Welcome to Litsy!

I am not sure how to review this book that I finished reading a few days ago. The first half for me was meandering and a bit irritating. Then once I realised what was happening, I became more engaged and was propelled forward. Then it ended. I‘m not sure I “buy” the relationship. An unnerving, clever and different read.

One of the best books I‘ve read this year. The Netherlands, WW2, the persecution of Jews in Europe, all the collaborators. And a great conclusion.

Went to see the amazing Yael van der Wouden this evening.

She is a huge Miranda July fan for all you All Fours enthusiasts!

The pictures of me are all terribly unflattering, but here we are 😄

A few treats this weekend from Waterstones. My daughter and I adore Legami pens and stationery.

I know this book was on many best of lists but it was only a soft pick for me. I felt the underlying themes of memory of the events of WW2 and the Holocaust and personal complicity were important and well done. I also enjoyed the exploration of LGBTQ relationships in mid-20th century Europe. However, I felt some of the interactions were just… not real? Something just felt off. A soft pick.

I don‘t want to wish the month of July away, but I‘m also excited to see which books make the list. I‘m sure there will be a few gems, like last year‘s tagged book. Excuse me while I go down the YouTube rabbit hole hearing what others think will make the Longlist….

I didn't read much of the blurb around this and so went in almost blind.
I found the story line very readable, it kept me guessing and imagining all the way through. I liked how self punishing Isa could be, her determination to simply not have fun yet her curiosity about those that do.
The brothers are really rounded characters and I liked the small amount of background we learnt. Eva was awesome! The history was unknown to me and very sad.

#UnpopularOpinion

I appreciated what the author is trying to do here but for me she wasn‘t successful. I didn‘t buy the central relationship - there was too little to show how they came to care for one another. It‘s a trope I rarely enjoy or find convincing so maybe it‘s just me. The writing is good and the background story is really important. I‘m extra critical when I think a book could be truly great but misses the mark, so only a so-so.

Also, CONGRATULATIONS to The Safekeep for winning the Women's Prize for Fiction 2025!

This book is special.

Eerie, erotic, moving, unsettling... it was one of my absolute favourites of last year and I'm thrilled to bits that it won 🥰

(no, I did not have any pears around)

So. This book. I'm lacking the words to describe what it did with me. To me. It totally drenched me, it drowned me, it spit me out. It took my heart and ate it. How am I possibly going to describe this feeling? I simply can't. Impossible. And maybe that's okay. Because sometimes we don't need words, we just need to feel.

We took almost nothing when we left. Mum kept saying, Don't worry we'll come back we'll come back so soon, and it was a lie. I think now to how they found that house with everything still in it, Papa's book still left open on the page where he stopped, and I am sick I am sick to my stomach. Whose stuff did they think that was? They must have known I can't imagine they didn't know. Who doesn't know a thing like that? They must've known.

A pretty deception 🍐

Isabel had never known loneliness like that, one that arrived without the promise of leaving. There was no one now, no one to walk through the door unannounced, no one to open and close a drawer in the other room 🚪🍽️

The Women‘s Prize for Fiction 2025 winner is announced on Thursday; here‘s my thoughts on the short list:-

The Safekeep, Yael Van der Wouden ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
All Fours, Miranda July ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Tell Me Everything, Elizabeth Strout ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Good Girl, Aria Aber ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Fundamentally, Nussaibah Yunis ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Persians, Sanam Mahloudji ⭐️⭐️

Overall, as I‘ve seen so many others say, I‘m disappointed with the SL. I suspect All Fours will win!

So far this is giving Call Me By Your Name (but instead of a peach, a pear). 🍐

20% off at Indigo for teachers is a siren call, especially when having a plum plus card gets you an additional 10% off. What‘s a bookworm to do?

Well-written with beautiful depictions of idyllic Dutch countryside, its deeply unlikable characters, paranoid staid Isabel and artificial encroaching Eva, made this book initially hard to get into. I saw the first “twist” coming but it‘s the second one that takes this book from the ordinary to the extraordinary. Passion, paranoia, and revenge intermingle in this story of the long shadow of history. Well done.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ Totally fine and nothing special. Book about Perl Jam told by a music critic and without new interviews or perspectives of the band. I wanted something that didn‘t ask much of me and this fit the bill. If you‘re into music biographies and/or Pearl Jam, it‘s worth a look.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I liked this, although maybe a bit less than others here. Interesting story of two women, or a woman and a family in the aftermath of post-WWII Netherlands. The subject and twist were interesting and the book was well written. I found the resolution of the main relationship not believable, which left me a little less enthusiastic than I might have been otherwise. #WPF25

“An exhilarating tale of twisted desire, histories and homes.” I started out being clever, thinking I knew what this was about, where it was going. It turns out I really didn‘t, and I LOVED realising I‘d misjudged it entirely. I‘m not saying anything more for fear of spoilers. It‘s not an easy read in terms of the subject, on several levels, but after a slow start I couldn‘t put it down, it delivers a real gut-punch. Loved it (love the cover too)

This book was loved by so many friends last year that I didnt think it could live up to the hype. Well it more than did that. I‘ll be surprised if this isnt the best book i read this year. Glorious writing and complex characters, a sprawling old house and a spiralling tension. I thought it was PERFECT.

4/5 🌟

Atmospheric, intriguing and a solid debut novel.

This debut novel was beautifully written about the quieter wrongs that took place in Holland affecting Jews during WWII and how long after those wrongs could not wholly be corrected.

Really ??? This was shortlisted for the women‘s prize ? I bought it after listening to a book tuber comparing the authors writing to Sarah waters. Sorry no ! First half is just boring , admittedly it does pick up and has a great twist at the end but sadly not worthy of more stars from me !

I did not know much about this book going in. It was not at all what I expected, but I loved it.

#AuldLangSpine @JamieArc @monalyisha
This was intense! This story of a woman grudgingly agreeing to take in her brother's girlfriend while he is away for a month is a unique blend of anxiety and passion. It explores what happens when personal space is violated both willingly and unwillingly. The descriptions of touches, racing thoughts/pulses, and other visceral sensations had a totally immersive effect: I often forgot I was reading a book.

Almost a bail: for the first 2 parts very little happened (except for some very steamy scenes) with characters I disliked. But then, the house! If you‘ve read the blurb about the book, you know it‘s the house that is the story. Just keep that in mind if you read the book and that it‘s set in 1961. It took my breath away when it all comes together—such a tearjerker. The house, the house, the house. #Netherlands #foodandlit

Here‘s my next audiobook! #foodandlit #Netherlands @Catsandbooks

12-3 Jan 25 (audiobook)
I knew nothing other than this was shortlisted for the 2024 Booker and acclaimed by other readers before starting this debut novel. Set in 1960s Netherlands, it is a story of repression, silence and complicity. I did see the ‘twist‘ coming quite early on but don‘t feel that spoiled it in any way.
Reparation is a topic that interests me greatly. So much of what we have was taken from someone else.

I thought this was one thing, then it wasn‘t, then it was again but in a completely different way. That probably doesn‘t make sense if you haven‘t read it but I don‘t want to spoil it for you. #FoodAndLit #Netherlands

A pick but with some “buts”. I loved chapter 6. I loved part III with Eva‘s journal that connected the book nicely for me. But a lot of the times I felt a bit distanced from it. I don‘t know how to express it any better than that.

This book is terrific! It tells the story of three siblings and the strange girl who enters their lives. Who is she and what is she doing in the midst of their lives? This is one of those books that makes you think, a feature I find to be few and far between. I did not see what was coming which made the story all the much better. Amazing character development and a twist. Highly recommend.

Currently reading 2 books with moody green covers. Have been noticing the use of green instead of blue that was everywhere a number of years ago.

Well, well, well— I finally see what you‘ve all been talking about here with The Safekeep. And I must say, for a majority of the book I did not, but then BAM, I was hooked. What a surprising and beautiful book with a setting perfect for the story. Unforgettable characters: Isabell, sister to two brothers who are left to reside in a provincial home after their mother‘s death. One of her brothers brings home a girl which changes everything.

#12Booksof2024 November

Honorable mentions:
The Cinnamon Bun Book Store by Laurie Gilmore
Monsters: What Do We Do With Great Art by Bad People? By Claire Dederer

#12booksof2024 @Andrew65
Picks for Sept - a new series to me, and after enjoying the first, I went on to read bk 2 and 3 fairly quickly. Set in dungeness and the Kent area, they are page turner's.
October is the safekeep and probably a very popular choice, which I wouldn't have read save for it being on the booker shortlist.

#12Booksof2024 August

The Safekeep is just so so good. Beautifully crafted, masterful build of tension, so much left to think about.

@Andrew65

My Christmas gift to myself was to finish this in a day😁
Loved it, very well written and I was hoping for that ending.

Hoping for a quiet hour reading 🤞🏻🤞🏻

This one was a surprise and yet, I find myself wondering about my preference to know little about plot or theme when I begin a book. I admit, I was getting irritated- extremely irritated- with Isabelle. I still don‘t ‘get‘ her, but then she didn‘t really ‘get‘ herself. Many thoughts, thoughts that aren‘t landing. 🛬
Making a Chocolate 🍫 Pear 🍐 Pie today. #Dec2024 Book113

Starting now. #ToBlongList 🎧🍐

Definitely one of the best books I've read this year. The plot veers into a completely different path than I could have predicted - amazing writing! Reminded me of Trust by Hernan Diaz. Their plots are dissimilar, but the way the story is woven together is so clever.

Oh, this was seriously good! It's a powerful story on a subject I don't recall reading about before. I very much enjoyed the characterisation of Isabel and Eva and, oh my, the tension generated throughout as it becomes clear what is actually going on here. Actually I think it would have been my personal #bookerprize winner, were it not for the generous amount of 🌶️ , which i just don't like.

I completely understand why this book was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. This debut novel is a slow burn, but around 2/3 of the way through it, a twist completely turns the reader's understanding of the characters upside down. This book is intimate and sensual and gives a new sweeping perspective on the effects of WWII after the fighting ended. This debut novel deserves all of the accolades.

I saw that this was on the Booker Prize list and just grabbed it without really knowing anything about it, which turned out to be a great thing. This took a minute to get rolling, but then I could not put it down. There‘s so much tension that drives the story - I was just really invested to see where it was headed. The relationships are complex and interesting and the novel takes a few surprising turns. A marvelous debut.

#BookReport

I continued Sovereign #ShardlakeBR

I read Dyr som er verre foreldre enn deg (trans. Animals that are Worse Patents than You) and The Safekeep

I‘m almost done with The Swifts: A Gallery of Rogues

I‘m reusing last week‘s picture since The Safekeep has been returned to the library, so I didn‘t get to Orbital, but hopefully later today

The Netherlands 1961, 3 siblings. The oldest Louis changes girlfriends all the time. Isabel living alone in the family home. The youngest Hendrik lives with a man

After meeting Louis latest girlfriend, Louis suddenly tales Isabel that Eva will be staying in the family home while he‘s away. Isabel doesn‘t approve of this plan

A book about the consequences of war, memory and the truth

This book pulled me in and wouldn‘t let go until I finished it