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KOTK

KOTK

Joined December 2017

Fave writers - Neil Gaiman, Anne Tyler, David Mitchell, Niccolo Ammaniti, William Trevor and Iain Banks
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Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie
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Chronicles by Bob Dylan
review
KOTK
The '86 Fix | Keith Pearson
Pickpick

Easy quick read. Fun book. Think it's a wonderful life in modern times. Not challenging but the two books (beyond broadhall is sequel) are an enjoyable read

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KOTK
Six Four | Hideo Yokoyama
Mehso-so

I wanted to love this as read some excellent reviews. However, it marginally gets above a pan rating. So much time on internal politics that became so tedious and felt like a broken record at times. I gave up twice but did finish and it is saved by a good ending but was a chore to read overall

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KOTK
Pickpick

Book 2 in the Shardlake series and it is better than the great first. He is a wonderful character and clear research undertaken to get historical references correct. Loved it so much

Andrew65 Book 3 is my favourite in this excellent series. 5y
KOTK Thank you andrew65. Moved straight onto sovereign as he is such a great chatacter 5y
5 likes2 comments
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KOTK
The Sisters Brothers | Patrick DeWitt
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Pickpick

Never read a western themed book so was wary despite reviews. This book is superb. It is light and humorous but dark undercurrents that are kafkaesque as they travel to San Fran (v v apocalypse now). It is surprisingly touching and poignant without being saccharine. Wonderfully developed characters and great dialogue amongst them. Such imagination and I am so grateful to a friend for the copy. A Great read overall

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KOTK
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Pickpick

Brilliant recommendation. Well researched meant this weaving tale had many layers. Best thing I can say about it is that immediately upon finishing I started it's sequel.

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KOTK
Back of Beyond | C. J. Box
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Mehso-so

Audiobook
Passed the time while on commute or walking dog. It was generally okay. Found the lead a touch ott and a bit misogynistic. Seems to be a feature of male leads in these "thrillers". I can see where the tension is supposed to ratchet up by the flicking between characters in chapters but never felt it. Was not rushing to get to the climactic end as you are with good thrillers. Still it did help kill time

quote
KOTK

Keep your thoughts positive
Because your thoughts become your words.
Keep your words positive
Because your words become your behaviour.
Keep your behaviour positive Because your behaviour becomes your habits.
Keep your habits positive
Because your habits become your values.
Keep your values positive
Because your values become your destiny.

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KOTK
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Facts

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KOTK
Chronicles | Bob Dylan
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Hoping this gives an insight into the great man. Cutting down to two books at a time.

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KOTK
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A friend has recommended this. Know absolutely nothing about it but different genre for me. Ereader this time. Funny I still prefer a proper book for reading so this is first on reader in months. Fingers crossed it's good as last book was a bit unfulfilling

2 likes1 stack add
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KOTK
The Miniaturist | Jessie Burton
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Mehso-so

I liked this but did not love it. The story is fine overall but weaves too much into a short time span and ultimately I glance at lives of characters without feeling I know them. I found myself enjoying it when i read it but not rushing to pick up. I am certain many will love it but ultimately it's a bit dull for me.

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KOTK
The Miniaturist | Jessie Burton
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Has been in the TBR stack for too long. Tried last year and gave up but going to be done this month. Hope it's as good as some say

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KOTK
Manhattan Beach: A Novel | Jennifer Egan
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Pickpick

Genuinely surprised at the mixed reviews. A beautiful vignette into life in second world war. Lead is brilliant and you get a feel for the modern woman arising from WW2 in the US. Prose is great and I found myself interested in all the characters. It does feel scrunched together a bit at the end but not in a way that detracts. If rest of 2019 in reading is as good as this I will be very happy

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KOTK
Us Against You | Fredrik Backman
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Pickpick

If you liked bear town/the scandal you will like this. Beautiful vignettes of people within a town. The writer has so many throw away lines that are priceless. V watery eyes over last 100 pages. Another joy to read

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KOTK
Pickpick

I decided to try something different. Historical fiction. I might have struck gold as this was a gripping tale told with such skill. Read many of Harris' books but none of these. Was a joy and books 2 and 3 in the trilogy ordered

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KOTK
The Crow Girl | Erik Axl Sund
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Pickpick

Audiobook over last 2 weeks. Writer takes time to develop two fabulous female leads. It takes a twist twice, especially in the 3rd act. Found myself enjoying dog walks even more than usual. Whilst crime thrillers are not my thing usually this one might change my mind if I can get such depth. Must be a Scandanavian thing as their female characters are just better. 31 hrs on audiobook so not a quickie but so worth it

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KOTK
The Crow Girl | Erik Axl Sund
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New audiobook. I have discovered I like the crime genre after all. Only if there is a string female lead though. Tried a few and if male dominated they appear tediously misogynistic. Is this common for crime genre outside of Sweden as their writers seem to love their female characters to be real.

jenniferw88 If you haven't tried him yet may I suggest this series as his protagonist is very strong. 6y
KOTK @jenniferw88 tganks for that. Added to the stack 6y
4 likes2 comments
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KOTK
The Scandal | Fredrik Backman
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Pickpick

Unable to read for a week due to being ill was the only thing preventing me from devouring this in a weekend. Beyond good. Gripping from paragraph one and relentless pace. Writer has so many many phrases I could quote that will resonate for a lomg time. Book is as good as all said it would be and more. Be good to yourself and read this. You can thank me later. It's called Bear Town in the US.

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KOTK
The Scandal | Fredrik Backman
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Oh my this is so good. Its like an Anne Tyler book in allowing me to know all the characters but there is dread as what's going to hapoen. Full of great quotes. BearTown to my US pals. Cannot put this down. The opening paragraph grabs you and does not let go

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KOTK
American War | Omar El Akkad
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Pickpick

An interesting concept with an excellent female lead. Well paced and not a tough read. I found myself seeing parallels in fanaticism of now but the human side of this was great. Story of grief and revenge but left me feeling there could be a great book in there. Overall very good if not brilliant

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KOTK
Broken Dolls | James Carol
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Panpan

An audio book. Its a psychological thriller apparently. I nearly bailed several times. Cliched, formulaic and more than a touch of misogyny. There is a reason why i dislike this genre but had to have something for dog walking. Just cannot warm to main lead and whilst pacing is fine i was bored

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KOTK
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Pickpick

Thanks to @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks I lifted this. Not my usual thing at all. Whilst clearly the target audience is female I loved it and am grateful for the suggestion. The two timelines are compelling and it does speed along. It is a pageturner and entertaining. Can see many a person enjoying this on holiday this summer and have passed the copy to my wife to save for when we go as she will love the two strong female leads.

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Yay!!! I‘m so happy you enjoyed it!! I hope she does too!!! 👏🏻🙌🏻📚☺️ 6y
KOTK @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks i have that in the tbr stack. Once i finish American War next up is Bear Town as so many litzy recommendations on that. Thanks again 6y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @KOTK you‘re welcome!!! 6y
4 likes1 stack add4 comments
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KOTK
American War | Omar El Akkad
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So got my next 6 books lined up. 3 are purely litsy recommendations so a genuinely helpful app!! Got to finish the Alice Network first. Another litsy recommendation (half way through). Anyone opinions on any of the next 6?

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KOTK
Autumn | Ali Smith
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Pickpick

A litsy recommendation made me get this and so glad I did. Beautiful 3 dimensional characters with ambiguity throughout wondering where is this going (not in a bad way). Am going to read more by author now as this was like how an Anne Tyler book makes me feel and that is never a bad thing.

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KOTK
Brave New World | Aldous Huxley
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Mehso-so

Okay so in the context of being written in 1932 this is a brilliant book. The fears for the future are a bit to obvious and the moralism from author is something I found tedious in modern world. Style and prose is fine but I do not think it ages well. A heck of a feat for it's time and glad I finally got round to reading but bit too preachy by the end for me to recommend

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KOTK
Autumn | Ali Smith

This is my 3rd book I am reading due to coming on this app and following you lovely people. Am looking to add to stack and fill for the summer so shall be most obliged if you could drop a comment with best book you have read in last 12 months. Am fine on most genres but do love a sci-fi that challenges me (Atwood etc)

glitterkitty459 Do you still need recommendations?? Sci-fi is my favorite genre! I really liked Scythe by Neal Shusterman and the sequel 6y
KOTK @glitterkitty459 thank you so much. Will pick these up. Love good sci-fi 6y
glitterkitty459 Also the Red Rising series by Pierce Brown 6y
KOTK Thank you @glitterkitty459 more added to stack. Really appreciate it as thats summer sorted now 6y
2 likes5 comments
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KOTK
Power | Naomi Alderman
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Mehso-so

Been reading so much science fiction of late. It is an interesting concept and does shine a light on some current attitudes. I liked it but felt it blew itself out in the final 3rd which stopped me loving it. Roxy character was fun and its an unchallenging read in terms of prose etc so I can see why so popular as couple of days finished it. Issue I have is there is a great book in there

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KOTK
Pickpick

Okay so 30 something (cough cough) years after reading I decided to go back. As a teen I found it okay. Now I found it compelling. The vacuous people that drive Montag insane with frustration struck a chord with me now that it did not in the past. The prose and language has not dated well but does not take too much away. Even with McCarthy trials being distant history there remains great relevance to the book. Glad I went back

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KOTK
Ready Player One | Ernest Cline
Mehso-so

Wanted an easy quick read between books. Enjoyable but not great. Formulaic at times but entertaining nonetheless. Felt a bit dragged out by the end but overall I did like it

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KOTK
Pickpick

Audiobook again. Not my type of book but was gripped. Wonderful strong female lead and wondering if there are more books with Miss Vega. Crime/thrillers are usually dull to me but audiobook brought it to life and the dog walks and commute to/from work flew by in this book's company. Might have to change my mind on the genre. Excellent just excellent

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KOTK
Darth Plagueis | James Luceno
Pickpick

Listened to audio book. Brilliant and a must for Star Wars fans. Origins stories can be a bore but this was compelling and the audio book was brilliantly produced. Seeing the start of the Emperor's rise was well thought through

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KOTK
Pickpick

Best book I have read in years. Beautiful story written in a fantastic style that sees you fly through. Gutted to be finished the way I am with books I've loved

TrishB Great read 👍🏻 6y
KOTK @TrishB agreed. Could not put it down once I started 6y
4 likes1 stack add2 comments
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KOTK
1Q84, book 3 | Haruki Murakami
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Mehso-so

So I have a contented dog asleep at my feet. Am in my comfy chair with a book, a brandy and camera obscura playing on headphones. Not sure if I can define happiness much better.

Sadly the 3rd part of the story is very very unfulfilling. I am saying so so as a trilogy but too many open questions and unconnected leaps expected of reader. Was ultimately very disappointed

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KOTK
Graveyard Book | Neil Gaiman
Pickpick

My all time favourite kids book. Kids and I read this countless times. Audio book with neil reading is also a joy. I know he never goes back to characters but I'd love to see bod or Silas again as feel they were part of my kids childhood. Its dark but with a marshmallow centre. Brilliant

shahn77 I loved this on audio. I just listened to it a couple of months ago. Neil Gaiman is the best! 6y
KOTK @shahn77 100% agree. Love so many of his books 6y
DivaDiane How old were your kids when reading this the first time? I‘m wondering when to introduce it to my son, he‘s 8. 6y
KOTK They were 7 and 10. Both loved it 6y
5 likes1 stack add4 comments
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KOTK
The Crossroads | Niccol Ammaniti
Pickpick

This was a shock to me. Lifted after hearing a review and as good as they said it was they did not get close. How can I love a lead character so loathsome as the father but I just did. If you are not a fan of black comedy avoid but I devoured this in no time and loved it all.

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KOTK
Pickpick

I am in a minority but I adored this love story. One or two sections felt wrong (action sequence thrown in for some reason( but loved the main characters and a trip through old Japan

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KOTK
Bone Clocks | David Mitchell
Mehso-so

I wanted to love this book as loved his others. However I found it lacked something with regards to character depth, which is not like DM. I loathed the ending which felt utterly alien

shahn77 I really enjoyed the slade house which I think is a companion book to this one. I was looking forward to giving this one a try. Did you read slade house? How did it compare to the bone clocks? 6y
KOTK @shahn77 no not read that and unaware it was companion book. The ending made me angry in a way where i would not revisit the tale!! 6y
shahn77 @KOTK Ok thanks! I think they are very loosely connected. Maybe I should pick a different book for my next Read Slade house is the only David Mitchell I have read but I am looking forward to reading more from him. 6y
4 likes3 comments
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KOTK
A Christmas Carol | Charles Dickens
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Pickpick

Never actually read this. Ashamed so going to sort that this month

Lcsmcat Welcome to Litsy. I hope you love this book as much as my family does. We reread it every year. 6y
KOTK Thank you @Lcsmcat 6y
2 likes1 stack add2 comments
quote
KOTK

We‘re in such a hurry most of the time we never get much chance to talk. The result is a kind of endless day-to-day shallowness, a monotony that leaves a person wondering years later where all the time went and sorry that it‘s all gone.

3 likes1 stack add
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KOTK
Invisible Man | Ralph Ellison

"Life is to be lived, not controlled; and humanity is won by continuing to play in face of certain defeat."

3 likes1 stack add
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KOTK
Girl in a Band | Kim Gordon
Pickpick

I found this insightful, funny, sad and warming. Beatiful reflections on her life and the times past and she actually feels v free. Full of the hope and excitememt of the era leading to disillusionment with life, the music scene and love. Strong strong character though throughout

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KOTK
Leviathan Wakes | James S.A. Corey
Pickpick

Unsurprisingly very similar to Game of Thrones in style, which is great for me. Compelling storyline. The TV show made me read this and only disappointment was to have to wait until book 2 for my favourite female character of all time, Avasarala. It's an easy read but gripping story. Would read this and 2 (Caliban's war)as a set though

3 likes1 stack add
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KOTK
1Q84 | Haruki Murakami
Pickpick

Loving this. About to finish book 2. Superb imagination and you have to hang in there. Love the two leads are a compelling read. Glass of wine and book 3 tonight

DebinHawaii Welcome to Litsy! 🎉📚👍😀Hope you enjoy it here! 6y
KOTK Thank you. Seems a great idea but not sure what i am doing 6y
DebinHawaii @KOTK You'll get the hang of it--just ask questions. Everyone here is great. One tip--if you tag anyone you reply to on your feed (like me @DebinHawaii) they will be alerted you responded. 😀👍 6y
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RaimeyGallant My pleasure. :) 6y
4 likes7 comments