Welcome to Litsy!

Book #2 of 2026. I have read The God of Small Things twice and it‘s one of my favorite books so I am enjoying getting to know the author. She has led an incredible life!

#12BooksOf2025 - day 11 November

Honorable mentions:
The Loneliness of Sonny and Sonia by Kiran Desai
The Old Curiosity Shop by Charles Dickens

I, like many others, read her debut novel The God of Small Things when it was first published and loved it. I had no idea what she was living through and the activism she was involved in for the years following that. And, of course, how her mother was with her. What a complex relationship and a brave life Roy has lived. A five star read for me. #offtheshelf

Roy is reading passages from one of her books to John Berger, another author. She talks about how carefully he listens and how meaningful it was to her. I agree with what she has to say about that kind of listening. It‘s a rare and beautiful thing. I hope it‘s not a lost art.

Strong start to the reading year 🔥💪💔. God of Small Things is and exceptional novel and my husband bought me this memoir about the author for Christmas. I‘d heard a lot about it and its focus on her complicated relationship with her mother. Wow; complicated doesn‘t begin to describe it. I learnt about India and Kashmir in particular, and now plan to read her only other novel The Ministry of Utmost Happiness.

In my latest video, I am looking back on my 2025 reading: some of my faves, lots of stats and my top book of 2025 (tagged)
#Booktube #yearendstats

https://youtu.be/6yOgPlV32tI

I read a lot of memoirs last year, and this was the final one. I‘d read Running with Scissors years ago—this memoir was very different than that one. It took courage for Augusten to write this one, but his childhood was worse.

I‘m not confident about many of the microdecisions I made in 2025‘s #ReadingBracket. Truth is, I had an INCREDIBLE reading year! A bunch of the match-ups could‘ve gone either way. I think I feel pretty confident about the WINNER (though I did read it a while ago now).

Best I can *confidently* do is a Top 7 (tagged below)!

•Giving Up the Ghost
•Journal of a Solitude
•Night Swimmers
•Sleep
•Death Valley
•The Ten Year Affair
•Moominland Midwinter

Nothing stood a chance with Something in the Woods Loves You. That said, all of these memoirs are excellent and I highly recommend them all. #bestbooks2025 #memoirs