Welcome to Litsy!

SO good. I‘m really looking forward to my book club‘s discussion! This book was very readable and centered on a Chinese American college student and her grandmother. They are part of a legacy of women who made elite pencils and… there is some magical realism about how they use the pencils. It‘s so original and memorable. Themes of memory, war/loyalty, communication, privacy, queer love. Great relationships of all types. Well written. Read it!

I love these old stories. My favorites are: Alligators, The Bride, and Sam's New Pet 🖤🐈‍⬛🖤
#HauntedShelf #BlackCatCrew #LastPitch #ScavengerHunt #smoke #Grey #frightful #BookRecommendations #monsterous @PuddleJumper #SPNBookBingo2025 #Death #Lore #Scarecrow @OutsmartYourShelf #Witchathon @TEArificbooks #ErasGhostBingo #Debut #1989 #TTPD @Charityann #WickedWords #pirate @AsYouWish

Loved this story of two Chinese grandmothers and their story through magic that is in their blood. Granddaughters that live in Boston and want to learn about their grandmothers past. Fantasy mixed with history and technology of today. So good. First novel by this author. Excellent. Power of the written word and the loss of people talking to each other.

Jen, you keep spoiling me! Thank you for sending this my way - I started it a while back (library book) but I think it was a “me, not the book” situation 😂🤪 Look forward to trying again 💚💚 @Jas16

Really enjoyed it.

Well I will be looking for something light hearted on my shelves to read next because this was just so hard on my heart. An autistic mother with a teenaged daughter when new neighbors move in next door and insert themselves into their lives. It drags a bit in the middle but I was still ready to jump into the pages and fight everyone for being so cruel and dismissive of Sunday.

I wasn‘t too sure about this because magical realism usually just annoys me but there was so much more going on - the relationship between Monica and her grandparents, her friendship and blossoming romance with Louise, the relationship between Meng and Yun, the Chinese history… so much to take in, hard to believe it‘s a debut.

I didn‘t love the audio narration so give it a preview before committing.

My July #BookSpin

Finished today by the pool. Not my usual type of book. 📖 📝

https://youtu.be/rtGBFIzTwNg

Intro
Mystery guest
The Coast Road by Alan Murrin
Out of Time: The Collected Short Stories of Samira Azzam by Samîra Azzâm, Ranya Abdelrahman (Translator)
Heart Lamp: Selected Stories by Banu Mushtaq, Deepa Bhasthi (Translator)
River of Fire and Other Stories by Oh Jung-hee, O Chŏnghŭi, Bruce Fulton and Ju-Chan Fulton (Translators)
Cat Brushing by Jane Campbell

Finished this late last night and immediately considered that OOOPS I was supposed to only read the first half?! #CampLitsy2025

Very pregnant Annie navigates Portland Oregon after a devastating earthquake wreaks havoc. My heart was pounding, I was incredibly thirsty, I was so scared for her & lil Bean!!

#CherryRhubarbPie 📸 #Debut #EarthquakeLit #Happensin1Day #ILovePie #LitPie #July2025 Book65 (Book mentions #KeyLimePie)