CampLitsy2023

The Memory of Animals: From the Costa Novel-winning author of Unsettled Ground | Claire Fuller

pick

#CampLitsy2023

I liked this more than I expected to, given so many others‘ reviews and the fact that I‘ve bailed on other books by Fuller.

A pandemic book, but with a different virus, and with characters I didn‘t quite trust. I wasn‘t sure which timeline I was supposed to care more about. But the overriding feeling of uncertainty and longing for the past resonated with me.

It‘s not a strong pick, but I did like it.

Megabooks, squirrelbrain, BarbaraBB

Tamra I think it‘s a bit of a cilantro novel. 😏 I liked the pandemic aspect of the story. 1y

Soubhiville @Tamra that is the perfect way to describe it! 1y

Megabooks I‘m glad you enjoyed it! I can‘t believe the last discussion is tomorrow. 1y

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squirrelbrain Great review Soubhi! And I love that description! @Tamra 1y

Leftcoastzen 👏😻 1y

Hooked_on_books I just finished this today and am mulling my review. I feel like it shouldn‘t have worked, but I liked reading it. 1y

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Laughterhp

The Memory of Animals: From the Costa Novel-winning author of Unsettled Ground | Claire Fuller

Ugh… is this book worth finishing? I read the first part for #camplitsy2023 but I am struggling!

I‘m so bored and don‘t like anyone. Also, I‘m a bit confused about Neffy‘s boyfriend. And the stories are so boring. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Megabooks, squirrelbrain, BarbaraBB

TrishB I‘m not a fan either. Can‘t seem to pick back up. 1y

AmyG Ha, I think I made the decision this morning to officially bail. 😬 1y

LaraReads Ugh. Haven‘t started but this doesn‘t give me hope 🤣🤣 1y

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TheBookHippie I bailed 🤣😳🤷🏻‍♀️ 1y

vlwelser The boyfriend and the step brother are the same person. 1y

Laughterhp @vlwelser Okay! I thought so! But thought that was a bit weird. When she said she took a bath with her stepbrother, I was like wait what?! 1y

vlwelser You aren't alone. That was why I could answer without the actual question. 1y

Deblovestoread Welp, this does not bode well for me…. @TrishB @AmyG @TheBookHippie I‘ve been putting it off… 1y

Megabooks Two of three of your counselors weren‘t fans either. This is the third I‘ve read by her just this year, and the other two were great. 🤷🏻‍♀️ it gets A BIT better at the end, but I wasn‘t a fan. @squirrelbrain has some interesting questions coming up though. 1y

Tamra I‘d bail so you don‘t regret the time invested. I‘ve read it and it is definitely flawed, though I gave it a pick. I enjoyed the pandemic plot line, but not the revisitor/memory device. 1y

BarbaraBB I feel you! I liked the first part better than the second but it was overall very underwhelming 1y

squirrelbrain Why not wait until after this weekend‘s questions? Although, I think you‘ll be able to comment on the second week‘s questions too without having read the second half. 1y

batsy I finished, but gave it a pan. The book made me feel like I was trapped in someone's very boring dream. Your comment about the bath with the stepbrother is so spot on because it took me a moment, too ... Lol! 1y

Laughterhp @squirrelbrain That‘s what I was thinking I‘d do! Maybe the discussion will motivate me to finish. 1y

Bookwormjillk I'm almost done with the first half. It's very weird, but I can see some interesting questions coming from it. At least it's a quick read. 1y

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CBee

Romantic Comedy | Curtis Sittenfeld

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First part: a bit tedious, but mostly enjoyable
Second part: LOVED the email correspondence. LOL funny at times.
Third part: all the damn feels coming out of this grumpy cynical heart 😂😂
Final note: I love Sally. I related to her SO much.
So, ultimately, I loved it and can‘t wait to discuss further! #camplitsy2023

Megabooks, squirrelbrain, BarbaraBB

AmyG Agreed! Who did you picture as the musician??? 1y

squirrelbrain Great review, and I loved the email section too. ❤️ 1y

BarbaraBB Yes @AmyG I‘d like to know too! Also, who did YOU picture?! 1y

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CBee @AmyG I‘ll need to have a think on that one 🤔 I could kind of see Bradley Cooper maybe…. 1y

CBee @squirrelbrain it was my favorite part! 1y

CBee @AmyG ooo! Or Jared Leto! 1y

AmyG I pictured John Mayer. Or a character based on him for the movie. @BarbaraBB @CBee. He started young, and that song “Making Love in July” made me think if “Your Body is a Wonderland”. (edited) 1y

CBee @AmyG ooooo he could work too 👍🏻👍🏻 1y

AmyG @CBee Except I think all his ex-girlfriends hate him for being an assh***. So…if John Mayer was actually nice. 🤣 1y

CBee @AmyG I think he‘s grown up a lot, but yeah, his exes don‘t like him too much 😳 1y

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Clwojick

The Boys | Katie Hafner

This is a topic I think about often…How many people DNF vs stick with the book til the end? Do you count your DNFs towards your annual reading goals? What‘s a popular book you just could not make yourself finish? What makes you DNF a book? How much do you generally read before you DNF? #bookishtopics #ProDNF #ReadWhatYouLove #ProudDNFer #ReadingShouldBeEnjoyable&NotAChore!

BooksNBowls I try NOT to DNF but if a book is boring or I haven‘t picked it back up after a week or 2 I usually just skim the last few pages to see what I missed. I do count them because it‘s a mark off my TBR! I DNFed The Glass Hotel by Simone St. James. It wasn‘t for me. 🤷🏻‍♀️ 1y

Ruthiella I rarely DNF and I admire those who do. 1y

SassyBookworm I rarely DNF bc I‘m super selective about what I read. I definitely know my genre and rarely venture out of that. Last popular book I DNF was A Discovery of Witches. A friend had suggested it but it was super slow & I got so bored (even tried the tv show, didn‘t like it either). 1y

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Clwojick @BooksNBowls I count them too, so long as it‘s a true DNF, as opposed to just putting it down with the intent to pick up later. I DNF at least a few books a month. If I have no interest in the characters and the plot, or the writing or narrator gets on my nerves then I‘ll just bail. I try to give it 25% or 100 pages, but sometimes I can tell within the first 20 mins of reading that it‘ll be a DNF. 😅 1y

TheBookHippie I DNF after 50 -75 pages (if it‘s really bad 50) and then try one more time later after a few months or even a year. I count them as well. Read it didn‘t like it didn‘t finish if someone asks. I think I DNF every single camp Litsy so far this summer 🤭😵‍💫😅😮‍💨😝 1y

Clwojick @SassyBookworm my reading is all over the place, and I‘ve been trying to read outside of my comfort zone (fantasy, retellings, historical fiction, historical romance, paranormal romance, dark romance, etc), so that‘s definitely come with more DNFs then usual. I‘ve found some true gems in the process, but a lot of duds too! 1y

booklover3258 I DNF around page 50. I do not count these books as my part of my goal for the number of books read. I still review them. The most popular book I DNF'd was The Book Thief by Markus Zuzak. I DNF if I find the story boring or not to my taste. 1y

Clwojick @TheBookHippie wait, what‘s camp Litsy? 1y

Clwojick @ruthiella ****compliment taken! ☺️☺️☺️☺️ 1y

TheBookHippie @Clwojick #camplitsy read chosen books that were voted on and discuss I think it‘s 6 books total it‘s been different every summer they might be using #camplitsy2023 or #camplitsy23 1y

Clwojick Hmmmm, I‘ll have to keep my eyes peeled for that next year.🤍 @TheBookHippie 1y

TheBookHippie @Clwojick It is a lot of fun I‘ve had an unusual summer so I‘m not as involved .. I‘ll make a note and I‘ll tag ya 😊- they start voting way before summer hits on what we‘re reading it‘s a total voting thing. We all get input. 1y

Clwojick @TheBookHippie Is there usually a theme, or a mix of genres? 1y

TheBookHippie @Clwojick newly published is all this year required I think had to be published in 2023 or 2022-23. It gets tweaked and changed yearly generally. I believe this was year three. (edited) 1y

marleed If possible, I‘ll power through because sometimes reading what I don‘t like makes me appreciate what I do like. I dnf books that I find offensive - that‘s typically when I didn‘t anticipate the author pushing a political or religious issue agenda that makes me queasy. Often, before a dnf, I switch formats and that helps. I‘m not a fan of prissy narration I might hear in HF (often mid 1900 HF), but the same story in print reads fine to me. 1y

vivastory I used to very rarely dnf my books, I've found that over the past couple of years my reading patterns have changed as my work demands have changed. Most of my quality reading time now occurs during time off or over the weekend, so I might pick up a book and be legitimately enjoying it at first but for a variety of reasons will have to set it aside for awhile. This recently happened to me with a Donna Tartt. To me this is different than a dnf. 1y

BooksNBowls @Clwojick it do be like that sometimes 🤣🤣 1y

BooksNBowls @marleed I switch between formats too! Sometimes audiobooks are a lifesaver! 1y

marleed @BooksNBowls oh I feel the same - when the opportunity presents itself, my favorite way to read is having the print version then setting the audio speed to match my reading speed. Or even alternating between the two on a book. Without audio (and Libby), I would likely never have expanded outside my go to genres. 1y

Clwojick @marleed I agree hole-heartedly! I would never venture outside of my regular genres without audio…. It‘s also my go to for non-fiction. Being able to speed up the narration is a life saver. I‘m still holding out hope that the audiobook platforms will bring it up to 3.5x or 4x. 1y

Vansa I have now decided to start not finishing books of within the first 50 pages they don't grab me.So many books written recently are so bad that it's easy to DNF! 1y

julesG @Vansa That's exactly how I approach books these days. I used to force myself through books, but changed the habit a few years ago. I Marie Kondo'd my reading: if it doesn't spark joy, it has to go. 1y

Larkken @BooksNBowls I‘m with you on skimming the end! I‘ve finished a couple books that should have been dnfs because I “needed” to know what happens! Being able to dnf when the story is boring or poorly written or the characters are super unlikable is a wonderful feeling so long as I know what is going to happen. Personally, otessa moshfeghs books have all been dnfs for me. Frankenstein I only finished bc I used the audio turned up to 2x! 1y

Larkken @BooksNBowls @marleed @Clwojick if I‘m struggling with an eyeball read I often try on audio, too. It‘s a sure sign that I‘m hating it (but want to know what happens) if i turn the speed all the way up. 😜 1y

Vansa @julesG exactly! Her approach makes sense, honestly.And the older I get,the more I feel that I have less time to read exactly what I want🙈🙈 1y

PuddleJumper I always used to finish books in case they suddenly got better. Spoiler; they rarely did. If a book doesn't grab me or I'm eye rolling myself stupid then I dnf. I will still count it, if I don't I'd probably pick it up again a few years later and be disappointed again 🤣 1y

Kitta I rarely dnf books, and if I do I don‘t count them towards my goal. Mainly because when I read the Life of Pi I was so bored until the ending and that changed my whole outlook on the book. What if the ending is great like that? It could be worth it. So I persevere. (edited) 1y

Kitta I agree with @marleed though, if it‘s offensive I give up, give it away to a charity shop or once trashed it completely so no one else would have to read the words. 1y

Kitta @Clwojick @TheBookHippie #camplistsy is great, I end up reading outside my usual choices, and sometimes it‘s a great read. I skipped half of the books entirely this year because I was in a reading slump though, so I‘m not voting. I enjoyed Yellowface and am reading The Memory of Animals now, though I think I‘m going to be the only one who likes this book 😂. There are some problems but I want to know what happens. (edited) 1y

BarbaraJean I very rarely DNF, but am trying to let myself do it more! If I do bail, I don‘t count it toward my goal. For NF I bail if I‘m not getting much out of it. I sometimes skim through the rest & if I do that, I‘ll count it as read. For fiction I have a harder time bailing because like @Kitta said, sometimes the ending changes everything! Tagged is one I haaaaated but kept hoping would get better. I bailed maybe 3/4 through & wish I‘d stopped sooner!

Little Paris Bookshop

MatchlessMarie I have an exclusive “bailed” shelf on goodreads so it still counts towards my goal as long as I put my start and end dates but keeps them separate from my read shelf. I do occasionally give DNF‘d books another go and sometimes it‘s just a matter of finding the right format for the book or not being in the right headspace to read it at the time. But I am definitely team #AllHailTheBail 1y

Clwojick @MatchlessMarie #AllHailtheBail! I love that! 😍 1y

SilversReviews I used to stick with a book, but if it isn‘t catching my interest by Page 50 or at least 25%, it is DONE. 😊 1y

61 likes33 comments

jenniferw88

Hijab Butch Blues: A Memoir | Lamya H

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Completed just in time for tomorrow!

#camplitsy2023 @BarbaraBB @Megabooks @squirrelbrain

#pop23 #colourintitle @Cinfhen @Librarybelle @Deblovestoread @RaeLovesToRead @LeeRHarry @Bluebird @AshleyHoss820 @MissHel

BarbaraBB 4.75 ⭐️! That‘s great! 1y

Megabooks Fantastic! I loved it too! 1y

Librarybelle Hooray!! 1y

squirrelbrain Perfect timing! 1y

56 likes4 comments

Bookwormjillk

BookSpinBingo | Untitled

I‘m combining my lists for #BookspinBingo and #AugustRush next month. Fingers crossed I can get through all these before sports start in the evenings for the kids. Some of these are titles and some are challenges.

High
#CampLitsy2023
Backlist Readathon
The Nix
Nina Hill
Severance
Mud Rocks Blazes
Book club work
LMPBC
FAL
Pompeii
If it Bleeds
PemberLittens
Malorie
In The Time of our History
Kindle
Audiobook

Thanks hosts!

Andrew65, TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 1y

AmyG Cuties! ❤️ 1y

CatLass007 Sweet babies. What are their names?😻 1y

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Bookwormjillk @CatLass007 Daisy is the tabby and Oliver is the tuxedo. This was a few years ago- came up in my memories today 1y

CatLass007 Awww. Daisy looks like she was still a kitten then. 1y

dabbe Hello, Darling Daisy and Outstanding Oliver! 🖤🐾🐾🖤 1y

Bookwormjillk @CatLass007 they both were- born about 2 weeks apart. They wouldn‘t both fit now 🤣 1y

Bookwormjillk @dabbe 🩷 1y

CatLass007 When Mom was alive Molly, Tiberius, and Anjali all sat on her lap at the same time. Benjamin has always been too mellow to make himself fit, so he‘s my cuddle bug. Even in the 90+ heat. 1y

Bookwormjillk @CatLass007 ❤️ 1y

65 likes10 comments

kwmg40

Yellowface | R F Kuang

I‘d been waiting for my library hold to come in, so that I can read this for #CampLitsy2023. To my great astonishment, a wonderful friend just presented me with this signed copy she picked up for me at R. F. Kuang‘s reading! I‘d recommended Babel to her last year and she loved it, so returned the favour (in grand style)!

@BarbaraBB @squirrelbrain

LaraReads That is so awesome! What a good friend! 💛 1y

rabbitprincess Nice!!! 1y

Ruthiella What a great friend and thoughtful gift! 1y

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batsy What a friend ❤️ 1y

BarbaraBB Thst‘s awesome! 1y

kwmg40 @LaraReads @rabbitprincess @Ruthiella @batsy @BarbaraBB Thanks for all your comments. Friends who are fellow book lovers are the best, aren't they? 1y

60 likes6 comments

kwmg40

The Bandit Queens: A Novel | Parini Shroff

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I had good intentions of participating in #CampLitsy2023 but things didn't work out as I'd planned. However, I did manage to finish this book which I loved! The characters were wonderful, and I enjoyed both the humour and the exploration of ethical questions that are not so easy to answer.

@BarbaraBB @Megabooks @squirrelbrain

Megabooks So glad you loved it!! 1y

BarbaraBB You should check out the #CampLitsy23 discussion about the book. It‘s so good and adds a lot to the book for me 1y

kwmg40 @Megabooks Thanks! 1y

kwmg40 @BarbaraBB I did, and I really enjoyed reading all the comments! 1y

42 likes4 comments

DebinHawaii

July, July: A Novel | Tim O'Brien

My July TBR. I won‘t get to all of these but I will for challenges like #SundayBuddyReads #CampLitsy2023 #TitlesAndTunes #hashtagbrigade for #Pemberlittens #BookedInTime #DiverseCozy #SeriesLove2023 + my virtual foodie book club & leadership books for work I will. The others are “hope to get to” although I am in the midst of two of them & you never know what will just pop up & grab my attention.
💯 #moodreader

peaKnit I just re-read Happiness for Beginners “with” Katherine Center on Instagram to be ready for the Netflix release at the end of the month. So cute! 1y

DebinHawaii @peaknit Aww… I wish I knew she was doing that. I added it to my July TBR because I wanted to be ready for the Netflix release! 🧡 1y

53 likes2 comments

swishandflick

The Drowning Woman | Robyn Harding

I kept my #Aardvark box simple! I was super tempted by the The Memory of Animals, but absolutely HATED her other book Swimming Lessons so, as much as I was tempted (in large part so I could put that *gorgeous* cover on my shelf), I wasn't confident enough to spend money on it until I see a lot more reviews. The Rachel Incident almost had me too, but some of the books it was compared to weren't my cup of tea. The Drowning Woman hit the sweet spot!

AardvarkBookClub

swishandflick Side note: RIGHT after I finalized my box, I did get a little mad at myself for not going back and adding Ascension, which I've heard amazing things about 🗻 2y

Soubhiville Oh they‘re up already? Better go choose! 2y

swishandflick @Soubhiville THIS IS NOT A DRILL! Haha 🤣 2y

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Cinfhen I was ultimately disappointed with this month‘s offerings, so I skipped! I did buy Memory of Animals awhile back through Book Depository. I can send you my copy after I read it but it won‘t be until end of August. Im saving to read with #CampLitsy23 2y

Soubhiville @Cinfhen I chose Memory because of #camplitsy2023 😆. I also didn‘t care for Swimming Lessons @swishandflick , but I‘ll try it for Camp! And it leans sci-fi, so there‘s a chance I‘ll like it. 🤞 2y

swishandflick @Cinfhen You are an ANGEL! I would totally appreciate that and am in absolutely no rush considering I'm surrounded be literal stacks of unread books 🤣 2y

swishandflick @Soubhiville Please do let me know what you think after you read it! Especially since you had similar feelings about Swimming Lessons, haha. That was the primary hang-up I couldn't get over. 2y

Cinfhen Sure! With pleasure!! 2y

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