I‘m not sure about the fever premise (maybe I‘ve just never suffered through a long fever) but otherwise I liked this story of a woman told through her memories of consequential relationships in her life. It felt familiar as I often find myself doing a similar thing these days - reflecting on life through people who have come and gone.

@BarbaraBB

Very excited for #CampLitsy24! Under the wire, here are my four nominations. Thank you for hosting again this year @BarbaraBB @Megabooks @squirrelbrain !

I finished this book on my flight back home. Such a slow, quietly powerful read and so very timely. An incredible book where everything feels just beneath the surface and between the lines. I was slightly on edge throughout the story right up until the end.

Very excited to come across a copy of this Ali Smith book in a little bookstore this weekend. It‘s been on my list for a long time.

I saw the contemporary ballet triptych Woolf Works last night, adapting three of her novels. What an incredible show. The sections based on Mrs. Dalloway and The Waves were very emotionally intense. The section based on Orlando was perfectly bizarre. At different points they voiced over excerpts from her letters. It was so good. ♥️

I‘m so glad @merelybookish pointed me toward this book! I agree with you that it definitely has Ducks, Newburyport vibes. 🩵 I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this story about marriage, life, getting older, finding meaning, and yes, Melville. With poignant pandemic moments throughout, which felt timely as I read this almost exactly four years later. A #TOB long list gem this year for sure.

Levy is easily one of my favorite writers. I enjoyed this one for her exquisite writing style, but the story didn‘t draw me in as much as some of her other books. Time is fluid in the story and I liked the softness of the borders between reality and imagination as the book progressed.

This book somehow presents circumstances that are both tempting and terrifying. Such a unique premise, although the themes felt familiar. The MC‘s relationships with animals in the story are poignant, and I felt so much suspense and dread about what was to come. This is a book that I‘ll be thinking about for a long time. Thanks @batsy for putting this one on my list.

I moved my copy of this book to the top of the pile when it made the Int‘l Booker long list. A powerful story of generations of a family enduring lives as tenant farmers in Brazil, with a bit of magical realism. I loved the complicated relationship between the two sisters and their quiet strength. And the relationship of the farmers to the land, that brings gifts and suffering. They appreciate and understand it so much more than the landowners.

I love Lennon as a writer. I‘ve really enjoyed every book of his I‘ve read. But this one fell short for me. I wanted to like it much more than I did. Partly perhaps the genre, but it also felt so predictable compared to his other work. I‘ll still read whatever he writes next.

I am so glad to have finally read this beautiful book. Such an expertly crafted story of public and private histories. The pieces of the story retold in succession from slightly different perspectives is genius. And the passages of Claudia‘s thoughts vs. what others in the room can see are sometimes heartbreaking and sometimes hilarious. And that ending. ♥️ Thank you so much @BarbaraBB for this lovely gift!

I‘m still processing the layers of this story. It looks at relationships, marriage and parenting, but also at how what we believe can be so powerful. How things we believe our whole lives can shape us. How beliefs can set in, cult-like. And how our belief in something gives it its power - sometimes good, sometimes not. A great book! #LitsyTOB

Well this is fun news! A new Sally Rooney novel coming out! 🤩

This is a first novel and at times it felt that way, but the writing is fantastic and overall I liked this story of loose connections between characters in a small town and the way pivotal experiences growing up get under your skin for life. I‘m excited to see where Flannery‘s writing goes and will definitely read her next book.

I really enjoyed this. McBride expertly portrayed the ways a community systematically cut off from resources, works around barriers to support one another. I loved the way he led us through various characters and stories to illustrate the creativity required to get things done. He succeeded at both showing the strength of the citizens of Chicken Hill while also not diminishing the racism they faced, at both individual and structural levels.

A very good story, as many others here have said. It was sweet and simple in some ways, but it had its sharp edges as well, and ended in a way that felt like the right way for it to end. #litsyTOB

I have mixed feelings about this book. I found it so compelling and unsettling throughout that I was on pins and needles much of the time and couldn‘t put it down. And then, suddenly, it ended with so much left untold. I don‘t need stories to be fully resolved, but I did want more at the end of this one. Nevertheless, a pick because it was very good until the end. Thanks for putting this one on my radar @batsy !

It‘s hard to call this book dystopian since (as @TrishB said) this could happen anywhere in the world next week. And in reality people in some places are experiencing things along these lines right now. I loved this book even though it is painful to read. Lynch artfully crafted a story of a life moving from the mundane day to day to a fever dream of disbelief, to a nightmare. 💔

Classic Murakami in the best way. I love his quirky, slightly unsettling approach to storytelling. He keeps you on your toes and leaves you with some unresolved pieces to ponder. He‘s always a favorite of mine. I got this copy in Taipei - pictured here with the tea set I picked up there as well. 📖 🫖

This book. 💔 An exquisitely written, heart wrenching story of motherhood, cruelty and betrayal. The narcissistic Vita and cowardly Rolls. Beautiful Sunday. And young Dolly in the middle of it all. A powerful start to my reading year.

Last book of 2023. I really enjoyed this one. It had me laughing out loud at certain moments - Thomas captures the absurd world of teenagers so perfectly. At the same time Nell‘s and Faye‘s experiences into adulthood broke my heart. Thomas captures all of it so poignantly and the ending felt real in a way I appreciated. #LitsyTOB24

Here is my #top23of23! It was a great reading year. Love seeing everyone's lists so I can add to my TBR for 2024. 😁 📚

I had high expectations going into this one given reviews here and I was not disappointed. What a great book. A perfectly crafted story and phenomenal characters. I loved the juxtaposition of Rachel‘s adult perspective as she tells the story from her youth; it felt authentic and without too much judgment of her younger self. A favorite of 2023!

This is my first book by Broder and reading it felt like the earth shifting under my feet a bit. She takes you outside the realms of reality just enough to have no idea what will happen next. I loved the main character in the story and her narrative voice was perfect. A fun and unexpected pick. Thanks for the tip @Megabooks !

A great story to accompany me on my trip. This was my first Atkinson and a book I had on my shelf for awhile. I‘m so glad I finally read it. And then I left it in the Taipei airport for another reader to find. 😊 I‘ll be reading more of her for sure.

Such beautiful editions of Murakami, in English and in Chinese. 🩵

We visited this enormous bookstore in Taipei, which is open 24 hours. Such a brilliant idea! It came in very handy when recovering from jet lag - I was here at 5am. 😝

An unpopular opinion based on other Litsy reviews, but I enjoyed most of these stories. I loved their strangeness and occasional creepiness. A couple were a miss for me, but I loved The White Cat‘s Divorce, Prince Hat, The White Road and Skinner‘s Veil. Finished these while at a conference in Atlanta.

I enjoyed this slowly unfolding story of love, loyalty, art and politics set in 1920s Malaysia. I was drawn in by the beautiful descriptions of setting and the dreamlike pace of the story. It makes me want to read his other books.

A story of a troubling relationship between a young girl and older man with lasting impacts. I think Erpenbeck is a brilliant writer and loved the structure of this book as told through a series of boxes of documents. Also the parallels between their relationship and the context of East/West Berlin and the Soviet Union when the story takes place are very powerful. Unsettling and moving.

I liked this! I read it based on so many positive Litsy reviews and I wasn‘t disappointed. I really liked the incorporation of the script format throughout the story. The metaphor of animal mutations works surprisingly well. I will say I liked the last part of the novel less than the first two parts.

This story felt (sadly) less dystopian and more a story about a likely series of events as the impact of climate change becomes more severe. It started out a bit slow but then picked up and I was hooked and couldn‘t look away. I‘m not sure I would describe the book as “fun” like some reviews; I found it very sad most of the time. But the descriptions of food, love and intimacy were exquisite. Overall a pick.

What a wonderful surprise to come home to on a Monday @BarbaraBB!! Thank you so much for all of the lovely gifts! I‘m so excited to have these books from my TBR. ♥️ I love Atwood and have been wanting to read Lively for a long time. And thank you for the fun treats and socks - so perfect for this time of year! Thank you so much, friend! 😊 #BBgiveaway

This book was a page turner from start to finish. I was sucked into the story and couldn‘t put it down; I definitely stayed up too late a couple of nights this week to finish it. I really, really disliked Mrs. Price - a sign of excellent character development on Chidgey‘s part. I am really a fan of her writing.

I‘m traveling to Taiwan in December and so I‘m reading some fiction by Taiwanese writers. This was my first, and I‘ll admit I wasn‘t as able to connect with it as much as I‘d hoped. I liked the crocodile in human suits metaphor a lot, though. Any recommendations for books to read, please send them my way. 😁

So glad I finally got to this book on my shelf. I love the way Offill uses short paragraphs and sparse writing to explore such deeply human experiences - relationships, parenting, pain and loss, love. I think I liked this one even better than Weather, and now may have to pick up Last Things because I love her writing.

A story of interconnected characters and events in a small Maine town. The kind of book I really enjoy and I did enjoy this one, a portrait of the daily, imperfect lives of people, private and yet never really private in a town this size.

I enjoyed this book, which reminded me a little of Sally Rooney (but no one can quite write these types of stories like she does). Wonderful character development and I loved how the story progressed as told from three different perspectives until the end. A portrait of the small ways we make decisions in our lives that don‘t always make sense.

This book embodies the weirdness I love in Japanese fiction. Oyamada‘s books are full of unsettling strange events and bizarre dialogue between characters. Along with detailed food descriptions I can‘t get enough of. The three long chapters in the book look at relationships and children in some very interesting ways.

What a book. Such beautiful writing and descriptions in the midst of unimaginable horror. The character development is impeccable. I was sad when it ended and will be thinking about Tommy and his family for a long time. I‘m officially a Rebecca Wait fan after this one.

@BarbaraBB

I picked up this short story collection on a whim, having never read Moore before. These are fantastic. So dry and witty and all within the theme of self-help, interpreted in many ways. I‘ll be reading more of her short stories for sure.

I really like the way Awad‘s books comment on social pressures faced by (mostly) women by depicting them through dark humor, horror and the supernatural. Her latest is no exception and I loved it. Perhaps the most sinister of her books I‘ve read. 🌹

Congrats @BarbaraBB on your amazing milestone! I‘m so glad to have met you here and your bookish and travel posts help make Litsy the wonderful place it is! Thank you for hosting the #BBgiveaway. I‘m looking forward to the tagged book in 2024. Thanks for the tag @merelybookish ! I tag @andrew61 and @Suet624 .

A book for book lovers, library lovers, and Japanese fiction - a perfect read. 🥰 So sweet and heartwarming. I loved the descriptions of the characters‘ interactions with the books, and the subtle connections between the lives of the characters. Centered around the lovely library and librarian in the story.

A lovely work of Japanese fiction - just what I needed! A beautiful story about music and a piano competition. It was enthralling to read about the rounds of the competition as they unfolded and to be inside the characters‘ minds as they thought about music.

@BarbaraBB

Ventura did a good job of taking recognizable anxieties in relationships to the extreme, distorting them to an almost horrifying degree. I enjoyed the narrative style that slowly let me in on the extent of the narrator‘s neurosis. I don‘t think the epilogue added much and could‘ve done without it, but I enjoyed this one otherwise.

This one from the Booker list just came in at the library - I didn‘t know it was so long! 😮‍💨

This is a phenomenal collection of stories. Each with a female main character, they cut to the bone in various ways and there really wasn‘t a single story I didn‘t love. I haven‘t read any of the author‘s novels, but may need to check them out now because this collection is stunning.

I can‘t find the time to make a collage of my favorite summer reads @Cinfhen but here is a list! My favorite is tagged along with one of my favorite photos of the summer. 😊

The Birthday Party - Mauvignier
Cassandra at the Wedding - Baker
Malice - Higashino
Mrs. S - Patrick
Yellowface - Kuang
August Blue - Levy

At times this book was hilarious and at times heartbreaking. I loved the method of using the transcripts throughout the book to tell parts of the story. I thought the story ended just as it should. I will say the insect situation in the house terrified me. But I really liked this!