Welcome to Litsy!

Magical pencils that unlock memory? I was all in. Loved the family legacy, the historical Shanghai storyline, and the bond between Monica and her grandmother. But the romance subplot lost me—too quick a reconciliation after a betrayal that left a bad taste. Still, a creative debut that mixes historical fiction, speculative magic, and family drama in an original way. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

I loved this novel set in County Donegal. It follows several couples and their troubled marriages at a time when divorce was illegal. Propulsive and engaging, the writing is clear and places you in the scene. The characters & the ambiguity & in their relationships rang true. Murrin does not judge but leaves us to ponder the effects of the Church & marriage for women. He creates tension, I kept wanting to turn the page. Great debut.

SO good. I‘m really looking forward to my book club‘s discussion! This book was very readable and centered on a Chinese American college student and her grandmother. They are part of a legacy of women who made elite pencils and… there is some magical realism about how they use the pencils. It‘s so original and memorable. Themes of memory, war/loyalty, communication, privacy, queer love. Great relationships of all types. Well written. Read it!

I love these old stories. My favorites are: Alligators, The Bride, and Sam's New Pet 🖤🐈‍⬛🖤
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Loved this story of two Chinese grandmothers and their story through magic that is in their blood. Granddaughters that live in Boston and want to learn about their grandmothers past. Fantasy mixed with history and technology of today. So good. First novel by this author. Excellent. Power of the written word and the loss of people talking to each other.

Jen, you keep spoiling me! Thank you for sending this my way - I started it a while back (library book) but I think it was a “me, not the book” situation 😂🤪 Look forward to trying again 💚💚 @Jas16

Really enjoyed it.

Well I will be looking for something light hearted on my shelves to read next because this was just so hard on my heart. An autistic mother with a teenaged daughter when new neighbors move in next door and insert themselves into their lives. It drags a bit in the middle but I was still ready to jump into the pages and fight everyone for being so cruel and dismissive of Sunday.

I wasn‘t too sure about this because magical realism usually just annoys me but there was so much more going on - the relationship between Monica and her grandparents, her friendship and blossoming romance with Louise, the relationship between Meng and Yun, the Chinese history… so much to take in, hard to believe it‘s a debut.

I didn‘t love the audio narration so give it a preview before committing.

My July #BookSpin

Finished today by the pool. Not my usual type of book. 📖 📝