Welcome to Litsy!

“Dusk is the most dangerous time, according to Bao's nanny; the blurred gap between day and night when creatures who resemble humans appear. They exist on the very edge of society, at the tipping point of madness where dreams and nightmares come true.”

Manchuria 1908. Beautiful writing - fox spirits, family relationships, eldest sons, grief and redemption.
#Read2025 #Bookspinbingo #LitsyAtoZ #Pantone2025

#weekendreads

@rachelsbrittain

“Perhaps you know this story: Late one evening, a beautiful woman comes knocking on an unsuspecting scholar‘s door.”

#FirstLineFridays

@ShyBookOwl

A mother seeking vengeance for a murdered child finds herself serving an older woman and her family haunted by a strange curse. An investigator with an unusual gift is asked to explain a spate of recent deaths, but cannot find his dearest friend. Fate brings these characters and others together against a backdrop of modernization and political turmoil. I enjoyed this 4/5 ⭐️ pick immensely.

This is more fantasy than I am used to from this author but the traditional culture and belief system are on brand for sure. I enjoyed this immensely.

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

I was supposed to be reading women's prize nominees, but instead I fell into this beautiful story about loss, minority communities - and mythical fox-people.

And I loved the footnotes. (Sidenotes?)

The first rule of foxes is that you don't talk about foxes. The second rule is well, I shall tell you when we get to that part, but I was so incensed right then that I almost walked out. And perhaps I should have. Turned around, and vanished into the rain-scented night, leaving Shiro smiling in that ring of rapt faces, the bright oil lamps making a charmed circle against the dark.

But curiosity has always been my weakness.

The last #12DaysofChristmas post. Thank you for hosting @Andrew65

Fiction
The tagged was a highlight of my year. I will eagerly read anything by Yangsze Choo

Non-fiction
Square Hauntings by Francesca Wade examines the lives of 5 extraordinary literary women in London between the wars.

#Midwintersolace #Litsolace

Welcome to #FridayNightshare 'tis Friday, I checked this time. 😅

Week 5 theme is a favourite fiction book about animals. Let's get those tbr stacks growing with our recommendations.

Mine is a book (tagged) I read last month and was blown away with the storytelling, plot, characters, and the foxes. It was an outstanding read of the year. 🦊

@Chrissyreadit @TheBookHippie

Highly recommend this one!
Weaving folklore and historical facts along with the story, I enjoyed the overall effect and the first person perspective from both Snow and Bao, which played nicely into the overall story for me as I saw the characters from their eyes and in some case their past experiences.

#popsugarreadingchallenge

Put up a new display at work. This one features some the best books of 2024 according to different publications, like Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, The New Yorker, NPR, etc.

Here are my picks for the 5 best historical fiction published this year. Are there any others you would add?

https://bookriot.com/the-best-historical-fiction-of-2024/

This has been a standout read of the year. I absolutely loved everything about it. The narrative is told alternately between Snow, the fox wife, and Bao, the private investigator looking for her. The setting is China at the end of Empress Cixi's reign, as modernity and Western culture start to infiltrate China.

It's heavily interlaced with Chinese, Japanese, and Korean folklore.
Highly recommended 5⭐️

I forgot to post my #10beforetheend stack. 😅
My 5 physical books pictured above plus 5 on Kindle
1) The Toymakers - Robert Dinsdale ✔️
2) Tagged - Reading
3) Murder on the Christmas Express- Alexandria Benedict ✔️
4) Father Christmas's Fake Beard - Terry Pratchett
5) The Mistletoe Murders - Nita Prose

@ChaoticMissAdventures

My 2nd book selection for #10beforetheend is this amazing novel. Only 3 chapters in and I'm completely entranced. Disclaimer - it has nothing to do with foxes being my favourite mammal. 💙❄️🦊❄️💙

@ChaoticMissAdventures

A marvelous folk tale brought to life by Yangtze Choo. Beautifully written, she introduces us to a world where humans and fox spirits coexist. Told in alternate stories, that ultimately coalesce, we meet Bao and Tagtaa whose lives were changed by fox spirits and Snow, whose life was almost destroyed when her kit was killed by a human. As the Qing Dynasty begins to die, all the characters must find their way into a new world. Highly recommended!

I thoroughly enjoyed this folky tale. Looking forward to reading more from Choo soon!

The Fox wife is a beautifully immersive experience. The very fabric of the story is saturated in Chinese mythology and culture. Violence and obsession are the cornerstone of the relationships between the fox and their human counterparts.

We have a LOT of foxes in our neighborhood, and a friend of mine has a family that returns to their yard every spring to have kits, so maybe that‘s why I was so taken with this book. They‘re fascinating creatures. And LOUD during mating season. 😁

LOVED this one. Second book in a row set in China/Japan/Manchuria and it‘s a corrective to all the misogyny and half naked women in the last one (JUDGE DEE AT WORK, Robert van Gulik) Based on regional folklore about foxes, this is the story of a woman who is also a fox who wants to avenge a tragic wrong, and also follows a detective who is a bit obsessed by foxes. Examines gender roles, power, and mythology at the start of the 20th century.

This was a slow burn but I liked it, and I‘d love to see it adapted into the big screen. The year is 1908, and two people are searching for someone, for answers. Each has a unique gift, which aids them in their journey. An ancient shapeshifter, an older man who can smell lies from truth…when their paths cross, they each must decide what to do with what they find. I enjoyed the fox lore throughout the book, and I felt the grief from the characters.

I‘m excited to jump into this book! Fox woman lore has always fascinated me. I love to see how stories and their similarities are shared between cultures, especially when they‘re very far apart.

A story about foxes with a mystery tagged on, and a body count. - I'm paraphrasing from the 'author's notes' at the end of the book.

Enjoyed this mystery and would have loved to see more footnotes.

Evening plans sorted. 😁 Needed some room in the freezer, so made mixed berry crumble. The teenager approved.

#audioknitting
#LitsyCrafters #KnittersOfLitsy

#TwoforTuesday
#Tuesdaygiveaway
@TheSpineView

This book gets ALL the descriptors: mysterious, lovely, heartbreaking, satisfying, lyrical, deadly, and so many more. Ah San (Snow) and Tagtaa are characters I will remember for a very long time. Both driven by love for family & loyalty to friends and lovers, they drive this story forward as one seeks revenge and one seeks to protect. The complicated relationships that connect the two women and Bao are intricately plotted and beautifully rendered.

I loved this story of a fox shapeshifter, Snow, seeking revenge for the death of her daughter. Her tale intersects with that of Bao, a human, who can tell when others are lying. The writing is beautiful and clearly evokes both a particular place and a particular time. I have always been interested in fox lore from around the world, and this book was a lovely take on that lore.

The only way to describe what this reading experience was slow burn fantasy. I listened to the audio read by the narrator and it gave a very lyrical feel to the story. It's told from two different POVs and I couldn't help but wait to see when they would finally converge.

Starting this today. I love the cover.

I enjoyed this book, in particular, because I am interested in Far East culture and mythology!

I was SO excited to get my hands on a new book by Yangsze Choo, since I loved THE NIGHT TIGER. In THE FOX WIFE, Choo draws on the Chinese mythology of foxes to tell a compelling, lyrical story of Snow, a fox in a revenge mission, and Bao, an investigator of mysterious deaths that may be the work of a fox. With an evocative atmosphere and complex characters but deliberate pacing, this is a book to sit down with in long stretches and get lost in.

We went to Barnes & Noble for my birthday today. I‘m pretty happy with my purchases.

A dual view story one being from a fox shapeshifter and the other a detective, their lives become intertwined as vengeance and duty bring their stories to the same point. I really wanted to like this book. The writing is absolutely wonderful and at times I really didn‘t mind how slow moving the book seemed to feel. The story was well thought out and everything in the end got resolved but I just wasn‘t super jazzed about it!

Very good. I enjoyed how the separate threads came together near the end.

I was a little distracted by unrelated things while listening to this, so I missed a bit at the start, but overall thoroughly enjoyed it. I like that we get to know this character who is a fox spirit but in human form while also having a mystery storyline alongside. And there‘s a buoyancy to the story that‘s appealing.

My entire #BOTM box.

3.5/5⭐ I received an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love the atmosphere of this book. Throughout is the pervading mystery of fox lore, how it morphs and impacts people of varying beliefs, and how it compares to the reality of being a fox in this world. If you like slower, atmospheric magical realism with strong emotions, this one's for you.

Full review: https://hissingpotatoes.com/2024/03/13/review-the-fox-wife-by-yangsze-choo/

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I really love the way Yangsze Choo celebrates Asian mythology and culture with her beautiful stories. This book does unfold slowly, but it‘s quietly spellbinding and dreamlike; it lingers even after turning the final page. #BOTM

After a week off earlier in the year than ideal due to a bad fever last week, we're back with a Feature Friday on the Fox Wife https://youtu.be/9vnJPhjg9kA

This was a fantastic tale about foxes who can transform themselves into humans. Snow wants revenge for her daughter's death and sets out to find the man who killed her 🩵🦊🩵
#LitsyLove
#NoShameReadathon24 #Revenge @Nessavamusic

This book was magic and my favourite so far by Choo. I read this slowly and am so sad it's over. The setting wad a character in itself and I loved how the two story lines weaved together. This will definitely be one of my favourite reads of 2024 and a book I will think about for a long time. Beautiful and perfect! #highlyrecommend

#OUABC 2024 Reading Challenge: 40 Prompts (8. A book with an animal‘s POV)

• 400 pages • first pub 2024 • fiction • literary • China • speculative fiction • adventurous • emotional • mysterious • 4 Stars

The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo is a good fit for those who enjoy immersive, culturally-rich stories that blend folklore, mystery, and historical fiction, with a focus on the intersection of mortal and spiritual realms.

#TheFoxWife #YangszeChoo #Bookstagram

Set in 1908 during the waning days of the Qing Empire, a detective with an uncanny ability to discern truth from lies investigates the death of a courtesan & comes across an even more incredible tale than he anticipated . At the same time, a young woman seeking vengeance joins a wealthy household as a servant hoping she‘ll find the one she‘s looking for. Engrossing historical fiction, a tale of murder, vengeance, & forgiveness. A really good read.

I'm trying something new called #ReadWithSuvata hosted by, yours truly, @suvata ...

• The first book is THE FOX WIFE by Yangsze Choo.
• Read at your own pace.
• As you read, come to #Litsy and discuss the story, comment on characters, add favorite quotes, etc.
• Warning: All sections WILL HAVE SPOILERS, so please post in the corresponding chapter‘s area.

Being a very eclectic reader you can count on a variety of genres.

Ugh… more than halfway through the month I #unskipped #botm #bookofthemonth for these…. What is wrong with me?! 😩😩

Also reading this lovely cozy for #SeasonalCozies 😄👏🏽👏🏽

Sadly, I‘m not available to do #Hyggehour this week because I‘m at work (taking a quick break 🥸), but I read the cozy earlier today in an attempt to find a little relaxation ☺️🥰

(Did I tag the right people? 😬)

#ReadWithSuvata @suvata #TheFoxWife
Post only Chapters 61 - End comments here

#ReadWithSuvata @suvata #TheFoxWife
Post only Chapters 56 - 60 comments here

#ReadWithSuvata @suvata #TheFoxWife
Post only Chapters 51 - 55 comments here