When I die, freeze dry my body and turn me into fertilizer for a tree.

Roach's exploration of what happens to human bodies postmortem is fascinating, and often stomach churning, and definitely makes you think. The audio narration is wonderful, the casual conversational style matching with Roach's wry humour, but also showcasing the curiosity that drives her books.

Currently listening to the tagged, and the chapter I'm on is bringing to mind good ol' Mrs Lovett: https://youtu.be/E1i23Yw4_tQ?si=DoUZFHgFTCK_Ptnr

#IYKYK

#TuesdayTunes @TieDyeDude

I watched (and loved) the movie years ago, and finally got around to reading this one. I think it's best to leave space between the two, whichever you do first, as they are so different from each other. But I loved this story of women's power, the strength of female community and family, love, and the perils of shutting out the ones who love you.

This was delightful. Steves' decision to stick with his mostly unfiltered 23 year old diary entries brings an innocence and naiveté, and the underlying message is timeless: opening your mind and life to other people and cultures expands your knowledge, heart, and empathy. Thank you to @TheBookHippie for putting this one on my radar, listening to it was a lovely way to spend a few hours!

Rosé and reading time ( @BarbaraBB I think you've really started something 🤣 )

I LOVE this. New Booker Prize announced, The Children's Booker Prize. Celebrating the best of middle grade fiction! Two adult judges will select a Shortlist, and then work with three young judges to select a winner. So awesome.

https://thebookerprizes.com/the-childrens-booker-prize?utm_source=substack&utm_m...

While I think she could have chopped about 50 pages off the back end of this one, I really did love this Jackson Brodie ♥️

Because each book is an ensemble narrative, with Brodie as just one part rather than a traditional MC, they really live or die on those "secondary" characters. And I loved Crystal and Harry and their step mom/son relationship so much, and the return of Reggie Chase.

Just one more to go!

We do not care that there are still a million things on our to-do list. The last week and a half has been stressful and has taken its toll on my mind and body. So right now, all I want to do is read a good book, drink Diet Coke, and eat snacks. So, guess what I'm doing until it's time to pick up the kids?

#WDNCW #WeDoNotCareWednesday @dabbe

P.S: 25 pages in, and this book has me HOOKED

It was the last couple chapters that brought this one up to a low pick for me.

I found this to be an interesting story, and I appreciate the many threads Summerscale was trying to weave together here: the murders themselves; the lascivious nature of the press and public interest in them; the racial tensions of the time; public attitudes towards women, sex work, and violence towards women.

cont'd in comments

This is the song I've been singing since I woke up this morning! WE'RE GOING TO THE WORLD SERIES!!!!

https://youtu.be/qag6w_Tp50A?si=4zp8hUtn17Jk5KKS

LET'S PLAY BALL!

#TuesdayTunes @TieDyeDude

Right?!?! I just want to know if we'd be book friends! Or if it's something that I'm not familiar with and need to look up on Litsy RIGHT NOW! I don't think that's too much to ask....

Love this

I will follow TMC anywhere they want to lead. Is this one as good as The Last Devil to Die? No, but that's a hard act to follow. It is still a great time, and well worth a read. I particularly liked the extra attention given to Ibrahim.

I found the discussions on who is the best James Bond a bit too unnecessarily cheesy for my tastes, but I'm okay to overlook the eyeroll ;)

I really hope there's a second book coming! Caution to readers: one storyline is left in a cliffhanger!

This is my second of Abdullah's thrillers, and she's quickly becoming a favourite. Examining physical and sexual violence against women, the shame and stigma of reporting (or waiting to report), cultural ideas and feelings of shame, and society's need for "good victims." All in a tightly paced, page turning thriller.

On Independent Bookstore Day, this was the title most recommended by visiting authors, so I've been waiting for my library hold for almost six months now! Thankfully, it was well worth the wait.

A blend of light and funny comedy, with a thoughtful examination of rage and what pushes a person to their breaking point. Three people, under various pressures, derail their lives in moments of anger.

Cont'd in comments

My #hyggehour is not the calmest today, but I finally daughter to sleep, I'm all cozied up, the Blue Jays are playing and I've got a good book for company. It was a stressful afternoon, so this is just what I need!

A different kind of #BeautyBreak today! Let's Go Blue Jays!

(insert obligatory apology for non-book related content here)

Delightful, thoughtful, smart, witty, fresh, and utterly original. I went in with very low expectations, but then I fell completely under its spell.

Julius Julius is an advertising agency with a history stretching back to ancient Pompeii. Within its labyrinthine walls, a hot shot account rep is vying to rebrand lumber while dealing with sexual harassment from one of the agency's ghosts;

Cont'd in comments

Not my favourite Jackson Brodie so far. It took far too long to get into, and I found it unnecessarily complicated at parts. But they can't all be winners, and I'm still looking forward to the rest of the series!

I'm always excited for a new Janice Hallett, and as a former Triviamaster at my local Brewery this one was the perfect palate cleanser for me. It is ridiculous and over-the-top, the first section is a bit overlong and repetitive, but I just don't care. It was as entertaining as I'd hoped, and I thoroughly enjoyed the ride.

This is an absolute gem of a book from the National Book Awards Longlist. A story of a life lived in Beirut, always keenly aware of the shadows of conflict, war, and corruption, but also embracing the vitality of life. Thoughtful and engaging, at times devastating and tense, but with a beautifully balanced humour throughout.

@squirrelbrain I think you'll like this, IMO it's worth the purchase!

As seems to be the way with Prize-listed books this year, I really liked this but fell short of loving it. A story of small town prejudice and family secrets, and of the many ways one can be an outsider.
It's a bit of a slow start, with some unnecessarily purple prose at the beginning - it seemed to be trying to establish lit fic cred. But once the family story gets underway and secrets begin their unveiling, it finds its groove. #GillerLonglist

"I began many a battle feeling indomitable and ending up prostrate and vanquished, my mother's flag fluttering, its pole staked right through my heart. I knew of no one else who could use sighs as a lethal weapon."

"I'd forgotten how goofy my sister could be. I suppose this happens with absence. Our perceptions of each other flatten, unchallenged by evidence that might form a clearer, fuller image. We become faint notions of ourselves rather than the tangle of contradictory details we actually are."

Alright #GillerLonglist, let's see what you've got!

#MondayMood I don't have to respect your opinion if your opinion disrespects the humanity of others.

(The credit at the bottom of the image is cut off, this is from Blair Imani, follow her on your other Social Media of choice for awesome content, her Smarter in Seconds series is so worth your time!)

A slow night at work, so I'm starting in on the next Jackson Brodie. Wasn‘t expecting to find a character with a degree from my alma mater! I've never seen it referenced outside of CanLit.

You know when a book gets SO MUCH hype it's almost too much, so you just half to let it sit on your shelf for a few years before you read it? I did that with Bunny, and finally decided to pull it down in advance of the second book coming out this fall.

I absolutely devoured this one. It is a weird, wild trip of a novel that kept me both entertained and completely enraptured by its dark, twisty world. Loved it.

cont'd in comments

An engaging crime novel, but I have to say I'm shocked this was on the Booker list. Judging it purely on its own merits it was a decent thriller, well crafted and developed story (but slightly let down by its ending, which I felt came together too rapidly at the close). But for a crime novel to be listed for the Booker, I was expecting more depth and it just wasn't there for me. Still, an enjoyable read and I look forward to more from Bauer!

A dual timeline narrative confronting the legacy of colonization from an Indigenous perspective.

In the 1850s, Mulanyin leaves his coastal home to come of age in a colonial town, where tensions between the local Indigenous community, newly arrived colonists, and ex-convicts are always simmering. He dreams of returning home with Nita, and believes that someday soon the white people will return across the sea and leave their land to heal.

cont'd

Parts of this were interesting and engaging - especially when the authors focused on the titular disease throughout history, various attempts to treat and prevent, etc. It read like compelling popular science, and was a decent listen. But when they venture into mythology and pop culture - werewolves, vampires, and zombies - it was far less compelling...

cont'd in comments

Taking a little breakfast reading time 💕💕💕 (if you put yogurt on a fruit crisp, that makes it a healthy breakfast choice, right? 🤣)

I freaking loved this one. I inhaled it. You can feel the cracking, oppressive summer heat from these pages. The narrative choice of multiple POVs encircling these sisters who refuse to bend to patriarchal society. Beautifully unsettling. I always hesitate to compare books and authors to those who came before, but this feels like the heir to Shirley Jackson. Highly recommend.

Catching up on reviews! #BookerLonglist edition

While this one has some pacing issues, I'm glad I stuck with it to discover its many, murky layers. A story of family disconnection and buried trauma, I appreciated the thematic ideas of a flashlight's focused beam obscuring more than it illuminates, and how difficult it can be to see the full picture of those closest to us.

Cont'd in comments...

This is not a drill!!!! Now, to wait patiently until next summer.... if only I was a patient person!

If you need me in June 2026 - don't. I'll be reading this 👇

Maggie O'Farrell announces upcoming novel Land | Hotpress https://share.google/09j45hGuNJWEWnofh

The Wild and crazy trio are back to school today! So I'm savouring some quiet on the porch with my book and my tea 😁👍❤️

(My middle kid is incapable of taking a serious picture, he's a natural born ham!)

"The girls, the infernal heat, a fresh-dead body."

There's nothing like a good book and a cup of tea on a beautiful morning ?

While I didn't love this one quite as much as Very Secret Society, it was still a worthy follow up. All the found family, cozy magic vibes. Talking foxes and zombie roosters. The ending fell a bit short, but all in all a lovely time if you're looking for cozy fantasy.

This was a great break from Booker reading! Engaging, entertaining, and interesting history and mystery (of sorts?) about rare egg collectors and thieves. Loved it.

This was definitely a #BlameitonLitsy pick - thank you to @sarahbarnes for your review which put this delight on my radar!

New in! I'm super excited about these. Edenglassie, I've had on order since January. It's from @CarolynM's #AuldLangSpine list, and I'm pumped to finally get a chance to read it (and that cover! 😍 BOTH these covers are fabulous 👌)

#BookerLonglist
What a wild ride! It burrowed into my brain in the best ways, made me think, and then every once in a while dealt a fierce punch to the heart. This kind of mutli-genre novel can be a very tricky tightrope and requires special talent to manage, esp. when you bring in elements of metafiction and autofiction. Reva accomplishes an impressive feat, like Percival Everett says in his blurb “I like it when a book is smarter than me!“ cont

Brilliant. Engaging and thoughtful.

Hard to think of anything to add to the outpouring of Litsy love for this one!

If you're on Bluesky, John Scalzi is a great follow! And if you like witty, irreverent sci-fi, he's always a good choice for books, too!

“I have exchanged my hope for a mood and a frying pan.“

Her mother's theory: The Internet was to blame. The Internet overwhelmed young people with dating choices. The original Yeva, biblical Eve, had no such choice. God put her in front of the fact of Adam, and that was that.
"Didn't she cheat on him with the snake?"
"But it wasn't with the snake that she created all of humanity."
"Have you seen humanity lately?"

#BookerLonglist

I loved the first 3/4 of this book. The isolation of the country and the cold, the powerful sense of melancholy, and the beautifully drawn characters wrestling with who they are to themselves and how they fit in society and community in a post-war world. It is a thoughtful portrait of a frozen world and frozen people amidst a greatly changing time, and Miller's writing is deeply engaging.

Cont'd in comments

#FinallyReading 🎉
I've been on the hold list since the International Booker Longlist was announced, and it's finally my turn, just in time for Women in Translation Month! So excited to dive in.
#WomeninTranslation

Question for those who have read this one: how violent is it?

I've only read one of Cosby's previous books (Blacktop Wasteland), and while I thought his writing and especially characterizations were excellent, the visceral violence was just too much for me. So now I'm torn between being a #CampLitsy25 competition l completist and knowing that some things are just not for me.

Thanks for your input!

Like @squirrelbrain 's post from The Times said: Yes Please. This was fabulous.

One hot Malaysian summer, Jay's family leaves KL for the countryside and the run down, struggling family farm. As he works super by side with the farm manager's son, Jay experiences the longings and intoxication of first love. Flashbacks to the past test and expose family secrets and connections, and Jay and his sisters face coming of age in a struggling economy.

"In those moments, with the sun burning above us, we felt as though we could play that game all day, every day for the remainder of our youth. There were no rules, no winners or losers, no objective, and every match ended in laughter that we couldn't explain."