Welcome to Litsy!

I adored this MG mystery and its quirky cast of characters. On the surface, it‘s my favorite kind of mystery-a group of people isolated from the outside world while one-by-one bodies start piling up. Dig a little deeper, and it‘s about family, language, living up to or defying expectations, and self-discovery. Shenanigan Swift is also my favorite kind of MG character-a little wild, a little feral, a little naughty, and a whole lot of fun.

#coverstories #stairs
@Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

At least one of my 2024 goals has been achieved. ✅️
I set out to read all 13 books of A Series of Unfortunate Events. I moved to audio on book 5 and was rewarded with Tim Curry narration beginning with book 6, The Ersatz Elevator. It proved to be my favorite, with Curry's performance of Esme Squalor and her obsession with trends that are in and things that are out. Overall, the series was a pick, but I didn't love it.⬇️

I am probably in a good place to give a so-so rating because I do typically enjoy Palahniuk‘s work. This one, while a lot of fun at first, petered out for me. I‘m not sure where he lost me, but he did. And that‘s okay. You can‘t win them all. A 13-year-old girl is poised take over Hell. I was unaware this was a series when I picked it up, so I‘ll hold off Judgement Day until I finish it. Maybe it‘ll all tie up nicely?

Shenanigan Swift has always been known for mischief. A family reunion turns into a murder mystery and Shenanigan is ready to solve the case. With the help of her sisters, Shenanigan looks for suspects and finds out about hidden family treasure along the way. I was expecting a great mystery with some laugh out loud moments. I felt it was quite slow and lacked excitement and pace which was disappointing for a middle grade book.

It was a bright, well dressed morning in early May, and the Swifts were in the middle of a funeral.
#firstlinefriday

Starting this today. Just picked it up from the library.

The cover caught my attention and then I read the blurb about how each family member is given a name from the Family Dictionary. I knew I had to read this book

All the Swifts are meeting up at the Family House for the big Reunion which is a pretense to look for the hidden treasure. Then the Matriarch is pushed down some stairs and things escalate from there. Our heroine Shenanigan and her sisters have more than enough to figure out

Book #2 of 2024: “Choke” by Chuck Palahniuk

This is the first book I‘ve read by Palahnuik and boy was it intense. Sex addiction, mental illness, scams, and a look at the prisons we put ourselves in. I liked it and can tell it‘ll be the kind of book I‘ll have to sit with for a while.

Library book club picked this, and surprisingly, I really liked it. Sad but darkly funny, and a sobering look not just. At the Hollywood machine, but at the affect of narcissism & mental illness on a family. 4 stars. Read by the author, which gives it added power. #memoir #darkhumor