Litsy

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Colour me shocked but I loved this! (Shocked because my reaction to seeing it on the #TOB short list was ugh. This guy??) Instead I listened to it nonstop while puzzling away. A failed academic myself, maybe I can't help but love a tale of woebegone literary scholars slogging away in 2125. Not for everyone, but if you liked Byatt's Possession, you might like this too.

merelybookish @BarbaraBB @sarahbarnes @BkClubCare @Bookwormjillk @Chelsea.Poole @ImperfectCJ @Hooked_on_books @squirrelbrain @Deblovestoread 16h

squirrelbrain I really liked this one too. Your puzzle looks fab! 16h

BarbaraBB Wow, thanks! That‘s a huge encouragement! 15h

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Suet624 You‘re making me want to do a puzzle now 15h

IriDas You had me at “woebegone literary scholars.” 😂 😢 😮‍💨 15h

Chelsea.Poole Great review! Sadly, I was underwhelmed but I had high expectations. 14h

merelybookish @squirrelbrain Glad to hear I'm not alone, although I'm still not sure it fits the TOB. 13h

merelybookish @BarbaraBB I think it's worth giving a go although a lot of people find it slow at the beginning which I can understand. 13h

merelybookish @Suet624 Haha yes! An annual Xmas tradition for me to spend a few days on a puzzle. This was the right mix of easy bits and challenging sections. 13h

merelybookish @IriDas I was shocked to think they'd still exist in 2125 but their lot (and the humanities in general) have not improved. Haha 13h

merelybookish @Chelsea.Poole I get it! I went in with low expectations and was delighted. Meanwhile I went into Endling with high expectations and was disappointed. 13h

Hooked_on_books That‘s great that this worked for you! I loved Atonement many moons ago (before there was a movie), so I know he can really work for me, but I couldn‘t get into this one at all and bailed. 13h

BarbaraBB I‘ll definitely read it. I enjoyed many of his books but haven‘t felt like reading him for a long time. 12h

sarahbarnes Ooh, great review! I‘m waiting on this one from the library and now I‘m more excited to read it! 9h

57 likes2 stack adds14 comments

lil1inblue

Bookish People | Susan Coll

Last month, I conquered a #deathtower in this very spot. I don't know what happened. 🤣
I actually blame my mother. When I was little, she had to run some errands. She bribed my sister and I and told us if we didn't fight, we could have a treat at the end of the trip. We were very good, and then we stopped at the bookstore. I couldn't decide, so my mom let us each get 3 books. When we got in the car, she thanked us for behaving, ⬇️

lil1inblue and asked what we wanted for a treat. I said "but we just got 3 books!" My mom firmly responded "Books aren't treats. They're necessities." So I now feel zero guilt buying books. ? 1w

ChaoticMissAdventures That is amazing 😍 what a great mom! 1w

lil1inblue @ChaoticMissAdventures I'm quite lucky - she's pretty awesome. 😉 1w

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kspenmoll What a wonderful story!!! 1w

AnnCrystal That is a wonderful lesson 👏🏼🥳📚🛍️📚💝. 1w

Prairiegirl_reading Love that!! ❤️ 1w

Deblovestoread I love this so much! 1w

RedxoHearts Aw I love that story! 1w

Amiable Your mom is the best! 😍 6d

lil1inblue @kspenmoll @anncrystal @prairiegirl_reading @deblovestoread @redxohearts @amiable Thanks, y'all! 😍 My mom is pretty great - there's so many hilarious and wonderful stories I could share. (Also props to her Dad, who was really the one that instilled this philosophy in the family). 6d

54 likes10 comments

Lands

What We Can Know | Ian McEwan

45 likes

ChrisBohjalian

What We Can Know | Ian McEwan

Yes, I devoured the new Ian McEwan novel. You will, too.

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Decalino

What We Can Know | Ian McEwan

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Set 100 years in the future at a time when the United Kingdom has been reduced to an archipelago, this intriguing book follows Tom, a humanities professor, as he recreates the life of 21st century poet Francis Blundy and searches for his lost masterpiece, the poem "A Corona for Vivien." Tom is half in love with his idea of Vivien, Blundy's wife, but ultimately comes to understand: the documented details of a life don't always add up to the truth.

Sparklemn I‘m not usually interested in books that take place in the future. However, I loved Atonement. And your review is intriguing. I may give it a try! (edited) 1mo

Decalino @Sparklemn I will say it started off slowly, but the ending made me see everything that came before in a fresh light. 1mo

20 likes1 stack add2 comments

SandyW

What We Can Know | Ian McEwan

bailed

I can know when a book is not going to captivate me enough to bother finishing. Bailed about 1/3 of the eat through.

11 likes

Jeg

What We Can Know | Ian McEwan

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Divided into two parts, I found the second part the easiest to read. Story is set 100+ years in the future. Researchers looking back at now. Trying in the main to find a lost poem. The first part certainly gave me pause for thought. If I had done this review just after I read it I might have said so so .Time to think and ponder gave me a very different view.

AllDebooks Love Ian McEwan ❤️ 2mo

22 likes4 stack adds1 comment

Chelsea.Poole

What We Can Know | Ian McEwan

so-so

First of all, the cover is gorgeous. My hopes were high after reading positive reviews and knowing what this author is capable of. But unfortunately this didn‘t evoke many feelings for me. I found the mystery to be a bit lackluster and didn‘t particularly care for any character. The set up is intriguing: partially set in the future, a scholar is looking back at a poet‘s collected papers and uncovers a secret.

AnnCrystal Lovely bookstaging 🤩💝😍. 2mo

78 likes1 comment

Hooked_on_books

What We Can Know | Ian McEwan

bailed

The latest on my stack of bails, I‘ve listened to a quarter of this and it‘s doing nothing for me. I swear there isn‘t any dialogue at all. So back it goes to the next person in line.

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