Welcome to Litsy!

Not a bad reading year‐ I managed 152 total, and more than half were new to me (the only real goal I set every year). My top picks are pictured here: Doreen was a lovely and poignant #PersephonePick and Finding Hester was a testament to art and the power of storytelling. The Employees was hugely powerful, but the read of the year for me, hands down, was Kristin Lavransdatter. I'm so grateful to the #KLBR for being the reason I picked it up!

I hate to see a long weekend go, but at least I got to spend this Sunday wrapped in a blanket reading this powerful, important novella. It is one of the few books about Stalin's Great Purge written during the actual events and centers on the experience of an everyday woman in Leningrad. It was written and hidden away by the author and a number of her friends, published first in France but not in Russia until nearly 50 years after it was written.

I'm counting this as an Emma-adjacent read, as Persephone's edition dates from 1816 when Emma was published, and they often recommend it to Austen lovers. It was fun to read and imagine what would resonate with our characters: for Robert Martin, certainly the sections on keeping livestock; for Mr. Woodhouse, the part about recipes for the sick; and as for Emma herself, as the lady of the house, how much do you think she consulted on menus, etc.?

I loved re-reading this classic on my own September vacation this year. Though mine wasn't a fortnight (hooray for the USA 🙃) it was such a needed getaway. I was again struck by the small, beautifully rendered details of the book, and how, along with the general break in routine and surroundings, it was the time and space to be on their own that was the true means by which each family member was able to refresh and refill their mental energy.

My introduction to WWII's Operation Mincemeat came via a great #PersephonePick called Operation Heartbreak. Then a few months later, I learned the true story was turned into a musical and I was *obsessed*. Now, some of the musical's superfans have published a book about their own research into the story of Mincemeat's unsung hero, Hester Leggatt. "Finding Hester" is a testament to the power of art and the importance of setting the record straight.

Doreen is one of so many children evacuated from London during WWII, staying at a country house with a couple she doesn't know. While part of the story feels very "classic kid-lit" with Doreen discovering her new village, trying to find new friends, and taking a trip to Oxford with her wealthy caretakers, the lives and emotions of Doreen's adults (her actual parents and the couple who grow to love her) quickly become complicated. Beautifully done!

Attempting to make my way back to a monthly #PersephonePick with the tagged book. It seems like a good one to draw me back in, hitting a number of topics that I love in Persephone's catalogue - social history, domestic portraits, and London life. Here's to a great read! #CurrentlyReading

I know I should be more responsible but I haven't gotten any Persephone volumes in so long! I cracked and came away with the tagged book, as well as one of their newest, Sofia Petrovna, and Doreen, which has been my next "must buy" for literal years. My goal is to resume a monthly #PersephonePick in 2024; this year I fell off the bandwagon completely, but all my titles are still there waiting for me! Along with a few new ones for good measure.

Thought I'd start my latest #PersephonePick tonight but naturally, #TomKitten had other plans. 🖤 #CatsOfLitsy

Oof, this one really got me. Young orphan Willie Maryngton dreams of being a soldier in WWI. Just as he's about to join the action, the war ends; years later at the outset of WWII, he is now too old for combat. This short novel packs a skillful punch- right as I started to become a little frustrated with our characters, the ending came along and turned me upside down. Don't investigate too much of this one beforehand- just read and enjoy the ride!