Welcome to Litsy!

The spirit of Cezanne‘s wife & frequent subject, Hortence, tells her story while watching over a writer who is trying to write Hortense‘s biography but winds up writing a heartbreaking part of her own autobiography. That may sound like an unnecessary bit of literary pretentiousness, but it is beautifully & sensitively done. I‘m not surprised it was on all those prize lists last year. #ozfiction
Second book for #14books14weeks

Well, I did it! Managed to get this finished before our book club met last night. Seems it was liked by all. It was a low pick for me. I like that historical fiction is being written about barely known women of substance and that‘s why it‘s a pick. But I found this a little dry and lacking in depth. Pretty cover though. Sort of #ozfiction (Scottish-born, now living in Australia).

This was a surprise! What a stunning little book about a family tragedy. A very sad story of loss and grief told from 4 different family member‘s perspectives and a rabbit during the COVID pandemic in 2020. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
My Saturday nights are now spent, beer in hand, watching my son on YouTube play cricket in the Netherlands. Technology is a wonderful thing sometimes. 🏏 ♥️
#OzFiction

Well that was really weird… but kind of interesting, even though I‘ve got no idea what it was trying to tell me. A fictional amalgam of Melbourne & Geelong begins twisting & changing, moving streets & buildings around apparently at random. An artist who has recently returned to the city becomes the target of vitriol when her former European collective gets into trouble. Her sister & nephew live almost exclusively online. There are some unusual⬇️

Although this has a thriller-like structure & is a variation on the “trauma plot”, it is not a major departure from Diana Reid‘s previous novels. It is most interesting for its exploration of friendships & sibling relationships, the interplay of power, sexual politics & societal norms & of the cancer of secrets & lies. I think she‘s a really interesting writer, she always leaves me with plenty to think about. #ozfiction

Yeah, nah. #ozfiction I was compelled to read for book club.

Although it‘s a variation on the old chestnut of empty-nester running away to exotic location (in this case Brittany) on discovering husband‘s infidelity, there is a lot to like about the way the story is told here. There is more to Audrey than first appears & the cast of supporting characters are original & entertaining. I could have done without the romantic subplot, but at least it wasn‘t presented as her ultimate fulfilment. #ozfiction

In my latest Friday Reads booktube episode: artisan cheese touring on Vancouver Island; Victoria gardens; and 6 books.

https://youtu.be/B4BlfSUOVi0

#trans authors #OzFiction #kidlit #memoir #Gaza

Book two from the 2025 Stella Prize long list finished. Can‘t recall how this came to be on my radar, but when I saw it recently announced on the longlist I bumped it up.
I really liked it. The first half felt a little bit clunky to me but then it hit its stride and I didn‘t want to put it down. Excellent #queerfic #ozfiction #bildungsroman

Stunning. Chose this #ozfiction for my book club to read this month. It was announced as a Stella Prize longlisted book this week. A very special, quiet exploration of grief.