Welcome to Litsy!

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 This one is hard for me to rate. I struggle with Strout—I find many of her characters to be annoying and not people I would enjoy spending time with, so bringing together two characters I didn‘t care for in her previous books didn‘t endear this to me, but I did enjoy the Bob parts of the story here and that helped. Overall soft pick from the #WPF25 short list.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I enjoyed this pick from the #WPF25 short list. British Muslim academic gets a job with the UN developing a deprogramming/re-entry program for ISIS brides in Iraq, gets in over her head, and hijinks and self-discovery ensue. I liked getting to know and root for the MC before it became clear (to me) how problematic some of her behavior was, and also appreciated it mostly came from a good place and not pure self-absorption.

Another one from the #wpf25 longlist that I was halfway through when the shortlist was announced. After reading the second half, this has slid way down my own longlist.

It‘s a pick but only just and it‘s certainly no Americanah. Billed as a novel about 4 women, it‘s more like 4 separate stories, with the women being only tangentially linked. Upon finishing, I could only remember 3 of the women - I‘d completely forgotten the 4th and her story.

I was halfway through this on audio when the #wpf25 shortlist was announced. It wasn‘t on my shortlist and I haven‘t changed my mind since.

I actually quite enjoyed it on audio - mainly vacuous rich people being obnoxious - but I don‘t understand why it was on the list. There was no ‘important message‘ and I didn‘t learn anything and, as is the trend these days, the book just ended with no resolution for most of the characters.

Here we go…! My #wpf25 list in order. I‘ve *nearly* finished all the books - see comments below. ⬇️

Overall it‘s a distinctly average list this year, IMO. The Safekeep made my favourites list of 2024 - only books 2 and 3 could possibly make the 2025 favourites.

On the flip side, I didn‘t absolutely hate any of them - damning with faint praise there! ☺️

The Artist came higher up the list as it was so unexpected - I read it before the ⬇️

#wpf25 Book 13

This was one of those books that leaves you breathless - that you don‘t want to look away from, but you really want to run away from. I never look at the end of a book, but had to in this case, just to know.

It was rather similar to Manguso‘s Liars, both in subject matter and the way it made me feel, and there was a bit more heart in this one.

For me, certainly in the top half of the (slightly disappointing) longlist.

Book 9 #wpf25

This was a scarily prescient read, particularly in the current political climate. Sara is pulled aside on her way through LAX and ‘detained‘ in a facility (not imprisoned!) due to her dreams indicating she *might* commit a crime in the future.

I liked the interactions and the menace in that facility - where the inmates can‘t do anything right so their retentions get extended. I felt that more could have been made of ⬇️

Book 8 #wpf25

I didn‘t expect to love this, after all the comments by Littens I respect, when it made the WP #longlist.

I actually didn‘t mind the first half but then it grew just a bit silly and repetitive, around the introduction of the ‘strange machine‘.

I found I didn‘t care for any of the characters and just wanted it to finish. #listcompletist 🙄

Catching up with reviews so apologies in advance! 🤪

Book 7 #wpf25

I loved this, having not expected to, not being a huge fan of ‘Tudor‘ HF. That‘s all down to the MC, Tibb, who is innocent but wise and has the pottiest mouth.

This deceptively simple story covers all sorts of areas - queer love, religion, prejudice, grief and found family.

Definitely on my shortlist!

An entirely unlikable main character and a completely grim story- is it any surprise that I really did not enjoy listening to this audiobook? And yet there is something about it. I couldn‘t look away and I know it is not a book that will fade away until I can‘t really recall the details in a month or two. Is that enough to make it a pick? My answer today is I think so. Tomorrow I might think differently
#wpf25