Welcome to Litsy!

I went into this with a lot of trepidation after reading a lot of mixed reviews, but I really liked it. Although it was definitely a bit meandering, most of the characters were so well-written I found myself just enjoying the tour. A strong contender for #tob23! #BOTM

#BookReport 05/23

Four books, all good. I finished two more for the #ToB23, one of O‘Nans backlist and the surprisingly good horror novel for #Roll100. A very satisfying reading week 👌🏽

Not too hopeful but I am giving it a try… #ToB23

I really liked this debut novel. Great writing, some of it absolutely brilliant. It follows one week in the lives of 4 teenagers who have aged out of the foster care system, who are roommates in a cheap apartment in a town that doesn‘t have much to offer them.

#TOB23 #Pantone23 #Skylight

Wow. Thank you @batsy for getting me to give this another try because I loved it. It took 200 pages for it to really click, but I totally would go back and read it again. There is not much coherent plot, and you don‘t get answers to some plot-based questions. But it was a very clever way for the author to grapple philosophically with life, the way your past comes back to haunt you, and what you have to give up to move forward. #tob23 Ice storms!

I liked this a lot, despite never having a full grasp on the powers of a match-pair. 😬 Also a tad long.
#ToB2023 #ToB23

This is why I wanted to read the #tob23 shortlist titles- a book I likely never would have read otherwise and absolutely adored. Second book in a row without a lot of plot but I loved reading about Gil, a genuinely good guy doing the best that he and trying to make real connections. I could see myself reading this again.

I enjoyed this book more than I expected. In fact it felt a bit like reading Harry Potter to me, with the main character and his friends, college, the teachers and a bit of fantasy. The main difference is this book‘s focus on colonialism, and all its horrible implications. For colonized nations, and especially for linguistics. I enjoyed the latter parts the most, and I learned a lot. A surprising #ToB23 read!

It‘s a tale of two #tob23 #tobshortlist books! I think I am in the minority with really liking the tagged book that follows a motley bunch of refugees that all become part of a WWII-era movie production company. It lacked focus, but the language was lovely (sometimes slightly overly constructed) and the story(ies) were poignant. BUT am I am really struggling with the next tob shortlist on my list, The Violin Conspiracy!

Hmmm, kind of torn on this one so I‘ll round up to a pick. I didn‘t find it particularly shocking or twisty and I don‘t really care about the world of the rich, famous and ambitious. Jeff struck me as having no personality (by design, I‘m sure). I did appreciate its brevity though and the many questions it leaves you with. Could definitely see this being a good one for discussion so it will be fun to see what the #ToB23 judges make of it.