Litsy

Greta & Valdin: A Novel | Rebecca K Reilly

Anyone read any good, contemporary, offbeat, funny fiction lately?

Everything on my shelf seems to be diametrically opposed: weighty, dark, lyrical, and poignant OR a floofy romance. I‘m looking for something more like the titles pictured. Witty, modern, and not *necessarily* sweet (but it‘s okay if there‘s some sweetness, too).

*It should probably be noted that I‘m not a fan of massively unlikeable characters.

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks I loved Margo 💜 17h

fredthemoose I recently read and enjoyed Fundamentally. It might be in that realm for you.

Fundamentally: A Novel

17h

TheKidUpstairs Very interested in seeing what recs you get. I loved all three pictured, and these days they're definitely the feeling I'm needing from my books, too. One I really liked recently (it's from a Canadian indie publisher, so apologies if it's not easily available):

Molly of the Mall: Literary Lass & Purveyor of Fine Footwear

17h

See All 20 Comments

squirrelbrain Have you read The Wedding People yet? I really liked the 3 you pictured, and this one as well. It feels like a dark theme, but it‘s not and it‘s also not as floofy as the cover would suggest.

The Wedding People: A Novel

(edited) 16h

AmyG My favorites lately- Beautyland and The Wedding People 16h

monalyisha @squirrelbrain Sadly, I‘m not allowed to read that one yet. 🙈 My book club is reading it together this summer. 16h

monalyisha @AmyG Beautyland might work! I‘ll put it on hold. 💜 I remember really liking 2AM at the Cat‘s Pajamas (and thinking the ending was really strange). Feels like I read that about a million years ago! 16h

JamieArc I was going to suggest this book even though I haven‘t read it but have read his others except it doesn‘t come out until May 🤷🏻‍♀️

Run for the Hills: A Novel

16h

squirrelbrain Gah - I think that would have been perfect! 16h

AmyG I didn‘t know she wrote Cat‘s Pajamas. Beautyland is just such a beautiful book. I hope you enjoy it when you get it. 16h

Bookwormjillk I second Beautyland. I also just started Back After This. I think it‘s technically romance but the parts that appeal to me are about how podcasts are made and the career parts. 16h

monalyisha @JamieArc There are actually a couple of his I haven‘t read, so I can backtrack to the titles I missed. Thanks! 16h

monalyisha Thanks, @Bookwormjillk! I like Linda Holmes (Flying Solo is my favorite of hers) but I think I decided I want to do that one on audio (since it‘s a podcast-related story). So, it will come sometime this year…but not now. Appreciate your suggestions! 16h

Bookwormjillk @monalyisha oh, good idea! 16h

quietjenn Maybe

I Hope This Finds You Well

12h

ErikasMindfulShelf I‘d suggest anything by Kevin Wilson 10h

Chelsea.Poole This really makes me want to read Patricia as I love both the other books mentioned. Would The Husbands fit with this category? I adore J Ryan Stradal but his latest (Lakeside) would classify as too heavy, so maybe one of his others. Have you read any others from Rufi Thorpe? I loved (but again some heaviness)

The Knockout Queen: A novel

10h

monalyisha Thanks, @Chelsea.Poole! I could try Knockout Queen. I‘ll put it on hold. I loved Kitchens of the Great Midwest and thought Lakeside was only okay. I suggested my library‘s traveling book club read Lager Queens when they met at the local brewery…but I didn‘t join them. 😅🙈 The Husbands may fit. Something about that one makes me keep not choosing it. Patricia is a bit different from the other two I featured but, clearly, I loved it. 2h

monalyisha @quietjenn I put it on hold! Thanks. 2h

monalyisha @ErikasMindfulShelf I put a whole handful of Kevin Wilson‘s books on hold for myself (per @JamieArc, too). When all of these come in, I‘ll sit down, read the first few pages of them all, and see how they hit me. Thanks, everyone! 2h

43 likes20 comments

Daisey

The Colour: A Novel | Rose Tremain

pick

Parts of this book were bleak and I was almost constantly listening with a slight feeling of dread about what might be about to happen, but I also enjoyed it. It actually ended on a more hopeful note than I expected through most of the story. I felt it described the setting of 1860s New Zealand and the gold rush very well.

#ReadTheWorld #ReadingTheWorld #NewZealand #audiobook #1001books #TBRTakedown

43 likes1 stack add

Blueberry

The Whale Rider | Witi Ihimaera

#Sea. #CoverStories

@Eggs
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Eggs Exotic! 1w

43 likes1 comment

Kshakal

Just Good Friends: A Steamy Friends to Lovers Alpha Male New Zealand Rugby Romance | Rosalind James

A good morning with a good friend!

28 likes

Kristy_K

Poukahangatus | Tibble TAYI

so-so

I enjoyed getting a glimpse into Tibble‘s world and being exposed to indigenous life in New Zealand through her poetry.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

#newzealand #maori #readtheworld2025

GatheringBooks

GatheringBooks Ooh! This must be the first poetry book shared for #ReadTheWorld2025, and from New Zealand no less. Awesome! 2w

59 likes1 comment

shanaqui

Seams Like Murder | Tilly Wallace

so-so

I'm really not doing it on purpose this time, but I remain bingoless... #BookSpinBingo

This one was OK, a light read. I'm not sure I'd continue with the series, and if I hadn't read a review I'd have been surprised by the light fantasy element (the main character experiences other people's memories). It didn't stick out to me a whole lot. Sort of “OK, and I finished it, but... 🤷“

15 likes

LeahBergen

Birnam Wood | Eleanor Catton

My “currently reading” stack.

I was initially a bit underwhelmed by Birnam Wood (for my IRL book club) but then the plot kicked in and I‘m hooked!

Cathythoughts That‘s great you‘re enjoying Birnam Wood. I have to say I loved it ❤️ 4w

charl08 I have shelf envy: all those lovely spines. 4w

Ruthiella Yes, Birnim Wood is sneaky like that! 😆 3w

See All 8 Comments

Tamra I‘ve wondered about Birnam Wood - seems I‘d best stack! (edited) 3w

BarbaraBB I ended up loving it 3w

LeahBergen @Cathythoughts @Ruthiella @Tamra @BarbaraBB I‘m about 2/3rds through and really enjoying it! Yes, @Tamra , give it a chance! 3w

LeahBergen @charl08 Haha, thank you! I have my reading chair and little table set up in front of these shelves as I like them, too. 🥰 3w

BarbaraBB @Tamra I think you‘ll love it too! 3w

62 likes8 comments

CSeydel

Strange Sally Diamond | Liz Nugent

pick

I‘m not sure exactly what I was expecting, I think probably one of those “see the world through the eyes of a neurodivergent protagonist, and realize that ‘strange‘ is in the eye of the beholder” type books. This was not that - it was a crime thriller, and a lot darker and more graphic than I expected.

#bookspin #auldlangspine

CBee, TheAromaofBooks

CSeydel I‘m looking askance at quite a few reviewers who describe this as “Eleanor Oliphant but with a dark twist” because in my recollection Eleanor Oliphant DID have a dark twist! This was more like an … entire dark storyline (edited) 1mo

Ruthiella Yeah. I found this book quite disturbing. 1mo

CBee @CSeydel I tend to gravitate towards the darker reads with a few lighter ones thrown in - as you can see 😂🤷‍♀️ 1mo

See All 10 Comments

AmyG I loved this book. It was so utterly disturbing. Like @CBee, I love a good, dark read. 1mo

TheAromaofBooks Great review!! 1mo

CBee @AmyG 👯 ♥️ 1mo

CSeydel @CBee I am probably too stingy with my stars - I enjoyed it for what it was! I read it pretty much all in one go (sitting in the car for 6 hours on Friday) which was a good way to do it. I definitely hoped for a different ending where Steve was concerned, but truly it was a very plausible ending. Same with Sally (although it was nice that Nugent throws us a little glimmer of hope, with the letter). 1mo

CSeydel It did feel like Sally‘s personal growth happened very fast given that she was already in her 40s, so the sudden setback felt realistic to me. I agree with some critics that ending felt a little rapid, but that always tends to be the case with thrillers - once the suspense is resolved you can‘t really spend 100 pages sorting through the aftermath. 1mo

CSeydel I think I was also expecting a bigger twist where Sally‘s parents were concerned. It felt like there was going to be another secret layer that the dad was hiding - with the burning of Jean‘s papers, for example. But then it just turned out to be “yeah, he was kind of an arrogant jerk.” 1mo

CBee @CSeydel not at all! If anything I‘m the opposite - too generous with my stars 😂 1mo

44 likes10 comments

Cuilin

All Day at the Movies | Fiona Kidman

#TLT #ThreeListThursday @dabbe

51!!! I surprised myself. I‘m not usually a rewatcher of movies but these I‘ve seen multiple times as they‘re so good. I recently rewatched Casablanca, just for the “La Marseillaise” scene 🎬

Susanita 🎶🇫🇷 1mo

40 likes1 comment

Suet624

Strange Sally Diamond | Liz Nugent

What a delightful surprise in my mail this morning. Thank you @AmyG for your kindness. I can't wait to read these.

LoverOfLearning I really want to read Killers of a Certain Age. 1mo

Suet624 @LoverOfLearning It's one I've wanted to read for a while. :) 1mo

Jas16 I really liked Killers of a Certain Age. What a great package! 1mo

54 likes3 comments

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