff at the same time. The family relationships, the stories the characters tell themselves, the misunderstandings...it all hits really well for me. Now to get my spouse to read it!

The raw look at marriage and parenthood really hit home for me with this one. It's a beast, but I found it compelling and readable. It will be one of my favorites of the year. I forgot to add that this was my #Bookspin for January @TheAromaofBooks

I had alternating feelings about this one, but what won me over was the author's ability to describe the human experience so well- I could easily identify with the inner thoughts of the characters. And I liked the ending, so that always influences my final opinion! Thanks to @MeganAnn and @monalyisha for the #auldlangspine push for this one that was teetering on my TBR pile!

Cozy with this character focused read about a marriage disintegrating

Jack and Elizabeth reevaluate their marriage in the face of modern love and childhood trauma.

Placebo ✨ Happiness ✨ Marriage

My #2024ReadingBrackets FICTION pick for January was the tagged book. I loved the witty snarkiness of the story about two people who meet as college students in the 1990s and how their lives progress into the present while dealing with the challenges of parenting, marital boredom, mindfulness apps, Facebook algorithms, and relatives brainwashed by fake news. It reminded me of a John Irving novel as the tangled plot strands merged into one.

February‘s #Bookspin list, with some more from my match‘s #ALSpine list, some #LitsyToB choices, and some others I just really want to read. The tagged is one I‘ve been picking up and putting down too many times over the past few months so it‘s time to finally finish!

Am giving this a pick but it stressed me out; one reason is that it made me sad, I appreciated the humor and knew I should and would usually love this kind of humor but my mood this month did NOT match what I am sure was a lovely read. All that to say, I am glad to close this & move on. The ending was kind of lovely. #LitsyToB24 #WiaN2024 Category: Double Letters #ReadICT Category: a book I meant to read last year

My feelings for this #litsytob24 book are jumblesd I am one of the few who didn‘t love The Nix and was planning on skipping this and yet I read this chunkster in almost one sitting. There was some skimming, because man does it get wordy, but of course it does since it takes on everything from open marriages to disinformation. I ended up intrigued by where it would go next even as I was getting annoyed by it. I ended up liking it despite myself.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ There were things I liked about this. I ended up liking and rooting for Jack and Elizabeth, and some of the psychological and relational insights they came to were deeper than in most fiction. But getting there was so tedious. There were so many overdone tangents that mostly just felt like the author showing off. He spent so long “showing” and then ended up “telling” eventually anyhow. Would have been great 30% shorter. #LitsyToB24

@MeganAnn I‘m just at the beginning , but I can see why you compared it to Shark Heart. Something about the tone is very similar! I‘m enjoying it so far!

#auldlangspine
@monalyisha

WHY IS THERE SO MUCH EXCRUTIATING DETAIL OF THE MOST TEDIOUS PARTS OF PARENTING SMALL CHILDREN??!! I mean, I get it‘s moving part of the story forward, but just like I don‘t want to actually fight with a toddler about eating something other than mac and cheese, I also don‘t want to listen to pages and pages of someone else doing it. #LitsyToB24

Other than the two I‘d read prior to our vote, this is the first #LitsyToB24 book I‘ve read. I really enjoyed it. It‘s less baggy than his debut, more focused, but still with a sharp satirical edge. After 20 years together, Jack and Elizabeth must reevaluate their “soul mates” status, a less romantic version of their origin story; the hopes and fears they‘ve never expressed. All this against the background of the insanity of 21st century America.

“Whoopie pies with marshmallow fluff.” #LitPie

#LitsyToB24 #WiaN2024 Category: Double Letter #ReadICT Category: Book I wanted to read last year

Following a couple throughout their beginning, childhood and mid-life stories, this book switches perspectives and timelines frequently. There‘s some background information that makes this a long read, but it added justification and explanation to what and why the main character did everything in their relationship. It‘s not perfect, but neither are the characters- which makes this book so enjoyable.

@AmyG look what came in the mail today! Thank you, friend - can‘t wait to read this ♥️

This is a chunkster but it doesn't feel like 600 pages while you're reading it. I can often find myself confused when a timeline jumps around a lot but I didn't feel that with Wellness. I was definitely more drawn to Elizabeth's story over Jack's but both were compelling and wonderfully created characters.

#12Booksof2023 @Andrew65

Favorite of the year…..Hello Beautiful

Though long, I flew through this audio/physical combo. I was invested in Jack and Elizabeth, a married couple in Chicago building their forever home, with a Minecraft-obsessed son and enough baggage to fill their new condo. Gloriously, we get to read their backstories, though Jack‘s life is more of a focus. [Jack and his father‘s Facebook— perfectly illustrates the recent American experience!]
Sad but funny, just like life. Loved it! #litsytob24

January‘s #Bookspin list, featuring #LitsyToB #ALSpine and others I‘ve been really wanting to read.

2024 is off to a great start! Loved this. It kind of reminded me of a John Irving book —nonlinear story arcs that appear to be random and going nowhere, but which come together seamlessly in an unexpectedly beautiful way. And just like an Irving book —it‘s definitely not for everyone.

At 624 pages, this checks off “Almost a Chunkster” for #chunksterchallenge2024.

First Book, #FirstBook2024 #WiaN2024 Category: Double Letters #ReadICT Category: TBR2023

This is one of those books where I can absolutely see why people love it. There are parts I liked a lot. But I just never connected with it. I often like a nonlinear structure, but here it worked against me—just as I started to feel I was connecting, it went to another place. It does have the best explanation of how computer algorithms work I‘ve ever seen and an awesome description of meatheads. #LitsyTOB24

@MeganAnn I‘m excited to dive into your list!

Pictured above are the ones I‘m planning to read over the next few months! I had already read Legends and Lattes, As Bright As Heaven, Shark Heart, and Kitchens of the Great Midwest. I‘m currently listening to Divine Rivals! Wellness was already on my January list so that‘s where I‘ll start!
Let the fun discovery of new books begin!

Thank you @monalyisha for setting up #auldlangspine !!!!

At times beautiful, painful, confusing and insanely wordy. I enjoyed it alot thanks to perhaps the last 200 pages.

#LitsyToB24 @squirrelbrain @Megabooks @BarbaraBB

#Shareyourstack I am currently reading Wellness, will read Rouge and Rachel next since I own them, and the bottom 3 have been piquing my interest for awhile, so they will probably follow, unless one of you writes a review for another that turns my head 😊
#LitsyToB24

#BookReport 50/23

Working my way through the #LitsyToB24 shortlist. The tagged one is my favorite of the three.
The fourth is a John Boyne for #Roll100 which I am glad I finally read.

#LitsyToB24 #ShareYourStack. I am reading Wellness and Happiness Falls now and will try to get the other ones read, too. 🤞🏻

@Megabooks @BarbaraBB @squirrelbrain

My goal is to read as much as I can of the tagged book for #LitsyToB24 and An English Murder for #GoldenAgeCrimeClub

Thanks @Andrew65 #DashingDecemberReadathon

#LitsyToB24 I‘ve been listening and reading this one for the past few weeks and it‘s good! Jumoing back and forth in the lives of Jack and Elizabeth, and in their marriage. So much is happening, so many side-angles. I loved the part about algorithms, I felt sorry for Jack and his dad, giggled about Elizabeth‘s scientific references, later felt sorry for her. I loved how they met, felt sorry for their kid, hated Brandy. I can go on, just read it!

My Kindle, my Kindle Kitty, and the Christmas tree. A perfect Saturday. 🥰 #catsoflitsy #holidays

My #BOTM arrived and thank goodness everything is intact and undamaged! The box was in bad shape!

I‘m looking forward to these!!

What did you choose?!

I got my family members books for Christmas (the best gift, naturally), and I threw in a little something for myself, too. I thought about wrapping mine, but I'm not sure I want to wait until the 25th. #wintergames #snowflakesquad

Grabbed this while placing a hold on another book at the library today. I loved The Nix, so looking forward to diving into this one. #pitbullsoflitsy #dogsoflitsy #dobby

Covid almost made me forget to choose my #BOTM!! I felt a little better earlier today now I‘m back to ughhh 🤧😷

What did you choose?

WOW. I don‘t have many words other than tremendous and extraordinary. One of the most authentic and affecting portraits of intimacy I‘ve ever read. #TOB24

I finished this two days before the ToB longlist was published and hoped it would be on there.

It‘s a difficult book to review as it‘s so intense ( but fabulous); we follow Jack and Elizabeth as they first meet, and then look back to different parts of their lives and their (dysfunctional) childhoods. You‘ll recognise yourself in areas of this book, as well as your own relationships.

I liked the detailed offshoots about culture, pyschology ⬇️

I‘m really excited to start reading Wellness by Nathan Hill! Nate was a student in my German classes during his high school years in the late 1990s. His first book, The Nix, came out seven years ago and was a bestseller for some time. This time around, Oprah has selected his new book for her latest recommendation!

I have been in an unexpected reading *slump* so my goal is to finish the two books I‘m currently reading: the tagged and Bright Young Women. Hopefully the extra time off work around the holiday will help. #NovelNovember