Welcome to Litsy!

David Malouf‘s first novel, written from a semi-autobiographical perspective of his growing up in postwar Brisbane, paints a portrait of the city as an ugly, backward country backwater. The novel‘s fine, I just found the parts outside of Brisbane the most interesting #Brisbane #DavidMalouf #aussielit #toughguybookclub #storybridge

The Big Nowhere was a big surprise. The second of James Ellroy‘s L.A. Quartet, the novel follows similar themes of crime, paranoia & a dark Hollywood underbelly amidst the backdrop of Los Angeles in 1950. Probably the most enjoyable crime noir fiction I‘ve read #toughguybookclub #crime #noir #LA

Ham on Rye is unrelenting in detailing the setbacks. The heartaches. The feeling of having the whole world against you. And the eventual feeling of indifference to it all. Bukowski tells his story in a brutally simple style. In short blunt sentences. This makes the novel sublime. #toughguybookclub #tgbc #bukowski #hamonrye #breakfast

My haul from the Lifeline book fair #toughguybookclub #lifeline #richardflanagan #scifi #orwell

Man Booker prize winning author Richard Flanagan's first novel, Death of a River Guide tells the story of the lineage and mixed heritage of a white water rafting tour guide in Tasmania. Beautiful and lyrical, the novel weaves its way through two centuries of the sad and brutal history of Tasmania. Epic read.
#toughguybookclub #manbookerprize #manbooker #aussielit #australianfiction #australia #tasmania

One of the funniest books I've read in a while, God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater or Pearls Before Swine is the story of a Rockefeller type heir who leaves New York City, moves to Rosewater, Indiana, gives away his fortune to anybody who asks and loses his mind in the process. The novel introduces Vonnegut's alter ego Kilgore Trout. Highly recommend for an intro to Vonnegut's work #kilgoretrout #toughguybookclub #americanlit #vonnegut

This succinct novella packs a lot of punch in 145 pages. The story of a Korean war veteran who returns to the home he despised all his life, Home portrays the idea of "home" as more than a physical place, but a sense of belonging. Of being wanted, of being able to fulfill a purpose. Definitely want to read more of Toni Morrison's meatier works after this #toughguybookclub #tonimorrison #koreanwar #blackamerica

TJM presents itself as a story of growing up in a migrant family in suburban Melbourne, however it's far more than that. An unflinching tale of a young man's mental downfall leads him to commit one of the most viscerally gory acts I've ever read in a novel. One of Tsiolkas' lesser known works, I highly recommend if you're up for an immersive reading experience. If you're not in the mood for something explicit af, steer well clear #toughguybookclub

I completely disliked Good Omens. Not my cup of tea humourwise, plotwise, characterwise, everythingwise. Not my thing. I however did enjoy the fleeting reference to the Eurovision Song Contest.

#toughguybookclub #eurovision #gaiman #booksandsocks

On The Road came highly recommended as a novel exemplifying the "road trip" genre. Everybody knows someone like Dean Moriarty, person with a fuck all
attitude to life who you either love or hate. For me the highlight was the road trip across the border and the hedonism in Mexico. I enjoyed the ride.

#toughguybookclub #novel #kerouac #roadtrip #booksandsocks