Welcome to Litsy!

I have been so looking forward to this Christmas card, thank you so much Christie! Your Top 20 of the year is a yearly December highlight!

I think the list is unreadable in this grid but you can find it on theludicreader.com and her number one read is the tagged, which I can totally understand, I just read and loved it too!

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. 💕

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

Here is my September #bookspinbingo list! I‘m already reading numbers 2, 6, and 15 as carryovers from last month. I‘m excited to see where they fall on the bingo board! @TheAromaofBooks

Now that I‘m a member of a new library (since we moved last week), I plan to make frequent trips and have already put in lots of holds! 😁

I plan to start the month with the tagged book. Then on to some academia, dark and otherwise. #
Also hoping to reread The Shadow of the Wind and then finish the series over the winter. BookSpinBingo

This book reads more like a coming-of-age novel that happens to have a serial killer lurking in the background. It is well crafted, and the characters are lovably fallible. It's a deep dive into the late 70s, 80s, and 1990s when I was young, so I can really appreciate it.

This is an amazing book. Patch and Saint are childhood friends in a small town, and their lives are changed by a single moment of violence. We see their lives as they are transformed by that one moment. And the secrets…so many secrets come to light by the end of the book. Richly drawn characters and you will care about every one of them. Highly recommend this powerful story of love and redemption.

📚 ☀ 𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝐖𝐫𝐚𝐩-𝐔𝐩 ☀📚

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐎𝐮𝐭-𝐨𝐟-𝐓𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐋𝐚𝐰𝐲𝐞𝐫
𝐀 𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐞𝐫 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞
𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐝
𝐒𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐰𝐨𝐨𝐝
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐨𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝗪𝐚𝐫𝐬𝐚𝐰
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭 𝐇𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐥 𝐢𝐧 𝐁𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐧
𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐓𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐝
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝗪𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐞𝐡𝐫𝐚𝐧
𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐤

Oh this was such an enjoyable grid of books. I love books and figured out how to enjoy most of what I read. Two 5⭐️‘s here but the grid-win goes to the tagged!

5* = Loved It, want to shout out loud about this book! I do/will own/keep a physical copy. A+
4*= I liked it, would love to discuss. Solid B
3*=Meh, no need to discuss. Avg C
2*=Nope D
1*=DNF F

I don‘t remember the last time I read a 600 page book this quickly. And yet…by the end, while entertained, I‘m not sure I loved this book. And I think it‘s because by the end of this character study—& that‘s really what it is even though it‘s marketed as a thriller—I didn‘t really care about the characters. This story of friendship, love, obsession (most of all), & the darkness within ultimately felt as if it only skimmed the surface. Soft pick.

Read a really good review of the book, decided I wanted to read it, and 15 chapters in, this was a good decision. Really enjoying it so far. Hope it holds up.

Loved this five star read. Saint and Patch are perfect childhood friends until Patch is taken. Their search for the serial killer that has affected both of their lives is chilling. Save the girls. Loved the short chapters that said it all. 🎨🎨🎨🎨🎨

One of the most beautiful books I‘ve ever read. It will last with me for years to come and I know will remain a favorite of mine. Best book of 2024 and quite possibly my favorite ever. #BOTM

If I could give this book 10 stars I would do it in a heartbeat. This is probably the best book I have ever read. It was such a powerful book and I was so overcome with emotion when I finished that I just cried for like 5 minutes. Just..wow. This book is amazing.

Fabulous!!!!

This book is such an interesting study of characters in the aftermath of devastating childhood trauma. So caught up was I with Patch and Saint as characters that I didn‘t even attempt to solve the mystery aspect in this story and was taken by surprise with each twist and turn. It wasn‘t until I finished the book that I considered the social commentary delivered by the author. Well done!

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

3.5 stars rounded up! This is a sweeping, character-driven story that starts and ends with a bang, but did drag a little for me in the middle. I was sometimes frustrated with Patch‘s character and the way all the female characters revolved around him. It just seemed clear it was written from a male perspective. It‘s certainly a worthwhile read, though, and I‘ve seen lots of rave reviews from other readers. 🎧

A patron at work recently asked me if I ever get bored with reading. And the honest answer is - NO, NEVER! Even though I am constantly reading, and talking about books/recommending books at work, I have never once felt bored or tired of reading! Every time I open a new book I feel that same 'zing' of joy and blissfulness! It's the best feeling in the world, in my opinion! 💕📖

Also, I just started reading this and I am completely hooked! #botm

All The Colors Of The Dark

A stunningly beautiful story of hope, loss, searching. Youth shattered. What happened in this story is nothing short of horrific but told in a way that you will love the book. It's perfection...

Full review: https://lsmoore49.blogspot.com/2024/07/all-colors-of-dark-by-chris-whitaker.html

@chriswhitakerauthor
@bookofthemonth

#5joysfriday @DebinHawaii 😁

1. Far left - just finished the tagged book. What a joy it is to finish a good novel!
2. Top middle - My puppy, Sylphrena, is an absolute joy ❤️.
3. Top right - I feel joyous when I am able to learn and grow in positive ways. This book is helping :)
4. Bottom middle - my sister gifted me a special edition Little Prince book and bookmark 💫
5. Bottom right - I already surpassed my reading goal for 2024!

My Book of the Month box arrived today! 🥳🎉 Look at all these beauties! I've already started the tagged book, and I've fallen deeply in love with it! I can already tell it's going to be very very special! 💕📖 #botm

I read this in a day. It‘s almost 600 pages long, but the chapters are super short and it‘s mostly dialogue. Whitaker‘s super power is writing characters you fall in love with and there are several of them in this book, particularly Patch and Saint, besties who save each other again and again. There‘s also a solid mystery and some good twists. It wasn‘t the sucker punch of We Begin at the End, but I did love it.

#firstlinefridays @ShyBookOwl

“From the flat roof of the kitchen Patch looked out through serried pin oaks and white pine to the loom of the St. Francois Mountains that pressed the small town of Monta Clare into its shade no matter the season.”

This one is good so far 👍 (I‘m 20% in). It‘s a literary mystery set in the 1970‘s.

#mystery #fridayfavorites #happyfriday

This was a good read, a page-turner especially thanks to the super short chapters. At times, I felt there was too much going on and too much to keep track of, and there was a part at the end that felt emotionally manipulative. It‘s still a pick, but I‘m not certain it should be on the best books of the (half)year lists that I‘ve been seeing it on.