squirrelbrain

Havoc | Rebecca Wait

pick

Whilst I liked this I‘m *really* disappointed to say I didn‘t love it. I usually adore campus novels and, with such high expectations for this author, this just fell a bit short.

There were too many characters with at least one unnecessary storyline, meaning there wasn‘t the emotional heft of previous books.

It felt too matter-of-fact, with a lot of the book taken up with faxes between medical professionals ⬇️

#netgalley
Pub 3rd July in the UK

squirrelbrain which, while interesting, also detracted from the emotional side of the book. There also wasn‘t enough exploration of the MC and her supposed ‘difficult‘ new roommate. 2d

TrishB Pre- warned 👍🏻 2d

sarahbarnes Oh no - I just found out she has a new book AND that I need to temper my expectations of it all in one post! 😂 1d

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BarbaraBB Oh no! I have been highly anticipating this one! Incidentally I just started a book with the same title

Havoc

squirrelbrain You may all love it, but it just seemed rather ‘ordinary‘ to me. 🤷‍♀️ @TrishB @sarahbarnes @BarbaraBB I‘ve seen the tagged book around Barbara - looking forward to hearing how it is! 23h

TheKidUpstairs Oh no, I'll temper my expectations. I've loved both of her books I've read, so I was really looking forward to this one! I'll look to borrow not buy! 11h

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squirrelbrain

The Unwilding | Marina Kemp

pick

This was really good - a holiday / beach read but with more about it.

In 1999 the Travers family gather at their Sicilian villa, along with assorted hangers-on of the patriarch Don, a renowned writer. The story is alternately told by the youngest daughter, Nemony, and Zoe, a new addition to Donks retinue.

20 years later, they both look back on the fateful holiday, where Nemony‘s eldest sister made a mistake that will haunt all their lives.

CarolynM Sounds good. 1d

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squirrelbrain

Wild Dark Shore | Charlotte McConaghy

Welcome to our second book of #camplitsy25! We hope you‘re enjoying Wild Dark Shore and we look forward to 2 weekends of discussions.

Don‘t forget, this week we are discussing the first part of the book only so, if you have read on to the end, please take care not to post spoilers for everyone else!

Also, we‘re not tagging on every post, so please scroll down for the other questions for this week.

Megabooks, BarbaraBB

squirrelbrain @Addison_Reads @AmyG @amiable @BarbaraJean @Bkclubcare @BooksandCoffee4me @Bookbuyingaddict @booknaround @BookwormAHN @Bookwormjillk @Butterfinger @Cariashley @Caroline2 @CarolynM 3d

squirrelbrain @catgusmax @cbee @ChaoticMissAdventures @Chelsea.Poole @Christine @CogsOfEncouragement @Cseydel @Cuilin @Dabbe @Daisey @Debinhawaii @Deblovestoread @DGRachel @ErikasMindfulshelf 3d

squirrelbrain @flaneurette @fredthemoose @Gatheringbooks @gissy @Graciouswarriorprincess @Hooked_on_books 3d

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squirrelbrain @ImperfectCJ @JamieArc @Jas16 @Jenniferw88 @JenP @Jenreadsalot @Jess @Jhod @JoyBlue @JulesG @julieclair @KarenUK 3d

squirrelbrain @karisa @Kitta @Kristy-K @Kspenmoll @kwmg40 @Larkken @Laughterhp @LeeRHarry @Leniverse @Lesliereadsalot @maggie4483 @maich @Mcctrish @MeganAnn @Merelybookish @Meshell1313 @Monalyisha @Oryx 3d

squirrelbrain @peaknit @peanutnine @Prairiegirl_reading @PuddleJumper @quietjenn @Read4Life @RaeLovesToRead @reggie @rockpools @Roary47 @Ruthiella @Sace @Sapphire @Sarahbarnes @Soubhiville 3d

DGRachel This has been a bit of A Week, so I haven‘t started yet. I have a bit of catching up to do. 🙃 3d

squirrelbrain @skygoddess1 @Suet624 @Susanita @TheBookHippie @Thekidupstairs @Triplem80 @TrishB @Vonnie862 @Well-ReadNeck @willaful @youneverarrived @zuhkeeyah 3d

Kitta I think Dom needed control over his life due to grief and moving to the island was one way to make things manageable for him. But I‘m not sure it‘s what‘s best for the children. They need to socialize with other kids their own age and develop friendships etc. It sounds like Raff especially needs extra support with learning and he‘s not getting that. They‘re so isolated. 3d

Lesliereadsalot The situation in which the kids have been raised seems nearly impossible. So inter-dependent, no friends except for the sea life, such a limited childhood! It‘s all they know, but still, how does a parent do this to his kids? Very selfish. 3d

Bookwormjillk Gosh, it's part loving family and part hostage situation. I don't see it going well when/if they get off the island. 3d

TEArificbooks I think the family is grieving and the world is suffering from climate change disasters and there is no perfect way to deal with all that. But people do tend to hold the ones they love closer after such a big loss and they become more codependent. And just because it was not a typical upbringing doesn‘t mean it was wrong or damaging. It might have been what they all needed. 3d

TEArificbooks It even reminds me little of The Light Pirate. The main character was young when Florida began to sink and everyone left it. But she stayed with an old lady and her brother left her. And by growing up in a new climate world she adapted in ways adults couldn‘t and lead to her survival. So maybe the isolation in a rough environment would help them learn how to survive on their own in such a challenging new world. 3d

Chelsea.Poole I really feel for Dom. He‘s lost and grieving. He wants to protect his children but I‘m not sure he‘s doing that in such a remote location. This wildness might be what he needs but it may not be what the children need at this point in their lives. 3d

Suet624 Just a reminder: Don wasn‘t always there with just his kids. There were others on the island at some point. It‘s funny because I never thought to be critical of Dom. His kids, while grieving, seem to be doing pretty well - much like any isolated family in a rural area would. (edited) 3d

TEArificbooks No matter how the dad chose how to raise his kids people would judge them. And he judges himself. He is always questioning himself and regretting word choices and his own parenting. Regretting the things he said or things he didn‘t do. Even questioning if coming to the island was a good idea. Just like every parent. 3d

Kitta @Suet624 that‘s true, I forgot there were others at one point, but now it‘s very isolated and his reluctance to leave and the broken radio equipment worries me. 3d

TrishB Always very difficult to be a parent- because everyone has an opinion on how you do it. I think he made a decision for good reasons for himself and the family at that point in time. 3d

AmyG They were a family in pain after such a loss. Dom did what he thought was best as he deeply loves his children, though he is a very the damaged man. What @TrishB said….he made a decision he thought was best. As for family dynamic…they all deeply love each other and, even with all their issues, I felt they were a close family and very dependent on each other. BUT…wow, there is so much pain there together and separately. (edited) 3d

KarenUK Totally agree @TrishB I think that that opinion of others parenting is often in comparison to what is they consider the ‘normal‘ way. More isolated communities exist all over the world. There isn‘t one way to live. And as @Suet624 said, there were other people there at first. They are grieving as a family. And the kids seem to be empathetic, kind and loving, and developing interpersonal skills even though they are fairly isolated. 3d

BarbaraBB I find Dom‘s parenting both heartbreaking and deeply human. He‘s trying to raise strong, capable children in a world that‘s falling apart, but in doing so, he passes on some of his own pain. He protects them fiercely—but at a cost. 3d

Susanita What @Bookwormjillk said! 3d

LeeRHarry I agree @KarenUK - people live in isolation in many different places and the children share a solid and caring relationship. The grief is palpable and seriously needs to addressed though. 3d

squirrelbrain @DGRachel - it‘s a fast read once you get going - enjoy! 3d

squirrelbrain @kitta -I felt that about Raff, too. Out of all of them I felt he was struggling the most. 3d

squirrelbrain @Bookwormjillk @Susanita - that‘s a perfect way of looking at it! 3d

Zuhkeeyah I think Dom is doing his best. He knows he's not a warm and fuzzy but he loves those children with his whole being. The distance we see in the book is recent because he does mention before times where they sought him out for comfort. 3d

squirrelbrain @TEArificbooks @TrishB @AmyG @KarenUK - great point that parents are criticised whatever they do. Dom, like all parents, is doing what he thinks best in the circumstances he found himself in. 3d

Zuhkeeyah @BarbaraBB Exactly. This is seen in how he helps Raff channel his anger. 3d

squirrelbrain @Suet624 @BarbaraBB @Zuhkeeyah - he certainly does love his children fiercely, and is trying to protect them from (perceived) threats, but in doing so, has he exposed them to different dangers? 3d

BkClubCare For me, the fact (whatever incident HAS happened that I don‘t yet know because I have only read to half 😊) that something horrific has recently happened and Dom is all calm, “yep, power out, it‘s only 6 weeks left, carry on” with NO dealing with it all besides, “let‘s not talk about it, shall we?” Seems a bit weird. There is no conversation of what next, no prepping for any new life elsewhere. Just washing the salt off the windows as needs must. 3d

Bookwormjillk @BkClubCare I stopped at halfway too and have the same frustrations. 3d

jenniferw88 I think Dom's children are coping better with their grief than Dom is, and the relationships between them is OK. Raff might be struggling slightly more as he's dealing with 2 losses (his mum & Alex), but they're trying to work as a unit to help their Dad, who doesn't know how to go about restoring their relationships. 3d

Zuhkeeyah @squirrelbrain Hmmm yes and no. The kids know more about the natural world than most adults. The problem is that they're not part of the human portion, which is going to be hard when they go back to the mainland. Also, no one talks about their feelings but Orly. 3d

Karisa Nodding along with your voices. The complexity of the situation that McConaghy builds in this cold world of work, nature, and family is sublime. I admired Dom‘s strength in carrying on when leading his family while also worrying that the noncommunication is putting them all at risk. They are in survival mode. It‘s both sad and beautiful this place. 3d

sarahbarnes Agree with many of the thoughts here. Dom seems to be doing what he believes is best for his children. The future of the planet also factors into that for him - I think he feels a heavy obligation to protect the seeds until they are picked up. And on top of all that, he is immersed in grief. His kids are experiencing some incredible things. And in many ways it still feels like any childhood - joking about how their dad makes them do chores etc. 3d

mcctrish I agree with all that has been said - I do question moving to an isolated place with the kids after they lost their mom preventing them from having friend supports but global warming ramping up negates that luxury?@TEArificbooks I had The Light Pirate vibes too with the kids being able to negotiate this new world better. I haven‘t read ahead & I feel like whatever has transpired has rocked them & caused the riff between dad & daughter 3d

Susanita @BkClubCare Yes! The family had things barely under control or at least at some kind of equilibrium…then Rowan comes along and upsets the apple cart. It was funny to me that Dom was mad at her for lying, when they‘re obviously lying about SOME BIG THING. And yeah, let‘s just get to it already. 3d

Karisa Random but…. Does any one else love that she made their last name Salt? 😍 3d

JamieArc I haven‘t thought a lot about criticizing Dom, like @Suet624 I feel like there is a lot we don‘t know yet. What does the world actually look like? How bad is it? I‘m not sure how to balance how much the kids‘ situation will hold them back or put them ahead once they get into “the real world.” And - they are leaving with the next boat, so there‘s that. 3d

Zuhkeeyah @Karisa Lol I didn‘t catch that. A lot of earth themes throughout. 3d

peaKnit @Bookwormjillk I like how you said that - part loving family, part hostage situation. I think the kids may be flourishing in some interesting ways, ways that wouldn‘t make sense anywhere else but while suffering and missing so much socialization. I understand why but don‘t agree with it as a long term situation for everyone‘s mental health. 3d

kspenmoll I have just read the first part also. The lush descriptions of the land, its sea creatures, traveling seed on the albatross, birds, light & darkness are captivating. It‘s heartbreaking to feel the grief-it‘s palpable like a character in itself. I think Dom is doing his best to- he is not a man to explore feelings in words which does short change the children - he does not seem to understand that one word will bring his daughter back to him. 3d

Deblovestoread Loved @Bookwormjillk comment and agree with the comments about the deep love this family shares although shattered by the loss of their mom/life. It is so easy to judge parenting from the outside looking in and Dom could communicate more but he‘s doing his best. 3d

squirrelbrain @BkClubCare @Bookwormjillk @Susanita @kspenmoll - this halfway split was just perfect.👌 Things really start to happen soon, although it takes a while to build! 3d

squirrelbrain @Karisa @sarahbarnes @jamiearc @peaKnit @deblovestoread - I agree that Dom is doing what he feels best, and also that they‘re in survival mode. But surviving on the island and surviving in the real world are two entirely different things. 3d

Megabooks @Bookwormjillk hostage situation is the word I was looking for. I think he loves them but is controlling them in a very negative way, too. 3d

Megabooks @TEArificbooks that is a really good comparison to TLP!! I loved the MC in that book. 3d

MeganAnn I actually think that a lot of the grief/ pain the kids are experiencing stems from the big thing that happened before Rowan arrived on the island. They‘ve been on this island for 9 years & their mom died before they came so while they still miss her, they are more worried that Dom cannot seem to find a way through his grief over losing her. Raff is struggling because of the loss of Alex. We don‘t know what happened with Fen yet but something did. 3d

Megabooks @Suet624 idk if I agree that kind of isolation is good for any kid. I found myself wondering why didn‘t he leave when the other people did. It just bothers me that Fen sees more communion with animals than other people. 3d

MeganAnn @TEArificbooks yes this is reminding me a lot of The Light Pirate also! One of my favorites. @mcctrish I agree that whatever big thing happened has caused the rift between Dom and Fen. 3d

MeganAnn While the kids may not be socializing with children their own ages, they were clearly still social with the scientists who were on the island until recently. So while it may not be ideal and they will probably struggle at first to join a new community, I think they have the skills to adapt. And they have learned a lot from nature. Dom‘s refusal to deal with his grief and talk about his feelings is harder for the kids than anything. 3d

vonnie862 It is not healthy. Dom is going through grief and is doing his best to raise his kids in this deserted island. But...what happened? They are obviously hiding something. 3d

MeganAnn @Megabooks I see Fen‘s need to stay with the seals as a result of her dealing with whatever big thing happened that we don‘t know yet. Something clearly happened to her that caused her to pull away and feel uncomfortable in their home which is why she wants to stay out with the seals. Every time she is at the house she says something about not wanting to be there that feels like a trauma response to whatever happened. 3d

Bookwormjillk @squirrelbrain yes it was quite the cliffhanger! 3d

ChaoticMissAdventures @Suet624 I agree, there mostly seemed a constant flow of scientists on the island until we get to the point where we the reader join them. I do think though that kids need to socialize (more than whatever virtual school they were doing) with other children their own age. They miss so many mile stones and are going to find it difficult to make friends, which I feel they will need when they eventually skater off the island. 3d

ChaoticMissAdventures @BarbaraBB I agree, McConaghy in the end writes the children in general to be well adjusted and rational, even mature for their ages, I think she was trying to show the situation in a good light because though there is something going on with the kids in the middle we see that they are mostly okay. Even with Fen sleeping with the animals. It isn't much different than the scientists they grew up with. 3d

JamieArc @Megabooks I‘m not convinced they did leave. It‘s probably a big jump to say they didn‘t, but with Hank‘s passport left behind, I‘m now wondering. At least the circumstances under which they left. 3d

GatheringBooks I love @BarbaraBB‘s take on this question along with @Zuhkeeyah‘s thoughts that Dom is doing his best. I also agree with @TrishB that it is easy for an outsider to have opinions about how you raise your own children. As @TEArificbooks noted Dom has sufficient self-awareness that he also second-guesses his choices. More than anything, I find this to be an admirable undertaking - the sense that one has purpose & doing something valuable - what ⬇️ 3d

GatheringBooks (Cont) what a remarkable opportunity for the kids to be surrounded by nature and be mentored by passionate scientists and be raised by a loving parent. I don‘t see what they miss in the regular sense - but marvel at what they have instead. Normalcy is overrated. This is something else altogether that not everyone will ever get to experience in their lifetime. If mainlanders don‘t get them, it‘s on them - not the kids‘. 3d

Hooked_on_books I think he‘s doing his best. Plus, in this changing world, they‘re learning resilience and how to interface with the natural world, which are vital skills they likely wouldn‘t be learning in another setting. And with the rapid sea level rise, what is going on on the mainland? Is it chaos and violence? Probably. So they could well be better off where they are. 3d

Larkken A little late to the party, but chiming in to say that to some degree the parenting seems to be a bit of commentary by the author on the breakdown of society at the end of the world. The undertone is : everything will be tribal & insular & the only people you can depend on is family. So Dom‘s parenting, I guess I would argue, is somewhat a result of the world-wide crisis itself? But maybe I‘m being cynical bc I find McConaghy rather dire/dismal 2d

BookwormAHN I think it's clear Dom is hiding but I also think it would be fascinating to grow up like that. 2d

squirrelbrain @Megabooks - aren‘t all children controlled by their parent(s) though? Although, the kids here have no chance of breaking away from Dom. 2d

squirrelbrain @MeganAnn @vonnie862 @ChaoticMissAdventures I agree, the kids seem really well-adjusted, considering. They almost seem to be parenting their father. 2d

squirrelbrain I love this @gatheringbooks - ‘normalcy is overrated‘ ❤️ 2d

squirrelbrain @Larkken - not cynical at all, and a well-made point that no-one else has yet made. 2d

Jas16 I think parenting is hard enough when you aren‘t dealing with everything on Dom‘s plate. I agree with others that he is doing the best he can Oftentimes that might not be enough but he clearly loves his kids and they seem to know that he loves him despite it all which is half the battle. 2d

Jas16 @Larkken interesting point. 2d

Lesliereadsalot It‘s really hard for me to discuss this book only discussing the first half! Really looking forward to next week. 2d

BarbaraBB @TEArificbooks I now really want to read that book! 2d

BarbaraBB @Karisa I wasn‘t aware of their last name but it‘s well chosen! 2d

willaful @BarbaraBB Well put. 2d

willaful @Megabooks I'm by no means sure that any of the other people actually “left.“ 2d

squirrelbrain @Jas16 - I can‘t imagine how Dom is feeling with everything that is going on, and how guilty he must feel for his kids and the situation they‘re in. 2d

Well-ReadNeck This question has me thinking about the movie Life is Beautiful where a father is raising his son in a concentration camp and imparts the beauty of the world to his son in the worst senecio. I think it‘s a lovely thought and a great movie, but wholly unrealistic. How to keep children protected and innocent while also teaching diligence and the skills to survive is a tricky balance. Different circumstances also make this different for every family 2d

Megabooks @squirrelbrain I think there‘s a difference between control and support. Yes, you can say control is an appropriate word for a child Orly‘s age. I think support would be a more appropriate word for teen, and he‘s taken away a lot of their ability to make any decisions separate from him by isolating them so much. 2d

Megabooks @JamieArc @willaful that‘s a good point. I just kind of pictured it like the research village on Lost. 2d

squirrelbrain @Well-ReadNeck - it doesn‘t feel like the children are innocent of the world in this case, expect maybe Orly. It feels as though Fen and Raff have seen too much already. 2d

CBee Finally finished the first half and am loving it (I knew I would). Agree with so many of the thoughts here, but also many unanswered questions that I‘m looking forward to finding answers… And as a parent who constantly doubts, I admire Dom. He‘s doing the best he can after losing his wife and well, during the end of the world. But, Raff and Fen are closed off for some reason, Orly is an open book. Curious to find out more 🧐 1d

squirrelbrain Glad you‘re loving it! @CBee You can read to the end now! ☺️ 1d

CBee @squirrelbrain yay! Cause I don‘t think I can stop 😂 1d

Butterfinger As I was reading the comments, my thoughts of child-rearing were quite different until I read @GatheringBooks. What an opportunity for children to be on this island where hope for the future is kept in the form of life (seeds) and to see nature in its primal state. As a parent, I try not to do things but give them adventures, and I was envying being there. On the other hand, I would never allow my daughter to sleep in another place by herself. 1d

Butterfinger I also agree with @TrishB with the judgment. In particular, homeschooling. Homeschooling parents are judged because of the lack of socialization, whereas public school parents are judged for too much socialization. They have no friends their age. I agree with adventures, but not for that long. And we don't know, maybe Dom has no support system to take the children, so he did what was needed for his job. I'm going back and forth, aren't I? 1d

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squirrelbrain

Wild Dark Shore | Charlotte McConaghy

#camplitsy25

The author has addressed climate change in all of her novels – how do you find the portrayal of the climate crisis in this book, through the medium of the seed bank and other factors?

Do you think fiction is a good way of calling for action on this and other similar issues?

Megabooks, BarbaraBB

Kitta I think fiction is a good way to engage people about climate change and the devastating consequences if we don‘t act now. I like thinking about the island and its environment as a character going through a tough time. It‘s like the ocean is angry and reclaiming land that we humans have destroyed. The closing of the seed bank and Hank having to make the decision of what to save is depressing and stressful. Orly‘s thoughts add to it well. 3d

Bookwormjillk My main volunteer gig has to do with the environment so I am always happy to see people treating climate change like something that actually exists. (Although I admit I have tried to read one of this author's books before and bailed.) 3d

Chelsea.Poole I agree with @kitta —introducing/exposing people to some of these concepts with fiction is a way to get messages out to many who would not otherwise consider reading or learning about climate change. Picking up “a story” that reflects our current struggles is often the way to expose people to these climate disasters to wake them up. Love the author‘s use of nature/environmental concepts in her books. 3d

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Suet624 I appreciate how she writes about the consequences of climate change. Her descriptions of nature have always put me right in the spot she‘s talking about. 3d

TEArificbooks I think it is an excellent way to expose people to the fact that climate change is real and just around the corner and our grandchildren will be dealing with the things this family is dealing with. I have noticed a huge uptick in climate change fiction. I hope it inspires people to try to fix it and our next generation does better than us. 3d

TrishB I enjoy learning via fiction, if you‘re interested you go away and find out more. I love the way she portrays nature as a character. 3d

KarenUK I love her writing because of this. So evocative. It‘s very immersive, moving and thought provoking. 3d

AmyG I loved the climate and descriptions of the land and sea. Her writing gave me such a clear picture of where they lived. I think it‘s a great way to get across to people the situation we are in as a world. I found myself googling seed bank etc. I now have a better understanding of that…which I didn‘t have before I read this book. 3d

rockpools I think she writes the environment wonderfully! And seeing the island (and Rowan‘s lost home) through both Rowan and Orly‘s eyes is really effective. It feels very real, and very close. I haven‘t read her before, but am loving her ability to transport you to this place. 3d

BarbaraBB You could argue the strength lies in its balance: the book doesn‘t just highlight ecological catastrophe—it delves into personal grief, survival, and moral choice. I regard the seed bank both a literal and symbolic heart of the story, representing what we value—or risk losing. fiction like this delivers more than facts alone, by bringing climate change into our emotional and moral worlds. 3d

Susanita Fiction can drive home the emotional impact of a situation in a way that just reporting facts and figures can‘t really do. We feel the loss of Rowan‘s home to the fires and the loss of the island because we see those losses on an individual and immediate level. 3d

squirrelbrain @rockpools - you should definitely read the other books by this author! 3d

squirrelbrain Playing devil‘s advocate here - do you think the people who *should* read and do the research around a book like this, will do? Or will they just see it as pure fiction and not rooted in fact? @Kitta @Bookwormjillk @Chelsea.Poole @Suet624 @TEArificbooks @TrishB @KarenUK @AmyG @rockpools @BarbaraBB @Susanita 3d

squirrelbrain @BarbaraBB - I was only seeing the seed bank in a very literal way. 🤔 3d

Zuhkeeyah The island and Rowan's house are themselves characters in the book. The island shows what is still there, while Rowan's home represents how fast it can all disappear. This is mirrored with the seed bank and the need to protect it. Fiction reaches a wider audience than nonfiction. I'm glad to see authors making an effort to highlight the imminent dangers of climate change. Once you relate to a character's struggle, it's harder to ignore the issue. 3d

rockpools @squirrelbrain The people who ‘need‘ to read around this - maybe they will see it as fiction. But it builds. They will hear about wildfires. And floods. And maybe even seed banks (or biodiversity loss). And the impact of those things will become more real, more relevant and the stories more human through having read fiction. 3d

Chelsea.Poole @BarbaraBB excellent point about the seed bank! I thought often about what I would protect at all costs in my own life while reading. It‘s the seeds for the future —my children and the environment for them and all living beings. Seems to be a deeply ingrained drive for humans: preparing for the future. 3d

Chelsea.Poole Well put @rockpools !! I‘m not sure those who need this will be willing to pick it up on their own but this author sure is gaining popularity and perhaps that will help propel her message…plus, as mentioned above all the other cli-fi out there. It‘s going to become more and more difficult to avoid. 3d

Bookwormjillk @squirrelbrain good point- on the whole probably not, but maybe someone will. 3d

BkClubCare Oooo! Does anyone have any NF suggestions to pair with this? I definitely looked up snow gums and buzzy burrs, amongst other stuff. Great comments here. 👏 3d

Karisa @BarbaraBB Ooooh, the seed vault as the heart is beautiful (after all, seeds and hearts can be transplanted). Their home is the lighthouse—the eyes? Both are failing with the people/lifeblood/brain trying to keep it all running while time is running out. They are hoping but unsure if help is on the way and if so, will the help make it in time? A microcosm of the larger, ailing world. 3d

KarenUK @squirrelbrain Good point! Probably not is the sad answer… 3d

mcctrish @Karisa I love your description of the island I love fiction that teaches me something and @rockpools that connections people who stumble across this book make in real life is enough to propel them to make changes ( or be loud enough to get the people in charge to) I loved reading the descriptions of this island - I continually wavered between wanting to be there and absolutely not wanting to be there 😆 3d

JamieArc I really like that she makes it something really tangible and personal. It‘s not some big thing that has turned us into a dystopian planet. But it‘s affected the island, their home, their work. 3d

AmyG @BarbaraBB Spot on. I viewed the seed bank as the future. Dom was saving the seeds so his children, and basically humans, could have a future. 3d

Ruthiella I pretty much hated the book. But I do agree the writing is good and the environment, the weather, the atmosphere of the island is beautifully rendered. 3d

peaKnit @BarbaraBB yes, I also appreciate your thoughts about the seedbank, now I can see it as the heart more - I‘m learning I might read too literally. 3d

kspenmoll The author‘s descriptions of the land, sea, & its creatures were mesmerizing. I I loved the chapter that featured the truss from the seat on the back circling the Earth. I agree with @rockpools that seeing the island through the eyes of Rowan & Orly is effective- Rowan‘s eyes are new, so you feel her wonder & Orly‘s joy at sharing his world with her. @Karisa I love your view/ ideas about the novel as a “microcosm of the larger, -ailing world.” (edited) 3d

Deblovestoread I love how I know exactly where I‘m at with her writing. Her descriptions are vivid. And yes I think novels can open our eyes to something we should be paying attention to and can spur you on to learn more. 3d

squirrelbrain I agree with @chelsea.poole - that was beautifully put @rockpools , and so hopeful! 3d

squirrelbrain @Karisa @JamieArc - this author is so good at linking large, expansive issues with more personal challenges, giving them so much more heart and meaning in the process. 3d

squirrelbrain @mcctrish - maybe a short visit?! 😜 3d

squirrelbrain @Ruthiella - I‘m sorry you didn‘t like it 😞 but glad you could see past that to some of the positives. 3d

squirrelbrain @peaKnit - I read too literally too! A book like Audition *makes* you look for metaphors / analogies / whatevers but with books like this one that are so immersive and ‘easy‘ I tend to take them at surface value. 3d

Megabooks @Kitta that‘s a good point. I feel like some folks feel lectured at with nonfiction or news in the way they don‘t with fiction. It opens us to new worlds even if they‘re scary. @Chelsea.Poole 3d

Megabooks @BarbaraBB wow!!! Great thought/observation!! 💜💜💜 3d

Megabooks @Suet624 @KarenUK @AmyG she is one of the best descriptive writers I‘ve read recently!! 3d

Christine Great points, @BarbaraBB and @Zuhkeeyah ! And 🤣 @Ruthiella , I‘m enjoying the book but am eager to learn more about your hate! 3d

vonnie862 The description of the island really helps portray the situation the characters are in. 3d

ChaoticMissAdventures @squirrelbrain I think the people who should read it, will never be changed, until something very drastic happens to them, and even then it is a 50/50 chance they will “believe“ in climate change. I think they would read this book as a dystopian thing that cannot happen like Mad Max or other wild tales. 3d

ChaoticMissAdventures I will begrudgingly admit (I did not like this book) she writes a scene/landscape well. I can visualize the island, and the cottages in my mind even now weeks after I have finished the book. I think she selects in all her books the harshest climates, the places that feel like they want to drive humans away by the force of nature. 3d

JamieArc @Megabooks I was also thinking of the lecturing point. I feel like I‘ve seen people say that even with fiction books. But climate change is woven into the story in a way that doesn‘t feel like…I‘m not sure how to say it. It‘s all interconnected - the land, the climate, the characters and their grief. The climate doesn‘t overshadow the other parts. 3d

Hooked_on_books I love how the environment is portrayed here. Especially the ocean, which here and in reality is relentless, unstoppable, and untamable. And she shows that so well. And I do think fiction is a good medium to explore things like climate change, since it allows an author to reach forward into what is to come and create characters people can relate to so they can see what it might be like for themselves. Plus, so many people just don‘t read NF. 3d

Hooked_on_books @BkClubCare It‘s less about climate change specifically, but looks at human damage to locations and what nature has done to reclaim those places from human injury. It‘s fantastic and I think would pair well with this:

Islands of Abandonment: Nature Rebounding in the Post-Human Landscape

TEArificbooks @Hooked__on__books thanks for the suggestion. As for if I think the people need to read the book would read it and change their opinion on climate change? I hope so. I think if they can be empathic to a character then they can be empathetic to the environment too. However, I know that there are people that never believe no matter how much logic and evidence there is. There are still people that think the earth is flat for Pete‘s sake. 3d

GatheringBooks Great follow up question by @squirrelbrain - that is the rub, isn‘t it? Whether those who need to read it manage to do so in the first place - but at least it IS there. You are right in noting how the setting is very much a character here. The sense of aliveness of the place and the evocative way it was described is lovingly detailed. Like @JamieArc noted, i never felt the climate change aspect was heavy handed or prescriptive, it simply is. 3d

BkClubCare @Hooked_on_books - Thank you 🙏 2d

BookwormAHN I was a little torn on the climate change aspect. On one hand I can see the need to find a way to convey the need for everyone to take it more seriously but I think that she almost pushed it in to a dystopian novel. Or we are a lot more screwed than I was previously aware if. 2d

squirrelbrain @jamiearc @Megabooks - I don‘t think that this book felt like a lecture at all. Conversely, while I really enjoy Barbara Kingsolver, sometimes she gets on her soapbox and becomes really didactic. 2d

squirrelbrain @Hooked_on_books - you‘re right, so many people shy away from NF for fear of it being ‘dry‘. 2d

LeeRHarry @Hooked_on_books great NF book suggestion - I loved that one. The way that nature writing is woven into this book is my favourite part about it. Living in a country that regularly has bushfires, I thought the sense of devastatingly loss for all things as a result of fires was done really well. (edited) 2d

Jas16 @BarbaraBB I love that so much. I didn‘t think of that while reading the book but you are so right 2d

Jas16 @rockpools I agree with you. People may not do a deep dive into climate change after reading this but stories like this enter people‘s consciousness which is a way to get them thinking and empathizing outside of their usual bubbles. 2d

rockpools @Hooked_on_books Thanks for the recommendation- I‘d wanted to read that when it came out, but it somehow fell off my radar… (or got buried under other things). 2d

rockpools @squirrelbrain Yes re how she wove in climate change elements. And I agree re Kingsolver - I‘ve loved her books for years. But you can feel lectured! 2d

Lesliereadsalot @Ruthiella You hated this book?!? Can‘t wait for next week to find out why. 2d

Ruthiella @Lesliereadsalot Pretty much! 😂 2d

rockpools @BarbaraBB I love your thoughts on the seedbank. For some reason, the decisions Hank was forced to make made me think of the UK education system (go figure!). ‘Useful‘ subjects only, none of that artsy, wild, beautiful stuff we need to thrive, just the crops we need to exist. 2d

Lesliereadsalot @BarbaraBB What smart observations! You really got the best out of this book. 2d

rockpools @squirrelbrain I will definitely read more by this author. Are camp sessions finished for today? Can I go back to my tent and read the second half now??! Can‘t wait to get back to it 😁 2d

Hooked_on_books @rockpools I know we can all relate to that! 😂 2d

squirrelbrain @rockpools - yes you can read more! At least you don‘t have to be secretive about it - at this camp we encourage reading after lights out! 😜 I have both other books if you can‘t get hold of them - I can bring them to Gladstone‘s and you could post them back to me, or I‘ll post them to you beforehand 2d

rockpools @squirrelbrain Aw, thanks Helen 😘. But my library has both of the others, so no need to risk them to the post! Very happy you all pushed me to read her xx 2d

Kitta @squirrelbrain late reply but I think you‘re right that the people who need to read it and understand, won‘t. But there will probably be a few who pick it up and have the ideas planted in their minds. We need to celebrate those wins, however small. And I think cli-fi is more engaging than NF sometimes. There‘s really good NF books but deciding to read it is a step too far for someone not engaged in climate change I think. 2d

squirrelbrain That‘s great! @rockpools I just thought they‘re not that easy to come by in the UK so I‘m glad you can get them. 2d

squirrelbrain We can but hope! 🤞 @Kitta 2d

Well-ReadNeck I think the author is doing an amazing job of show-don‘t-tell here letting what the reader knows evolve through observation. Lots of ominous vibes here. I am a little confused about what the state of the world is here, but I think that‘s also part the story-they are so isolated they don‘t really know either. 2d

Butterfinger Before I read comments, I am going to say - climate change is real and its scary and you think about everything humans have done (penguins in the barrels, oh my goodness) and the last black rhino that died in the current past. It's shameful. The author does a good job with describing the wild beauty and the ugly reality. And when you add Rowan's harrowing ordeal with the fire - it can get depressing. @Chelsea.Poole well said. 1d

Butterfinger I agree with the symbolism @BarbaraBB I will also add that the seed bank is hope for mankind's future so the family and Rowan may have hope for a solid future. I love the idea of the seed bank. I knew the world had it, but I assumed it was in the north. Well said @Zuhkeeyah yes @mcctrish I also learn about major issues from fiction and this cli-fi will stay with me for a long time. My fav part so far is Orly sharing his love with her @kspenmoll 1d

Butterfinger @ChaoticMissAdventures I remember the ozone scare in the mid to late 80s. Because I read my Nanny's newspapers as a child (lack of books and being a bit too far to get to the library) she stopped using her aerosol hair spray and burning Styrofoam. She grumbled, "Tammy Lynn needs to stop reading."? But she stopped. When the young get invested, they will share the message to family and/or raise their children more conscientiously. 1d

Butterfinger Thanks @Hooked__on__books for the nf. 1d

ChaoticMissAdventures @Butterfinger there are actually lots of seed banks around the world! You are probably thinking of what I think is the largest of them all, it is in the north in Norway way up by the Arctic pole by a town called Svalbard. Definitely not on an island that will flood soon, but that wouldn't be very dramatic for a novel. 1d

Butterfinger Aaah!!! @ChaoticMissAdventures I see. That must be the one I know from CNN10. 1d

squirrelbrain Yes @Butterfinger - those barrels were truly horrific weren‘t they? And I love how you demonstrate that even the little things have an impact on ‘saving the planet‘ like your Nanny did. 23h

31 likes74 comments

squirrelbrain

Wild Dark Shore | Charlotte McConaghy

#camplitsy25

There are two polarised views about the island, from Fen and her father. Orly also seems to love the island, although he knows nothing else. What about Raff?

Who do you think is more correct in their views?

Could you live (or even thrive!) in such an environment?

Megabooks, BarbaraBB

Kitta I think Fen says it‘s killing them but she clearly loves it too. The animals there, especially the seals, have a real acceptance of her if not a bond. But I think she‘s right and it‘s not sustainable forever to live there. Dom‘s grief is clouding his judgement imo. Maybe it was a good idea for a short period of time but 9 years? Orly‘s whole life? Only knowing the island? Idk. But I grew up in a city. I can‘t imagine growing up so isolated. 3d

Bookwormjillk I would love to live on an island like that by myself for a year just to see if I could. That is assuming it wasn't trying to kill me.

I think this is one of those situations where everyone is right. It's such an extreme environment that it may kill some people and others may thrive. I think Raff is so deep in his grief that he's not really feeling anything at all. 3d

Lesliereadsalot I don‘t think Dom can see straight in this life where he has placed his family. He has his single minded focus on saving the seeds, and the kids come second. Of course he loves them, and he sees who they are, but he‘s sort of helpless to nurture them. Fen knows they need a different life, even though she has grown to love the sea. Raff and Orly go along, but only the reader can be objective enough to know how much they could grow elsewhere. 3d

See All 51 Comments

Lesliereadsalot I could never live like this for even a week. 3d

Chelsea.Poole Maybe how each character feels about the island symbolizes their feelings/grief of losing their mother/wife? Fen is angry, Dom cannot let go, Raff is adrift, Orly doesn‘t know what he‘s missing out on. 3d

Suet624 Oh gosh. Honestly, I‘m sad they will have to leave. While the conditions are harsh, moving to civilization feels scary to me for this group. The outside world will be hard to get used to and the conditions experienced living among other people could be as harsh as the island. 3d

TEArificbooks I agree with @Chelsea.Poole there is a connection between their grief and how they feel about the island. But there is no wrong way to grieve and everyone has a different experience even when they are having the exact same experience. So I don‘t think anyone is wrong or right. You feel what you feel. 3d

TrishB No way I could live this life. There is some attraction to isolation for short periods. But not forever. Their life there is not sustainable, which is sort of a sub plot about nature and life! 3d

rockpools I‘m intrigued by Fen‘s view. Of everyone, she seems the most a part of the environment, and yet the most realistic about leaving. Her need to leave seems to be based on the mental health of the others, particularly Dom. She comes across as so capable… but possibly more aware that they need support. I do wonder what happened, why she won‘t sleep in the house. 3d

rockpools And no. Much as I would love to live this kind of life, and have lived in some differently isolated places (never this extreme!), turns out I quite need to be around people, or at least have decent transport links back to civilisation, to stay sane. Annoying, really! 3d

KarenUK I‘m definitely attracted to the idea of isolation in small doses, but long term… eek! I love what @Chelsea.poole said about their grief and their feelings about the island being intertwined. 3d

AmyG I, too, agree with @Chelsea.Poole about the island and grief/loss. Fen comes to the island after her loss of her home, her husband and the family after the loss of their Mom/wife. I understand Dom wanting to desperately save the seeds…he couldn‘t save his wife so maybe he can help save the future for his kids. I think Fen believes this island is killing them. I also think Dom is afraid to leave…he may (in his mind) “lose” his kids to the world. 3d

BarbaraBB I think the book pushes us toward a synthesis: the island isn‘t just wild or dear—it is both, and only by acknowledging both can the characters (and we) truly connect to it. I think island doesn‘t fit into a single box. 3d

squirrelbrain @Lesliereadsalot @rockpools - Fen seems to be the most mature of everyone doesn‘t she? 3d

Zuhkeeyah Fen is more self-aware than Dom, who is completely committed to protecting the seeds and keeping his kids close. The island was what they needed when drowning in grief but it's time the kids got to stretch their wings. Dom is afraid of them flying away from him because he's not ready for another loss. 3d

Zuhkeeyah I don't think I'd mind the isolation of the island back when the researchers were there too. As it is now... no way. 3d

Lesliereadsalot I think Fen expresses the most thoughts, so we clearly see how she has evolved. Her life should get better and better off the island. I did love Orly though, such a cool kid! 3d

jenniferw88 I agree with @Suet624 . 3d

squirrelbrain @Chelsea.Poole @TEArificbooks @AmyG - there‘s definitely some link to grief there, in all of them, isn‘t there? Hopefully, we‘ll explore that a bit more next week. 🤔 3d

Karisa Totally agree with @Suet624 and @jenniferw88 there‘s no guarantees that the outside world seems unsafe too. @Lesliereadsalot I admire Dom‘s family and the place so much but wouldn‘t last a week either! 😅 3d

mcctrish I think the island trying to kill them is 2 fold - the extreme weather is one making it hard to do anything and it‘s getting worse - plus whatever happened has scarred not only them but the island making them not function together. I could maybe handle it for a period of time but not to live and work for years. I don‘t even like the idea of not being able to walk somewhere and having to rely on a car for everything 3d

Susanita Isolation sounds good in some ways…until it‘s not. And they are REALLY isolated now with whatever happened to the comms. Also, like @rockpools I really want to know the story with Fen and Dom. 3d

Ruthiella I think they are both correct and the author means this to be a microcosmic portrayal of the planet and our relationship to it. Nature owes humans nothing. We are killing the Earth and so it defends itself - Earth abides. 3d

peaKnit I imagine this family with a hard shell and squishy insides. They are so damaged but maybe stay distracted and build walls by the work of living on this island? Fen seems to have taken on a more adult role out of necessity but also protects herself by staying isolated much of the time. 3d

kspenmoll I agree with @Suet624 as well. This family is so poorly equipped to deal with the real world- I have this gnawing feeling it would kill them. Also agree with @mcctrish in that the mysterious tragedy is eating them alive in different ways. I could visit an isolated spot but only as a visit, not to live & with the assurance I can leave. 3d

mcctrish @Ruthiella YES!!!!! 3d

kspenmoll I love these discussions for the different views and insights that I gain (edited) 3d

kspenmoll @Ruthiella Perfect statement! 3d

squirrelbrain @Ruthiella - that‘s a wonderful way of seeing / understanding the portrayal of both the family and the island. 3d

vonnie862 I can see how they love the island but the island is not sustainable to live in. Maybe if they move to the middle of the woods instead? 3d

ChaoticMissAdventures @Lesliereadsalot I am right there with you. Absolutely not. I could never live in this environment! But I am a sunny warm person, cold make me so unhappy. 3d

ChaoticMissAdventures @Chelsea.Poole I think this is a great way to look at the characters and their attachment to the island. That is a wonderful way to look at them. 3d

ChaoticMissAdventures I think Fen is seeing the island the way I do in question 2, it is like the elements are getting harsher and creeping in and trying to literally kill them. Fen sees that the world they build is not in their control, and is becoming to dangerous to hang onto. I agree with others she seems like the only rational person of the bunch. I personally am a city rat and could never live like this I would be bored out of my mind. 3d

Hooked_on_books I‘m apparently one of the few (appropriately!), but yeah, I could totally live in that environment. 😂 I do pretty well with isolation. @Chelsea.Poole I love this take on each character‘s feelings for the island mirroring their grief. And @Ruthiella , you took the words out of my mouth! The island as microcosm for the planet is exactly how I see it. 3d

Megabooks @Lesliereadsalot I think Dom is blinded by grief and needs to save something — his children, the seeds, the planet — because he lost something monumental. 3d

Megabooks @Chelsea.Poole count me as another fan of your interpretation! 3d

Megabooks I don‘t even want to live on a well inhabited island (even up to the size of the British isles — sorry @squirrelbrain ), so yeah, this doesn‘t sound good to me at all! 3d

GatheringBooks @BarbaraBB loving the non-binary and more complex ideation of The Island: the same thing that we are most attached to can also be slowly killing us - a truth in most other situations too. The Island has become a sort of family to them, notwithstanding whether it is dysfunctional or otherwise. I think we would not really know what we are capable of unless we are in a situation where we have limited choices in the matter, which is why I admire Dom. 3d

BookwormAHN I was kind of surprised by Fen's view since she seemed more attracted than any of them. But I also think it would be scary to like on a place that is so harsh and disappearing in front of them. 2d

LeeRHarry I think Fen out of the three children has the most interest in the outside world even though she clearly loves the animals on the island, there is some contradictory resentment there about being stuck on an island. I‘d like to visit Macquarie Island - just visit mind - but then I‘m a bit of an islophile. 😊 2d

BkClubCare Gosh, no one has even mentioned the ghosts. The island / nature might be both “wild and dear”, but what about the voices and sense of an otherworldly presence? 2d

TEArificbooks @BkClubCare I think the ghosts/spirits of the dead people and animals have a greater role to play in I haven‘t read ahead, but there are so many hints (the story orly tells). I think maybe Hank went mad from the ghosts on the island and killed everyone and maybe Dom took him out. Or maybe there was mass hysteria cause Alex also was hung and it‘s not clear if he did it or he was executed 2d

rockpools @LeeRHarry *googles Macquarie Island* Is this where this is based on then? I assumed it must be a real place when Orly mentions it as the only breeding ground for ?royal penguins - too specific a fact to make up (maybe). I‘ll fall down that rabbithole when I‘ve finished the book 🙂. But I‘d like to join you on your visit! 2d

rockpools @BkClubCare @TEArificbooks And the footsteps Rowan hears behind her in the fog. Was that just her getting creeped out, ghosts, or is there someone else on the island? (edited) 2d

LeeRHarry @rockpools oops is that a spoiler? 🫣hopefully not. I think you can definitely visit from here so the more the merrier I say. 😊 2d

squirrelbrain @BookwormAHN @leerharry - there‘s clearly something else going on with Fen, despite the fact that she loves the island. 🤔 (edited) 2d

squirrelbrain @BkClubCare @TEArificbooks - we were going to ask a question about the ghosts / voices but there were so many questions we had to cut some out. I do think this will come out more in one of the second-half questions though. 2d

squirrelbrain No spoilers there! @LeeRHarry 😉 2d

Butterfinger I think Fen means the secret is killing the family. Raff, as the eldest, wants to protect his siblings even though he is dealing with his own pain and grief. He may be my favorite character. Dom is so ruthless and mean to him, but at least he knows and is reflective of that fault. @Lesliereadsalot Fen is so scared about returning to society. You are so right. WELL SAID @Ruthiella @BkClubCare I credited the presence to highly sensitive imagination 1d

BkClubCare @squirrelbrain - reading on and already, GHOSTS 👻 19h

squirrelbrain Maybe?! @bkclubcare 16h

30 likes1 stack add51 comments

squirrelbrain

Seascraper: A mesmerising portrait of a young man hemmed in by circumstance and class, but dreaming of more | Benjamin Wood

pick

Isn‘t this the most gorgeous cover?!

20 year old Thomas is a ‘shanker‘ - he collects shrimps in an unnamed beach town, in mid-20th Century Britain, still using a horse and cart. One day a charismatic American arrives, offering money and requesting help that only Thomas can offer.

Will he be able to break away from his lonely drudgery or is it all too good to be true?

#netgalley Pub 17th July in the UK.

BarbaraBB Super attractive cover indeed! 1w

Cathythoughts Sounds beautiful ( cover is too ) stacked. ❤️ 1w

TrishB Oh I love that cover ♥️ 3d

72 likes2 stack adds3 comments

squirrelbrain

Untitled | Untitled

so-so

Well, that was batshit crazy! I‘ve no idea what just happened. I tried this author before and didn‘t get on with them but I persevered with this, as I read a review that said the ending was oh-so clever. Well, I must be oh-so stupid as nothing made sense to me. 😝

The MC is Kinga, but Kinga-A on Monday, Kinga-B on Tuesday…They keep a diary so each Kinga knows what the other is doing, and then Kinga-A finds a man tied up in their apartment. 🤷‍♀️

TrishB You didn‘t sell it…. 1w

sarahbarnes I liked other books of hers I‘ve read, but may not rush to get to this one. 1w

AmyG 😬(hard pass) 1w

See All 12 Comments

Lesliereadsalot Oh-so disinterested. Thanks for your honest review! 1w

Ruthiella I don‘t get her books at all. They are too experimental for me.. 1w

Reggie Omg, I‘m having flashbacks of the Gingerbread book of hers I read. Lolol I might try her again. Great review. 1w

Cathythoughts Great review! I‘m steering clear 👍🏻❤️ 1w

squirrelbrain Yeah, I tried Peaces but didn‘t get very far…. Not sure why I persevered with this one - I have so many other books I‘d like to read! @Ruthiella @Reggie @sarahbarnes 1w

squirrelbrain Glad to be of service! 🤣 @TrishB @AmyG @Lesliereadsalot @Cathythoughts 1w

Hooked_on_books I‘ve tried reading her and she just doesn‘t work for me. 7d

Centique @Reggie remember when we sort of buddy read White is for Witching? It made a lot more sense after I heard your thoughts on it! I might need to try another Oyeyemi 🤔 5d

Suet624 She always confuses me. 3d

77 likes12 comments

squirrelbrain

Wild Dark Shore | Charlotte McConaghy

#camplitsy25

Thank you all for some wonderful discussions about Audition over the past 2 weeks! I think we managed to wrestle a tough little book into submission between us! 🤣

Next Saturday we‘ll discuss the first half of WDS. It‘s much more difficult to identify chapters as most of them have 1 of the same 5 names! Anyhow, Orly has some short snippets about plants and we‘ll read to the end of the one about mangrove seeds, page 146 in my copy.

Megabooks, BarbaraBB

squirrelbrain @Addison_Reads @AmyG @amiable @BarbaraJean @Bkclubcare @BooksandCoffee4me @Bookbuyingaddict @booknaround @BookwormAHN @Bookwormjillk @Butterfinger @Cariashley @Caroline2 @CarolynM 1w

squirrelbrain @catgusmax @cbee @ChaoticMissAdventures @Chelsea.Poole @Christine @CogsOfEncouragement @Cseydel @Cuilin @Dabbe @Daisey @Debinhawaii @Deblovestoread @DGRachel @ErikasMindfulshelf 1w

squirrelbrain @flaneurette @fredthemoose @Gatheringbooks @gissy @Graciouswarriorprincess @Hooked_on_books 1w

See All 20 Comments

squirrelbrain @ImperfectCJ @JamieArc @Jas16 @Jenniferw88 @JenP @Jenreadsalot @Jess @Jhod @JoyBlue @JulesG @julieclair @KarenUK 1w

squirrelbrain @peaknit @peanutnine @Prairiegirl_reading @PuddleJumper @quietjenn @Read4Life @RaeLovesToRead @reggie @rockpools @Roary47 @Ruthiella @Sace @Sapphire @Sarahbarnes @Soubhiville 1w

squirrelbrain @skygoddess1 @Suet624 @Susanita @TheBookHippie @Thekidupstairs @Triplem80 @TrishB @Vonnie862 @Well-ReadNeck @willaful @youneverarrived @zuhkeeyah 1w

Megabooks Great! Can't wait to discuss this one! (I just emailed you back. Thanks for checking in. 💜) 1w

Ruthiella Looking forward to the discussion! 1w

MeganAnn I am looking forward to this book! Have my copy all ready to go 1w

CBee @squirrelbrain I had to DNF Audition, but cannot WAIT to start WDS. Yay! 1w

Karisa 👏👏👏👏 1w

Gissy I haven‘t read Audition yet because it arrived yesterday. But I already started this one and I like it. I like this author writing style. I‘m reading the physical book with the audiobook. 1w

Hooked_on_books Kitamura hasn‘t worked for me in the past, so I skipped Audition, but I loved this and look forward to the discussions! 1w

squirrelbrain Are you going to try Audition? @Gissy It‘s a quick read, but very confusing!🫤 1w

squirrelbrain @CBee @Hooked_on_books - looking forward to welcoming a couple of latecomers to camp! 😜 1w

ChaoticMissAdventures Peeping myself to be the odd one out on this 😂 1w

BookwormAHN I loved this one ❤️ 1w

Roary47 I‘m still on a library hold for this one. 😭😭😭 I‘m 6 in line so don‘t think I‘ll make it. 1w

Meshell1313 Sounds like a perfect plan! 1w

73 likes20 comments

squirrelbrain

Book of Haikus | Jack Kerouac

Posting this for the #haikuhive - it made me chuckle! I could try to write this post in the form of a haiku but….no! 😝

It‘s from a UK company:

https://www.theliterarygiftcompany.com/products/haikus-are-hippopotamus-unisex-t...

Ruthiella 😂😂😂 1w

Deblovestoread ❤️❤️❤️ 1w

JenlovesJT47 😅😅😅 1w

Reggie Love it! 1w

lil1inblue 😂 😂 😂 😂 😂 1w

54 likes5 comments

squirrelbrain

Gabri�le | Anne Berest, Claire Berest

pick

#europacollective

I liked this but I struggled with whether it was a novel or NF. I didn‘t like the authors‘ comments at the end of each chapter, they really drew me out of the ‘story‘.

I also found it frustrating that they kept saying ‘we don‘t know anything about Gabriële‘s life‘ - not in the past tense ‘we didn‘t know but we‘ve learned‘ but in the present so it read like ‘we still don‘t know‘.

A soft pick for me.

tpixie, BarbaraBB, Lesliereadsalot

Lesliereadsalot I‘m halfway through this one, not loving it. Also not interested in the authors‘ comments, so misplaced! @squirrelbrain @BarbaraBB #Europacollective @tpixie (edited) 1w

tpixie @Lesliereadsalot @squirrelbrain the comments do abruptly pull you out of the story. I‘m slow reading. I find the characters are not likable. But some of the information has been interesting. But it certainly is not moving me like the postcard did. (edited) 1w

BarbaraBB Great review. I didn‘t find the author‘s comments as annoying as you and @Lesliereadsalot did but I just didn‘t think Gabriele that interesting. To her great granddaughters alright, but to us? 1w

See All 7 Comments

Velvetfur This sounds very interesting so I've stacked, thank you! 1w

squirrelbrain @Velvetfur -this one by the same author was *so* much better so if you haven‘t read it yet, try it first.

The Postcard

Velvetfur @squirrelbrain Cool, thanks for the tip 👍🏻☺️ 1w

66 likes1 stack add7 comments

squirrelbrain

Audition | Katie Kitamura

#camplitsy25

It‘s been a perplexing first fortnight at camp, hasn‘t it?!

That new girl, Katie, I think she‘s called, seems to think she‘s an actress and she has all sorts of stories to tell, but she changes her mind every few hours as well! Hopefully we can figure her out between us. 😜

Don‘t forget we‘re only tagging the first question each week, so scroll down for questions 2 and 3.

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts!

Megabooks, BarbaraBB

squirrelbrain @Addison_Reads @AmyG @amiable @BarbaraJean @Bkclubcare @BooksandCoffee4me @Bookbuyingaddict @booknaround @BookwormAHN @Bookwormjillk @Butterfinger @Cariashley @Caroline2 @CarolynM 1w

squirrelbrain @catgusmax @cbee @ChaoticMissAdventures @Chelsea.Poole @Christine @CogsOfEncouragement @Cseydel @Cuilin @Dabbe @Daisey @Debinhawaii @Deblovestoread @DGRachel @ErikasMindfulshelf 1w

squirrelbrain @flaneurette @fredthemoose @Gatheringbooks @gissy @Graciouswarriorprincess @Hooked_on_books @ImperfectCJ @JamieArc @Jas16 1w

See All 64 Comments

squirrelbrain @Jenniferw88 @JenP @Jenreadsalot @Jess @Jhod @JoyBlue @JulesG @julieclair @KarenUK 1w

squirrelbrain @peaknit @peanutnine @Prairiegirl_reading @PuddleJumper @quietjenn @Read4Life @RaeLovesToRead @reggie @rockpools @Roary47 @Ruthiella @Sace @Sapphire @Sarahbarnes @Soubhiville 1w

squirrelbrain @skygoddess1 @Suet624 @Susanita @TheBookHippie @Thekidupstairs @Triplem80 @TrishB @Vonnie862 @Well-ReadNeck @youneverarrived @zuhkeeyah 1w

CarolynM I don‘t have a direct answer to the question, but I thought the passage at the beginning of Part 2 about the transition scene in the play was interesting as a metaphor for changes in our lives. Understanding, even enjoying, the change as it happens sets us up to make the most of the new life. 1w

RaeLovesToRead The book mentions a big scene in the middle of the play that the MC has to nail but struggles with, and that this is a transition between the first and second parts of the story. And structurally it feels like this is deliberately missing / not shown to us! The play she is acting in some ways reflects the actual book. 1w

TrishB I think it‘s reflecting how we all play parts in real life- not just on stage 🤷‍♀️ 1w

TheKidUpstairs Like @TrishB said, there are parallels between the roles played on stage, and the roles we play with different people in our life. In the second half, it felt like MCs various roles were collapsing in on each other. I also felt like comments in the first part about aging and memory and perception r were then reflected in the second part's fever dream - it felt like the nightmare of being thrust on stage, but you don't know the part or the lines... 1w

BkClubCare @RaeLovesToRead EXCELLENT observation 1w

TheKidUpstairs ... she was always trying to catch up to the story she found herself cast in, but was unsure of her role there. 1w

BkClubCare The book uses the play and probably the Shakespeare quote “All life is but a stage” etc as inspiration of the ways to be a mother or NOT be a mother and every day the roles are unpredictable. 1w

RaeLovesToRead @BkClubCare Also observe how I didn't actually answer the question 🤣🤣🤣 1w

mcctrish Now that I read this quote/question again and I think of @Bookwormjillk ‘s dementia idea I think it can refer to what part of it all she remembered and could take with her on the stage each night. The parallel being her real life too. She‘s so unreliable and there is so much underlying in the text I‘m just 🤯 1w

squirrelbrain @CarolynM @RaeLovesToRead @TrishB @TheKidUpstairs - I thought the fact that she had nailed the play in the second half, but then things started to go a bit awry was demonstrating that we can‘t always have it all. 1w

GatheringBooks @RaeLovesToRead everything that you said about the scene MC struggles with & how it is metaphorical of the narrative. Love the question as it captures in essence the strangeness of the book, a strangeness that makes a bit of sense structurally, and the fact that we have an unreliable narrator here who shifted from being a flighty wife to a devoted-yet-hard-to-please mother in the transition phase. A case where story form matches characterization. 1w

AmyG I question if there is a blurred line between the main character‘s acting on stage and living life. Does she live her actual life as if she is on a stage? Does she feel the need to get the “performance” in life correct as she does on the stage. I wonder if she can separate the actress from the person. 1w

AmyG @TheKidUpstairs what you just said….as in the play and in her life she is unsure of her role. In the play, she can‘t quite grasp, or perfect, that one scene. But one cannot live life as if it‘s a scene in a play as life is a “living, changing thing” where a play is the same, over and over. In a play you have an opportunity every night to make it perfect. Life doesn‘t always offer that opportunity. You know what happens in a play…not in life. (edited) 1w

vonnie862 I agree with many of you. The MC is unsure of her role in real life, so her life is a stage. Now, the idea of possible dementia did cross my mind. 1w

kspenmoll I did not pick up on possible dementia but then she could be hallucinating if that is the case in the 2nd half. Agree with all regarding blurting of lines between a role on stage & her actual life- is she always acting? I like @GatheringBooks “ a case where story for matches characterization” Who is she? Does she even know? 1w

BkClubCare @kspenmoll @GatheringBooks - great comments! She does NOT know who or how to be. 1w

Susanita When they were in the elevator together I thought: What if Hana is a serial killer? But that would be a totally different book! 🤣 1w

Deblovestoread Thanks @AmyG. I quickly read the second part last night before bed and my mind went so many places. I think you nailed it. 1w

Meshell1313 Anyone else thinking of this: "All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players: They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts…” (edited) 1w

Butterfinger @TrishB I had the same thought. There are so many roles I have to play, and each different "audience" has different expectations. Ms. Dayton, Tammy, Tammy Lynn (my parents), and my favorite role - momma. I also find there has to be a transition between each act. It's hard to go straight to mothering from teaching. 1w

Butterfinger @TheKidUpstairs @AmyG I relate to the blurriness as well. Those quick moments of transition can make it seem that you have become insane. I think the dynamics of the small family of 3 changed when the woman arrived. The narrator became an observer, an audience member. She didn't know her role anymore. 1w

ChaoticMissAdventures @TheKidUpstairs I love this look on things. How she is always trying to catch up and figure out her role. The mirroring of herself and her characters self. 1w

ChaoticMissAdventures @RaeLovesToRead I have read and listened to a few of her interviews about this book and I think she would be elated at you not actually answering the question 😂 😂 she very much wanted people to go in for the idea of each part but just enjoy the ride and not find answers. 1w

AmyG To add to what I said….in a play, you have many opportunities to “get it right”. Not so in life. In life, there are no auditions. Definition if audition: an interview for a particular role or job as a singer, actor, dancer, or musician, consisting of a practical demonstration of the candidate's suitability and skill. Did the MC have skill in acting, life or both? Was she suitable to be a Mom or not? (edited) 1w

TheKidUpstairs @ChaoticMissAdventures your right, I think she'd love all the different interpretations people are offering here. It takes all to offer up a story that can be so open to ideas and interpretations and leaves so many questions, but its still so well crafted. I tip my proverbial hat to her! 1w

squirrelbrain I agree with @Deblovestoread - I think you nailed it! @AmyG And I love your take on the title too. 1w

squirrelbrain It‘s interesting that a few Littens thought of dementia, @vonnie862 - it hadn‘t even crossed my mind. 1w

squirrelbrain @Susanita - it might have made for a better book! 🤣 1w

squirrelbrain @Meshell1313 - I hadn‘t thought of that, but really it encapsulates the whole narrative, doesn‘t it? 1w

Maggie4483 @Susanita I had the same thought! Or, that Hana and Xavier were scam artists and this book was going to take a weird, violent turn. 1w

Maggie4483 I definitely agree that the MC is not sure of her place in life. And as a reformed theater kid, I can relate. People are always so surprised when I tell them that I did theater, because I am so shy. But if all my lines and stage directions (and the other characters' reactions) were laid out for me in life, I'd probably be a lot more talkative! 1w

Maggie4483 I think she likely stays in the background until she knows the reaction she will get - like when she intentionally spilled the wine to get out of dinner.
Dementia didn't cross my mind, but mental illness did. Especially the way Tomas was always trying to protect her. Like going along with her delusion was safer than contradicting her. 1w

BookwormAHN I think @RaeLovesToRead called it. In the first half of the book it's mentioned that the playwright doesn't seem to like her character so she drastically changes her and it seems like that's what is going on in the MC's mind. 1w

squirrelbrain @Maggie4483 - yes, it‘s easier to live another life that is written for you, than to live your own life where there is no script. 1w

BarbaraBB I am getting more confused by each answer and I love it. I love your take on the story @RaeLovesToRead and I also think you nailed it @AmyG , explaining the title too. 1w

BarbaraBB @Maggie4483 @vonnie862 @kspenmoll @mcctrish @Bookwormjillk I didn‘t think of dementia when I read it, although aging was definitely a theme, as we concluded last week. So I might have missed the signals. 1w

BarbaraBB @Meshell1313 That‘s a great comparison. She must have thought of Shakespeare while writing this book! 1w

BarbaraBB @Butterfinger @TrishB Her role as a mother felt so unnatural to me. More like acting if you will. I couldn‘t believe she really was Xavier‘s mother 1w

Roary47 I like what @trishB and @TheKidUpstairs said about different roles. Our MC was trying to be a roommate, mom, wife, and owner of her home in the second part. @BkClubCare Your statement reminds me of a movie where we follow the life of the actress with and without being pregnant at a certain point in her life. That reflects what we all saw in each of these parts. @squirrelbrain I agree it does show we can‘t have everything line up perfectly. 1w

Roary47 @Maggie4483 I thought about them being scam artists and thought it would end up with the “parents” getting a new place or moving out and leaving the house to them. I also like how you mention Tomas not contradicting really anyone. Like him giving the two food so they wouldn‘t take over the kitchen. I didn‘t pick up on dementia or mental illness, but after hearing it from everyone I can see it being a possibility. 1w

squirrelbrain @Roary47 - so many roles that we all have to play, and there has to be a few that we‘re not very good at. 1w

Megabooks @RaeLovesToRead @bkclubcare I kind of thought the same thing. I felt like she used the situations in her “real life“ re: Xavier and Tomas to work through the issues she had in the scene. I think that's why she gave Xavier so much credit in the second half. (Hope this makes sense!) 1w

Megabooks @AmyG And does her blurring that line make her “phony“ or disingenuous. Idk why I go there with actors sometimes. Imposter syndrome must feel a bit different in that career!! 1w

Megabooks @Susanita It felt to me that Anna and Hana in each of the halves were almost empty vehicles to drive interaction and conflict between the MC and Xavier. Hana did have that weird quality where it seemed she was haunting the apartment. Creepy! 1w

AmyG @Megabooks Good point. I DID get feeling of disingenuousness about her. She was trying so hard to get it right…all the time. And at the end of part 2…you realize she got none of it right. 1w

MeganAnn @BarbaraBB I also thought her as a mother felt unnatural to me. After the questions about Xavier in the first half, the second half felt like a role she was playing rather than a reality. To mimic the ways she talked about finding the character in the play, she also was trying to find the role of mother. I felt like the entire book was “auditions” if you will — she walked through life like it was one audition after another. 1w

squirrelbrain Good thought about Anna @Megabooks - we‘ve hardly discussed her at all, but there was so much else to chew over! 1w

Suet624 I'm very late to this conversation - had a protest and a town birthday party to go to. I did not get this book at all so I'm taking time trying to understand it through these comments. I'm glad the book was short because it just annoyed me. 1w

Kitta @BarbaraBB @Bookwormjillk @vonnie862 @squirrelbrain The first thing I thought of reading this was dementia tbh. There‘s so many inconsistencies and her reactions don‘t make sense sometimes. What I thought after reading the end, was that the book was Xavier‘s work about his mother‘s failing memory. 1w

Kitta Or maybe the audition is the first half, auditioning for the role of a mother, and the second half is what it would have been like if she hadn‘t had the abortion. Like different realities? I don‘t know. So many layers and so much to think about! 1w

Kitta @Suet624 honestly me too, I didn‘t enjoy this one too much too. The style and unreliable narrator didn‘t appeal to me. I‘m glad it was short. 1w

Suet624 @Kitta my personal opinion: Something about the state of the world is requiring that a book make sense because nothing else around me does. 🤷🏻‍♀️ 1w

BarbaraBB @Suet624 I get that 😳 1w

squirrelbrain @Suet624 @kitta - the comments certainly helped me to understand a bit more! (edited) 1w

Kitta @Suet624 😂 well that‘s true to for me too. I enjoyed our discussion at least even if I didn‘t enjoy reading this. Excited for

Wild Dark Shore

Addison_Reads I'm late to this discussion. I just finished the book yesterday, and like others, I just wasn't a fan of this one. Everyone's thoughts here definitely help me understand a bit more about what may have been happening with the MC, but it still didn't change my opinion about the book. 😁 6d

squirrelbrain 👋 Welcome to camp! @Addison_Reads - I agree, the comments certainly helped but they didn‘t change my mind, either. 5d

42 likes2 stack adds64 comments

squirrelbrain

Audition | Katie Kitamura

#camplitsy25

What does the author mean by a family being a shared delusion or a mutual construction? Do you agree with this concept?

What did you think of the familial relationships in the two parts - did they differ?

What about the MC‘s husband - what is his role in all of this? And let‘s not forget about Hana - what impact did she have on the story, and on the other characters?

Megabooks, BarbaraBB

RaeLovesToRead Through a shared desire (and a transition scene that takes place off stage) they agree to give it a go as a family through a mutual desire for it to be the truth. They decide to accept Xavier as their son and pretend that this is how it has always been. Obviously this turns out to be harder than expected and eventually the mask slips. 1w

TrishB I thought it was a different reality. As in- this is what it could have been like. 1w

BkClubCare @TrishB - me, too. Part 2 was just another what if strand of reality. Hana was almost a third act (part 3)! 1w

See All 51 Comments

BkClubCare SO MUCH was going on in this slim book. I loved the writing style, just throwing it out there - maybe I didn‘t “get” or enjoy the story, the craft of telling it is amazing. (edited) 1w

TheKidUpstairs I'm in the "alternate reality"/sliding doors camp with @TrishB and @BkClubCare - I also felt like these "alternate realities" were another metaphor for memory and aging, and that surreal feeling of knowing something's not quite right, but not knowing what. 1w

peaKnit @BkClubCare 100% I didn‘t really get what the author may have meant but the style was good and the story was intriguing despite my own misconceptions. I may need to see sliding doors… (edited) 1w

mcctrish @BkClubCare it is crazy how much is packed into this slim book - I know I missed half of it but I enjoyed it like you 1w

AmyG I, too, thought of it as an alterate reality. And I view this as showing that memory and perception can dictate how a story plays out. In a play, the audience individually percieves what they view and makes judgements based on that. Same with life. Everyone‘s memories and perceptions are different …so the “life play” plays out differently for everyone. 1w

squirrelbrain @mcctrish - I‘m seeing so many things that I missed just from these first few posts and ideas! 1w

Reggie I agree with you @TrishB. I think that‘s why she kept meeting with him. I think she uses her skills as an actress to extrapolate what being a mother could have been like. And she has props from her real life. Like the scarf, and then like Rae mentioned there‘s the scene in the play she struggles with. That‘s used in talking about Xavier. There‘s a rift between them from him growing up but we don‘t know anything about it. 1w

vonnie862 This was weird to me. I kept questioning if he really was her son and, if so, why deny it so much in the first half. 1w

JenReadsAlot @BkClubCare @peaKnit Same! 1w

Reggie And the husband thing I think she made him into this guy to relieve the guilt of her cheating all those times. I know, I know, throw the tomatoes at me. When she says that line about it would be him to be the one that always leave, I was like, the guy who has the this is your baby as a fruit app guy?!!!!!Hana was a cheap device because I think as an insecure woman this actress couldn‘t think of any other way to create drama than to have herself go 1w

Reggie against a younger woman. And that‘s why I felt a little let down in that last quarter. 1w

JamieArc At first I saw it as a Sliding Doors thing (and that‘s one of my fave films from the 90s!). And then I thought of it the other way around- they take him in as their “son,” as if this had been their family all along. And with that, she got to reconstruct her history to be what she wanted, including erasing the affairs. 1w

JamieArc But I kept thinking about “the grass actually isn‘t greener on the other side.” 1w

JamieArc I think this quote speaks really well to the unraveling. Their shared delusion falls apart after Hana arrives and the MC comes home to find them playing their “game,” of which she‘s not a part. 1w

squirrelbrain @reggie - the husband thing was a bit odd. Clearly we were only seeing him from her perspective but she didn‘t seem to like him in either of her ‘lives‘. I‘m also not sure how he advanced the story. And I agree with you about Hana too - rather a cop-out. 1w

The_Book_Ninja @RaeLovesToRead Agreed 1w

Susanita I think @RaeLovesToRead makes a good point. They‘re all pretending to live the life they might have lived if Xavier was really her son. That kinda worked…until it didn‘t. 1w

Meshell1313 I keep asking myself about the role of the husband. Does the story even need him? Why is he participating in her delusions? 1w

Deblovestoread At first it was alternate reality or parallel universe and reading the author‘s interview that @ChaoticMissAdventures posted helped with that a bit. Or maybe the whole second part was a set up and it became Xavier‘s play or maybe it was just weird, messy life. I am all over the place with this one. 1w

Butterfinger I'm thinking of the quote - life imitates art - or vice versa. Why was she so worried about perceptions of age gaps? I read it as the narrator wrote a play - in her reality, the son is leaving, bringing home a girl who might replace her as the son's number one woman, so she uses writing as therapy. The 2 acts are happening at the same time. She wants the admiration of her son back, so she made up a character based on him. 1w

Butterfinger Shared delusion or Mutual construction??? Most families don't want to admit the problems they have. They sweep it under the rug and become offended at the word "dysfunctional." So the narrator and her husband pretend everything is alright when they should all be in therapy. If the narrator is suffering from dementia, the husband and son may construct a reality to keep the narrator calm. Hana could have been a nurse. I don't know what I am saying. 1w

ChaoticMissAdventures @BkClubCare I took the book in 3 parts also. beginning where she meets X, middle different reality where she has always known X, and then the end where the girlfriend comes in and makes thing real weird (I enjoyed it so weird is not derogatory here) 1w

ChaoticMissAdventures @Deblovestoread I am glad the article was helpful to you too! I read a couple this week to really understand the book better. And I think most people are getting what she was trying to do, she was pretty clear she wanted both halves of the book to be mirrors (fun house maybe?) to each other, they were not supposed to flow together. Which I think is interesting and not something we see in traditional writing so can be jarring to many. 1w

ChaoticMissAdventures @JamieArc I really like this idea, of her reconstructing history, that is not a lens I have heard it viewed from. I think that is great way to look at it. She she at first fights to bring him home and then things still go awry. 1w

Ruthiella I am really enjoying the discussion and the different ways of perceiving the novel. It just occurred to me that I might have a completely different take on it if the two parts were reversed in order. 🤯 1w

squirrelbrain @JamieArc - one of my favourite films too! And I always love a ‘sliding doors‘ type narrative, but this one was *too* confusing. 1w

squirrelbrain @ChaoticMissAdventures @Deblovestoread - I read a few interviews with the author too but I found her to be just as opaque in those as she was in the book. 🤷‍♀️ 1w

squirrelbrain @Butterfinger - I get what you‘re saying! 😊 I like the idea that she‘s craving the admiration of her son after he ‘replaced‘ her with someone else. 1w

Maggie4483 I didn't even consider the alternate reality/“Sliding Doors“ possibility. I think I might have enjoyed it more if I had read it from that viewpoint. 😆
I really thought she started pretending that X really was her son, and let the fantasy get away from her until it turned into delusion. X & T both knew she was delusional, and went along with it - T because he didn't want to upset her, and X because it served his needs. (1/2) 1w

Maggie4483 (2/2) I know a lot of you saw the introduction of Hana as a cop out, but I saw her as a necessary foil to break the delusion. Blinded by love, Xavier couldn't help but drop the act, which in turn made the MC realize that things weren't what they seemed.

(I may be completely wrong about all of this - I was pretty confused throughout the whole book). 1w

BookwormAHN I was so confused and thought at first it was an alternative reality thing but her weird idea to seemingly rewrite their lives was so confusing that I was glad Hana showed up. 1w

peaKnit I read it as though it were two separate stories, same characters with different roles like American Horror Story. (edited) 1w

squirrelbrain But then things with Hana got *really* weird 🤷‍♀️ @BookwormAHN 1w

BarbaraBB I didn‘t think of an alternate reality, but kept thinking of acting. She felt so unnatural in her role as a mother. Might have to do with the scene @RaeLovesToRead had been mentioning. 1w

BarbaraBB @Ruthiella That‘s so true and yet they could have been reversed just as easily I think. I‘d be just as confused! 1w

BarbaraBB @Meshell1313 I‘ve been wondering that too. He has no ‘role‘ whatsoever. It even crossed my mind she made him up. They don‘t even greet one another when meeting in the first half. Did he even come into the restaurant? 1w

Roary47 @TrishB @BkClubCare @AmyG I agree with it being an alternate reality. I mentioned a movie that explored having a baby and not having a baby. This felt like that, because Part 1 no way she never had a baby and part 2 she mentioned Xavier when he was younger involving his room. I also like what @Deblovestoread mentioned with it being the “son‘s” play. If she was experiencing mental health issues like dementia, and her husband clung to having a kid 1w

Roary47 @Butterfinger I like this thought with having a second chance even if it wasn‘t really her son. I like the idea of father and son making a story for her and Hana actually being her nurse. I did not like Hana, but if you are struggling with your brain functioning properly then yeah I guess they could turn into someone that is too in your business. 1w

Megabooks @RaeLovesToRead This is such a great reading of it! I didn't think of it this way at all, but it makes a lot of sense! 1w

Megabooks @TrishB And I feel that the Sliding Doors thing is how it has been handled in other books I've read where it seems that one is “real“ and the other is “speculative,“ but I feel like Kitamura takes it farther into the realm of questioning reality than other more surface books like The Other Side of Now, which I'm reading this weekend. @bkclubcare @thekidupstairs @peaknit @mcctrish @AmyG @reggie 1w

Megabooks @vonnie862 I found it weird, too. Almost like “the lady doth protest too much“. 1w

Megabooks @Butterfinger I just totally didn't see the dementia angle, but her reaction to Hana does seem to make sense in the realm of what I know about how older people with dementia react to new nursing staff in their lives. Sometimes it's a bit harder if you introduce home care later in the course of the illness. 1w

BkClubCare VERY interesting comment about Anna in part 1 contrasting with the Hana dynamic in part 2. Both took X‘s focus away from Mom. 1w

Well-ReadNeck I thought of the shared aspect as sort of an improve exercise: all the participants say yes! … and! The husband, I think played the role the best. He accepted his role and accepted all the new ideas thrown out by Xavier (even Hana). The MC was along for the ride but, eventually, I think it didn‘t serve her and she put and end to it (hence it‘s a failed audition). 1w

squirrelbrain @Well-ReadNeck - another great idea that I hadn‘t thought of - improv! 1w

GatheringBooks @BkClubCare i agree about the form of the story being challenging - but yes agree 100 percent that the literary craftsmanship is superb. I may not be fully invested in any of them but it was fully absorbing nonetheless. 5d

GatheringBooks @Reggie reggieeeeee!!! I miss you and love reading your thoughts here. I know what you mean about this wanton woman (lols) throwing the husband under the bus - but then again guys are just always so predictable, like seriously, and the author could have also been threading that needle, how men are so easy - and women are slightly more complicated - so much so that we have two versions: hana and MC who are both unfathomable. 5d

GatheringBooks Great question and such fascinating answers. Having lived with my mother who has dementia, this never occurred to me at all. MC was lucid throughout - the clarity in her mind is startling and piercing, even. I am more with the sliding doors thing of @JamieArc - an alternate reality where the author cleverly reached into the “stage” of the book, rearranged the roles, said “action!” I thought the experimental aspect was risky yet it worked for me (edited) 5d

32 likes51 comments

squirrelbrain

Audition | Katie Kitamura

#camplitsy25

And, for our final question for this book and, as many of you have put in your reviews, WTF is going on?!

I know many of you have questions, so here‘s your opportunity and, hopefully, *someone* will have answers!

Here‘s a couple of questions from me to get us started:

Is one half real, the other fiction?
Is this meta-fiction?

Thanks for all your input and comments on this challenging book! 🏕️

Megabooks, BarbaraBB

Soubhiville From the reviews, I don‘t feel I‘ve missed much by having to skip this one. I am looking forward to reading everyone‘s responses later, to see if anyone thinks they‘ve figured this book out! 1w

Bookwormjillk I'm going to answer this one first. I liked this book even though I didn't understand it. I've been thinking about it all week.

One of the things I was really confused about was the ages of the MC and Xavier. At first I guessed she was maybe early/mid 50's and Xavier was around 23-25. But in the second half she read a lot older. I began to think that she had dementia, and that the first part of the book was before she was diagnosed. (1/2) 1w

Bookwormjillk (2/2) The second part I thought was after she was diagnosed and Xavier and husband were trying to take care of her but had been so used to living off her acting paychecks their whole lives they weren't doing a good job. So they had to bring in Hana.

The whole book was scary to me. Like at any moment something can happen to you and no matter how successful you are you'll have to depend on others.

Can't wait to hear how others interpreted it! (edited) 1w

See All 99 Comments

CarolynM My theory is Part 1 is basically true. The advent of Xavier makes the MC revisit her feelings about her pregnancies and Part 2 is her thinking about what life would have been like if she‘d had either child, which she is projecting over the reality of Xavier taking advantage of her by moving in. Or it‘s 2 versions of the same person one childless, one with a child. In Part 1 she‘s angsty about her age/appearance, sexual politics, work stuff ⬇️ (edited) 1w

RaeLovesToRead I've written a detailed rundown on Goodreads - I'll try and summarise... Part One is reality and Part Two is an agreement between the characters to live as if Xavier is really their son, motivated by mutual desire for it to be the truth. Initially it fulfils a deep need for all the characters and the arrangement seems to be working, but as it goes on the mask starts to slip and Xavier's presence in their life becomes less of a positive. 1w

RaeLovesToRead As @The_Book_Ninja phrased it on my Litsy review "Xavier failed his Audition" 1w

RaeLovesToRead I do feel like the book made sense to me. I didn't feel confused. Once it tilts and is revealed that Part Two is "acting" all the inconsistencies fell into place for me. 1w

CarolynM ⬆️ In part 2 the angst is about things like which parent does the child want approval from, is the child meeting expectations or slacking off, how does the child‘s partner fit into the family dynamic? 1w

CarolynM @RaeLovesToRead I like your idea too. 1w

mcctrish Ooo @Bookwormjillk @RaeLovesToRead both of these make sense of this book and I love the comment that Xavier failed his audition because he totally did - felt like he was a grifter 1w

TrishB When I started the second part I just thought- oh this is one of those clever books we‘re all supposed to be philosophical about now….I struggle enjoying books that have no likeable characters and no plot. 1w

Oryx My interpretation was the same as @RaeLovesToRead 's - it was an agreement to act like they had always been a family. And then it fell apart. 1w

Oryx I'm still so confused about what age they are meant to be though? They read 60s/70s to me. But that doesn't fit. 1w

Bookwormjillk @RaeLovesToRead good theory! Makes the title make sense. 1w

BkClubCare I, too, want to answer this question first. I can‘t find my original thoughts (WHERE OH WHERE did I write that?! Anyway, I now think it is alternate realities, those aligning threads but not, where part 1 she didn‘t have a child and how that affected her marriage and her career and the part 2 if she did have Xavier and how it affects her life. I know I am stating the obvious, but to me, it was her stories to herself and not being able 1/? (edited) 1w

BkClubCare To reconcile her feelings and hopes for self actualization and happiness. It is working through all her feelings about motherhood and being a wife while having a career. All delusions, all shifting with each time on stage even while playing the same part. I am liking the story (stories?) more with distance. 2/2 1w

BkClubCare @RaeLovesToRead - yes! Love this! “Xavier failed the audition.” 😂 as did the MC for role of “mother”. 1w

RaeLovesToRead @mcctrish @BkClubCare I can't take credit for the Xavier failed his audition wording - that was @The_Book_Ninja 😄 1w

RaeLovesToRead But yeah, I'm pretty cemented in my view of what I thought was meant to be going on. Love hearing the other interpretations though! 1w

squirrelbrain @Soubhiville - it was certainly a challenging book for sure, and I‘m not sure if anyone actually enjoyed it. 😬 1w

TheKidUpstairs Like @Bookwormjillk I saw a lot of themes and ideas of aging and dementia, and also the vulnerabilities and potential for abuse in these situations. But not in a straightforward narrative way, I read the two parts as alternate realities as an allegory for dementia, combined with a metaphor for the roles we play. I'm not sure if I'm explaining my thoughts well - this book definitely sent them into a spiral! 1w

squirrelbrain @Bookwormjillk - that‘s really interesting and something that hadn‘t even crossed my mind. 🤔 So, in her confused mind Hana is bossing Tomas around when, really, she feels bossed around by Hana, maybe? 1w

TheKidUpstairs @squirrelbrain @soubhiville I really enjoyed it! But I was definitely in the right place for a mind twisting, not really sure what's going on, read. I totally get how people didn't like it as much as I did! 1w

squirrelbrain I really like these theories / this theory @CarolynM @BkClubCare (I think you‘re both agreeing?!). In the second part her play is a success (because of her) and it almost feels like she‘s asking the question ‘Can women actually have it all?‘. With the answer being, yes, but you still have worries and are not necessarily happy with having it all. 1w

mcctrish @Bookwormjillk your dementia idea is making it make sense to me more when I think back to the first part when I kept thinking her husband was following her because of infidelity but maybe he was just checking on her - early stages dementia you are fine in familiar settings - and how I felt she wasn‘t using all her words ( explaining all her thoughts/moods/ideas/situations ) thereby creating unnecessary confusion/conflict (edited) 1w

squirrelbrain Hmm, I‘m not so sure @RaeLovesToRead @oryx 🤔 There‘s a line near the start of part 2 where the MC talks about the negotiations between Anne, X and her. She says ‘It was not possible to occlude the reality of my relationship with X, the affinities and understandings built over a lifetime.‘ If X isn‘t her son and they have an agreement to act as if he was, she wouldn‘t have said this. 1w

squirrelbrain @TheKidUpstairs - I definitely saw the aging allegories but didn‘t think to take it as far as dementia, as you and @bookwormjillk did. It‘s fascinating how we can all come up with different theories or, in some cases, the same theory! 1w

jenniferw88 I enjoyed it. However, I have a different interpretation. I think Xavier is her son, and the first part and most of part two is a dress rehearsal of the play he wrote (based on real people they know), up until the fictional play run's end. Then the rest of it is discussing the performances and him saying "Mum, look, this is basically you". 1w

jenniferw88 I also like @Bookwormjillk 's idea about dementia though! 1w

mcctrish @jenniferw88 I‘m starting to think, going with the dementia theory, that Xavier is her son and she‘s forgotten him and like you said he‘s come back and he and his dad are trying to provide some support so she can keep living her life a bit on her terms 1w

Bookwormjillk @squirrelbrain yes, and I think in that weird hide and seek scene they were actually looking for MC. 1w

Bookwormjillk Maybe this is one of those books that can be about whatever you‘re going through at the moment. We‘re dealing with dementia in our family right now and the dreamy everyone is out to get me feel really reminded me of our relative. 1w

RaeLovesToRead @squirrelbrain I don't necessarily agree because she is speaking through the lens of their shared deliberate "delusion". There was always going to be some baggage when it came to Xavier because he became known to Anne through his turning up and seeking out the MC. All of her internal narrative is obfuscating, jumbled and incorporating both versions of reality - their new arrangement overlaying the reality. So I think it still fits. 1w

RaeLovesToRead @Oryx Thoughts? 1w

AmyG I questioned whether part 2 is actually her (perhaps) fantasizing “finding” her son as an adult? At the end of part 2 she did ‘t seem as the wonderful Mom she thought herself to be. What if the entire past of raising him was skipped and he came into the story as her son? A rewrite of the play? I am thinking I liked this book way more than I thought I did because I have thought so much about the story. 1w

AmyG @Bookwormjillk I keep thinking this book has much to do with the audience perception or what you say….bringing into it each individual person‘s “stuff”. We all percieve things differently based on our life, emotions, beliefs etc. We can‘t control a situation, only ourselves. So….this story will be percieved differently by each person reading it. Same as a play. @jenniferw88 very interesting interpretation. (edited) 1w

vonnie862 I'm going to be honest, I have no idea. 1w

squirrelbrain @jenniferw88 - I really like that interpretation. Although it hurts my brain a bit to try to re-frame it in that way, and I‘m definitely not going for a re-read! 1w

JenReadsAlot @vonnie862 Same! Loving reading everyone's thoughts. 1w

squirrelbrain @Bookwormjillk - I‘d forgotten about that scene, as it didn‘t seem to fit with the rest of the book for me. I wonder if it was actually her playing hide and seek with her own memories, trying to find them? There was a sense of menace about it - it certainly wasn‘t a children‘s game they were playing. 1w

squirrelbrain I really like this idea of everyone bringing their own perceptions @AmyG - and we‘re certainly demonstrating that here! 😝 1w

Bookwormjillk @squirrelbrain yes very confusing and menacing at the same time 1w

JamieArc @AmyG I like that idea too, about the audience perception. I can picture the author excited to see what all the readers think it is about. 1w

JamieArc @Bookwormjillk I‘m glad you brought in that scene, and your interpretation is interesting. I could NOT figure it out. I was worried it was going to go into some weird sexual direction, especially with earlier subtle comments about the husband and Hana. 1w

Susanita @TrishB Yes! I just kept thinking I didn‘t get it. Even once I just accepted it was two different stories! Also, it‘s another book in which the characters don‘t talk to each other! 🤦🏻‍♀️ 1w

BkClubCare @squirrelbrain right? I keep wondering if…. If I hadn‘t read the book, and then read all these comments, would I want to read the book?🤣 because it really is twisty. (Will not be rereading it.) 1w

Jas16 Like @CarolynM I thought the 2nd part was her imagining if Xavier was her child. At first it seems rosy in her mind thinking they would have a close relationship but then her vision keeps shifting as all of her doubts about herself as a mother creep in and the possible family dynamics that would no longer have her at the center. Her thoughts keep spiraling until they flare into the over the top ending. But now seeing everyone else‘s thoughts… 1w

Meshell1313 I love reading everyone‘s theories! It‘s fun trying to interpret this unreliable narrator to figure out what is true and untrue and I think that‘s the whole point. There‘s def a message here about a woman‘s internal monologue and fulfilling these roles society places on us. 1w

Deblovestoread I didn‘t get dementia at all but could see where it can be viewed that way. It is so ambiguous that each reader is going to come away with a different idea of wtf actually happened and I think that was the point. 1w

Butterfinger I wish we could ask the author. I had forgotten about the hide and seek between Hana and the husband. It does show the insecure feelings of the narrator. Someone is trying to replace her. I think Hana is the one auditioning, in the narrator's mind, at least. I wonder if we will see this on next year's ToB. I have enjoyed reading everyone's thoughts and theories. Where our minds go to make sense of what we don't understand. 1w

ChaoticMissAdventures @Bookwormjillk just a question, do you think she read a lot older because she is shown as a more stable mother? I think often times we view women who do not have children a bit younger than those who do. I question this often in literature that compares mothers to child free women.. Just curious as I didnt' see her older in the second half, though there is a bit of time that goes by since we know that X has been working w/ Ann for a bit. 1w

ChaoticMissAdventures @RaeLovesToRead I really like this take of the parts, and how the mask slips as the actions become more and more fever dream. I like this take because then you can get the feeling at the end when she removes Hana from the home she is again taking control. 1w

ChaoticMissAdventures @mcctrish agree, through-out the book I felt Xavier was a grifter. Each reality he was scamming for something. 1w

ChaoticMissAdventures @squirrelbrain I am going to be the extreme outlier this month. I really enjoyed this one and I absolutely hated the next one we will talk about which everyone seems to adore so far 😂 I still am enjoying everyone's takes here though! 1w

Ruthiella My interpretation was the same as @Jas16 and @CarolynM . It‘s so interesting to think now about other interpretations. 1w

ChaoticMissAdventures @squirrelbrain the “can we have it all“ question is a great one. Through that lens looking at Hana it could feel like she is saying even if you work to have it all there will be outside forces that come in that you cannot control. 1w

Bookwormjillk @Butterfinger I really do wish we could ask the author. I wonder if she‘s reading all the speculation. @ChaoticMissAdventures I‘m not sure but I think it was because in the second part she seemed somehow more fragile and at the very end of her career. I agree Xavier is a grifter no matter what this book meant. 1w

Lesliereadsalot Having read all the comments, here‘s my take on the narrator. In the first half we see her as she wants to be seen: a recognizable actress, a husband who loves her, no children. Then Xavier appears, giving her something to think about outside of herself, what might have been. Then we segue to the second half: who she really is. She can‘t control her son or her husband. They‘re going to be who they‘re going to be and she has no power. 1w

RaeLovesToRead @ChaoticMissAdventures Yeah, the scenes do get very fever dream and exaggerated at the end and that's when it all comes back to reality. The way I saw it was she comes back in and they're all a bit giddy - like a drunken party where everyone takes things a bit too far - and she thinks her husband is groping Hana and it breaks the spell and she's like "RIGHT THAT'S IT. Show's over, guys." 1w

squirrelbrain @Jas16 - I‘m definitely drawn most to @CarolynM ‘s interpretation, although all of the others are just as feasible. 1w

squirrelbrain @Meshell1313 - it‘s so good to see all the theories isn‘t it?! It‘s great that a book most of us disliked has engendered so much discussion and I‘m starting to like it more now I understand it a bit more. 1w

squirrelbrain Oh, great thought about Hana being the one doing the audition! @Butterfinger (edited) 1w

squirrelbrain @ChaoticMissAdventures - I didn‘t see her as older in the second part either, which is why the dementia angle hadn‘t crossed my mind. 1w

squirrelbrain @Lesliereadsalot - so you think Xavier is actually her son, but in the first half she prefers to be known as childless? I wonder if that‘s why Tomas is such an insignificant, almost ghostly figure in the first half too? She wants to be the most important person in the room. 1w

Oryx @RaeLovesToRead @squirrelbrain replying to the convo in the thread above, I don't think it matters so much what she says, it can all be part of her act. Although the other theories are interesting. I'm not sure I'm clever enough for this book (and so my reaction is to not like it 😁). 1w

Maggie4483 @mcctrish Whoa! That is interesting! And that might explain when Hana talks about their “reconciliation,“ and the MC says “there was never any reconciliation, because there was never any rupture.“ Maybe they WERE estranged, and that's why she thinks she never had a child, until he comes back. 1w

Lesliereadsalot Yes, I think she doesn‘t want to be known as “mother”. She wants the world to be about her and her alone. How dare Xavier think he can insert himself into her perfect world. In the second half, her son bugs her, her husband bugs her, her life in general bugs her. The first half is her dream life, no longer attainable. 1w

Maggie4483 I'm so thankful for this discussion - if I had just read it on my own, I would have convinced myself that I wasn't smart enough to understand it. I mean...I still may not be, but I feel a little better knowing that it was intentionally written to be open to interpretation. Several people have used the term “fever dream,“ and that's definitely what this felt like. In some cases, I like that style of writing, but here...not so much. 1w

BookwormAHN I agree with @Lesliereadsalot But I also wonder if their is some dementia or if Xavier is Tomas' since in some of the earlier scenes he was checking up on her and worried if she was having another affair. 1w

squirrelbrain @Oryx - I‘ve found all the theories really enlightening, and I‘m starting to like the book more as a result. 1w

squirrelbrain @Maggie4483 - I agree - I knew when I read the book and didn‘t understand it, that Littens always have great ideas and would help me out. 😜 1w

squirrelbrain @Lesliereadsalot - that makes a lot of sense! I wonder if the two parts could be reversed. The first part is *after* she kicks him out, he‘s returned but she doesn‘t ‘know‘ him any more. 1w

BarbaraBB @BkClubCare I felt that too, that she failed the audition for the role of mother! 1w

BarbaraBB @Bookwormjillk I get your take on it and the dementia, now that you explain it. Hana might even have been a caregiver. I also think it‘s quite interesting what @jenniferw88 and @mcctrish add to your theory. I am so confused, especially when dealing irl with my mother‘s dementia and not recognizing aspects of it in the mc! (edited) 1w

BarbaraBB Mostly our discussions are so enlightening but this one makes me even more confused. So many wise things said above could have been true!! Based on the interview with the author that @ChaoticMissAdventures shared earlier, I think she would be proud of us and all our interpretations of the story! (edited) 1w

Roary47 @CarolynM I like that idea that she didn‘t have two kids, and there were two “kids” in the house the second time. I was on the same thought that it was two realities like @BkClubCare one with a child one without. I also like @RaeLovesToRead thoughts that X was acting as son. I also like the idea of women can have it all with reservations. @squirrelbrain I‘m so glad I was in this discussion it helped bring my thoughts to light and see others. 1w

Roary47 Another thought I had: Xavier and Hana were con artists who were using MC and T to gain the home. Like anyone who uses an elderly person to gain access to their money, bank account, or identity. Weaseling their way into the home and taking over. Even getting T to be their butler for a bit. The dementia thoughts would have helped them do it. After this discussion I also enjoyed this book more, but wouldn‘t read it again. 😅 1w

squirrelbrain I like that there are so many different options and ideas! @BarbaraBB 1w

squirrelbrain It‘s been such a good discussion, hasn‘t it?! @roary47 1w

BkClubCare @squirrelbrain - excellent discussion!! 🌟 1w

Megabooks @Bookwormjillk Have you ever read We Spread by Iain Reid? The horror aspects of dealing with dementia were handled in an interesting way in that book. I think there is something truly unsettling about losing one's grip on reality that way. I wonder how the mind does reconcile it?? @bookwormjillK @thekidupstairs @mcctrish @JenniferW88 1w

Megabooks My initial thought, and I don't think I've seen anyone say this, was that she was using this imagination of life with Xavier as a way to break through the acting block she had in the first half. Maybe she had to see herself in a different situation to access those emotions. 1w

Megabooks @RaeLovesToRead That's really interesting and an interpretation that I didn't think of. But then I wonder why late middle age to older adults would agree to have a child at that point? It seems awfully late to try to take one on.

@oryx were they always a family and if so, why was he estranged in the first half?

Excellent quip @the_book_ninja!! 1w

mcctrish @Megabooks I‘m going to check that out - my mom had Lewy Body Dementia and it was awful 1w

MeganAnn @Lesliereadsalot I like your take! The first half seemed like she was playing the role of a recognizable actress when she wasn‘t on stage playing the role of the character. The second half felt like she was playing the role of mother & wife, but losing control of everything as her son and husband sort of take over. And every time she mentioned her work on the play I got the sense that she was playing a role as much in real life as she was at work. 1w

MeganAnn So many excellent thoughts and ideas here! I kept going back to the title of the book when trying to make sense of it. That along with the mentions of her work in the play and the way she speaks about it felt like she sees these parts of her life as roles to play just as much as the ones she is hired for. Each scene of her life is an audition and she is finding the character she wants to play in that scene. (1/2) 1w

Bookwormjillk @Megabooks I have not. Thanks for the rec! 1w

MeganAnn At the beginning she plays the role of a recognizable actress about town. In the second part the role of mother is a bit harder to nail down. She cannot control or completely predict what Tomas or Xavier are going to do and is trying to react to them as a mother should for the part, but it feels a bit unnatural. And then she completely loses control when Hana shows up and the whole things goes sideways. 1w

squirrelbrain I agree @MeganAnn - we had so many great ideas and theories - it‘s difficult to pick just one, but I think that‘s what the author intended. 1w

Kitta I thought that she had dementia and that the novel is actually Xavier‘s play, voicing what he thinks she‘s thinking and going through. The play she was acting in at the beginning was the inspiration for him to write this. I think there was a rupture in their relationship and he‘s trying to reconnect with her in a medium she understands. That he is her son and she‘s already forgotten him in part one, so he moves in and she regains some memories. 1w

Kitta But I‘m not sure 🤷🏻‍♀️ it‘s a confusing one. 1w

Well-ReadNeck I really liked this book and have recommended it to a few folks who I think would really roll with how completely banana pants it is 🍌👖 1w

Well-ReadNeck I got the creeps from Xavier at the beginning because I thought he was gaslighting her (I mean she knows if she had a kid or not and I presumed she was a reliable narrator). But, maybe he was just proposing a “mutually beneficial” scenario that they “auditioned” in the second half. The vibes reminded me a ton of an old Will Smith movie from the early 90‘s(I think) I believe it was called Six Degrees of Separation. 1w

squirrelbrain You‘re one of the few to like it! 😬 @Well-ReadNeck 1w

Christine Such a great conversation! I think @megabooks comes closest to my interpretation of what it was all about. At the same time, I didn‘t really think about what it was all about too much, I just enjoyed the ride! 🤣 1w

GatheringBooks Our college kid graduated over the weekend here in seattle so am late to this party. @RaeLovesToRead loved your use of the word “tilt” because it IS tilting the story on its axis where everything turned surreal, postmodern & choose-your-own-adventure-y vibe, where parallel realities converge & the reader gets to choose/decide which narrative we lean towards. As @TrishB said, it may be too clever for its own good & risks alienating the reader. 5d

GatheringBooks I think everything we just read is the story that Xavier wrote. Well done, Xavier. You have managed to flummox Litsy book-brethren. 5d

RaeLovesToRead @GatheringBooks Thanks 🥰 I loved the book in all it's surreal, postmodern weirdness! 5d

squirrelbrain Lol @GatheringBooks - it takes a lot to flummox *all* the Litsy folk! 4d

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squirrelbrain

The Benefactors: 'So fresh, so sharp, so wry, so alive' Lucy Caldwell | Wendy Erskine

pick

I wanted to love this a lot more than I did. A few too many issues make it a soft pick.

Misty is a cam-girl who is sexually assaulted at a house party by three of her supposed friends. The boys‘ mothers close ranks to protect their sons, while Misty has her sort-of stepfather to back her up.

The cam-girl thing could have been really powerful but it wasn‘t. The three mothers were all awful, without a redeeming feature between them. ⬇️

squirrelbrain My biggest issue though was all the POV changes and the sub-plots / vignettes of other local people / bit-part players. Too distracting and I hope it‘s just my digital ARC but there wasn‘t any indication of the change of POV - not even a paragraph break. One sentence ran into another and you had to figure it out for yourself. Sounds like I hated it 😬 but I didn‘t - just needed a bit of tightening up in places. And a better layout in print. 🤞 2w

BarbaraBB Great review though 2w

sarahbarnes Great review. And cover - I can see why you were drawn to read it. 2w

62 likes3 comments

squirrelbrain

Audition | Katie Kitamura

📣 Hooray! It‘s the start of summer and our first day of #camplitsy25! 🎉

This week we‘re discussing Part One of Audition. As ever, if you‘ve read ahead, please try not to include spoilers for those who haven‘t.

Also, just to let you all know, we‘ll only be tagging the first question each week (due to #glitchylitsy making it a long task).

Your first question is up above and, if you‘ve read ahead scroll down you‘ll find the other two. Enjoy!

squirrelbrain @Addison_Reads @AmyG @amiable @BarbaraJean @Bkclubcare @BooksandCoffee4me @Bookbuyingaddict @booknaround @BookwormAHN @Bookwormjillk @Butterfinger @Cariashley @Caroline2 @CarolynM 2w

squirrelbrain @catgusmax @cbee @ChaoticMissAdventures @Chelsea.Poole @Christine @CogsOfEncouragement @Cseydel @Cuilin @Dabbe @Daisey @Debinhawaii @Deblovestoread @DGRachel @ErikasMindfulshelf 2w

squirrelbrain
@flaneurette @fredthemoose @Gatheringbooks @gissy @Graciouswarriorprincess @Hooked_on_books 2w

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squirrelbrain @ImperfectCJ @JamieArc @Jas16 @Jenniferw88 @JenP @Jenreadsalot @Jess @Jhod @JoyBlue @JulesG @julieclair @KarenUK 2w

squirrelbrain
@karisa @Kitta @Kristy-K @Kspenmoll @kwmg40 @Larkken @Laughterhp @LeeRHarry @Leniverse @Lesliereadsalot @maggie4483 @maich @Mcctrish @MeganAnn @Merelybookish @Meshell1313 @Monalyisha @Oryx 2w

squirrelbrain @peaknit @peanutnine @Prairiegirl_reading @PuddleJumper @quietjenn @Read4Life @RaeLovesToRead @reggie @rockpools @Roary47 @Ruthiella @Sace @Sapphire @Sarahbarnes @Soubhiville 2w

squirrelbrain @skygoddess1 @Suet624 @Susanita @TheBookHippie @Thekidupstairs @Triplem80 @TrishB @Vonnie862 @Well-ReadNeck @willaful @youneverarrived @zuhkeeyah 2w

Sapphire I thought the waiters reaction in NYC was imagined/projected from her own anxieties and presumption. However in Paris the overt assumption is Clear with the note. So that earlier experience would also influence why she thinks the wait staff take such notice of what is happening at tables beyond who needs ketchup , more wine, is rude, or likely to tip well or poorly. 2w

mcctrish @Sapphire I agree. The Paris waiter was cringe but now the MC is 🤣 2w

kspenmoll Agree with ypu both @Sapphire @mcctrish She was so jumpy /anxious in NYC- she did impose her assumptions on the wait staff‘s facial expressions, actions-she was so conscious of the age difference between Xavier & herself. 2w

Zuhkeeyah Yes! The Paris waiter set a precedent for her brain that came into play once the old/young positions were flipped. Not sure if it says much about our society. I don‘t think many ppl jump to such conclusions just based on who is sitting at a table together. I will say we all certainly enjoy making up stories when ppl watching. 2w

Bookwormjillk @Zuhkeeyah I agree- in general people just don‘t think about each other that much 2w

TrishB I think because she judges people she assumed others were judging her. Unlike @Zuhkeeyah and @Bookwormjillk I think people do this all the time when they‘re people watching! 2w

Chelsea.Poole Seems like everyone is so worried about how they are being perceived to do much thinking about anyone else lol @Bookwormjillk 2w

JamieArc @TrishB Totally agree with you about the judging dynamic. 2w

Lesliereadsalot So insecure to think other people were looking at her and judging her. Has anybody reading this ever once felt other people in a restaurant were looking at them? I personally have never felt that, unless I was with someone creating a scene. 2w

mcctrish @Bookwormjillk I think you are totally right, most people are self involved and don‘t bother with other people but now I‘m wondering if her being famous plays into her feelings of being watched/judged 2w

DGRachel I agree with @TrishB about people watching judgements. I also think she was extra sensitive because of the reason they were meeting. But I also think we have to consider that this is her perception of what is happening, and I think it‘s obvious even in part one that she is an unreliable narrator. 2w

DGRachel @Lesliereadsalot I have definitely felt like strangers were looking at me and judging me, but as you noted, it‘s insecurity. When I feel uncomfortable in my own skin or with the social situation, I am constantly alert for stares/glares/whispers behind my back. 2w

JenReadsAlot @Zuhkeeyah Totalky agree 2w

RaeLovesToRead Oh man, I forgot about that Paris waiter! 😫 People make assumptions about the people around them all the time. I think it would usually take more than the relative ages of two people having dinner to decide their relationship to each other. Their appearance, body language, behaviour, all form part of the impression. And the MC is assuming what people are assuming so there's another level of projection there. 2w

JenP I think past experiences shape how we interpret other events later on and in the first case it was clear that there were judgments being made. And while I do agree we think that others are thinking about us more than they really do (a concept proven in social psychology, I also think there is a reality to people making assumptions about certain scenarios and many of those scenarios are gendered. She was also famous so in that case, focus is there 2w

Suet624 @DGRachel @Lesliereadsalot Yes! I often feel like people are looking at me and judging me. It‘s both insecurity and actual reality. 😊 2w

vonnie862 @TrishB I agree. When one is insecure, they often feel like people are judging them. 2w

Deblovestoread My dad and I often go out to dinner in his local area and believe me you can tell when the wait staff is thinking May/December rather than familial. I think in the US we tend to jump to the most negative conclusion first. 2w

Deblovestoread I agree @TrishB 2w

Jas16 Same @Suet624 . I also liked her feeling that the host is reassessing his snap judgments about Xavier and where he seated them based on her jewelry and expensive clothes. I have felt that way and didn‘t care much but I had a boss once who would get very angry about where his table was in restaurants because of how he felt he was being judged. 2w

Ruthiella I enjoy people watching and sometimes I do make up narratives that in my head. But when I was waitressing, I had little time to do that, personally. Managing multiple tables did not allow for it! Only with repeat customers / regulars did I have the luxury of thinking beyond what they ordered and getting paid. The narrator is over sensitive here, IMO. She thinks people are paying attention to her and they are probably not. (edited) 2w

AmyG The MC is an actress. I think because of that, she notices (or percieves) every emotion with every person she comes in contactwith. It‘s the constant reading and perceiving (judging, also) of others emotions. Does she do this for her profession, the studying of peope? I think so. And I think that we must take into account HER perception of these emotions. It‘s ALL how she perceives things. Another might perceive things differently. 2w

jenniferw88 A common question when we're out as a family eating is 'what do you think the relationship between those people are', so I think the MC is right with fellow customers, but I agree with @Ruthiella that the servers probably don't have time to think about them. 2w

ChaoticMissAdventures @Lesliereadsalot @dgrachel I rarely think people are, but occasionally, especially when I look up and see the same people staring at me over and over. But I do wonder if it is racialized? All of the diners are Asian in white spaces. I often notice that when I am out with my partner (who is Black, I am white) we get a lot more stares and the waiters judgments are insanely obvious. I agree with @JenP past experiences shape how we see a situation 2w

ChaoticMissAdventures @Ruthiella totally agree, I go to the same cafe every sunday to read, and have a friend who does the same, and we eavesdrop on everyone and we judge... but working mostly people never have the time, but I also agree with @Deblovestoread you can for sure tell if the waiter is judging you. Both can be true I think. And I think women are more aware of negative attention like this. 2w

ChaoticMissAdventures I found it interesting the second time I think they meet after Xavier has told her why he was seeking her out, she thinks the waiters see them as mother /son. Which made me believe that the first restaurant experience with them was her imagination of being judges. I do think that her sex and race have a lot to do with why she believes people are looking and judging her. She talks a lot about how being Asian in her job and life has people judging 2w

BkClubCare Uh, I don‘t remember these scenes. Paris? Oh dear, do I have to go reread this book? All of my thoughts and now recollections were about her marriage. 🤔 2w

Deblovestoread @ChaoticMissAdventures Agree that women are much more aware of negative attention for all kinds of reasons. And with @AmyG her being an actress it would be her job to notice. 2w

squirrelbrain @Sapphire @mcctrish @kspenmoll - I think she was also *wanting* to be looked at - the actor in her wants attention. 2w

squirrelbrain I agree @TrishB - I‘m sure most people are judge-y when we‘re people watching. If someone typed out our internal monologues on what we think about people when we‘re observing them I‘m sure we‘d all be cringing! @Zuhkeeyah @Bookwormjillk @Chelsea.Poole @JamieArc 2w

squirrelbrain @Lesliereadsalot @dgrachel @suet624 - I definitely feel like people are judging me, and not in a good way - says something about my insecurities! 😬 Having said that, it doesn‘t stop me from eating out alone, as long as I have something to read. 😝 (edited) 2w

squirrelbrain @Deblovestoread - I can imagine we‘re probably worse in the UK at jumping to the most negative conclusion- we do like to put people down. 😬 2w

squirrelbrain @JenP @ChaoticMissAdventures - I agree that many (negative) opinions can be gendered or racialised so her allusions to her age and race probably make her more acutely aware of being judged, or a perception of being judged. 2w

squirrelbrain @amyg - great point about her being an actress and how that impacts on her perceptions - I think we‘ll be able to explore this more next week as well. 2w

squirrelbrain @BkClubCare - no, don‘t panic! It was only a couple of short scenes at the start, but they raise interesting questions about perceptions and bias. 2w

Megabooks Sorry I am so late to the party @squirrelbrain !! I‘m going to look through the comments now. Crazy Saturday here! 2w

Megabooks @Zuhkeeyah agree that the Paris experience affected her feelings about the NYC waiter. That‘s a good point, too, @TrishB ! 2w

Megabooks @Deblovestoread I have a funny picture of my dad and I under my hinge profile, but I wonder whether people think he‘s an ex or current. I‘m his mini-me though, so I hope not!! 2w

Megabooks @AmyG that is a good point that her profession influences her perception. I was having a conversation with a friend and she said it sounded like I was working through a diagnostic algorithm, and after being in vet med, I kind of think that way. 2w

BkClubCare @squirrelbrain - okay 😝 and, yes, Kitamura rarely but quite interestingly mentions race and then… let‘s us think about it. She is very much an author who does not TELL. I just don‘t quite know what she SHOWs! 🤓🤪 2w

Kitta @RaeLovesToRead I totally had no idea who the Paris waiter was despite just reading this half a few days ago! I saw the question posted this morning and was like “the what?? Who??” 😂 2w

Kitta @BkClubCare same thoughts here! 😂 what scene in Paris?? 2w

julieclair You can take me off the tag list for this one if that‘s easier for you…. my hold is still at least 2 weeks away from coming in. 😢 2w

willaful You can take me off too, just really wasn't in the mod for experimental fiction. 2w

BkClubCare @Kitta - whew 😅 I had a Percival Everett Telephone flashback about different versions! (edited) 2w

Christine @JenP Good points! And are you thinking about the looking-glass self concept from social psych? I was too! 2w

Reggie Ummm I totally don‘t remember Paris. 2w

TheBookHippie @julieclair so is mine 🤦🏻‍♀️ 2w

MeganAnn Some excellent points so far! I agree that the earlier experience in Paris played into how she may be feeling judged now in NYC. I also think as women we sometimes tend to feel others are judging us more than they actually are which seems like a sort of direct response to the way society sees us. We feel like we have to look or act a certain way to be liked or admired, therefore people must be judging how we look/act… especially for an actress. 2w

Meshell1313 Love hearing what everyone thinks! I agree it‘s about perception vs. reality. 2w

CarolynM Like @TrishB I think she feels judged because she judges others. She is definitely judging Xavier. As for the waiters, I think it might be about the kind of restaurants they work in. If they get a lot of self important types who treat them rudely I'm sure they become judgemental very quickly! 2w

BarbaraBB Great start of the discussion. I agree with @TrishB that people are quick to judge and I think as an actress the narrator is used to that - being looked at and being judged. Like @AmyG says it‘s all about how she perceives things. 2w

BarbaraBB So happy we started Camp! Thank you @squirrelbrain and @Megabooks 💝 2w

Butterfinger Through the entire book, I was thinking that as an actress, she has to study facial expressions and figure out what emotions are being felt. As @AmyG says. I get paranoid when I enter a restaurant or theater and make eye contact with another patron. I instantly think, I am already being judged - not dressed correctly, too abrasive, etc. 2w

AmyG Hahahahahaha…@Reggie….me neither. 2w

squirrelbrain @julieclair @willaful - I‘ll try to remember to take you off the master list for next week. 2w

squirrelbrain @meganann - I‘d love to know for sure that I wasn‘t being as judged as I feel I am! 😬 2w

squirrelbrain @CarolynM - great point about the waiters. Although I don‘t think anything excuses the Paris one, I‘m sure the MC was probably acting in a certain way in NYC to attract that (perceived) judgement. 2w

squirrelbrain @Butterfinger - totally agree! I never feel quite right, wherever I go. 😞 2w

JenP @Christine yes! I teach it as spotlight bias but same concept. Spotlight bias as a name is particularly relevant for this book! 2w

Roary47 @BkClubCare I thought the same thing! I agree with many of you that the Waitress(er) had work on the mind. I worked fast food so I don‘t have that experience, but if a customer‘s small talk turned into a long talk we had a high sign to get called out so we could get our busy tasks completed. I liked what a lot of people mentioned about being an actor and thinking about these dramas. I can see that for her character. 2w

Well-ReadNeck Interesting discussion. Love the observation that it‘s her perception of the judgment but also, when u know you know. And, foreshadowing for later, I think. A bit: people see what they want to see. And in their first meeting, the feeling of awkwardness and something is not quite right here could probably be picked up on. 2w

Well-ReadNeck … I think the author used the waiter to show the reader vibe 2w

squirrelbrain Yes @Roary47 - she seems a really actory-actor, very over the top in a way. 2w

squirrelbrain There‘s definitely some foreshadowing there. @Well-ReadNeck 2w

BookwormAHN I agree. I think the waiter in Paris made her paranoid, although as someone who hangs out with her father a lot, it can feel weird on occasions, and I have been asked if I was his wife. And even worse, the one time I was asked if my younger brother was our son 🤦🏼‍♀️ 2w

Kitta Are there other questions posted for discussion? I‘m only seeing this one @squirrelbrain 2w

Kitta Oh wait I found them, I wasn‘t tagged I think? 2w

squirrelbrain @kitta - we‘re only tagging the first post each week this time around. Litsy is slowly getting glitchier and it can take 10/15 minutes to add the tags to each post. 2w

squirrelbrain @BookwormAHN - oh no Ashley! 🤦‍♀️ 2w

Kitta @squirrelbrain makes sense! I just was expecting the posts as 1, 2, 3 on your profile not 3, 2, 1! 2w

GatheringBooks I am super late to this party - it was our 27th year wedding anniversary (34 years in total) weekend - and had very little time to check the goings-on here. I love the question - love how it surfaces the typically unnoticed but also goes to the heart of things we do: oftentimes not for our own benefit (arguably) but for others‘ - with the paranoia, defensiveness, and rationalizations that entails - plus all the neurotic self-presentation. 2w

squirrelbrain Congratulations! 🥂@GatheringBooks It‘s my 27th wedding anniversary soon too! Glad you liked the question - great response! 2w

65 likes80 comments

squirrelbrain

Audition | Katie Kitamura

#camplitsy25

There are two contrasting narratives going on in this first part of the book. Is one true and one not, or are they both in question?

What about the pregnancy - who was correct, the journalist or the MC?

What do you think are Xavier's intentions? Is he her son or does he have another reason for getting in touch with the MC?

Megabooks, BarbaraBB

mcctrish I found this confusing - is the MC trying to be obtuse with everyone? The way the article was worded and Xavier‘s back story = a possibilty of parentage but also a long shot and a pretty bold way to lead into meeting up. But why does she talk in riddles ?! 2w

kspenmoll I was not sure who to believe - initially I was thinking it was a way for him to get to meet her again- also creepy if he did adopt her mannerisms but again, that is through her eyes. As she is an actress, when is she blurting the lines of her real life & her art? 2w

TrishB I think at this point he may feel he‘s her son. But it seems very weird the way he goes about it. 2w

See All 50 Comments

Bookwormjillk I‘m not sure I can answer this one! I‘m just buckled in waiting to see what happens 😂 2w

Zuhkeeyah I believe the MC‘s narrative. She made a clear statement in an interview that was obfuscated by the reporter because of the tension surrounding such a decision. I think Xavier took the job to get close to the MC despite the lunch conversation. The waters start to muddy when she begins to imagine what it would be like if he was her son. She‘s projecting her perceptions/wishes onto the relationship between him and the director. 2w

JamieArc I do believe the MC. It feels bold of Xavier to have believed so strongly from little evidence that he was her son. Regarding the journalist, it makes me wonder that while the MC was obviously comfortable sharing about her abortion, I wonder if it was still taboo to share openly about, which could have influenced the journalist. This is probably not true, but just a wondering. 2w

DGRachel I believed her version of events and was concerned about his mental state and her safety. But the whole thing feels weird. I can see a reporter skewing quotes to fit the narrative they want to sell more easily than the MC making up a story about an abortion. 2w

Lesliereadsalot I believe the MC and I think Xavier is just trying to get ahead and make connections wherever he can. He reads a narrative that he likes, and slides into it. An opportunist! 2w

sarahbarnes I‘m with @Lesliereadsalot - it feels like Xavier is trying to get his foot in the door in the industry, and the MC is a well-known actor. To me it seems he saw the article and made a decision to use it to his advantage, not knowing the whole story. 2w

RaeLovesToRead I read it as wishful thinking on Xavier's part. He made assumptions which the MC then corrected. I didn't really feel any conflict between those narratives in Part One. But there is tension. And you get the impression there's more bubbling under the surface than what you'd get with a simple misunderstanding. The whole vibe was off. And it was this unsettling feel that made this book so irresistibly compelling to me. 2w

vonnie862 I am not sure about either of them. I can see how Xavier may be trying to use the MC but I can also see the MC denying her past so she could continue acting. 2w

Suet624 I agree with @Lesliereadsalot -this guy feels like a chameleon who figures out ways to slide into a relationship/situation for his own benefit. 2w

Deblovestoread I believe the MC more than Xavier. His getting a job where her play is makes him suspicious. 2w

Jas16 I was with @vonnie862 and didn‘t especially believe either of them. Just wanted to see what was going to come next. 2w

Ruthiella I agree with everyone who feels we are getting the MCs best estimation of the truth. She is also perplexed by Xaviers‘s motives. 2w

AmyG I believed the MC as…she is the main character and I had no reason not to believe her. I did find it suspicious that he was working on the play and believed her to be his mother. BELIEVED. Is his belief truth? I keep thinking….per Seinfeld‘s George Costanza…..it‘s not a lie if you believe it. I kept reading to find out what was true but then part 2. I found the first part‘s story very odd. 2w

DGRachel @RaeLovesToRead That‘s the perfect way to explain how I felt through the whole thing - “the vibes were off” and that weirdness is what made me keep turning pages. 2w

jenniferw88 I agree with @DGRachel about the reporter. I don't know what to make of Xavier... he does seem to be an opportunist, but I'm reading the MC as a POC and him possibly mixed-race? And most of the theatre crew as white, so I don't know 🤷🏻‍♀️ ! 2w

ChaoticMissAdventures At this point I believe MC. even if we are just getting her POV it is creepy for X to tell her what he believes and then take a job with Anne. There is blatant motive there even if we are not sure what the end game is. IT is bizarre to me as someone who is adopted that someone would approach another person like this. With just a we look alike and I read an article - most people have unrelated doppelgangers. (1/2) 2w

ChaoticMissAdventures Even if the article made it sound like she had the kid, it wasn't like a date was given of the birth. X needs to take a DNA test or something to help with that curiosity! I cannot imagine just going up to a stranger like that. If nothing else he has gumption! (2/2) 2w

squirrelbrain @mcctrish - I thought she was talking in riddles too! She did seem to wonder if he *could* be her son, which I found a bit odd when she was also categorically certain she‘d never given birth. And, yes, @vonnie862 I thought it might be something to do with her hanging on to her acting career. 2w

squirrelbrain Certainly, the fact that he adopted some of the MC‘s mannerisms made him seem creepy / an opportunist, and more so that he then got a job and seemed to ingratiate himself with the rest of the team very quickly. @kspenmoll @TrishB @Lesliereadsalot @sarahbarnes @Suet624 @RaeLovesToRead @DGRachel @ChaoticMissAdventures 2w

squirrelbrain @Zuhkeeyah - it‘s interesting, isn‘t it, that the MC claims she was quite clear about the abortion? She also says the journalist agreed with her that even the word itself should be used more frequently but then went on to obfuscate and use different terminology. I wonder if, again, this is the MC obfuscating rather than the journalist? @JamieArc @jenniferw88 @DGRachel 2w

squirrelbrain @AmyG - what I struggled with is that the MC seemed to believe in Xavier‘s belief at times. Why didn‘t she tell him straight out, or tell anyone else including her husband what was going on, if indeed she knew him to be a fraudster. 2w

Megabooks @JamieArc or I wonder if her management team could have interfered with her sharing openly about abortion. It seems so many people have a vested stake in successful actresses staying successful that I think they have some sway over media, too. 2w

Megabooks @Lesliereadsalot @sarahbarnes he‘s definitely working every angle!!! 2w

Megabooks @vonnie862 they are both unreliable narrators to a degree. I think that‘s part of what makes this book interesting. I‘m a fan of unreliable narrators! @jas16 (edited) 2w

JamieArc @Megabooks Good point 2w

peaKnit I agree with many that the MC was more believable, she‘d know if she had a child…and in this day of DNA, seems easy to debunk. X‘s motives were suspicious to me. 2w

ChaoticMissAdventures @squirrelbrain @megabooks @JamieArc I follow a lot of abortion rights activists and I fully think this situation is not only plausible but expected. Journalist and more so their editors use such coded and fake language around abortion (in the US). Rarely is the word allowed to just be printed especially if it is a happily successful situation. 2w

jenniferw88 I think the journalist probably did agree with the MC about abortion and used the word in her first copy, but received pressure from the editors to change it and so it didn't make the final cut. 2w

Meshell1313 @squirrelbrain exactly! No one was calling anyone out- there was a lot of pretending going on. 2w

CarolynM I don't see any reason to disbelieve the MC about the abortion. I think her feelings about her subsequent pregnancy and miscarriage are why she reacted to Xavier as she did. 2w

BarbaraBB Like most of you I have no reason not to believe the MC but I am surprised that she continues having contact with Xavier. If she had an abortion she obviously knows he‘s lying. Why continue that conversation and have lunch together? I especially wondered what‘s in it for her. 2w

MeganAnn @RaeLovesToRead yes, the bubbling under the surface, unsettling feeling is making this compulsively readable to me. 2w

MeganAnn I think the MC is definitely an unreliable narrator. I keep finding tiny moments where she will say/think something that doesn‘t align with what she said before. And Xavier does seem like a chameleon from one scene to the next, but since we aren‘t getting his inner thoughts it‘s hard to know if that is truth or how she is perceiving him. She seems to be pretending very hard & I don‘t know yet if that is on purpose or because she‘s lying to herself 2w

MeganAnn @BarbaraBB yes I was also wondering at the beginning why she would continue to have contact with him if he‘s clearly not her son. While I think we are supposed to believe her for now I keep getting these hints of “all is not as it seems” 2w

Butterfinger Each time I returned to the book, the history seemed altered. I have no idea whom to believe. I'm going to say the narrator since that's who is telling the story. By the end of Part 1, I was beginning to question my own sanity. 2w

Butterfinger Totally agree @MeganAnn 2w

squirrelbrain That‘s interesting @ChaoticMissAdventures that even the word, or discussion around it, can be so taboo. 2w

squirrelbrain @barbarabb @MeganAnn @Butterfinger - yes, she didn‘t seem to want to talk to him but also couldn‘t stay away from him. 🤷‍♀️ 2w

Roary47 Im thinking that there is blissful ignorance here. Could it be she had a late abortion that ended up child birth, and the baby started breathing in another room? She mentioned with her husband‘s desire to have children crushed with the miscarriage she didn‘t know what to do. I‘m just trying to think outside the box and maybe naivety. 2w

BookwormAHN @Roary47 I was wondering something similar or if she lied about the abortion because she never wanted to meet the kid. Mostly I don't trust either of them and I think it was weird he got the assistant job. 2w

Kitta I believe the MC but I don‘t like her. I don‘t understand her motivations and why she keeps lying to everyone about Xavier. She lied to the director about him being distant family, she lied by omission to her husband about meeting X and their relationship. These things will definitely come back to bite her in the ass. Why not be honest about their relationship or lack thereof? I‘m reminded a bit of All Fours in that I don‘t understand her at all. 2w

Kitta @ChaoticMissAdventures I agree it‘s very taboo, even now, and it‘s likely the journalist/editor didn‘t feel they could print it using abortion specifically. I got the feeling (and maybe I‘m wrong) that the article was somewhat old as well so it‘s likely even more unlikely they would have written specifically about abortion then. Not sure when then is though. 2w

squirrelbrain Yes, I don‘t like either of them 🤷‍♀️@Kitta @BookwormAHN 2w

GatheringBooks I enjoyed how surreal and unlikely everything is - plus the shifts in perspectives. There was something about the MC though that captivated me - maybe bec we are roughly same age? Or the fact that she‘s Asian? And who doesn‘t get intrigued by a may-december love affair. Xavier seemed more like a placeholder to the internal journey of the mc. He could be anyone - but has to be good looking and charming of course - and smart. Ticks off all boxes. 2w

Well-ReadNeck I believed MC 💯 I thought that there might be some attempt at massive gaslighting here, but …. Not quite where it goes 😉 2w

squirrelbrain That‘s a great thought @GatheringBooks - I love the phrase ‘placeholder to the internal journey of the MC‘. It‘s made me wonder if it‘s more external than internal though - is he holding a mirror up to her? 2w

squirrelbrain Are we even sure where it goes?! @Well-ReadNeck 2w

45 likes50 comments

squirrelbrain

Audition | Katie Kitamura

#camplitsy25

I hope I‘m not speaking out of turn, but a fair few of us Littens (me included!) would class ourselves as being in ‘middle age‘. 🤪 (never too old for summer camp though! 🤣)

Does the MC act like she is ‘middle-aged‘ ? Is there even a way we *should* be acting? Do you recognise yourself in the above quote?

Join us next week for the remainder of the book, where things get a lot more bizarre!

Megabooks, BarbaraBB

mcctrish I remember reading a book, it will come to me 👵🏻 where they went on and on about being middle aged at 40 all I could think of was ‘how rude‘ and now I‘m 60 and feel like it‘s more true despite being past the halfway mark, closer to just old. I think it‘s just misogyny speaking 2w

kspenmoll I don‘t think there is a prescribed way someone “middle age” should act. I had my son at 40 & any young mothers I met were going thru similar things as I was . Granted, I did connect with a 39 yr old first time mother & we spent time together with our kids. As a teacher in a HS I interact with staff of all ages, but I don‘t see age as a differential but experience, years of teaching. My English co-teacher could be my daughter but we have a ⬇️ 2w

kspenmoll ⬆️ relationship as equals both professionally & personally. The MC acts “ middle age” again I think due to her acting experiences & in her marriage if she is a reliable narrator…. (edited) 2w

See All 45 Comments

TrishB I don‘t think there is a prescribed way- but there‘s definitely unwritten expectations- I try not to listen to those too much as it‘s just more judgement 🤷‍♀️ she‘s not very reliable in the book though is she!! (edited) 2w

Zuhkeeyah I think this is more about the MC‘s expectation of middle age rather than what is actually happening. It‘s sounds like her star started rising in middle age instead of failing, but she‘s so focused on the idea of being older that she‘s not acknowledging how it doesn‘t fit her. 2w

JamieArc I don‘t think there is a prescribed way either (though I just entered my 40s and wonder if I am perceived as middle aged and what that even means 😂), but for the MC, I see it more as her long experience acting and being married. Doing something so long, you start to feel “old” in it perhaps. 2w

Lesliereadsalot I‘m firmly in the camp of age being a state of mind, but actresses seem to always be jealous of the younger women nipping at their heels. I agree with @Zuhkeeyah 2w

JenReadsAlot I don't think there is but my dermatologist called me middle aged at 44 and I was not happy 🤣 2w

DGRachel @JenReadsAlot My neurologist said something about me being “of a certain age” around my 40th birthday and I was like “excuse you, sir”. 😂 I definitely feel more middle age now at 50. 2w

sarahbarnes The MC seems focused on her age, which doesn‘t feel surprising in her profession (despite her current success to @Zukeeyah ‘s point). It feels like her career as an actor makes her overly focused on what it looks like to “be” anything, like it is hard for her to avoid scrutinizing her roles in real life just like she would a role on stage. That she feels change is harder at this age seems to be a source of anxiety ⬇️ 2w

sarahbarnes (cont) for her because to be successful as an actor, you have to be able to change to fit your current role. She feels consumed by whether she is still able to do this effectively. 2w

DGRachel I feel like the MC is constantly speaking as if she‘s performing, which is probably because she‘s a theatre actress. There‘s no right or wrong way to age, but as @TrishB said, there are certain societal expectations - thank you patriarchy. 🤬 2w

vonnie862 I don't think there's a specific way to act but there are similarities between people as they get older. The MC is an actress and probably feels that she has to act a certain way in order to maintain her life. 2w

Deblovestoread At 40 I would have told you 65 is leaning towards old, at 65 I do not think of myself as old. Although the world might want to label me as leaning towards geriatric I have found age is a number and the rest is attitude. 2w

Jas16 While I agree that there is no set way that every middle aged person acts I do understand the quote as I feel less inclined to change now that I am ostensibly middle aged. I know who I am and what I like, and don‘t feel the need to compromise on all of that the way I would have when I was younger. I have also, for better or worse, grown comfortable with my faults so change is more difficult and not something I am reaching for. 2w

Ruthiella @Zuhkeeyah I agree with your take here. The MC is dealing with two different trajectories and her extreme focus on her self makes it hard for her to balance these. 2w

AmyG I agree with @sarahbarnes about her thoughts about her age and changed. Yes, she is an actress and I got the feeling she feels the need to remain “young”….or even that she notices the youth in others and feels, very much, the difference between her and “them”. Yet she feels the need to keep up. Her experience in life, acting and age seem to make her resistant to change. There is great comfort in the status quo the older you get. 2w

jenniferw88 The MC feels much older than her age to me (thinking mid-50s) , but this may be because my parents had me in their late 30s and so would be considered middle-aged to her. I'm now approaching the ages that they had me, and I still consider myself young, not middle-aged! 2w

ChaoticMissAdventures I had to look up middle aged. “the period of life between young adulthood and old age, typically considered to be the ages between 40 and 60“ I also see maybe 45-65 I think this is seen much differently as an actress then it is seen by the general public. And even if we are spry for our age, I do think that we are treated differently in work and by society at large. It is interesting she says attrition, she seems to be getting more work? 2w

squirrelbrain I wonder if the fact that she got more work in her ‘middle age‘ has led her to be more worried about her age than not? @Zuhkeeyah 2w

squirrelbrain Great points @sarahbarnes @Lesliereadsalot @vonnie862 @AmyG , about her being an actress and that leading to more pressure to act in a ‘certain‘ way. 2w

squirrelbrain @ChaoticMissAdventures - I‘m right in middle-middle- age then! 🤣 2w

Megabooks @kspenmoll and Hollywood has a way of pushing many women out after 30-35, so her profession may make her more acutely aware of her age. 2w

Megabooks @DGRachel I do think she seems to live in a bubble where she seems to perform life rather than live it. Almost some kind of unreality. 2w

Megabooks @ChaoticMissAdventures I just turned 45 and I‘m starting to feel middle aged. I think the heavily into perimenopause also makes me feel that way, too. 2w

ChaoticMissAdventures @Megabooks @squirrelbrain I turn 45 in August. Everyone around me is obsessed with (peri)menopause. I am not feeling it yet but a couple of years ago my hair went from so straight a curling iron did nothing to completely curly! So things are a changing 😂. I am so glad there is more information out here for our generation then older ladies got. 2w

peaKnit @ChaoticMissAdventures I think “ obsessed” is a great way to describe the focus on menopause as we age…in some ways I think I personally was looking for the why to some changes after 50. I think it is common to feel invisible at this age and I can‘t even imagine how actresses endure. Men can be so out of shape and frumpy while women continue to have such different standards to meet. Sigh lol (edited) 2w

ChaoticMissAdventures @peaKnit how can we not be obsessed?? Men control the research so there is basically zero studies, and when you are having hot flashes and cannot sleep and your body is doing so many weird things it is impossible not to focus on it. I think it is even harder for non-A list actresses. Our MC says she is comfortable financially but that doesn't give her access to the care (medical/surgical/etc) a famous rich actress would have. 2w

peaKnit @ChaoticMissAdventures I could not agree more. Menopause is such a mystery in many ways and is poorly researched and few doctors seem to have a good handle on it/ specialize from my own experience looking for some expert advice. It‘s hard to know what is accurate information. Definitely harder for those further from privilege or the a-list. You‘re so right. 2w

Megabooks @ChaoticMissAdventures I am the first of my same-age friends. I‘ve been having symptoms for several years, but in 2024 they just went wild!! 2w

Meshell1313 @Megabooks yes- I think it‘s absolutely a commentary on Hollywood and how it‘s harder to get better roles the older you get. 2w

BarbaraBB I very much agree with what you say @Zuhkeeyah! 2w

BarbaraBB @ChaoticMissAdventures @peaKnit @Megabooks menopause is such a hot issue in literature as well. I‘ve read so many books recently touching upon the subject. I was thinking this one would turn out that way too in the end I don‘t think it‘s about being middle-aged 2w

CarolynM This book is giving me All About Eve vibes. Margot was 40 rather than 49. A small improvement in 75 years? 2w

Zuhkeeyah @squirrelbrain oh that‘s a good thought. Maybe part of the projection is realizing it took her longer to get where they are so she sees the end of her career coming that much sooner. 2w

Butterfinger The question makes me think of the part when the narrator calls her life "comfortable," because they didn't have children to feed, clothe, or send to college. Just turning 50, I think I should be feeling this, but nooooo. I definitely might be a tad more bossy than I was in my 20s and 30s toward my colleagues. I certainly don't want to make them feel weaker, but I do wish they could see and accept my wisdom. 2w

squirrelbrain Interesting thought! @CarolynM I hadn‘t thought of that, probably because I‘ve not seen the film 😬, although I know the plot. I wonder if it‘s different with Xavier being male, possibly not? And maybe that‘s why she can‘t stay away from him - she feels he‘s taking over her life and friends. 2w

BookwormAHN I don't doubt because of her acting she is even more sensitive about aging than a lot of us however I get the feeling that she was like this all her life. 2w

Kitta While I agree with everyone that age is just a number and there isn‘t a prescribed way to act if you‘re « middle aged », I think there‘s certain things society expects middle aged women not to do, that young people are permitted to do. Going out clubbing is definitely frowned upon and makes you seem like you don‘t have your life together if you‘re doing it at 40+. You‘re expected to be at home or at the pub if you want a drink, for example. ⬇️ 2w

Kitta Maybe she‘s feeling this pressure more as an actrice? She seems a combination of in her own world and also concerned with what others think of her - often projecting thoughts onto them based on her own insecurities. 2w

squirrelbrain Yes, definitely there are things we‘re not supposed to do and ways of behaviour that are frowned upon! @Kitta 2w

GatheringBooks Not sure about the “immutability” bit especially since I feel myself forever evolving - i suppose it helps that we have now lived in 3 countries, and where we live now is worlds different from where I was born - that infuses a sense of dynamism and mutability if you will in everything - always at the cusp of changing, in the process of becoming. I like being in a liminal stage more than being in a rigid unchanging state marked by attrition.🤷🏽‍♀️ 2w

GatheringBooks @Deblovestoread i love “the rest is attitude” - preach!!! Love it!! 2w

Well-ReadNeck Just turned 55 and I‘m experiencing middle age as the opposite. Much is/has been changing and it‘s a lot like adolescence in many ways, trying to figure out what‘s next in a twisty time. 2w

squirrelbrain So true @Well-ReadNeck - so many changes! And a lot of them like being a teenager, what with the hormones, the mood swings and the spots! 🤣 2w

47 likes45 comments

squirrelbrain

Molly's Circus | Esther Kent

Look at this beautiful bookmark - isn‘t it just perfect for me?! ?️ I bid for it in a charity auction to raise money for a primary school in Zimbabwe.

The bookmarks are all original ‘doodles‘ and their creators are mainly children‘s book authors and illustrators- my bookmark was drawn by the tagged author.

This year‘s event raised over (cak!

Thanks for highlighting this event @charl08 - did you win anything?

#bookmarkproject

Cathythoughts Well done Helen … 👍🏻❤️ and yes that bookmark was made for you. 3w

Jas16 Gorgeous! 3w

sarahbarnes ♥️🐿️♥️ 3w

See All 10 Comments

charl08 Ooh! Beautiful! And yes! 3w

TrishB That‘s lovely ❤️ 3w

Tamra Love it! 3w

Gissy 😍 3w

CarolynM Fabulous! You were meant to have it, obviously 🙂 3w

youneverarrived Wow that‘s fab! And the bookmark is perfect for you 💛 3w

Oryx I'd frame it. Very lovely 2w

68 likes10 comments

squirrelbrain

Audition | Katie Kitamura

I hope everyone has their bag packed ready for #camplitsy25?!

Camp starts next Saturday and our first exciting group activity is a discussion of the first part of Audition.

Rather handily, Part One of this book takes us to just less than 50% so that‘s what next week‘s questions will be based on.

We think we‘ve come up with some great questions and we‘re hoping you‘ll have all the answers 🤪 so please join Barbara, Meg and me next Saturday!

Megabooks, Barbara

squirrelbrain @Addison_Reads @AmyG @amiable @BarbaraJean @Bkclubcare @BooksandCoffee4me @Bookbuyingaddict @booknaround @BookwormAHN @Bookwormjillk @Butterfinger @Cariashley @Caroline2 @CarolynM @Cbee 4w

squirrelbrain @ChaoticMissAdventures @Chelsea.Poole @Christine @CogsOfEncouragement @Cseydel @Cuilin @Dabbe @Daisey @Debinhawaii @Deblovestoread @DGRachel @ErikasMindfulshelf @Flaneurette @fredthemoose 4w

squirrelbrain @Gatheringbooks @Graciouswarriorprincess @Hooked_on_books @ImperfectCJ @JamieArc @Jas16 @Jenniferw88 @JenP @Jenreadsalot @Jess @Jhod @JoyBlue @JulesG @julieclair @KarenUK @Karisa 4w

See All 50 Comments

squirrelbrain @Kitta @Kristy-K @Kspenmoll @kwmg40 @Larkken @Laughterhp @LeeRHarry @Leniverse @Lesliereadsalot @maggie4483 @maich @Mcctrish @MeganAnn @Merelybookish @Meshell1313 @Monalyisha @Oryx 4w

squirrelbrain @peaknit @peanutnine @Prairiegirl_reading @PuddleJumper @quietjenn @Read4Life @RaeLovesToRead @rockpools @Roary47 @Ruthiella @Sace @Sapphire @Sarahbarnes @Soubhiville 4w

squirrelbrain @skygoddess1 @Suet624 @Susanita @TheBookHippie @Thekidupstairs @Triplem80 @TrishB @Vonnie862 @Well-ReadNeck @willaful @youneverarrived @zuhkeeyah @Reggie 4w

AmyG Yay! Thr official start of “book” summer. Like Brat summer but books! Yet not! 4w

DGRachel My library hold just came in and I‘ll pick it up tomorrow! 4w

monalyisha I won‘t be in on this book but if it‘s easier to tag me, feel free. 😉 Have fun! 4w

TheBookHippie 🤞🏻I‘m next on list at library the person was supposed to bring the book back May 8 ! 😵‍💫🤦🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️🫣 4w

RaeLovesToRead @AmyG Yes! 😎💚💯 4w

peaKnit Just got my hold! 4w

TrishB Ready and waiting 👍🏻 4w

BarbaraBB So ready for it 💃💃 4w

Deblovestoread I'll be ready. ⛺️ 4w

Jas16 Very excited for this discussion! 4w

julieclair Looking forward to it! 4w

Megabooks Helen‘s questions are so awesome!! Can‘t wait to see everyone there!! 4w

kspenmoll I am excited! 4w

Meshell1313 Cannot wait to hear everyone‘s theories and ideas! This is going to be great! I love camp! 🏕️ 4w

JamieArc I‘m flying to a conference next week and was thinking about what book to pick for airport time. Looks like this is the one 😊 4w

GatheringBooks Yay! Done with Audition. 🤓📚📚🤓 Reading wild dark shore now. Excited for the discussion, and will be careful not to share spoilers. 😍 4w

Ruthiella Looking forward to the discussion! 👍 4w

squirrelbrain Great timing! @DGRachel @peaKnit 4w

squirrelbrain LOL! @AmyG I‘m definitely not cool enough to be a Brat girl…. 🤪 4w

squirrelbrain @monalyisha - it is easier to leave you on the list, if you don‘t mind? We‘re not tagging all the questions this time though, only the first one each week so you won‘t get inundated. 4w

squirrelbrain @TheBookHippie - it‘s a *really* quick read and hopefully it will arrive soon…. 4w

squirrelbrain We certainly need theories and ideas for this one! @Meshell1313 4w

squirrelbrain Don‘t forget to pack some marshmallows! @TrishB @BarbaraBB @Deblovestoread @julieclair @kspenmoll 4w

squirrelbrain We certainly need a LOT of discussion for this one! @Jas16 @Megabooks @GatheringBooks @Ruthiella 4w

squirrelbrain @JamieArc - and it‘s really slim as well - perfect for travelling! 4w

Well-ReadNeck 👏🏻😊🥾🥾🎒⛺️📖 4w

willaful @TheBookHippie noooooo! Fingers crossed. 4w

Kitta Just downloaded from Libby!! 3w

AmyG @squirrelbrain I have many theories! Never fear. 3w

monalyisha @squirrelbrain That‘s fine! 💓 3w

BkClubCare Ack!! Let‘s see if I can get this read in the next 8 hours!!!!!! 🥰😁😂 3w

CBee @squirrelbrain mine is on hold at the library, just gotta go grab it! 😁 3w

squirrelbrain Hooray! 🎉 @Kitta @CBee 3w

squirrelbrain Looking forward to hearing them! @AmyG 3w

squirrelbrain @Well-ReadNeck 🔥 📖 ⛺️ 3w

squirrelbrain Nooo! @BkClubCare - not until next weekend, not so much of a rush! 3w

CarolynM Looking forward to getting started🙂 3w

rockpools How exciting! Right, I have half an hour. I‘m going in!! 3w

BkClubCare @squirrelbrain WHEW! 😅 (I am really liking the style so far.) (edited) 3w

squirrelbrain Phew! @BkClubCare - panic over! 3w

squirrelbrain Looking forward to discussing it soon! @CarolynM @rockpools 3w

Butterfinger I'm excited! I'll start it tonight. Thanks to all. 3w

squirrelbrain Yay! 🎉 @Butterfinger 3w

sarahbarnes Looking forward to it!! 3w

86 likes50 comments

squirrelbrain

A Family Matter | Claire Lynch

pick

A short but powerful book, covering a lesser-known aspect of British societal history. Set in 1982 and 2023.

In the more recent storyline, Heron is trying to figure out how to tell his daughter Maggie about the bad news the doctor has just delivered.

In 1982, Heron, Dawn and Maggie are a family, until Dawn meets someone new….

Once I started I couldn‘t put it down. 💛

Published on Thursday in the UK.

Book 2 of #14books14weeks @Liz_M

Deblovestoread Stacked! 4w

Megabooks Okay you‘ve sold me on getting this from BOTM. 💜💜 4w

squirrelbrain I think you‘ll like it @Megabooks 4w

71 likes9 stack adds3 comments

squirrelbrain

Overland | Yasmin Cordery Khan

so-so

In 1970 Joyce answers an ad to drive to Kathmandu with Freddie (posh bloke) and Anton (his not-posh friend). This is her looking back from her old age.

There‘s supposed to be drama as Freddie‘s past comes back to haunt him but most of the journey was like a very boring travelogue with the only drama right at the end. I‘m a bit fed up with books with unlikeable characters doing drugs and this was just that.

Cathythoughts I don‘t think this one would be for me either 👍🏻❤️ 1mo

sarahbarnes “Unlikeable characters doing drugs” 😆 - doesn‘t sound like my thing either. 4w

squirrelbrain There just seems to be so many books like that at the moment - bad decisions and drugs, or usually bad decisions (and bad men!) due to drugs! 🤨 @Cathythoughts @sarahbarnes 4w

65 likes3 comments

squirrelbrain

Universality: A Novel | Natasha Brown

so-so

I completely agree with Shawna‘s review on this book. @ChaoticMissAdventures

It was completely Birnam Wood-esque at the start, which was promising, but then became very disjointed and confusing. Or maybe I‘m just not clever enough for this book.

It only took about an hour to read and, ultimately, it felt like a collection of notes and thoughts for an unfinished book.

Book 1 of #14books14weeks @Liz_M

ChaoticMissAdventures Oh. This one . It looks like the early hype has died down and the GR rating has dropped a lot from when I read it and was utterly confused. I am glad to see I am not alone! 1mo

Lesliereadsalot More likely the book isn‘t clever enough for you. 1mo

squirrelbrain There‘s confusing and there‘s confusing…. I mean, Audition was confusing but I can come up with theories and ideas (and questions for #camplitsy25! 🤪) but this one was more just a confusing mess. @ChaoticMissAdventures @Lesliereadsalot 1mo

sarahbarnes Agree with you on Audition! 😀 4w

squirrelbrain I hope you‘ve got lots of theories and answers re Audition! 😝 @sarahbarnes 4w

64 likes5 comments

squirrelbrain

Sunstruck | William Rayfet Hunter

pick

Lots of reviewers have absolutely loved this book, and I can see why, but it had a couple of issues that, for me, dropped it to a like rather than love.

Our un-named mixed-race MC joins his posh university friend at her family house on the French Riviera and is attracted to her brother Felix. So far, so sexy.

However, I found the study of racism and classism, to be rather obvious and hyperbolic.

And the ending, annoying for 2 reasons 🤦‍♀️⬇️

squirrelbrain 1. From a story perspective it seemed to say ‘stay in your lane‘ and don‘t dare to have ideas above your station, colour or class. 2. From a style perspective, another of those books that just ends suddenly. So much so in this case, that I might pick up the physical book next time I‘m in a bookshop to see if there was a bit missing from my ARC. 1mo

TrishB I won‘t rush to get! 1mo

54 likes1 stack add2 comments

squirrelbrain

Let's Go Camping! | Jan Mader

Your resident camp nerd here with some facts and figures! We now have our 6 #camplitsy25 books, so Barbara, Meg and I thought you‘d like to see those that *nearly* made it.

Our top 6 received between 13 and 20 votes, with the books above getting between 6 and 12 votes. What do you think?

Also, congrats to @ChaoticMissAdventures who voted for 4 of our top 6 - the most Littenish Litten at camp! 🤪 6 Littens voted for 3 of the top 6 books. ⬇️

Megabooks, BarbaraBB

squirrelbrain Those who chose 3 of our top 6 books… @AmyG @CBee @ImperfectCJ @Jas16 @KarenUK @TrishB 1mo

squirrelbrain @Addison_Reads @AmyG @BarbaraJean @Bkclubcare @BooksandCoffee4me @Bookbuyingaddict @booknaround @BookwormAHN @Bookwormjillk @Butterfinger @Cariashley @Caroline2 @CarolynM @Cbee 1mo

See All 65 Comments

squirrelbrain @Gatheringbooks @Graciouswarriorprincess @Hooked_on_books @ImperfectCJ @JamieArc @Jas16 @Jenniferw88 @JenP @Jenreadsalot @Jess @Jhod @JoyBlue @JulesG @julieclair @KarenUK @Karisa 1mo

squirrelbrain @Kitta @Kristy-K @Kspenmoll @kwmg40 @Larkken @Laughterhp @LeeRHarry @Leniverse @Lesliereadsalot @maich @Mcctrish @MeganAnn @Merelybookish @Meshell1313 @Monalyisha @Oryx @peaKnit @peanutnine 1mo

squirrelbrain @Prairiegirl_reading @PuddleJumper @quietjenn @Read4Life @RaeLovesToRead @rockpools @Roary47 @Ruthiella @Sace @Sapphire @Sarahbarnes @Soubhiville @Skygoddess1 @Suet624 @Susanita 1mo

squirrelbrain @texreader @TheBookHippie @Thekidupstairs @Triplem80 @TrishB @Vonnie862 @Well-ReadNeck @willaful @youneverarrived 1mo

Kitta I love extra stats and data about books! Very interesting. Thanks for posting. 1mo

CBee Thanks for this! Once again, me and Amy are book twinning 👯 ♥️ @AmyG (edited) 1mo

Deblovestoread I love the additional stats! Thanks ❤️ 1mo

TheBookHippie I like those choices better 🤣🤣🫣😬😅 thanks for the extra stats! 1mo

TrishB Thank you! Very interesting 😁 just brought one of these yesterday. (edited) 1mo

TrishB Thank you! Very interesting 😁 just brought one of these yesterday. 1mo

BarbaraBB Great stats Helen, I‘ll probably read these too 😇 1mo

sarahbarnes Fun! 🤩 1mo

JamieArc Love this! Thanks for posting it! 1mo

Bookwormjillk I think I will be under my covers with my flashlight reading sky daddy this summer at camp. Thanks for the stats! 1mo

GatheringBooks Thank you for sharing all these additional info re camp - makes everything sound super official. So much fun! I appreciate all your generous efforts in setting up everything and making everyone feel so welcome and so much like a part of a very bookish family - exactly what I need! 💕💕💕 1mo

ChaoticMissAdventures I know how to pick 'em 😉 Thanks for the tag, I voted then promptly forgot what I voted for 😂 1mo

GatheringBooks @ChaoticMissAdventures same! I couldn‘t for the life of me remember what i voted for! Lolololols 1mo

Leniverse Nice to see that a couple of my choices nearly made it 😂 1mo

Larkken @Leniverse me too! Lol. I'll read them all anyway 1mo

Ruthiella Love seems the almost rans! So little time, so many books! 😊 1mo

Megabooks @Bookwormjillk it is gloriously weird! 1mo

Megabooks Helen - my favorite camp statistician!! Always keeping us organized!! 💜💜 1mo

Megabooks I recommend all three on this graphic that I‘ve read - Tuberculosis, Sky Daddy, and Run for the Hills! All had great audio, too. 👍🏻💯 1mo

JenReadsAlot Oh 3 of the ones I picked made that list. Thanks for sharing! 1mo

Megabooks And I‘ve read Bat Eater! It was great, too! 1mo

squirrelbrain You‘re welcome - glad you like them! @Kitta @CBee @JamieArc @Ruthiella @Deblovestoread @sarahbarnes 1mo

squirrelbrain I‘ll be reading most of the longlist, I think! 🤪 @BarbaraBB @Leniverse @Larkken @JenReadsAlot 1mo

squirrelbrain Oooh @TrishB - which one did you buy? 1mo

squirrelbrain That‘s so nice of you to say! @GatheringBooks 😍 1mo

squirrelbrain We going to need to keep an eye on you aren‘t we?! 👀 @Bookwormjillk 🤣 1mo

squirrelbrain @ChaoticMissAdventures - LOL, there were *so* many to choose from though! 1mo

squirrelbrain @Megabooks -you know me and my spreadsheets! 😜 1mo

squirrelbrain @TheBookHippie - here‘s (some of!) your non-fiction….nearly but not quite! 1mo

CSeydel Thank you! I love seeing the stats, and it‘s super interesting to see the runners-up! 1mo

TheBookHippie @squirrelbrain 🤣 1mo

Hooked_on_books I‘m surprised to not see the Ocean Vuong book. I expected it to be one of our picks and his first novel didn‘t work for me, so I wasn‘t happy about it. And clearly I was way off base! I am a little surprised to see Everything is Tuberculosis here. I know many find John Green appealing, but to me he‘s not the one I would want to read about TB from. 🤷🏼‍♀️ 1mo

Suet624 Thank you! I took a screenshot so I can check these out too. 1mo

Bookwormjillk @squirrelbrain anyone want to sneak out? 1mo

squirrelbrain Only if it involves a trip to a library or bookshop @Bookwormjillk 🤣 Or maybe if cake is involved…. 🍰 1mo

squirrelbrain There‘s always some surprises each year @Hooked_on_books - either doing much better or worse than expected. Last year, *everyone* said they wanted to read Real Americans but no-one voted for it. 🤔 1mo

squirrelbrain You‘re welcome! @CSeydel 1mo

squirrelbrain Great idea to take a screenshot! @Suet624 1mo

BarbaraBB @Megabooks Thanks for the recommendations! If you liked them, I will probably too! 1mo

TrishB Heartwood 👍🏻 1mo

Megabooks @squirrelbrain @Hooked_on_books yes! It was so funny last year. I think RA got like 15 noms and only 1 vote! 🤣🤣 edit: I do like that though because it means people are thinking outside of just their noms into what they think would be good camp books. We see this year after year, which is really cool! (edited) 1mo

Kitta @Hooked_on_books I voted for the Ocean Vuong, I adore his poetry but haven‘t read his first novel yet - what didn‘t you like about it? 1mo

Hooked_on_books @squirrelbrain @Megabooks That‘s so interesting about RA! I do think it would have been a good book to discuss and I frankly assumed people voted for their own noms, but clearly it‘s not that simple! 1mo

Hooked_on_books @Kitta I felt like it held me at arm‘s length and each time I felt I was finally connecting with it, the story would go in another direction. After it happened several times, I just bailed. 1mo

ImperfectCJ I totally forgot what I voted for as soon as I voted, but I was happy with the final 6, so I'm not surprised to learn that I voted for 3 of them. :-) There are definitely a few on this longlist that I'll be reading, too. 1mo

fredthemoose I‘ve been buried at work and didn‘t nominate or vote since I didn‘t have time to do research, but wanted to say THANK YOU to everyone who did and to @squirrelbrain @BarbaraBB and @Megabooks for hosting. I have time to read/listen and am looking forward to my first summer at Camp! 🏕️ 1mo

Soubhiville Thanks for posting this @squirrelbrain ! I also love seeing these extra tidbits, and I‘ll save this list as well. The conversation it‘s started makes me feel like we‘re already camping! ⛺️❤️ 1mo

GatheringBooks @Hooked_on_books i am surprised not to find eowyn ivey actually since so many people nominated that title too. Love the surprise twists in camp. 1mo

Megabooks @fredthemoose looking forward to seeing you at camp this summer!! 1mo

BarbaraBB @Hooked_on_books @Megabooks I love that people get inspired by other people‘s nominations. And of course you vote for six books while you nominated just four. I also expected Ocean Vuong and Eowyn Ivey to end up higher than they did @GatheringBooks 1mo

BarbaraBB @fredthemoose I‘m glad you‘ll be joining us and that work will give you some time off to do so! 1mo

Hooked_on_books @GatheringBooks @BarbaraBB Excellent point about Ivey. I remember during nominations expecting her to show up as one of the picks. 1mo

squirrelbrain Yes, I think the Ivey was this year‘s Real Americans - everyone talked about it, but only 4 votes! I think the Vuong was less of a dead cert because his first book was slightly challenging to read. @Hooked_on_books @GatheringBooks @BarbaraBB 1mo

squirrelbrain Everyone seems to have forgotten what they voted for! @ImperfectCJ but at least everyone is pretty happy with the outcome. 1mo

squirrelbrain @fredthemoose - you‘ll have to watch out for the initiation ceremony, it being your first camp! Only kidding! 🤣 Glad you‘ll have the time to join in. 1mo

squirrelbrain You‘re welcome! @Soubhiville - not long now until camp *actually* starts! 😊 1mo

Zuhkeeyah Can you please add me to the tag list? I just finished Audition and cannot wait to discuss (edited) 1mo

squirrelbrain Yes, of course! @Zuhkeeyah 🏕️ Looking forward to your contributions! 1mo

82 likes65 comments

squirrelbrain

14 Weeks | Jessica Gadziala

#14books14weeks

Inspired by everyone‘s posts (and encouraged by @Ruthiella 🤪) I‘m giving this a go!

I‘m away at the moment so can‘t pull books off my shelves to take a photo. 8 of these are physical books (3 of which I may just have bought on holiday! 😜) and the rest are digital ARCs due for publication in June / July. And, of course, #camplitsy25 plays a big part too!

Looking forward to it! ❤️

Liz_M

Liz_M Virtual stacks work! Lots of intriguing titles here, too. 1mo

BarbaraBB Yay, there you are already! 1mo

squirrelbrain You know me @BarbaraBB - I can‘t stay away from a list or a challenge! 🤣 1mo

See All 6 Comments

BarbaraBB Love it 🥰 1mo

Cathythoughts These all look great. I look forward to your reviews ❤️ 1mo

sarahbarnes Great stack! Love all those Camp Litsy choices in there! 😍 1mo

56 likes6 comments

squirrelbrain

Didcot Library | Didcot, Oxon, United Kingdom (Library)

Visited Didcot Railway Centre today, primarily for hubby to see The Flying Scotsman.

Found this old telephone box full of books.

Unfortunately (for me anyway! 🤪) they were all railway-related NF.

julesG Did you find a good book for the boys? 1mo

squirrelbrain @julesG - Jeremy has probably read them all already! 🤣 1mo

Cathythoughts Sounds fun 😁 1mo

See All 13 Comments

LeahBergen Darn “location appropriate literature”!! 😆 1mo

TrishB Oh no! Next stop yours. 1mo

BarbaraBB Is that the hubby? 1mo

squirrelbrain I know! @LeahBergen - how dare they have train books at a train museum?! 1mo

squirrelbrain Yes it is! @BarbaraBB 1mo

squirrelbrain I thought about going to Oxford @TrishB but I‘m feeling very lazy so might just lounge around here, reading! 🤪 1mo

BarbaraBB So nice to see him! 1mo

LeeRHarry Love how the old telephone boxes are being repurposed this way - saw a couple on my travels today. 😊 (edited) 1mo

Oryx Mr Squirrelbrain and Henry - lovely pic 1mo

sarahbarnes Great photo! 😊 1mo

58 likes13 comments

squirrelbrain

Gunk | Saba Sams

pick

I liked the author‘s previous book enough to request this on NG, even though Send Nudes was short stories, not a genre I usually like.

This is Sams‘ debut novel (another great debut!) and I really liked it.

Jules runs a nightclub alongside her useless ex Leon, where he sleeps with students young enough to be his kids. Leon employs shaven-headed enigmatic Nim. Jules agrees to help when Nim becomes pregnant and their relationship grows.

Cathythoughts Sounds crazy. Stacked. 😁 1mo

TrishB Just about to start this one 👍🏻 1mo

52 likes2 comments

squirrelbrain

RIPENESS. | SARAH. MOSS

pick

#netgalley Out 22nd May.

Not as dark or despairing as other Moss books, this follows Edith in present day Ireland as she looks back to 1960s Italy. Back then, as a 17 year old on an enforced ‘gap year‘ before Oxford, she was sent to look after her sister who was due to give birth.

Ripeness is certainly an apt description of this book - gorgeous writing and descriptions - I loved it!

BarbaraBB Great review! 1mo

CarolynM Sounds great. Stacked🙂 1mo

Cathythoughts This sounds great ! Stacked ❤️ 1mo

sarahbarnes Stacking! 1mo

TrishB I‘ve just finished ♥️ loved it. 3w

70 likes5 stack adds5 comments

squirrelbrain

Wallingford Bookshop | Wallingford, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom (Bookstore)

Of course, one has to support independent bookshops when one is on holiday, doesn‘t one?!

I loved Chidgey‘s previous books and this sounds interesting, if maybe a little out of my wheelhouse.

I have the ARC of The Homemade God but didn‘t get round to reading it before publication. 🤦‍♀️ It gets rave reviews though so, when I saw this signed special indie edition with sprayed edges I just *had* to have it!

TheBookHippie It‘s in the rule book… 1mo

TrishB Perfectly acceptable 😁 holiday purchases! 1mo

BarbaraBB Is it a new Chidgey? 1mo

See All 9 Comments

Tamra Beautiful 😍 1mo

Cathythoughts Very nice. I loved Pet, so I‘ve stacked the Catherine Chidgey 👍🏻❤️ 1mo

squirrelbrain Yes it is! @BarbaraBB I just checked the release date and it‘s not supposed to be out until Thursday! 🤷‍♀️ 1mo

BarbaraBB Wow! Very interested in your thoughts on it! 1mo

youneverarrived Of course! Hope you‘re having a nice holiday 🩷 1mo

squirrelbrain We‘re having a lovely time, thanks @youneverarrived - couldn‘t have picked a better week for the weather! 1mo

65 likes9 comments

squirrelbrain

The Damages | Genevieve Scott

pick

I love a campus novel so wanted to read this - in fact, the later story was the better half, I thought.

In 1998 Ros‘s Regis uni roommate Megan goes missing in a terrible snowstorm and Ros is blamed for not looking after her.

Over 20 years later Ros‘s former partner is accused during the #metoo movement, leading Ros to look back on her life as a teenager, the mistakes she made and the lies we tell ourselves.

TheKidUpstairs Interesting, because I liked the first half of this one better than the second. I remember finding the pacing, especially to be a bit of a pretty down. but "Regis University" is so very clearly based on the university I attended, so I think that recognition factor was a big part of what drew me in to that first part 1mo

Cathythoughts Sounds good. I‘m going to try it ❤️ 1mo

squirrelbrain I wondered if it was a ‘real‘ university @TheKidUpstairs but hadn‘t got round to looking it up! 😊 1mo

youneverarrived I do, too! Stacking. 1mo

60 likes1 stack add4 comments

squirrelbrain

All Things Cease to Appear: A novel | Elizabeth Brundage

pick

I absolutely loved this! Such a detailed study, not only of the two main characters but also of the peripheral players and the town itself.

Catherine and George Clare have moved from the city to a farmhouse haunted by a previous tragedy, when Catherine is also found murdered.

Thanks for sending this to me some time ago @BarbaraBB - it‘s one that I‘m going to be thinking about for quite some time!

BarbaraBB Glad you loved it! I hope you‘re having a great time! 1mo

CBee I loved this one!! 1mo

TrishB I enjoyed this one 👍🏻 1mo

Hooked_on_books Oh good, I have this one! Sounds like I purchased wisely! 😉 1mo

Cathythoughts I loved it too. I hope she has a new book out soon 🤞🏻 1mo

72 likes4 stack adds5 comments

squirrelbrain

Sleep | Honor Jones

pick

Thanks to @TrishB for putting this on my radar by nominating it for #camplitsy25. Pub date 22nd May in the UK.

Margaret is 10 years old when her safe family life is fractured. Now, 25 years later, she tries to reconcile her childhood with that of her two young daughters.

There are so many great debut novels out at the moment, and this is one of them.

BarbaraBB I‘ve been interested in this one. Stacking now! 1mo

TrishB Looking forward to it 👍🏻 1mo

Cathythoughts I‘m going to get it 👍🏻❤️ 1mo

65 likes8 stack adds3 comments

squirrelbrain

Let's Go Camping! | Jan Mader

Summer is here, campers! 🏕️ Thanks to all 71 of you who voted - we have our top 6 books for #camplitsy25!

In June, we‘ll start with Audition, followed by Wild Dark Shore.

I‘ll be back in a week or so with the page breaks for Audition, which we‘ll discuss over the weekends of 7th/8th and 14th/15th June.

In the meantime, keep an eye out for bears, but also for Meg and Barbara who pop up over the weekend with the remaining 4 books!

Megabooks, BarbaraBB

squirrelbrain
@Addison_Reads @AmyG @BarbaraJean @Bkclubcare @BooksandCoffee4me @Bookbuyingaddict @booknaround @Bookwormjillk @Butterfinger @Cariashley @Caroline2 @CarolynM @Cbee 2mo

squirrelbrain @Gatheringbooks @Graciouswarriorprincess @Hooked_on_books @ImperfectCJ @JamieArc @Jas16 @Jenniferw88 @JenP @Jenreadsalot @Jess @Jhod @JoyBlue @JulesG @julieclair @KarenUK @Karisa 2mo

See All 83 Comments

squirrelbrain @kitta @Kristy-K @Kspenmoll @kwmg40 @Larkken @Laughterhp @LeeRHarry @Leniverse @Lesliereadsalot @maich @Mcctrish @MeganAnn @Merelybookish @Meshell 1313 @Monalyisha @Oryx @peaKnit 2mo

squirrelbrain @Prairiegirl_reading @PuddleJumper @quietjenn @Read4Life @RaeLovesToRead @rockpools @Roary47 @Ruthiella @Sace @Sapphire @Sarahbarnes @Soubhiville @Skygoddess1 @Suet624 @Susanita 2mo

squirrelbrain @TheBookHippie @Thekidupstairs @Triplem80 @TrishB @Vonnie862 @Well-ReadNeck @willaful @youneverarrived @Meshell1313 @Addison_Reads 2mo

BarbaraBB Yay, that‘s quite the kick-off! I think the Littens chose very wisely 😀 I am looking forward to a new Kitamura and as I‘ve been shouting out everywhere I LOVED Wild Dark Shore so can‘t wait to discuss it around the campfire 🔥 2mo

Bookwormjillk Yay!!! Camp!!! 🏕️🐻❤️ 2mo

Lesliereadsalot Very excited! ⛺️🪵🩷 2mo

sarahbarnes Yay, so excited for these picks to kick us off! I‘m reading Audition right now and have WDS waiting! 2mo

Bookwormjillk PS anyone listened to these on audio? 2mo

CBee So glad that I waited to read Wild Dark Shore! Very excited! 2mo

TheKidUpstairs Yay! I'm excited to discuss Audition, from reviews it looks like a great one to talk through with you all! And I'm also excited to give McConaghy another chance! 2mo

Read4life Looks like a good start to camp!! 🏕️ 2mo

Ruthiella Nice! I ha Audition out now from the library-great timing. 👍 2mo

JenP 🥳 very excited! 2mo

Susanita I‘ve put holds on them! 2mo

Megabooks Yay!!! So glad camp starts soon!! 🏕️ 2mo

Caroline2 Ohhhh exciting!! 👏 2mo

mcctrish Omg I saw this post and squealed 🎉🎉camping time is here 2mo

AmyG OH BOY!!!! Thank you. 2mo

Deblovestoread Fantastic! Excited for both books and camp! 2mo

TrishB Ready on the pile! Can‘t wait 😁. Great choices. 2mo

ChaoticMissAdventures OMG OMG I am so excited!!!!! 2mo

BarbaraJean 🎉🎉Now to hope and pray the library holds come in on time!! 2mo

JenReadsAlot Yay!!! 2mo

GatheringBooks Woohoo! Bought my copies! 🤞🏽📚📚📚 2mo

Hooked_on_books I predicted these two would get picked. I loved WDS and look forward to discussing it but won‘t be reading Audition. I read her last 2 and she doesn‘t work for me. 2mo

JamieArc Woohoo! Excited to see which books we are reading this summer! 2mo

ImperfectCJ I love both authors and am very excited for these! I'll be traveling in June and library holds are iffy, so I just bought the ebooks for on my Kobo (and I almost never buy ebooks, so that shows how excited I am!) 2mo

cariashley Rats, I didn‘t manage to get to vote, but I know I‘m in good hands here! Already excited about the first two picks! 1mo

Jess Nice! I already read WDS but look forward to chatting with everyone about it. I just found Audition in Spotify so will probably use my June hours to listen to that one. Can‘t wait to see what else was chosen! 1mo

MeganAnn Yay! 🎉 Looking forward to both and WDS especially since everyone seems to be raving about it. 🤞🏻My library holds will come through in time. Looks like WDS has been so popular they have added extra copies so that might help. 1mo

squirrelbrain @Bookwormjillk @Lesliereadsalot @Read4life @JenP @Caroline2 @Deblovestoread @TrishB @ChaoticMissAdventures @JenReadsAlot @GatheringBooks @JamieArc - glad you‘re all so excited. The other 4 books are just as fabulous! 1mo

squirrelbrain That‘s excellent timing! @sarahbarnes 1mo

squirrelbrain @CBee - I‘ve been hanging back on reading a lot of books from the longlist, just in case! 🤪 1mo

squirrelbrain @TheKidUpstairs - I get the feeling Audition might be a Marmite book, but certainly lots to discuss, if Chelsea.poole ‘s review is anything to go by! 😊 1mo

squirrelbrain @mcctrish @AmyG - both your posts made me 🤭 and cheered up a grumpy work afternoon! ❤️ 1mo

squirrelbrain I hope they do come in on time 🤞 @BarbaraJean 1mo

squirrelbrain Yay! @GatheringBooks - and maybe some more to buy soon too…. 1mo

squirrelbrain @Hooked_on_books - no worries, not every book will work for everyone. 🫤 1mo

squirrelbrain We are truly honoured @ImperfectCJ 🤪 that camp is so exciting you bought e-books! 1mo

mcctrish I have ordered both books. I am not playing this year. I wasted time I will never get back waiting for library holds to never come in 🤣🤣 1mo

squirrelbrain @cariashley - I‘m sure you‘ve got more important things to be thinking about than voting for camp! 😊 I hope you get to join in at some point over the summer! 1mo

squirrelbrain @jess - Audition is quite short so will hopefully fit within your hours! 🤞 1mo

squirrelbrain Yes @meganann - I‘m looking forward to WDS so much as well. @BarbaraBB loved it and we have very similar taste in books. 1mo

KarenUK I just bought Audition and I LOVED the other! Great choices so far! 1mo

ErikasMindfulShelf Two great books! 1mo

squirrelbrain @KarenUK @ErikasMindfulShelf - the other 4 are just as good! 😊 1mo

kspenmoll Can‘t wait for both books. I own WDS but not the other.. 1mo

BarbaraBB @mcctrish a wise decision 😃😃 1mo

CBee @squirrelbrain must know what a Marmite book means now - I feel like I should know this already 🤔 1mo

Chelsea.Poole So exciting! I‘ve been waiting to read Wild Dark Shore because I adore her other two, and I‘d like to really savor this one. Looks like I‘ll get to really dive in deep with it. And I can see Audition leading to some really interesting discussions. Let‘s goooo 🏕️ 1mo

squirrelbrain @ruthiella - perfect timing! ❤️ 1mo

squirrelbrain @Chelsea.Poole your review of Audition really intrigued me! 1mo

squirrelbrain @cbee - sorry! 🤪 Marmite is a yeast extract that we either spread on toast or make into a drink. In the UK, people either love it or hate it, hence things are ‘Marmite‘ if they are polarising. 1mo

peaKnit Held audition! I have read the other, it will be an excellent conversation! 1mo

CBee @squirrelbrain I knew what Marmite was and had a feeling that‘s what it meant 😂😂 Perfect description!! 1mo

Christine Thrilled about these! Recently read Audition and liked it a lot but have been eager to hear others‘ takes/interpretations. And I‘ve been sad about not yet getting to WDS but now I‘m glad! 1mo

kspenmoll Thanks for hosting this again! 1mo

Meshell1313 Perfect! Can‘t wait! 1mo

monalyisha If I can find the time, I‘ll dive into Wild Dark Shore with you all! 1mo

TheBookHippie I‘m in for Audition! 1mo

squirrelbrain @peaknit I‘m really looking forward to WDS - I loved the author‘s other books. 1mo

squirrelbrain @christine - yes, it sounds like there‘s a lot to talk about with Audition. 🤔 1mo

squirrelbrain You‘re welcome @kspenmoll - we can‘t wait! 1mo

squirrelbrain We can‘t wait either! @meshell1313 1mo

squirrelbrain Hooray @monalyisha - hopefully you can squeeze it in! 1mo

squirrelbrain Yay! 🎉@TheBookHippie - looking forward to it! 1mo

squirrelbrain You‘re welcome ☺️ @cbee 1mo

peaKnit @squirrelbrain I need to get her other books, I don‘t think I‘ve read anything of her before. What a treat to know there is more! 1mo

CBee @peaKnit I recommend starting with

Migrations: A Novel

1mo

Zuhkeeyah I just borrowed Audition through Libby and placed a hold on WDS. Excited for the discussion 1mo

peaKnit @CBee would you believe I own that, haven‘t read it and didn‘t connect it to this author? I‘m ready to go☺️ 1mo

CBee @peaKnit happens to me all the time 😂 I hope you enjoy it when you get to it! 1mo

Addison_Reads Great choices! 1mo

Well-ReadNeck 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 1mo

squirrelbrain Yes @peaKnit I preferred Migrations to Wolves, but loved both! @CBee 1mo

squirrelbrain @Zuhkeeyah - glad you could get Audition, and hopefully WDS will come through in time. 🤞 1mo

squirrelbrain @Addison_Reads @Well-ReadNeck - Littens always choose great books for camp! (Well, most of the time!) 🤣 1mo

julieclair Excited! Let‘s go camping! 1mo

youneverarrived Definitely want to read Audition so will try and join in with that! 1mo

squirrelbrain Great! @youneverarrived - looking forward to it! 1mo

95 likes83 comments

squirrelbrain

Air | John Boyne

pick

A fabulous final book in the Elements series. Not covering as distressing / upsetting scenarios as in the other three books, but wrapping up and linking the other stories together. Another propulsive read - inhaled it in about an hour.

Thanks to @TrishB for letting me know that this had been published and, if hubby said yesterday ‘I‘m ordering something from Amazon, do you need anything?‘ , then it‘s not me spending money on books, is it?! 🤣

quietlycuriouskate Infallible logic, Helen! 😆 2mo

TrishB Definitely not you 👍🏻 it wrapped it up well didn‘t it. 2mo

AmyG Oooo I can‘t wait to read this one. 2mo

sarahbarnes So looking forward to these. 2mo

BarbaraBB You read it so fast! I‘m waiting eagerly for my copy! 2mo

81 likes1 stack add5 comments

squirrelbrain

Open, Heaven | Sean Hewitt

pick

Recently, I seem to be reading, and falling for, a few of these quiet books about first love, and this one is no exception.

Set in the early 2000s, James is a solitary boy who has recently come out as gay and feels trapped by his family and small village. He meets Luke, who has a troubled past, and has been sent to stay with his aunt and uncle.

This is a beautiful story about first love and how it can impact our lives forever.

Hooked_on_books Gorgeous cover 🤩 2mo

BarbaraBB What Holly says! 2mo

squirrelbrain @Hooked_on_books @BarbaraBB - it really fits with the story as well. I don‘t like the alternative (US?) cover at all. 🤷‍♀️ 2mo

See All 8 Comments

Hooked_on_books @squirrelbrain @BarbaraBB Oh yuck! I just looked at the other cover and it‘s awful! 2mo

BarbaraBB @Hooked_on_books it‘s completely different and hard to imagine that both would fit the story! 2mo

squirrelbrain It‘s not good is it?! @Hooked_on_books @BarbaraBB 2mo

merelybookish Great review! I just finished and it broke my heart a bit. 1mo

squirrelbrain @merelybookish - you should try this one too, if you‘re ready for even more 💔

Room Above a Shop

1mo

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squirrelbrain

Let's Go Camping! | Jan Mader

Thanks to all those who have voted already for our #camplitsy25 books! We love seeing all the votes coming in. If you still wish to vote you have until next Friday 9th May to do so.

We have a possible / probable top 3 currently, although even that could change! We then have TWENTY books vying for those other 3 places, with only 4 votes separating them all!

Here‘s the longlist: http://bit.ly/42N5OCt

Here you can vote: https://bit.ly/3ENlNbz

Megabooks, BarbaraBB

squirrelbrain @Addison_Reads @AmyG @BarbaraJean @Bkclubcare @BooksandCoffee4me @Bookbuyingaddict @Bookwormjillk @Butterfinger 2mo

squirrelbrain @Cariashley @Caroline2 @CarolynM @Cbee @ChaoticMissAdventures @Chelsea.Poole @Christine @CogsOfEncouragement @Cseydel @Cuilin @Dabbe @Daisey @Debinhawaii @Deblovestoread @DGRachel 2mo

squirrelbrain @ErikasMindfulshelf @Flaneurette @fredthemoose @Gatheringbooks @Graciouswarriorprincess @Hooked_on_books @ImperfectCJ @JamieArc @Jas16 @Jenniferw88 @JenP @Jenreadsalot @Jess @Jhod 2mo

See All 50 Comments

squirrelbrain @JoyBlue @JulesG @KarenUK @Karisa @Kitta @Kristy-K @Kspenmoll @kwmg40 @Larkken @Laughterhp @LeeRHarry @Leniverse @Lesliereadsalot @Mcctrish @MeganAnn @Merelybookish @Meshell 1313 2mo

squirrelbrain @Meshell1313 @BookNAround @julieclair 2mo

squirrelbrain @Monalyisha @Oryx @peaKnit @Prairiegirl_reading @PuddleJumper @quietjenn @Read4Life @RaeLovesToRead @rockpools @Roary47 @Ruthiella @Sace @Sapphire @Sarahbarnes 2mo

squirrelbrain @Soubhiville @Skygoddess1 @Suet624 @Susanita @TheBookHippie @Thekidupstairs @Triplem80 @TrishB @Vonnie862 @Well-ReadNeck @willaful @youneverarrived 2mo

mcctrish I just want to know so badly 🤣🤣 2mo

Kitta Ooo! I‘m so excited to find out. 2mo

JenReadsAlot @mcctrish Me too! 😂 2mo

TrishB Can‘t wait 😁 2mo

Laughterhp Thanks for the reminder! Just voted. 2mo

Meshell1313 Oooh a close one. Can‘t wait to see the winners! 2mo

Bookwormjillk I want to know! 😂😂😂 2mo

BkClubCare So exciting 🤩 2mo

Leniverse What do you do if there's a multi-way draw? 😱 Draw lots, or release them back to us for a second round of votes? 2mo

sarahbarnes An impossible task! Just voted. So many on here I want to read regardless - an embarrassment of riches. 😍 2mo

RaeLovesToRead *dons fake mustache to vote again* hahahaha 2mo

Lesliereadsalot Super excited about this! 2mo

squirrelbrain @mcctrish @Kitta @JenReadsAlot @TrishB @Bookwormjillk @BkClubCare @Lesliereadsalot - we‘re lucky as we get to see the votes as they come in, which is just as exciting. Not long now until we find out who‘s coming to camp this year! 😜 2mo

squirrelbrain @meshell1313 - yes, much closer than last year when James was way ahead of anything else. 2mo

Kitta @RaeLovesToRead 😂 2mo

squirrelbrain Thanks for voting @laughterhp @sarahbarnes - yes, I‘ve been ordering a fair few books over the last couple of weeks, whether they‘re going to make the final 6 or not! 2mo

squirrelbrain @raelovestoread - nah, not happening, we can spot you a mile off! 🤣 Dressed in that bear costume from last year. 2mo

Ruthiella This is as much fun as actually reading the books! I love the process and the possibilities. 😃 2mo

Prairiegirl_reading @squirrelbrain @RaeLovesToRead 🤣🤣🐻🐻 2mo

Prairiegirl_reading I‘ve been putting off book shopping until we find out the winners. It‘s been difficult!! I‘m not really surprised it‘s close. The long list had so many interesting titles. 2mo

CSeydel Maybe we could have a second round of voting? I‘m betting a lot of books got only one vote 😅 2mo

BkClubCare @CSeydel - I would vote for a round 2 vote if we need to narrow down - but I also don‘t want to make more work for our camp leaders. ❤️ 2mo

JenReadsAlot Can we add another book and camp in September too?! 2mo

squirrelbrain @Leniverse @CSeydel @BkClubCare - it‘s never been a problem before, somehow! There have been plenty of draws, of course, certainly lower down but even within the top 6. Just not where it mattered - places 5 / 6 / 7. We‘ll cross that bridge if / when we come to it this year. 2mo

squirrelbrain We should camp all year round! @JenReadsAlot - the sun is always shining *somewhere* in the world! 😜 2mo

BkClubCare @squirrelbrain - “We should camp all year round!” 🤣🏕️☀️ 2mo

BarbaraBB @squirrelbrain @JenReadsAlot We should camp year round indeed!! ❤️ 2mo

Hooked_on_books You‘re so cruel! Dangling tidbits but not telling us the identity of the books. Awful! 😉 2mo

Sapphire Thank you! 2mo

Sapphire @Hooked_on_books IKR 2mo

squirrelbrain @Hooked_on_books @Sapphire - I‘m the mean girl in camp who no-one likes! 😈 2mo

Sapphire @squirrelbrain lol! 2mo

Hooked_on_books 😂 2mo

CBee @RaeLovesToRead 😂😂😂 2mo

Chelsea.Poole I have a few guesses for the top picks I‘m TILTing towards… 2mo

Kitta @squirrelbrain how do you determine the order of the books once you have the top 6? I always feel there‘s a flow or connections between them and am impressed. Is this intentional? (edited) 2mo

squirrelbrain @Chelsea.Poole LOL! 🤐 2mo

squirrelbrain @Kitta - that‘s very kind of you to say! We do try to link the books together somehow. It depends on who is hosting which month, and we try to host at least one book each that we haven‘t read before so it can take a bit of working out! @Megabooks @BarbaraBB 2mo

Daisey Thanks for the reminder! Last year was the first time I participated, and I wasn‘t sure I would vote this year. There were enough books I had seen mentioned that I voted for those without more research. So curious to see the choices! 2mo

squirrelbrain @Daisey - thanks for voting! Not long until we find out! 2mo

Prairiegirl_reading So voting ends tomorrow and then how long until we find out? Is everything still super close? 2mo

squirrelbrain @Prairiegirl_reading - we closed the voting overnight and, keep a look out, we *might* be starting to reveal the results today! 2mo

Prairiegirl_reading @squirrelbrain YAY!!! Thank you!! 😊 2mo

74 likes50 comments

squirrelbrain

Gatsby | Jane Crowther

pick

I don‘t even know why I requested this from #netgalley as I expected to hate it, but I really liked it!

This is a modern re-telling of Gatsby that flips genders and takes place under the glare of social media. I enjoyed all the flips and thought the links to the original book were rather clever.

It reminded me a bit of Idol by Louise O‘Neill (as well as the original Gatsby of course! 🤦‍♀️) so if you liked that, you‘ll like this also.

ShyBookOwl Interesting. I strongly dislike The Great Gatsby, but I am kind of curious how I'd feel about this take 🤔 2mo

sarahbarnes Interesting! 2mo

Cathythoughts Great review 👍🏻❤️ 2mo

Reggie This sounds kinda good. Stacked. 2mo

squirrelbrain @ShyBookOwl - you could easily read it as a stand-alone. 2mo

60 likes8 stack adds5 comments

squirrelbrain

The Paris Express | Emma Donoghue

pick

I had an ARC of this so started it in (digital) print but wasn‘t drawn in. The audio was much better, although there were too many characters so it was difficult to get to know / care about some of them.

The storyline had me gripped though, and I was desperate to find out the ending.

However, I‘m also slightly disappointed as I expected more (something quirky, unusual or clever) from this author and this felt like a fairly standard HF.

TrishB Pre-warned! 2mo

71 likes1 stack add1 comment

squirrelbrain

I Will Crash | Rebecca Watson

so-so

Ah, the perils of buying books online after reading a great review! If I‘d have picked this up in a shop and flicked through it, I wouldn‘t have bought it.

I just didn‘t get on with the experimental (poetic?) writing style, which meant I didn‘t connect with the characters at all.

Rosa hasn‘t seen her brother for 6 years when he turns up on her doorstep. A tragedy means she is forced to confront their shared past. Too much ‘hinting‘ for me.

sarahbarnes Bummer. 😞 2mo

68 likes1 stack add1 comment

squirrelbrain

Sweat | Emma Healey

pick

This was over-hyped for me. Probably the wrong time to read it - I‘m so over #menbehavingbadly #gaslighting #toxicmen books, which seems to be every other book at the moment.

Liam and Cassie certainly had a toxic relationship but she manages to break free from him. Two years later he turns up at the gym where she works, having gone blind.

The whole premise was a bit far-fetched and the ending 😲 but still a good read, in a trashy sort of way.

BarbaraBB You don‘t really sell it 😜 2mo

TrishB But a great photo! 2mo

squirrelbrain @BarbaraBB @TrishB - I‘m pretending that I keep fit! 🤣 2mo

Caroline2 I couldn‘t agree more! I am actively avoiding those sorts of books now. 😒 2mo

69 likes1 stack add4 comments

squirrelbrain

Show Me Where It Hurts | Claire Gleeson

pick

Wow - the best fiction book I‘ve read this year (should have been on the #wpf25 list).

Rachel and Tom live a seemingly normal, average life with their two kids, until the day Tom swerves his car off the road with the intention of killing himself and them.

The story veers between ‘before‘ and ‘after‘ - should Rachel have known beforehand, and how she copes afterwards.

Difficult to read but impossible to put down.

TheKidUpstairs High praise! Definitely stacking :) 2mo

Oryx Stacked! 2mo

LeahBergen Ooo, stacked! 2mo

CarolynM Sounds confronting but great. Stacked🙂 2mo

82 likes16 stack adds4 comments

squirrelbrain

The Death of Us: A Novel | Abigail Dean

pick

I don‘t think I loved this as much as many early reviewers, but it *is* very good. Like the author‘s previous two books it takes a horrific situation but deals more with the emotions around it, rather than explicitly covering the crime / event itself. (Doesn‘t mean it‘s not scary as hell though!) 😧 😱

Isabel and Edward suffered a terrible crime and are now forced to confront what happened to their relationship then, and in the decades since.

BarbaraBB I am curious about this! 2mo

Cathythoughts Stacking. 👍🏻❤️ 2mo

56 likes2 stack adds2 comments

squirrelbrain

Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism | Sarah Wynn-Williams

pick

I‘m glad, after reading this, that I‘ve never used anything Meta (no SM at all apart from here! 😏).

I knew bits of this story, but was still shocked at the depth and extent of the immorality and degeneracy of the company and its people. More so with Sandberg actually - I‘d only ever really seen good stuff about her, probably because I wasn‘t previously interested enough in her to learn more.

Shocking and sobering - scary stuff!

BarbaraBB Hi Henry 🙋🏻‍♀️. The books sounds sobering indeed! 2mo

69 likes1 stack add1 comment

squirrelbrain

Wild Thing: A Life of Paul Gauguin | Sue Prideaux

pick

Last but one from the #wpnf25 longlist. (Half of Tracker to go)

This started off well, but became quite repetitive. I also don‘t feel that the author achieved what she set out to do. At the start she said that newly discovered papers have refuted the negative review of Gauguin, but didn‘t really demonstrate that to me.

I didn‘t know much about him prior to this - other than that I understood that he was a colonialist who liked young girls. ⬇️

squirrelbrain Towards the end of the book he did seem to try to defend the islanders against colonial rule, but he was offered and accepted neighbours‘ daughters in their early teens, more than one of whom became pregnant. 2mo

quietlycuriouskate My daughter is strongly Team Vincent, so he's called "f?ckin' Gauguin" around here. 2mo

66 likes2 comments

squirrelbrain

Somewhere Else | Jenni Daiches, Sara Trevelyan

pick

This was my last book from the #wpf25 longlist. I liked it but didn‘t love it - a fairly standard family saga for me.

It felt too long (nearly 14 hours on audio), with a lot of unnecessary detail and a tendency to over-dramatise, leading one to think something was about to happen. Eg, one of the characters is in Spain, reporting on the Civil War. He‘s in a cafe writing a letter home, when 3 people burst through the door making a lot of noise ⬇️

squirrelbrain ….and then they sit down and order coffee. 🤷‍♀️ Lots more examples like this. 2mo

BarbaraBB I really liked this one, just because of it being so straight forward. I guess I just needed that kind of book! 2mo

squirrelbrain Yes, I can see that @barbarabb - particularly with the rest of the longlist! 2mo

60 likes3 comments

squirrelbrain

Let's Go Camping! | Jan Mader

These are my nominations for #camplitsy25. I‘m excited to see what everyone else nominates - and I‘m prepared for the #tbrexplosion!

If you‘ve not heard of #camplitsy and want to know more, head over to look at @BarbaraBB ‘s recent post or ask any questions here.

Megabooks

squirrelbrain For some reason I can‘t tag you @BarbaraBB - which could be an issue. 😬 2mo

squirrelbrain Thanks for mentioning Elegy @Oryx - I may have stolen the idea from you. ☺️ 2mo

TheKidUpstairs Audition was number five on my list 🤣 great choices! 2mo

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squirrelbrain Great minds….! @TheKidUpstairs 😊 2mo

Cathythoughts I‘m looking them up 👍🏻😁❤️ 2mo

Ruthiella Katie Kitamura‘s is going on my list too! Such an interesting writer. 2mo

BarbaraBB Oooh you‘ve shared your choices already! Super excited. I am looking forward so much to checking out all those books that people nominate! 2mo

squirrelbrain I couldn‘t help it @barbarabb - I was too excited! 🤣 2mo

ChaoticMissAdventures Luminous looks so good, all of these look so good! I like how I think ohh what is this then go to my TBR and it is already there.... :) 2mo

Deblovestoread So glad to see Audition on here! And the others look great too. 2mo

squirrelbrain I‘m really looking forward to Audition! @Ruthiella @Deblovestoread 2mo

squirrelbrain @ChaoticMissAdventures - our TBR lists are just TOO big to remember! 🤣 2mo

sarahbarnes Elegy and Audition are on my TBR! 2mo

Megabooks So glad we're doing this again this year friend! Can't wait to see what is chosen!

See What I Have Done

2mo

Centique Ooh ive heard such good things about Audition! 2mo

74 likes15 comments

squirrelbrain

The Dream Hotel | Laila Lalami

A rather sinister news item featured in many UK press publications this week. Scary timing for those of us who have recently read the tagged book.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/apr/08/uk-creating-prediction-tool-to-i...

charl08 I missed this. 😱 2mo

TrishB I saw this- very frightening! 2mo

julesG Err, what??? It's not a piece of news from April Fools day? 2mo

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ChaoticMissAdventures This is what makes Dream Hotel so scary. It all is so much closer than we want to think. 2mo

BarbaraBB That is so scary - and indeed very relatable when reading Dream Hotel 2mo

Oryx I'm reading this book at the moment, and it is so scary and plausible. Even more so now 2mo

squirrelbrain No @julesg! I actually checked the date too, hoping it was an April Fool. 😬 2mo

Cathythoughts Stacking book 👍🏻❤️ 2mo

squirrelbrain Looking forward to your review! @Oryx 2mo

Suet624 Wow 2mo

56 likes10 comments

squirrelbrain

Untitled | Unknown

Posting these snippets from Nova Scotia House for @JillR - and for anyone else that may be interested. 😊

It‘s a very unusual prose style - lots of missing punctuation that creates a stream of consciousness style.

As I mentioned before, on audio this came across very differently- it lost its flow and became very choppy and staccato.

JillR Hmmm now I can see it I remain unsure I could read a full book of it! I guess it depends if you can get into the flow. I‘m going to keep this one in mind, but perhaps library or Kindle offer rather than a physical copy 2mo

squirrelbrain Yes, definitely a #borrownotbuy if you‘re not sure @JillR 2mo

38 likes2 comments

squirrelbrain

Untitled | Unknown

pick

Not yet in database.

Beautiful but devastating. Johnny still lives in Nova Scotia House, 24 years after his lover, Jerry, died from AIDS. A block of flats is being built, that will cast its shadow over Jerry‘s beloved garden, leading Johnny to look back and reflect on their time together.

This is told in a stream of consciousness style, with a lack of punctuation in the printed word. This flow wasn‘t reflected in the audio, which was very ⬇️

squirrelbrain staccato, almost list-like, which didn‘t work for me. (Loved the author‘s voice on audio - just not the delivery). I started with audio then switched to digital print halfway through, where the writing style was *much* more impactful and appropriate. Loved the ending! 2mo

TrishB Sounds good 👍🏻 2mo

JillR Oh, I was thinking I‘d read this at some point, but stream of consciousness…(and no punctuation…) 2mo

squirrelbrain I‘ll post a picture of a page @JillR - see what you think. It worked for me in print actually, and I‘m a stickler for punctuation. Oh, and it has some rather graphic sex which I *hate* on audio. 2mo

64 likes4 comments

squirrelbrain

Room Above a Shop | Anthony Shapland

pick

A short, sparse, sad story of two men in a village in South Wales, still with memories of the hardships of the Miners‘ Strike and against the background of Section 28, AIDS and homophobia. B and M work together in M‘s family hardware store, and live together in the small room upstairs, but have to hide their real selves.

If you liked Andrew McMillan‘s Pity - you‘ll like this. I loved it.

squirrelbrain @TrishB - I think you‘ll love this one too. 3mo

TrishB Thank you 👍🏻 on the list. 3mo

TrishB Just started this today! The writing is beautiful and I‘m only a few pages in. Thanks for recommending. 2mo

squirrelbrain Oh I‘m so glad you‘re loving it too @TrishB Although you‘ve probably finished it by now -it‘s only a short read! 2mo

TrishB I have finished 😢 2mo

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Joined June 2017