I liked Barry‘s The Heart in Winter so I thought I‘d look at his older books. This was on the Booker longlist in 2019. Barry has a way of writing that is beautiful, sometimes downright stunning, but in this case it was hard for me to grab ahold of the story the way I like to. Two aged gangsters sit waiting in a ferry terminal in order to catch sight of the daughter of one of the men who has been gone for years. They reminisce as they wait. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

I can‘t tell you how excited I am that a) Bookshop.Org is doing so well and b) that they will be offering e-books. This company not only provides an alternative to Amazon, it provides a portion of the profits to independent bookstores.

I‘m going backwards in Thorpe‘s writing and this is the third book I‘ve read of hers. While I‘ve quoted this book several times I have to say this book felt a little too ambitious. A trip to Lithuania in honor of his grandmother who escaped from a concentration camp with a teen who has experienced a psychotic break, the story covers a lot of ground and feels a bit too much. I was captivated while reading it but ultimately disappointed.

The author put this quote both in her novel and in her acknowledgments. It hit me hard each time I read it. A great description of my current understanding of the world.

“No one seemed amazed that in Lithuania, in order to deal with the end of communism, local artists had made a statue of Frank Zappa.… And now Frank Zappa has become sort of a patron saint, if you will, of Uzupis, but also of Vilnius and even Lithuania as a whole.”

Who knew?

Finally read this! A brilliant demonstration of undiagnosed mental illness and the depression and chaos it inflicts. Further, the decision of family members to avoid talking about the family history of depression or to sugarcoat the current situation was all too familiar to me. I‘m not exactly sure where the “bliss” portion of the book was.

When one of my sons is off in New Zealand I love to stay in his house in Vermont where he has a second floor window seat. Especially on the rare days when there is a winter sun. Enjoying this book at the moment although the warmth of the sun keeps lulling me to cat naps.

It was on the library shelf. Of course I‘m going to grab it. Don‘t you slow down and look at car crashes as you pass by? I was never a fan of Elvis but I was curious about Lisa Marie. Then as I was reading I kept getting Lisa Marie & her mother confused as I was reading it, but that‘s my own problem. It‘s clear that audio is the better way to go with this one. Unfortunately, I did not go that route. My suggestion: definitely a borrow, not a buy.

I was drinking coffee with my oldest/longest friend (from 7th grade) on New Year‘s Day & telling her about this book I was reading. I couldn‘t get across to her the delight/sorrow I was experiencing while reading it. Finally I said, “imagine a situation where your children are delightfully emotionally brilliant, your best/longest friend is dying, your ex-hubby is a great cook, and you can share the humor & sadness of it all in a book.” It‘s good.

Read this in December & it still rattles about in my brain. It‘s set in 2040 when Amazon has taken over. 3 narrators - one the owner, one a security guard, & one person, a spy, who picks products off the shelves. It was written in 2019. Those who work in the warehouses also live there & their activities and locations are tracked. The ideas in the book feel very plausible and troubling. The conditions under which people feel safe is worth noting.

I‘m very behind on reviews! Read this in early December. It‘s funny to see where Wait‘s backlist has been coming from. One book of hers had to come to my small town in Vermont from a library in Virginia. This book has come from Kentucky. Emma‘s eldest brother has died and her other brother immediately leaves home. Emma is left behind as part of a devastated family. As usual, Wait does a great job describing this family‘s story.

What a wonderful surprise!!! Thank you so much, Alyisha, for your generosity!!! It made my day. 💕💕

My second day of book shopping was January 2nd & part of the Vermont Independent Bookstore Passport Tour. Went to Brattleboro, VT to a great bookstore, Everyone‘s Books. Based on @Lindy and @shawnmooney recs I grabbed the tagged book. Based on @BarbaraBB rec I picked up The Night Guest. I zoned in on the only Cosby book I haven‘t read and I‘ve been eager to read. And who doesn‘t want to be more spiritually intelligent! 😂

Books purchased on December 31st while visiting Northampton, MA. Mary McGorry Morris, Sigrid Nunez, Niall Williams, Gabriel Byrne, and Blue Sisters (A book I decided I had to purchase because the wait list from the library is so long.) I feel very rich.

I see this only received a 33% rating on Litsy. I completely understand that people may not like it but upon finishing this book I immediately fell into a deep dive into all it had/still has raised within me. A love story, an escape into the deep woods of Montana, the writing, I was hearing the cadence of long lost relatives, the story-quick & to the point-has all the makings of a Western but it's completely Irish. Tom and Polly. The 10,000 (cont)

Jen breaks up with Andy. The majority of the book is spent with Andy as he tries to deal with the loss. I liked Andy and sympathized with his struggle. Heck, I can be an Andy myself. But I can also be a Jen. I appreciated what she had to say.

I often find that if I‘m not really enjoying a book, it‘s worth it to finish it to see if the ending saves it. Honestly, the ending did just that. It made the reading of the book a rewarding experience.

A debut novel about Mizuki who lives in Japan & is in the midst of a mundane existence as a Japanese wife & mother. She‘s questioning her life. Her husband works all the time and she is stuck in her role. She meets Kiyoshi, someone who ‘sees‘ her, and she begins a romance with him . This book is a fast read & wonderfully written. I found myself googling Japanese food, culture, and festivals so I could be alongside her in her journey.

Sofia is her mother‘s caretaker, a thankless job. Her mother says she can‘t feel her feet. They decide to go a clinic in Spain to determine what the medical issue is for her affliction. What follows is time spent following Sofia as she experiences the burgeoning awareness of sensuality, a meeting with an estranged father, and the suggestions of the clinic doctor as he explores how willpower and powerlessness impact us. An impactful read.

Dr. Gomez explaining to Sophia why the pharmaceutical rep wants to meet with her mother.

I‘m going thru Thorpe‘s backlist after enjoying Margo‘s Got Money Troubles. This book spans a period of time when Bunny & Michael are in their teens through young adulthood. They don‘t fit in at school, their parenting is almost nonexistent, & they find solace in their friendship. As time goes on, an event takes place at school that changes everything for both of them. This is not a hopeful story but I fell into the characters and their journey.

I‘m surprised this book hasn‘t gotten more press. It‘s stunning. I rarely cry when reading a book & this one got me. A bi-racial couple & twin sons in rural England, attempting to navigate racism & poverty amidst a dissolving marriage. Told by all the characters in the novel, it is a story told through seasons of a year & a study in grief that is so quiet & so deep. Beautifully written and filled with bountiful descriptions of nature. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

It‘s a gray day, I‘m waiting another 1/2 hour for the library to open, and I‘m sitting in an uninspired restaurant setting. Wish I‘d gone elsewhere. 😊 This book is wonderfully written but I can tell it‘s heading to a very sad place. A snowstorm is coming and I have an hour ride home in the storm. BUT I‘m retired and I am so thankful that I have the space and time to do whatever I want.

Lila Garritty from Friday Night Lights lived a much nicer life than Minka. Her mother was omnipresent and nonexistent at the same time. Knowing she‘s a Cancer and shares my birthdate offered a deeper emotional feeling for me. Compassionate, people pleaser, ease in abandoning self as she does, it all felt very familiar to me. A true survivor. I‘m glad she wrote of her life so we could appreciate what she‘s gone through.

Olga and I just don‘t get along. She seems like an author I would really like but after 75 long pages in which I grumbled a lot because she‘s on some “best lists” and I ‘should‘ try her again, I quit. Moved on to Rufi Thorpe and have been tearing through this book. Written by the author of Margo‘s Got Money Troubles, it has the same character development I can sink my teeth into.

If you want to ruin your holiday spirit, read this book. Groom gave birth to a son when she was 19. She gave the child to her aunt and uncle to raise. The child then dies of leukemia at 14 months of age. 25 years later she still mourns her son & finally speaks to her aunt & uncle about her son who she was never able to see. The story leaps around, there‘s a great deal of alcohol and men mentioned, and it‘s hard keeping up with her timeline. 3/5

I‘m tackling both of these books at the same time & I‘m feeling overwhelmed. Their childhood & early adult years were so tough. Minka‘s mother so absent. Kelle‘s alcoholism & giving her child up for adoption. Both of them needing to find love/protection from men. It all gives me pause to see how fortunate I am. Leaving home at 16, being pregnant at 18, struggling later on with alcohol, and yet somehow I have 4 incredible kids & 5 grandkids 🔽

Just got these books from the library. They‘ve been on the waitlist for ages with all holds coming in at once. I‘m feeling a bit overwhelmed. All due in 3 weeks. Also, many thanks to There Will Be Books for the mug!!!

#11 on my December bookspin.

It turns out that my shock following the result of the election led me to dive into as much reading as possible. Social media and news sources were turned off resulting in a good number of books read.

After graduating from Middlebury College this 23-year-old embarked on an 11-month journey, walking from Pennsylvania to California, traveling thru the Deep South, parts of Navajo Nation, & the incredible heat of Death Valley. He carries Rilke & Walt Whitman with him & he includes their helpful quotes. He is lonely & tired but also overwhelmed by kindnesses. Some reviews complain of “navel-gazing” but I disagree. I was impressed with his efforts.

#bookspin Some of these books have been on my list for ages. Not even sure what shelf they are on anymore! And that‘s exactly why bookspin is so great. It makes me read those long-forgotten shelf-sitters.

Thanks @TheAromaofBooks for all you do. Happy Holidays.

I‘ve tried twice and read a few of the stories. It‘s on several long lists for prizes but I uncharacteristically have decided to bail on it mid-read.

There are many things I‘m thankful for (this little pipsqueak being one of them) but over the last few days I‘ve been thinking about how grateful I am to all of the Litsy readers who have introduced me to so many great reads. Would I have read My Friends or Martyr!? Would i have known who Anthony Marra, Rene Denfield or Rebecca Wait were and then chased down their backlist? Nope. I have benefitted so much from being here and I thank you all.

Not gonna lie. I had to read some reviews & take time to think about this before I could write a review. It is still reverberating through my system. Deceptively simple & short but it carries so much weight - of personal power or lack thereof, of being given up at birth, of music (I found myself listening to the music that the main character refers to), of hidden memories. My first Levy and I‘ve already grabbed a second of hers from the library.

The librarian had to search for this one and it came all the way from a library in Virginia. Finished it last week. Wait, again, provides a deep character study of a troubled family, with a manipulative mother and siblings who deal with their upbringing in their own way. Generational trauma outlined so well. This is a character study you can sink into and find humor even amidst the barbs.

This was my Friday and Saturday. Dandelion, the cat I cat-sit, sitting in my lap as I read this unique and delightful story. I‘m delighted that it‘s on the #TOBlonglist. A unique story that includes wrestling, OnlyFans, and a young (and lonely) single mother. A character you root for and an excellent supporting cast. Now I want to find some of her other books.

I‘m not sure why I requested this book from the library or who might have recommended it. It‘s a wild story - a bit like an old episode of a Rod Serling tv show. The story involves an underground internet program in which philanderers (in this particular case) are punished and a nun is part of the morality squad. I have no idea how to describe the book and I wouldn‘t necessarily recommend it but it was interesting while I was in the midst of it.

Maybe you read about this …a woman finds out that her husband is having an affair with her very best friend. Just so happens both the husband and wife are writers and they each end up writing about it. Hannah tells her experience of this situation in such a creative way. A very quick read but one filled with all the emotions imaginable. Best part for me was knowing Hannah‘s book came out first and was much better reviewed. 😂

Just getting out of a car to go into a party…terrifying. #socialanxiety #introvert

I saved this as a book I wanted to read back in 2018. Never got to it. But as I was reviewing my Goodreads history this book and its title gave me the chills. The U.S. has been invaded by Putin and most people don‘t realize it yet.

I can think of a few folks who fit this definition. 😤

It was one of those ‘Oh, it‘s available on Libby‘ picks. I may not be fair in my assessment of it due to the fact I listened to it before and after the election and fiction on audio rarely works for me. However, there were just a few too many leaps in believability (I‘d be so happy if I ever had the energy this grandmother has while she‘s doing chemo) for me to fully invest.

I didn‘t even know this book had been written. I thought I‘d read all of Keegan‘s works. Then @Cathythoughts recently reviewed it & I explored my public libraries to no avail. Imagine my surprise as I was walking on the rail trail and peeked inside a free library in a remote location. I look in this LFL often and the books are always the same, kind of unappealing. But today, at the bottom of a new pile of books, this book was winking at me. 💕💕

I appreciated the pacing of this short novel. Slowly but surely you learn the story behind the woman who arrives on an island off the west coast of Ireland, who cuts her hair and seeks to isolate herself from the residents. It‘s a moving story. The guilt of not fully seeing something going on around you and the blame associated with that. … I‘m trying to find out why booksellers in the US can‘t purchase this for their shelves but Amazon can.

I read this novel two days after the election & it was powerful enough to momentarily keep my mind off of my despair. Sadly, it highlights a different illness of a culture that doesn‘t honor or believe women when it comes to reporting a rape. A successful attorney moving up in the court system finds herself on the other side of the bar, attempting to hold her rapist accountable.This story was first a play & the novel expands the story. Brilliant.

My library was smart enough to purchase this book. Thanks to @kspenmoll for suggesting we read it.

#resistance

It took a while but my Vermont librarian found a copy at the Boston Public Library. A ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ read.

A father kills his wife and children, leaving one boy hiding in a closet. Years later the son returns to the island to try to work through his memories & his own sense of guilt. The residents and the uncle who welcomes the son back display their hesitancy in knowing how to approach him. The island itself is beautifully captured. So good.

Finished reading this before the election. I was trying to read an easy breezy novel and this fit the bill. A woman goes to a hotel to end her life and quickly becomes unexpectedly enmeshed in a week-long wedding party. This was funnier than I expected and had a great trajectory for the main character. A pleasant read with an abysmal cover.

As I watched the documentary on Netflix about the Red Sox first World Series win in 86 years I was reminded of the columns that Bill Simmons was writing at the time. He always brought goosebumps and tears as he and his dad sat through years of losses and finally a victory. I decided to look for old columns and found he had put them in a book! $5 was all it took to purchase it. This will be a slow read over months. The other benefit of i🔽

I‘ve been quiet on Litsy since Tuesday. I couldn‘t read for a few days. Life as we know it changed on Tuesday. I wrote the above to my friends the other day and I doubt this feeling will go away anytime soon. I have so many thoughts about our future but will save those for another forum. I will say though that as readers, especially of history, we can feel the danger. I just wanted folks to know that this white senior citizen voted for the future.