A thoughtful, beautifully crafted novella that carries a lot in its few pages.

Part One sees a writer working on a book about Hortense Cezanne (wife of the artist), traveling from Australia to Aix-en-Provence to Paris, accompanied by the ghost of Hortense herself. It plays with classical ideas of the muse, as Hortense watches and occasionally contributes to the writer's efforts to unearth the story of the woman behind the famed artist.

Cont'd

"It was then that I became aware of the sea. Though not visible through the window, I could smell its seaweed smell, I could hear its roar of outrage - for the sea is a constant agitator for change, for resetting, for rewriting old rules."

After a horrific act of violence in her teens, Babs Dionne reclaims her power and rules over Little Canada with an iron fist, unafraid to use all those around her as workers, or weapons. She loves her family as best she can with the same fierceness. But some threats are just too big, and things begin to unravel.

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"I should really take a break from borrowing new library books and read some from my own shelves"

Oops!

Our Makerspace Associate left to take up a great opportunity at another library, but before he left, he printed us all these adorable little book people. I'm sure mine will be featured in a lot of upcoming Litsy posts! What should I name him?

What a ride of a book! I absolutely loved it, and will be thinking about it for quite some time, just trying to wrap my head around it! The first part is fairly straightforward, but thoughtfully wrought. Then that second part comes in, full of questions and a growing sense of unease. Like many others, I am left wondering WTF exactly just happened, but in a really delicious way.

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(I couldn't fit the full image, credit to @Lindss_tastic on X)

To Littens in California and across the US, sending you love and strength for the fight ahead, whatever it looks like for you.

I'll save the detail for the #CampLitsy25 discussions, but the quick review is this:

I loved it. One of the best I've read this year. And with an ending that is infuriating, and beautiful, and ultimately perfect.

I was rather unimpressed with Migrations, so i went in with low expectations. I'm so glad camp convinced me to give this one a try!

Super excited for the first weekend of #CampLitsy25! Read (and loved) Part One of the tagged, so I'm all ready for this weekend's discussion.

There's a big hold list for Wild Dark Shore, so I'm reading ahead to get through it before it's due back. I'm about 50 pages in, and so far, it's fantastic. Definitely better than I was expecting after being disappointed in Migrations. But isolated islands are always my jam!

A couple days of warm weather has me turning on the summertime #TuesdayTunes

Childish Gambino and Brittany Howard - Stay High https://open.spotify.com/track/1bwDF6AU1iWPp8h6gDS8Ps?si=70Uok-byTlyenE00ntgDUg

Billy Ocean - Red Light Spells Danger https://open.spotify.com/track/557cxXIeiwh03kI2F2jKdh?si=8Z9Ri__oR2Sa0IKixkYjVQ

Pure Sunshine-y vibes 🌞

@TieDyeDude

The short review: @monalyisha you were right ✅️ I loved this.

The longer review: I read this slowly over the last month, and it was a joy to do in and out of. This is a beautiful, thoughtful, poignant, emotional, fascinating, joyful, sorrowful, hopeful collection of essays. Imbler explores the lives and unique attributes of, often misunderstood, sea creatures, and....

Cont'd in comments

When I say I've got a little bit of everything on my bookshelves, I do mean EVERYTHING!

ETA: I was able to gently catch this little fledgling and release it outside safely. Didn't seem injured in any way, just a bit freaked out from being trapped inside!

Backman has an amazing ability to tap into my emotional core, laughing and crying in the same sentence. His latest is no different, a story about finding your people, the ones who will stand with you always, who make it okay to not always be okay.

It is far from a perfect book, I had some issues with the pacing in the first half, and there was some convoluted trickery towards the end -

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This was a selection from last year's Women's Prize NF Longlist, I think I've been on the hold list for at least 8 months for the audio! Pleasantly surprised at just how worth the wait it was!

Equal parts fascinating, infuriating, and sometimes downright terrifying, Murgia dives into the possibilities, perils, and pitfalls of our growing use of AI technology.

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#MentalHealthMonday

1. Overall, rather anxious and disregulated. Having a hard time focusing on much at all. But the sun is shining, so that's something.

2. Binge watching Taskmaster Series on YouTube. There is very little that makes me cry tears of joyous laughter as readily as that.

@Kerrbearlib

Still reading the tagged, and it has provoked both tears and uncontained laughter in public spaces.

#SundayFunday @BookmarkTavern

This one recently won the Edgar Award and was available on Libby, so I thought I'd try it out. A solid, engaging mystery - not a gory thriller, but not too cozy and cute - with great characters. The second in a series, I'll definitely be going back to check out the first one!

"Not to brag, but Louisa did have a perfect plan, it wasn't the plan's fault that she didn't stick to it. Because sometimes Louisa is a genius, but sometimes she isn't a genius, and the problem is that the genius and the non-genius share a brain. But the plan? Perfect."

My mom and I decided to meet for lunch today in a small town halfway between our homes. I got there early and went for a stroll along the river and then through the downtown and - oops! - found the lovely local bookstore (and yarn shop!), Happenstance. Charming little shop with a wonderful selection. I was a very very good little bookworm and only added one to my collection. Can't resist these McNally Editions - will tag in comments.

In other incredibly cool music news for #TuesdayTunes, one of my favourite rap artists/MIT professor Lupe Fiasco found inspiration in the “plein air“ artistic movement to record music in outdoor settings, allowing for the ambient sounds to inspire and collaborate with the music. https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2025/may/01/lupe-fiasco-new-art-project

@TieDyeDude

#TuesdayTunes @TieDyeDude

Just in time for Tuesday I discovered this initiative from the Museum of the United Nations - UN Live. Sounds Right brought artists into the studio to record songs using nature sounds, and Nature gets an artist credit. Nature's artist royalties (and donations) are then directed to conservation and restoration projects.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37i9dQZF1DX7C5zJGrQEji?si=RbNCww-SRrqL3eQLJvev...

We'll see how long this moment of peace lasts...

Unsurprisingly, given all the Litsy love for this one, I loved this book! I love how Espach took contemporary comedic fiction tropes and found genuine humanity underneath. The day drinking mother of the bride, the uptight sister of the groom, the perfectionist verging on bridezilla? They are all wrestling with their own vulnerabilities and trying to get through their days.

Cont'd

Reason 654 to love independent bookstores. Yesterday my son went to our local indie (tagged), armed with a list of books I was interested in. Unfortunately, they didn't have any of them in stock. So the clerk helped him pick out a few titles, let him bring them home without paying to double check that they weren't on my shelves, then being them back to the store and decide which to pay for.

Cont'd

"If a whale's life is a marvel, its death is its legacy."

It's a beautiful day to read outdoors!

My feelings on this one are complicated and still a bit muddled. While overall I really enjoyed reading it, and deep diving into a lot of the music talked about, a lot of the time I just really didn't love Percy and Joe themselves. Percy's college age/post college self absorption was often grating, but it did feel very genuine, and there was just enough self awareness (and side characters willing to call her out on her BS) to shake it off. cont'd

In perhaps the least surprising book news of all time: James by Percival Everett has received the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction! https://bookriot.com/here-are-the-winners-of-the-2025-pulitzer-prize/?fbclid=IwY...

Totally deserved! But so unsurprising that when I saw the article, I honestly thought, "Didn't it already win?"

"I was wearing the plain black T-shirt and skinny jeans that I had started wearing every day and would wear some version of for the next several years, having decided that my bangs could do the heavy lifting in signifying the existence of a personality."

It has been a rough couple weeks, but there's still lots of joy for #5JoysFriday

1. Independent Bookstore Day! Always a favourite 😍
2. A beautiful Sunday in the city with the kids to watch Cat Kid Comic Club: The Musical, followed by patio beers with good friends
3. Canada voted 🗳 🇨🇦
4. My washing machine FINALLY got fixed
5. Maple Leafs are through to the second round!

@DebinHawaii

A mother and her child come to a small town in Saskatchewan, desperate for help. Their presence sets off a shock wave through the town and its residents.

A story about finding one's place, even within one's own body. About honouring each other and respecting everyone's lives and struggles, even when you don't understand them.

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Code Noir by Canisia Lubrin won the 2025 Carol Shields Prize for Fiction yesterday, beating out some incredibly strong competition. Definitely boosting it up my TBR!

1. I have books everywhere in my house! I wish I had one room that could be a purposeful library, but I'll take shelves wherever I can get 'em! I don't have a count, but there must be over 1000.

2. Tough call. I didn't read as many books as usual this month, but I read some excellent ones. Runners up: Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillips, and The Followers by Rebecca Wait.

#Two4Tuesday @TheSpineView

It is Election Day here in Canada, and I've been oscillating wildly between cautiously optimistic and absolute bundle of nerves weighed down by the boulder of dread in my stomach. I may or may not sleep tonight. Wish us luck!

#MentalHealthMonday @Kerrbearlib

Not book related, but it is an important message to spread far and wide. With Trump threatening and removing funding for LGBTQ+ focused suicide hotlines, Canadian resources are opening up access to those south of the border. This number is for Trans Lifeline, the Canadian number is now toll-free for Americans in need as well.

Happy Election Day, Canada. Get out there and vote (if you haven't already)!

Totally over the top, and ultimately it probably won't stay with me for long. But I needed something mindlessly entertaining and engaging, and this certainly fit the bill. And, quite frankly, I could happily listen to Raul Esparza read the phone book for 8 hours. So it gets a pick for being the easy book distraction my brain needed!

Happy Independent Bookstore Day! Took my boys to the tagged. I was very good and only bought two books 🎉 The third was a free ARC with purchase.

What a stunning, thoughtful, exquisite gem of a book. Following the death of Emily Dickinson, the women in her orbit attempt to continue their lives amidst the shadow of grief. They live, love, and find small joys while finding their own ways to honour the woman they loved and admired, and to preserve her singular voice.

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#CarolSheildsPrizeforFiction #Shortlist

Two sisters disappear from a city on the Kamchatka peninsula. Over the following year, the ripples from this event pass ever outwards through the lives of the women of this isolated landscape. This is not a traditional mystery, but rather a study of a place and its people, its women in particular, and the various ways violence - physical, sexual, societal, patriarchal - touch their lives. Beautifully, thoughtfully rendered.

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When she thinks of Emily, Gilbert, or her cousin Sophia, who died at age fifteen, Lavinia sees them as they were in the spring or summer of their lives, carefree as puppies. But she knows that the truth is entirely different, more marvellous still; their fragile flesh has broken down, their bones are as smooth as piano keys, their hair is like spider silk, their hearts, their lungs, the whites of their eyes...

cont'd

When the book is just too good to stop, but you have to leave for school. Teaching kiddo the second how to read and walk safely.

#LikeMotherLikeSon #RaisingReaders

#WhereAreYouMonday @Cupcake12

I've been bone watching more than reading lately, my brain is just not up for it, but when I do read I'm loving this one, set on Russia's isolated Kamchatka Peninsula

📷 Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky from The Lonely Planet

•What are your favorite genres? I always say Literary Fiction, because it's so vague I feel like I don't really have to decide. I like messy stories, grey areas, and people just trying their best.

•What are a few of your desert island reads? I'm a mood reader, so this is a bit of a torturous question. Becky Chambers' Robot and Monk books, The Bell Jar, Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next series, Hamnet, and Never Let Me Go

#BibliologistBio @monalyisha

Congrats on your milestone @dabbe so glad to have you as part of this community ❤️

I grounded my mood board with a forest, because that's where I always turn for grounding. And took inspiration from the local beavers who are knocking things down to build something new, the bright and hopeful first flowers of Spring, the wise words of Bill Watterson, and a cursing horse. And always, always tea in my tired hands.

#moodboardcontest #mbc

“Emily's poems are bolts of lightning, flashpoints on which Susan burns her hands and her eyes. She spends the morning and then the afternoon slowly reading them over, sometimes holding the same lines cupped in her palm for twenty, thirty minutes, squeezing so tight that she feels blood beating in her fingertips.
They form the short verses of a secret gospel. They are magic formulas...

cont'd

Definitely my favourite of the Brodie series so far. A train derailment, a critically injured Brodie, a missing woman with a past, and a teenager trying to find someone who will listen. I adored Reggie and Sadie :)

Slowly making my way towards @CarolynM's selection for #AuldLangSpine - two more to go until I'm ready for the Rook!

Totally cheating here, because I already posted my four nominees for #CampLitsy25 but I just read about this upcoming release and it sounds like such a great one to read with this wonderful group! So if I'm allowed to sneak in a fifth nomination....

@BarbaraBB @squirrelbrain @Megabooks

Forget Angel vs Spike. #TeamGiles Forever! Library Power!

Waiting on a washing machine repair tech (5 people in a house with a broken washing machine - the piles are taking over!). "Sometime between 9 and 1." I know I could be doing other chores, but it feels like if I start on something, I could be interrupted right away, so instead, I read.