Welcome to Litsy!

A quaint little epistolary novel, in which a nun from a tiny English village writes letters about her daily life to another nun abroad.

I told myself that one of these was quite enough…and then an unexpected marriage (not to Christ!) was hinted at in the third act. I‘m such a sucker. I bought the sequel immediately, which I‘m reading now.

⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
This book was the opposite of Betty and I am grateful for that. I needed to quiet my brain. I loved all the small stories of the narrators life. All those thoughts you have that you file away, that then pop up later. Some are profound, enlightening and instrumental to your past, while others are just bits of fluff, insignificant observations. #Ozfiction

#bookerprizeshortlist
I have yet to read Safekeep (my next-up) and Creation Lake but, as it stands, for me it's a contest between this and James.

It's a quiet, pensive, slow-paced book, with themes of grief, remorse, forgiveness. It explores how we go about the task of being able to live with ourselves (never mind others!) and whether "retreat" is a culpable or even possible response to the world. Oh, and there's a plague of mice to keep it real.

My pile of recently read books!! First Slow Horses by Mick Herron…I love a spy thriller. This one..the first in the series introduces us to the spooks from Slough House..I will definitely read the next book! One of my favourites Tokyo Express…A clever twisty Japanese crime novel. The Big Sleep.. my first Raymond Chandler..fab! Stone Yard Devotional..a quiet book that will stick with you and Evie Wyld and Kate Atkinson always worth reading!

4th booker shortlisted book + another excellent read. The narrator is a woman impacted by the death of her parents + after a short 1st visit moves to live in an Australian priory where she recounts life with the nuns but also her memories which are peppered with curious tales. Covid, an infestation of mice, the return of the bones of a murdered nun, + their escort a nun the narrator recalls from school add to the hypnotic fascination of the tale.

It was a very good month.

I so loved this quiet novel. A masterpiece of interiority.

#Booker2024 #NunLit

(A friend just sent me this photo of the Giants Causeway. I‘d say that‘s quite a stone yard!)

A woman leaves her way of living to join a small group of cloistered nuns. We join with her as the group deals with a plague of mice, the return of the bones of a prior member of the group, and the former classmate who returns with the bones. The classmate brings memories and annoyances. I was hooked. #bookerlonglist

#weekendreads

Hope to finish The Flight Portfolio this weekend after falling behind. #SundayBuddyRead

Hope to finish Stone Yard before the 1st and will start the Klune tonight.

What are you reading?

@rachelsbrittain