This novella is a quick read that explores the cultural naïveté of Americans in Paris and how they are perceived by old-family Europeans, and also the themes of quiet revenge and Schadenfreude. Toward the end of the book, the reader is waiting for the other shoe to drop, for the veneer of polite charm to give way to the dark motivations beneath it. Wharton‘s insightful and often surprising turns of phrase are a delight to read. #Whartonbuddyread

The first chapters utterly charmed me with the style of writing and the world Kate created. The illustrations and the construction of the book are also charming. There is a lot of darkness in the book which the characters must deal with, and this affected me. It was a bit heavy for me in that regard—the sadness in the world. The themes of love, friendship, self-knowledge, courage, and the power of story are beautifully rendered.

I enjoyed this whimsical foray into 1950‘s Paris. Antoine Laurain has the ability to cast a romantic light on the past without ignoring the things that have changed for the better over the years. This is a light, fun read that is an excellent escape from the dark times we are living in. #timetravel

If you are looking for a life-affirming read, this is a good choice. In a style reminiscent of “It‘s A Wonderful Life”, the story begins with the main character wanting to end it all. But when she takes a load of pills and is hovering between life and death, she finds herself in the Midnight Library, in which she gains new perspectives on her life choices. A quick read with short chapters, it‘s a clever examination of what really matters.

This early novel reads a bit like a morality tale, yet there is much more to it than that. The main character goes through a kind of initiation experience, coming face-to-face with his own narcissism and weakness, nearly being destroyed by it, and ultimately beginning an inner transformation and renewal. There are echoes of Poe‘s The Telltale Heart and interesting philosophical elements. Wharton‘s prose is a delight to read. #whartonbuddyread

This book is a celebration of language—of quirky words, odd phrases, groups of vowels and consonants! At first, the book reminded me a bit of #Elinor Oliphant. I enjoyed the MC‘s unusual way of seeing things but wished that she had more support around her. Vivian is delightful but never bathes and is caught in a delusion pressed upon her by her abusive father. The end is hopeful, as she plans an adventure with a friend.

Another fun read from Antoine Laurain. This time, Laurain takes us inside the Paris publishing world and the lead-up to the Prix Goncourt. The “unknown” author of a runaway bestseller must be found, as a number of recent deaths/murders bear a striking resemblance to those described in the book. The ending leaves a lingering question; but overall, it is a clever, noir—and very French—fictional ride. #readingaroundtheworld #France

Mario Vargas Llosa invites the reader into his writing process and also his theory of fiction. The interplay between reality and fiction is fluid and fascinating. This book would be of special interest to writers and students of Vargas Llosa‘s work. #writersoflitsy

Willa Cather beautifully evokes the artistic sensibility and the effect of great music on the inner life in this story of a talented young pianist from a small town who goes to study music in Chicago. The book focuses on her relationships with two very different men. The first 2/3 of the book are more satisfying than the end. But Cather‘s mastery of language and metaphor are strong throughout. #catherbuddyread

Happy Birthday to pen pal extraordinaire and all-around great person @Chelleo !!! May the coming year bring continued health, inspiration, joy, and loads of magnificent books! 💕

A very Happy Birthday to #Litsypenpal @robinb !!! May you be safe, healthy, and well-stocked with good books during these unusual times. A package will be on its way to you very soon (just need to wrap it!). Wishing you a wonderful day. 💕

#crochetersoflitsy #craftersoflitsy À read-along like no other! Inspired by the Museum of Natural History in Paris and Anthony Doerr‘s book, in which it is featured, Scheepjes yarns is hosting an international crochet-along-read-along! The mandala-style blanket will be made in 4 colorways—or pick your own! Book clubs on Sundays. Starts on Sept. 23. Info here: https://www.scheepjes.com/en/cals-and-mals/scheepjes-cals/scheepjes-cal-2020/inf...

In a series of letters, Vargas Llosa opens up the structure of the novel form and examines its inner workings, using examples from world literature. His love of literature and empathy for the young writer shine through. After 132 pages of insight, he concludes, “My dear friend: what I am trying to say is that you should forget everything you‘ve read in my letters about the structure of the novel, and just sit down and write.” 😆 #writersoflitsy

The little-known cousin of Erik the Red. . . Bjorn the Well-Read.
#litsyhumor

This little volume is the transcript of a speech given by Camus in 1957. It is as relevant today as the day he wrote it. #writersoflitsy #artistsoflitsy

Stegner‘s insights into the creative process, the writing life, the responsibility of the author, and how to nurture and develop one‘s writing are a joy to read. This book would be a fine addition to any writer‘s bookshelf and perhaps also of interest to avid readers. #writersoflitsy

Good questions, @TheSpineView ! I‘m currently reading the English translation of Zorba the Greek, by Nikos Kazantzakis. I read books in German regularly and am starting to read in French again as I brush up on the language. #Two4Tuesday Tagging @robinb Hi, Robin! 👋

Thanks for the tag, @vlwelser The most beautiful thing I‘ve heard this week is a pop-up online concert of mainly Bach music played on the Archguitar by Peter Blanchette. It was a balm for the soul! This answers the second question too, though I also like to play my own instruments to lift my spirits. The last food I indulged in was a hot cocoa with ginger snaps. Tagging @ju.ca.no

Another incisive gem from Willa Cather. The #catherbuddyread group posted some fabulous insights. What struck me personally in the 2nd half was that the character of Myra Henshawe was remarkably like someone I know who recently passed away. The parallels were astonishing! And I could understand Oswald‘s wish to remember the good and let go of the bad. As Myra said herself, she “couldn‘t help” being cruel to those she loved. A complex character.

Years later when I read T.S. Eliot‘s line that April was the cruelest month, I would recall what happened to me one April day in 1954, in chilly Limuru, the prime estate of what, in 1902, another Eliot, Sir Charles Eliot, then governor of colonial Kenya, had set aside as White Highlands. #firstlinefridays @ShyBookOwl

Willa Cather‘s work is a joy to read. She interweaves many themes and gives the reader plenty to think about. For me, this book is a fascinating exploration of what it means to hold true to our most authentic Self, when so many forces in life and our time in history seek to draw us away from ourselves. Lots to chew on in this book! If you‘re interested, see the great discussions of this book in the #Catherbuddyread group.

What an achingly beautiful book. Exquisitely written. It is the story of a life lived deeply. There is sadness, yes, but there is also love. In this book, love of words and literature is also a redeeming and comforting force. It‘s a book that will stay in my thoughts for a long time and that I will surely read again.

I‘ve just completed this book‘s daily readings, which go from Nov. 24 to Jan. 7. While a broad array of voices are included here, I was surprised and even a little disturbed by how many of the readings I could NOT relate to. I had an easier time with the poems than the prose. To me, it seemed that the great mystery of God had been too narrowly interpreted, too confidently expressed. Perhaps next Advent, I‘ll choose readings from the mystics!

Christmas #bookhaul of 2019! Heartfelt thanks to my Litsy pen pals @robinb and @Chelleo for your contributions to this wonderful tower of reading material! Your thoughtfulness is deeply appreciated! My packages to you both will arrive in the New Year, as I‘m behind with my “Literary Santa to-do list”! Wishing everyone many pleasant hours of reading in 2020! 🎄📚🎄📚🎄📚

To carry the spirit of the Season this year, I bought this book of daily readings for Advent. Some readings are religious, some are poems, some are questions and seekings. There are contributions from Aquinas, Luther, Dillard, Nouwen, Bonhöffer, Plath, and others. It begins on this day, the first Sunday of Advent.

How does one live in the present when the past was defined by war, abuse, and loss? And how does one build a brighter future? In this novel, the characters are dealing with these questions and finding their answers through the many forms love takes. #audiobook

I found this #audiobook a bit too “on the nose” with its theme of a self-sacrificing woman learning to set boundaries and take care of her own needs. It includes themes of the power of stories and the importance of family and forgiveness. It was an okay listen while lazing about fighting off a seasonal bug.

“There are no days of my childhood which I lived so fully perhaps as those I thought I had left behind without living them, those I spent with a favourite book.” So begins Proust‘s beautiful essay “Days of Reading (1)”. In his distinctive, densely detailed style, Proust shares his thoughts on reading, writing, art, machinism, society, Ruskin, and more. This is a slim volume filled with gems. #France #ReadingAroundTheWorld

What a beautiful, heart-warming #audiobook! A young girl with a club foot is evacuated from London to the English countryside with her little brother at the start of WWII. Having suffered physical and emotional abuse at the hand of their mother, young Ada and little Jamie begin to blossom under the loving care of their guardian Sarah. Sarah, too, comes back to life with renewed fervor. Highly recommended!

Fellow Littens, please join me in wishing the Happiest of Birthdays to @Chelleo — Litsy-how-to-video Queen, fabulous academic librarian, mom of 2 growing readers, and #Litsypenpal extraordinaire! May the coming year bring many happy hours of reading! (Michelle, a little something for you will be arriving a few days late.).

I took my time savoring this book of Raymond Briggs‘ reflections on life and especially on growing older. The book is a collection of columns he wrote for the humorous British magazine The Oldie. His dry English wit and clever observations are a delight!

Many Littens will recognize their own reading and book-loving (and book-sniffing!) habits in this fun gathering of cartoons by Debbie Tung. It‘s a quick read that would make a nice gift for oneself or a book-loving friend.

I really enjoyed a few weeks of starting my day with a couple of chapters of this book. There are plenty of nuggets of advice and inspiration for writers, and I also discovered some new-to-me writers whose work I‘d like to read. My copy is now filled with underlined, bracketed, and starred passages that I will return to now and then. Glad to have this on my bookshelf! #writersoflitsy

I am always amazed by Tracy Chevalier‘s ability to bring a certain historical time and place to such vivid life. This #audiobook is very well presented by the voice actors. The story of the harsh life on the American frontier for a family of apple-growers and of the son who makes his way to California—first for gold and then to harvest seeds and saplings of redwood and sequoia trees for the European market—is rich in history & emotionally moving.

Perhaps I missed some of the magic of the writing by listening to this in #audiobook form. While it taught me about a historical event I hadn‘t known about, I wished the characters‘ stories had been more fully developed. It seemed that an expectation of more of their individual stories was set up early on and then left unfulfilled. However, the book had many beautiful moments. Photo from Wikipedia: the Wilhelm Gustloff in 1939.

My response to this book was mixed. There were so many twists in the story of the crime that I‘m still not entirely sure what happened. (Perhaps that‘s the drawback of listening to the audiobook at night while falling asleep!) But that doesn‘t really matter because the main pleasure of the Three Pines books is spending time with the main characters. And now the wait for the next book begins. Godspeed, Writer, Godspeed!

While it was interesting to learn more about Gregorian chant and the daily life of a contemplative community, I found the setting of this book claustrophobic. I missed the residents of Three Pines, who add such flavor to the other books in the series. The book became monotonous. However, I respect the author‘s willingness to experiment with unusual settings and plots. Image: ABBEY OF SAINT-BENOÎT-DU-LAC, the inspiration for the fictional abbey.

For those interested in the work of Willa Cather and in her ideas about the art of fiction—both her own and the work of others—this slim volume is a treasure. It is filled with passages to return to and savor! #writersoflitsy #catherbuddyread

What a beautiful book! Willa Cather captures the simplicity and religious sincerity of Québec‘s early French settlers with a spare yet descriptive writing style. Delving into this book is an escape from the modern world. Cather brings to life the traditions, herbal remedies, attitudes, and seasonal calendar of these salt-of-the-earth people. The writing is superb! #willacather #Canada #Quebec

Based on a real network of mostly female spies in WWI, this novel weaves historical fact with fiction to show how events from WWI influenced some people‘s choices and behaviors in WWII and beyond. It jumps back and forth between 1947 and the years of WWI. People endured so much hardship and needed such courage during the two world wars. Hats off to my grandparents‘ and great-grandparents‘ generations! #audiobook #WWI

Day Seven. #covercrush #7days7covers I just ordered this book. What a great cover for a Pullman book on writing and storytelling! Looking forward to reading it!

Please join me in sending warm Litsy Happy Birthday wishes to @robinb ! May the coming year bring you many blissful hours of reading!

Day Six. #covercrush #7books7days

Day Five. #covercrush #7books7days This book is extra special to me because I bought it in Paris when I was 24. I bought it from an open-air bookseller along the Seine near the Old Quarter. I still get a fluttery feeling of excitement in my chest when I look at it. I think it‘s a combination of admiration for the book‘s utter charm and the stimulation of my own creative energies.

What a clever premise! I enjoyed visiting the various time periods in this #audiobook and following the main character‘s efforts to come to terms with his much slower aging process. The subject of TIME is nicely explored.

Day Four. #covercrush #7days7covers

Day Three. #covercrush #7days7covers Post 7 covers that you like, no explanation needed, over 7 days and tag another Litten to join the fun. Today I would like to invite @TheBookStacker — if your grad school schedule has room in it for such frivolities! 🤓

Day Two. #covercrush #7days7covers Share 7 covers that you like over 7 days, no explanation needed, and tag someone to play along. I would like to invite @Sarah83 to play along.

Thanks for the tag, @ju.ca.no ! Day One. #7days7covers #covercrush. Share covers that you like for 7 days, no explanation needed, and invite someone else to play along. I would like to invite @Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick

So often, I nearly bailed on this book; but I was curious to see how the author handled such a big topics as free will vs. determinism and quality of life vs. quantity of life. The characters didn‘t seem real to me. They didn‘t come to life on the page. Some of their choices seemed maddeningly senseless in light of what we knew of them. And if there‘s one deal-breaker that can turn me off a book, it‘s the abuse of animals, this time in a lab.