Welcome to Litsy!

#12booksof2024 @Andrew65

This is a quietly powerful novel in stories following the residents of a small Maine town, their secret hopes and fears, the ordinariness of their daily lives and their major turning points. Beautiful read and my second of the year that I owe to #Europacollective

This one took me a bit to get into, but it did start to pick up mid way through. Alderton has a nice blend of introspection and humor in her writing that makes her characters feel real.

Soft pick. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

#botm

Yeah, I don‘t. Not anymore!
Clem is a brilliant Australian journalist, feminist and activist. I learn so much from her books and they are very amusing as well.
But the sad reality is that the people who should read these books and gain a new perspective of things never are the ones who do.
#Oznonfiction

#12Booksof2024 @Andrew65

February

I ended up enjoying this a lot although words fail me a bit to describe why. Maybe it was being able to relate so closely to the descriptions of love and longing; he also has a gift to state some truth about a characters' life in a beautiful and startling way. Altogether, though, I wish the story was a bit less bleak!

I really liked this one even with all of Andy‘s hapless male foundering. It was funny, smart, and I loved all the British-isms. But the ending just floored me and turned this from a 3-star to a very high 4-star read. #botm

Jen breaks up with Andy. The majority of the book is spent with Andy as he tries to deal with the loss. I liked Andy and sympathized with his struggle. Heck, I can be an Andy myself. But I can also be a Jen. I appreciated what she had to say.

I often find that if I‘m not really enjoying a book, it‘s worth it to finish it to see if the ending saves it. Honestly, the ending did just that. It made the reading of the book a rewarding experience.

A drugs-related kidnapping of a young lad: not a book I'd have picked up, were it not for its #bookerprize longlisting.
I enjoyed the characterisation (poor Dev, especially, and hapless Doll, and prematurely adult Nicky). There's something feels not quite complete about it though, and it could do with one more edit: not least to clear up the nonsensical imagery I kept tripping over (eg. the appearance of a distant building compared to an aspirin).

I so enjoyed this one. Dolly Alderton writes from a man‘s perspective after his break-up with Jen and it felt completely believable and funny. I felt for him and felt sorry they didn‘t make it.
Then the perspective changes and we learn Jen‘s take on things. All the pieces fell into place. A light and hopeful read. Recommended! #ToB25Longlist

Ostensibly about a drug-deal related shakedown, this is actually an exploration of the lives of people living at the margins and at risk. It‘s described as “darkly funny” and I don‘t agree at all—I found it to be an encouragement to look more deeply at quiet desperation. #TOBlonglist