Welcome to Litsy!

LOVED. THIS. BOOK.

Like, so much!

Thank you @AmyG for such a wonderful Jolabokaflod gift 😊

The hives in the background are ours - in honor of the beekeeper 🐝 🍯

Loved everything about this book! From its short little chapters, to its compelling characters, propulsive narrative and several references to my favorite Elton John song, “Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters”. Spanning over 3 decades, it‘s a story about family, love, obsession, secrets and a serial killer named Eli.
Coincidentally, EJ‘s new album dropped this week. Its opening track, an ode to Laura Nyro, uses the repeated refrain “Eli‘s coming”.

Up next: this one has been recommended by so many friends!

#bookspinbingo

#AllergicToChunksters

I consider anything over 500 pages to be a chunkster so at 600 pages my first chunkster is completed! I enjoyed the writing and all the characters but I did have to suspend my disbelief a lot with the murder mystery and that was a bit of a disappointment for me. Still, it‘s a great character study and worth a read.

We all tell you to move forward, but where exactly is forward? There‘s no other place we can go. To face the past is to momentarily turn your back on what is now. And when you do that, you miss so damn much 🕰️

People say it gets easier, but that‘s only because each day we get a little closer to seeing them again 🌈

Whitaker is a brilliant writer. His talent took me on an emotional journey with these captivating characters as they struggled with emotional and physical pain, loss, and heartbreak.

Full review at abookandadog.com/blog/all-the-colors-of-the-dark

Original painting pictured by artist, Patrick Riley, is available at https://patrickriley.art/original-artwork-pss/p/its-what-i-live-for

I‘m not going to say I disliked this because that wouldn‘t be true. But I do think it was overhyped. I didn‘t care for the author‘s writing style — it felt too disjointed, as well as being long and drawn out. It took me forever to finish this, which is unusual for me. But the underlying story was good. And I do think it will stick with me for a while.

Honestly I‘m just relieved I finally finished it. The sentence fragments drove me crazy, and the language was pretentiously flower-y. I didn‘t care about the characters at all; any of them could have died and I wouldn‘t have cared. The murder mystery was interesting, and the characters could have been interesting, but the book was about 300 pages too long.

The last of my #12BooksOf2024 wasn‘t a hard choice since I read the last 400 pages of this in literally one sitting!! I loved it!!

Thanks for organizing this fun end of year summary, @Andrew65 — looking forward to next year‘s collection!

#12Booksof2024 @Andrew65

What a great first read of the year! A beautifully written family drama/mystery/thriller. It starts a little slow, and is most definitely heartbreaking. My closest comp would be Demon Copperhead. I highly recommend. 5⭐️

Edit: #bookspin pick done! Yay!

Next year I will hit 100. I feel it!!!

Another ebook sale on a book that I keep seeing on everyone‘s favorites of 2024 lists in case anyone still needs to pick it up.

@Texreader posted this today!

I‘m so excited I really want to read this!

Ebook on sale today.

Wow! Went in with high expectations & this still totally blew me away! I read the last 400 pgs in a breathless sitting—gasping, laughing, crying!Seriously, I loved this so very deeply that I must track down everything else he‘s written! What a talent! Great characters—not just the mains but scene stealers like Sammy & Charlotte, too! Well-plotted & epically spanning more than a quarter of a century, I didn‘t want to end, but desperately got there!

I can see why there is so much love for this book. It is a heart wrenching story of two best friends whose lives are shaped when one of them is abducted by a serial killer but it more the story of devotion and deep love than it is a thriller. There are so many amazing characters and beautiful moments. At 600 pages it did seem long and at times a little too much. I said, “What now?!” more than once but would quickly be put back under its spell.

@AmyG This is exactly what I was hoping for!! Thank you so much 😃

#jolabokaflod #jolabokaflodswap24 #js2024 @MaleficentBookDragon

I‘ve seen people raving about this and I get why. Two people meet as misfit kids, forming a bond impacted by trauma, then bound together through life by the obsession of one. It‘s engaging and well balanced. I really enjoyed it.

#Top24of24 The above are my top 10.
11-24….
Real Americans - Rachel Khong
The Friday Afternoon Club - Griffen Dunne
Familiaris - David Wroblewski
The Flight Portfolio- Julie Orringer
Bear - Julia Phillips
These Precious Days - Anne Patchett
All Fours - Miranda July
Clear - Carys Davies
Water - John Boyne
Shark Heart - Emily Habeck
The Wager - David Grann
The Overstory - Richard Powers
Starter Villain - John Scalzi

Favorite of the week, favorite of the year. #WeeklyFavorites @Read4life

And there it is. My favorite book of 2024.

Not sure how many chapters I read but way more than 20 (the tagged book has short chapters). I will also be reading more of the tagged book later.

@Andrew65 #20in4

This was probably the best book I‘ve read all year. Yes it‘s long, but wow, what a story. The story of Patch and Saint is heartbreaking, uplifting, and just totally immersive. If you like Tartts “The Goldfinch” you will probably like this as well. It‘s definitely takes you to dark places but for me it was a story I couldn‘t stop reading. How everything came together at the end solidified what a beautifully written story this was. 💕

Reading my section of Whiteout and then back to the tagged book which I am loving.

@Andrew65 #20in4Readathon

Wow! This book took a looong time to read, for some reason, but was worth it! The real story started about 200 pages in, and never stopped. Im@not sure I‘m a fan of his writing style, but it is a great story. Recommend!

I just finished this audio…. And woah. I really didn‘t know much about the story when I started, but was hooked pretty quickly. It‘s the story of two kids- Patch and Saint. Patch is abducted when trying to save someone else… and Saint doesn‘t give up on finding him. The effects last their entire lives and extends deep into their community. I loved it.

This was good…but it felt loooonnnggg!! It‘s very character driven and there are a lot of names to keep track of and I honestly lost track from time to time and just had to wing it. But it is beautifully written and a tender and heartbreaking story, so I would recommend it for those that love this sort of thing. 🌟🌟🌟🌟

1. I am a serious planner who could probably use a little more spontaneity!
2. Nothing went according to plan in the tagged book. Wild things happened until the last minute.

#Two4Tuesday. @TheSpineView

#UnpopularOpinion time!

Chris Whitaker is just not for me. I think there's a really good story buried here, but he overwrites and gets in his own way. Sometimes beautiful writing is the point, but sometimes it is an obstacle. I find this to be the latter. He uses 100 words for what could be said in 10.

Glad it works for others, but it's not for me!

Author talks always bring more depth to the book. Glad I listened in to Chris Whitaker, he is an interesting man.

“The bad are the few, but often they shout louder than the many. Don‘t mistake silence for weakness.”

I was sneakily trying to finish this door stopper at the Roisin Murphy show last night. The book is as good as everyone is saying. I have one teeny quibble about the ending but otherwise it was phenomenal. Up there with Tomorrow x3, Natchez Burning, Birnam Woods and a few select others who live up to the hype.

This book felt like an odyssey. Patch is abducted and held captive as a young child and friend, Saint, insists on finding him. And that‘s just the beginning of a very long journey in the lives of these two. There is a fabulous assortment of other characters who surround them as they try to find someone who is killing young women. The middle goes on a bit but I thought Whitaker did a great job with this story.

Check out this beautiful hand painted watercolor painting I found inside this library book. Apparently was someone‘s bookmark. Looks to me like a view across Lake Champlain from Vermont to the Adirondacks in New York.

#Two4Tuesday @TheSpineView Thank you for the tag @Kshakal

1. I have not, I attended the Disneyland Halloween party and have enough candy til next year 🤣
2. Dark, small town, abduction…

Tagging @Jenreads @dabbe @BethM

A young friendship is tested, devastated, and rebuilt around the events of a serial killer‘s abduction.

Obsession ✨ Humanity ✨ Pain

A book written like a memory. For fans of True Detective.

I was so glad I was able to get back to this book after having to return it to the library last month! I kept turning the pages (loved the short chapters!), hoping for some happiness for these characters who seemed to face nothing but heartbreak. Definitely one of my favorites this year.

#HauntedShelf #HexesandCrows @PuddleJumper @CatsandBooks #PumpkabooHunt #SupernaturalBookBingo @outsmartyourshelf #Witchathon @TEArificbooks

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Such a beautiful, gorgeous book. I don‘t know how I‘ll start another one after this.

#wickedwhispers #dark
My current read!
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs

Time to find out what all the hype is about.

#AllTheColorsoftheDark #ChrisWhitaker #BookSpinBingo #SeriesLove2024 #September2024

1975 is a time of change in America. The Vietnam War is ending. Mohammed Ali is fighting Joe Frazier. And in the small town of Monta Clare, Missouri, girls are disappearing. A missing person mystery, a serial killer thriller, a love story, a unique twist on each, Chris Whitaker has written a novel about what lurks in the shadows of obsession, and the blinding

1. All the Colors of the Dark
2. Paper books always unless traveling, then Kindle
3. Mysteries for sure, followed by award winners.
@Eggs #WondrousWednesday

@Deblovestoread Thanks for the tag!

Patch‘s quest to find a fellow captive he‘d known only in darkness takes him to coal mines, bank robbery, jail, elaborate home construction, and lots of art. He goes from misfit pirate wannabe (his most interesting phase, in my opinion) to saint of all trades. His quest is seen as noble by characters, but it‘s easy to see selfishness as his voyage extends. When you dedicate your life to finding someone, you forget the ones who are already there.

OMG-READ THIS BOOK!! The writing style took some getting used to, but once it clicked in, I couldn‘t put this book down. I didn‘t want it to end. I laughed out loud at times, especially at young Charlotte‘s witty comments. I also cried. I sang along with songs mentioned in the story. (While Mona Lisa‘s and Mad Hatters…). There was so much LOVE between these pages. “And I thank the Lord there‘s people out there like you…”, author Chris Whitaker!

1. I draw strength from the family and friends who have loved me throughout my life, through the good times and the bad times.
2. Saint in All the Colors of the Dark. She will go to any lengths to help those who she loves.

#Two4Tuesday. @TheSpineView