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Billypar

Billypar

Joined February 2017

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Billypar
Illiad | Homer
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#TuesdayTunes @TieDyeDude
This week I'm going to recommend Open Mike Eagle's podcast 'What Had Happened Was' where each season he interviews an artist or figure significant to hip hop. Making the interviews season-long instead of varying by episode means you get about a memoir's worth of stories. I found it via a Spotify recommendation because I'm a longtime fan of Questlove's podcast, and he's the interview subject for Season 4 👇

Billypar So I already knew going in that Questlove, who definitely has the gift of the gab, would go into exhaustive detail on the making of The Roots' first four albums, and I was not disappointed. Open Mike Eagle lets him take the reins mostly, but he's got good instincts about when to jump in for a quick clarifying question or reaction. If you're a Roots fan, I highly recommend, and if not, then I recommend first becoming a Roots fan 🎶 🎛🎚🎧🥁🎤🎶 1d
Billypar I also highly recommend Open Mike Eagle's music: this is my favorite album of his: https://open.spotify.com/album/1VDnqZVFSg0xVF104kaIix?si=ubit5ZU-Rxmm4jxp3D8yOw 1d
See All 7 Comments
BarbaraBB I love some hip-hop so will absolutely check this out! 1d
TieDyeDude That is so cool! I became aware of Open Mike Eagle through his guest appearances on the Thrilling Adventure Hour. He was always a highlight. I will have to check this out; love the Roots and Questlove. Questlove seems like a very interesting individual. His other projects are so diverse. Have you seen the Summer of Soul documentary? 14h
Billypar @BarbaraBB The Roots reference so many other hip hop acts in their music that the podcast touches on quite a bit - enjoy! 8h
Billypar @TieDyeDude I didn't know about the TAH but I've also seen him on the Netflix doc History of Swear Words. So he clearly enjoys a variety of projects! Questlove has definitely reached mogul status between okayplayer, his new publishing company, his Oscar, and books. I've seen the first half of SoS but got interrupted and have been meaning to watch the rest. It's great to see how much original footage he was able to use. (edited) 7h
29 likes7 comments
review
Billypar
Convenience Store Woman | Sayaka Murata
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One of my very favorite kinds of character-driven novels. Murata's title character describes her difficulty relating to other people and how her work in a convenience store became a sort of salvation for her. Many novels would lead someone like this towards making some kind of first-time human connection, but Murata shows how much more interesting it can be to get to know this person instead of portraying her lifestyle as a problem to solve.

Cathythoughts Great review. I recently read and enjoyed this one. I‘d like to read more by this writer 👍🏻❤️ 2d
batsy Great point about presenting her as a problem to solve. That's what made this unique. She also resists the "redemption" angle. 2d
Billypar @Cathythoughts Yeah, this was my first of hers, but I definitely want to read more. 2d
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Billypar @batsy Yeah, I love how it's free of all the usual tropes. And how many literary novels are out there where the lead is truly self-fulfilled right from the start? 2d
Aimeesue Nice review. I‘ve had this on my Kindle for a while and will have to move it up - so tired of every MC seen as needing to be “fixed.” Currently reading Sherry Thomas‘ Sherlockian series, starting with A Study in Scarlet Women, which has a similar MC. Brilliant, really. Shouldn‘t feel revolutionary, yet somehow it does. 1d
Billypar @Aimeesue I haven't read that series, but the Sherlock character in central is a good parallel to Murata's Keiko since both are bewildered by societal norms but follow their own passion and unique skill set with great success. No disrespect to Dostoevsky, but this would be the exact sort of novel I would want after Brothers Karamazov: a quick read with a narrow first-person perspective. 1d
Reggie Awww I felt so bad for her when she couldn‘t hear the store anymore. I loved this book. 23h
Aimeesue @Billypar Ha! I‘m gonna need a brain relaxing book after TBK! Single perspective would be great after all the chaos. 20h
Billypar @Reggie I remember your glowing review, and it's stuck in my mind as one I needed to try ever since. So thanks for that! 7h
46 likes9 comments
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Billypar
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There's no accounting for taste when it comes to music, right? Actually, music producer Susan Rogers and co-author Ogi Ogas would argue that's not entirely true. They combine research and Rogers' own experiences as a producer of Prince and other bigtime acts to describe 7 dimensions of listener taste that form our 'listener profiles'. And they've got a website with links to all the songs referenced so you can hear the distinctions in real time 👇

Billypar I was especially interested in their analysis because I feel like my own listener profile has done a 180 since my young adulthood when it's supposed to have crystallized. Now I seek out novelty more than ever before and listen more closely to rhythm and timbres (not a term I even knew before - basically the specific qualities of vocals or instrumental sounds). I think this is a must- read for any music fan 🎧🎶🎧🎵 (edited) 5d
vivastory Will def check this out! 5d
BarbaraBB Me too. What a great review! 5d
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batsy This sounds fascinating! Adding to the list. 5d
Suet624 Definitely stacking. 5d
SconsinBookyBadger This looks intriguing! I‘m adding book on my list to check out next trip to the library. 5d
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Billypar
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#AuldLangSpine
@TheBookHippie @monalyisha
I love the concept of a bio that zeros in on an artist's favorite hobby. Something about focusing on something besides her writing made Emily Dickinson feel more like a real person instead of her standard brilliant poet role. The page layouts are gorgeous - McDowell discusses ED's relationship to gardening throughout her life, along with photos, illustrations, poems, and excerpts from letters. 🌺🌻🌼🌷🪻

monalyisha Wow, yeah. What a pretty example of book as visual art! 1w
TheBookHippie I just LOVE IT! I‘m so happy you did as well!!! 1w
Texreader How awesome!! Love this post too!! 1w
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Billypar
Out of Whack | Jeff Strand
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#TuesdayTunes @TieDieDude
The first time I listened to Tierra Whack it wasn't love at first listen - I still haven't fully warmed to the modern trap sound that's become so pervasive. Then I watched the video to Whack World and 😯😮😲. I had to give her music a second listen, and I'm really glad I did. What seems random or goofy at first is full of clever lyricism and the kind of genre-hopping that many of my favorite artists practice.

Billypar I'm liking her latest release so far - here's a favorite from that: https://open.spotify.com/track/4TLZMfVwNScRfkYZ0OkR6G?si=4oVfPe6wSXi1Lz84xIHm_Q&... 1w
Billypar And here's the video to Whack World, an album of short tracks (you should honestly watch every video she's put out - they're all great): https://youtu.be/EOTebhPy04g?si=oiSHK2L6ZcfhtN1b 1w
BarbaraBB Thanks for introducing me to her! 1w
34 likes3 comments
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Billypar
Chemistry | Weike Wang
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#TuesdayTunes @TieDyeDude
Latin music and non-English language music in general is a gaping musical gap for me. But I did recently discover the Chilean artist Mon Laferte and was an instant fan. It's always nice when you find someone who's got a large musical catalog because it's like suddenly stumbling onto this treasure trove of music. This is her song Química Mejor:

TieDyeDude I like it! I'll definitely check out more tomorrow. Thanks for the recommendation! 2w
BarbaraBB Wow 🤩 🥰 2w
Billypar @TieDyeDude @BarbaraBB The picks this week have led me down some wonderful musical rabbit holes! 🎶🎧🐇 🎶 (edited) 2w
TheBookHippie Ooo. ♥️🎶🎵 1w
38 likes5 comments
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Billypar
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#MissMyDad @Rissreads
My dad wasn't much of a reader, but he was a fan of Stephen Covey's 7 Habits book, and I still think about both it and him when I'm working, even if it couldn't be further from my reading preferences. The odd thing is, I have all these bookish memories linked to him: 1) him wanting to buy me this expensive book when I was a kid but making sure I would read it (I never did), 2) me taking John Dean's memoir from his shelf 👇

Billypar and discussing the Watergate scandal with him while we were at the beach on vacation, 3) trying to find books he might like while bored in the hospital and settling on And Then There Were None, though I'm not sure if he read it. Even without reading much, he always talked about wanting to find the time to relax with a book. He was a sharp writer and a lover of song lyrics, so I think he would have loved reading given the right circumstances. 3w
LeahBergen These are beautiful memories. ❤️ 3w
Reggie 🖤🖤🖤 2w
Rissreads ♥️♥️♥️ 2w
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Billypar
Kindred | Octavia Butler
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#TuesdayTunes @TieDyeDude
Today was a soul/funk day: highly recommended when you need to reduce work stress but also fight drowsiness. When I was choosing the book for this post, I realized my Rufus listen may have been subconsciously inspired by a character of the same name from Kindred, which I'm reading now. And that, in turn, made me wonder if Octavia Butler was a Rufus fan since the novel was released right around peak Rufus popularity 🤔🤯

TheBookHippie Thelma!!!! 🎶🎵🎶🎵♥️♥️♥️♥️ 3w
batsy Great tracks, and so intrigued by the Rufus-Kindred connection. I'm moving that Butler book up the tbr but I need to get to Parable of the Talents first. 3w
Billypar @TheBookHippie So good, right? 🎶🕺🎶💃 3w
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Billypar @batsy Talents was the last one of hers that I read. I may have liked it even better than Sower - I have a tough time deciding. 3w
AmyG I had that Rufus album! And Gil-Scott Heron. Good musical memories. 3w
Billypar @AmyG I was born in 1982, so I just missed out. Of all of these artists, Aretha was the only one who I knew without having to seek out (for Chaka Khan and Gil-Scott, it was just one song for each). Crazy to me how short-lived worldwide fame can be! 3w
TieDyeDude That's cool. I don't typically associate music to the books I read, so it is interesting that there have been a few people have mentioned that idea.
Chaka Khan's induction into the Rock and Roll HOF was a lot of fun.
The local independent radio station in Philadelphia does Funky Friday every afternoon. I still try to catch it here in Alaska. Such a good pick-me-up.
3w
Billypar @TieDyeDude I can imagine that induction was amazing. And thanks for the recommendation for Funky Friday - I'll have to give it a listen! 3w
40 likes8 comments
review
Billypar
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Mehso-so

I've heard good things about Charles Baxter, but I should have started with one of the works he's known for instead of his latest, which is one that almost works but not quite. It's got an intriguing plot involving a middle-aged couple concerned for their missing son who may have gotten involved in a group called The Sun Collective, which is split between community service and radical violence. There's a bit of magical realism I also enjoyed 👇

Billypar The biggest problem is how Baxter mistakes the activism of the present younger generation for a thinly disguised version of the 1960s radical left movement, which made the portions focused on the younger main characters ring false. Those characters also seemed thinner in general - it would have been better to stick with the older couple's perspective and get more editorial input on the younger characters from readers of a similar age. 4w
Billypar It also features some cringy satire involving a president that is a Trump stand-in named...wait for it...Amos Alonzo Thorkelson 😵‍💫 4w
Leftcoastzen OMG that name! Really?!? 4w
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Billypar @Leftcoastzen I couldn't make that up. And he wants people to call him 'Coach' as a nickname 😅 4w
Aimeesue Great review. I started to notice the IRL attempts to paint BLM activists as equivalent to 60‘s radical leftists as soon as the protests started. All the "oh no, antifa" pearl-clutching was ridiculous. Can people really not tell the difference? 4w
Billypar @Aimeesue Right? It doesn't seem like something you need to squint to distinguish. It's true that Baxter is writing from the left politically, so it comes across a bit like a cautionary tale. But it's pretty clearly set in present-day society, so that makes it seem more like a misread of the current political environment. 4w
34 likes6 comments
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Billypar
Tarantula Boo! | Lucy Davey
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#TuesdayTunes @TieDyeDude
I'm a day late, but I wanted to highlight this 2006 album from Robyn Hitchcock that I first listened to sometime in the late 2010s I think. In listening to it again this past week, I had that experience where I had completely forgotten about my favorite song on the album and sang along while riding in my car (but not in San Francisco): https://open.spotify.com/track/4cgltQXyXC4tDGD45xY1Ni?si=4xRH4dahSeu2_rlQT44BtQ

BarbaraBB I must listen to this but it‘s still night here lol, as soon as my man wakes up! 1mo
batsy A name I've heard but am not familiar with! Going to listen later 🎵 4w
Billypar @BarbaraBB Very considerate of you 😄 Hope you enjoy! 4w
Billypar @batsy I don't think I've listened to much else besides this, but I probably should try more- he's got a ton of material. I first heard him with his former band, The Soft Boys, which I'd also recommend. 4w
TieDyeDude 🤘 4w
29 likes5 comments
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Billypar
The Silentiary | Antonio Di Benedetto
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After an auto mechanic shop opens in the main character's backyard, he embarks on an increasingly desperate series of attempts to get some peace from many varieties of noise in modernizing 1950s South American society. It's not as slapstick as it sounds - more like a very long short story with weird character quirks. You feel bad for the guy, but he also reveals himself to be a bit of an oddball, so that adds another dimension to the mix.

sarahbarnes This sounds really interesting. It gives me Bolaño vibes. 1mo
Billypar @sarahbarnes Yeah, I've only read one novel a piece for both authors, but I could see Bolaño being influenced by diBenedetto. Funny too because when I was choosing what to read next, it was between this book and Bolaño's 'The Amulet'. 1mo
sarahbarnes Good to know! I had a big Bolaño phase a few years back. There are still some books of his I want to get to. Meanwhile I‘m stacking this one. 1mo
Billypar @sarahbarnes I really wish I didn't fear long novels and could commit to 2666! 1mo
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Billypar
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#TuesdayTunes @TieDyeDude
There's this podcast from Slate called Hit Parade whose host covers all different eras of pop music by analyzing slices of charts history. This led me to consult Spotify, where helpful users have created Hot 100 year end playlists (as in, one from each year since the charts began), and I've just finished my first decade's worth to find my favorite songs: what I know and love, and what I missed (a lot as it turns out!) 👇

TieDyeDude Ooo, 90s hits! 😁 1mo
BarbaraBB Adding it to my library! 1mo
youneverarrived Ahh love 90s music 🤍 1mo
35 likes4 comments
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Billypar
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#TuesdayTunes
There are a couple decades in between my two most recent favorite albums, and they are not remotely similar except both were clearly labors of love. I also enjoy albums where every song doesn't sound the same - there's a lot of variety in both of these.
Thanks for starting this @TieDyeDude - I'm always curious what people are listening to 🎶

merelybookish I am clearly not her demographic but I love Olivia Rodrigo. My daughter and I listen to this album a lot. 1mo
Billypar @merelybookish Yeah, I'm also a bit far from her demographic I'd say 😅 But I guess that speaks to how good of an album it is. The songs have been playing on repeat in my head for awhile. 1mo
KathyWheeler I love that Arrested Development album. I haven‘t listened to Olivia Rodrigo. 1mo
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BarbaraBB I don‘t know Olivia Rodrigo but coming from you I trust that I‘ll love it. Like I love Arrested Development 🩶 1mo
TieDyeDude Thanks for playing. @WildAlaskaBibliophile is a fan of Arrested Development. I haven't listened to much Olivia Rodrigo (her SNL performances didn't do much for me), but I might try her album. 1mo
Chrissyreadit I loved Arrested Development- and i should listen to Olivia Rodrigo and see what I think. 1mo
Billypar @KathyWheeler @BarbaraBB @Chrissyreadit I missed out on Arrested Development when they were popular but when I got to Tennessee I had one of those 'Ohhh... this song is them?!' moments. 1mo
Billypar @TieDyeDude I didn't see her SNL or Grammy's performances, but it wouldn't shock me if the studio versions are better. Vampire seems to me like a song you probably can't help overdoing live (and at karaoke for sure). 1mo
AmyG I just love her song Bad Idea, Right? She is awesome. (edited) 1mo
TheKidUpstairs Arrested Development is one of those bands that I totally forget just how great they are, and then have so much fun being reminded. What a great album. I only learned recently that Dionne Farris featured on People Everyday! 1mo
TheKidUpstairs And I join you in the Olivia Rodrigo love, her music is perfect for blasting in the car and singing at the top of your lungs! 1mo
Billypar @AmyG Yeah, that's the song that's in my head the most - very addictive! 1mo
Billypar @TheKidUpstairs I don't know Dionne Farris - I'll have to give her a try. I do confess to singing Olivia Rodrigo in my car (I should probably probably not 😅). 1mo
Billypar @TheKidUpstairs Ohhhhh - I love this song! I never knew who did it. Same thing as with Tennessee, actually. 1mo
39 likes15 comments
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Billypar
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#auldlangspine @TheBookHippie @monalyisha
Late as always with finishing this challenge, but I thought this was a very good essay collection. Each confronts aspects of antisemitism in a variety of contexts. My two favorites were on bits of history that aren't that widely known (an early 20th century Russian Jewish community in freezing Harbin, China, and Varian Fry, a journalist who rescued famous artists being persecuted by the Nazis) 👇

Billypar Several others reckon with ongoing violence against Jewish people in the U.S., as well as reasons behind popular indifference to some forms of antisemitism. I've never read the Merchant of Venice, but I liked how she contrasted her son's response to a blatant Jewish stereotype with how society often shrugs and gives Shakespeare a pass. Very thought-provoking throughout, and Horn has also expanded my TBR list. 2mo
TheBookHippie It‘s such an important book. 2mo
TheBookHippie I‘m still working through your list as well. 😅 2mo
Billypar @TheBookHippie Oh wow - I never heard of that series: I'll have to check it out! 1mo
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Billypar
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#AuldLangSpine
This quote is from a family friend of the Dickinson's about visiting and being received by Emily 🍷⚘️
I am loving this so far - I keep trying to ignore the cold weather in my present reality and transport myself into Emily Dickinson's expansive garden @TheBookHippie @monalyisha

TheBookHippie I loved it so very much! ♥️ 2mo
batsy This sounds lovely! Inspired by @vivastory I'm reading through Dickinson's Collected Poems this year. 2mo
Billypar @TheBookHippie It might be the nudge to finally get me into gardening. But failing that, certainly Dickinson's poetry. 🌹🌺🌻🌼🌷🪻🪷 2mo
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TheBookHippie @Billypar I do both June to September every year AKA when there isn‘t snow. I collected Emily Dickinson books. 2mo
TheBookHippie @batsy enjoy I think I‘ve read through them every year since I was 13 😂♥️ 2mo
Billypar @batsy That's a great project - I'd definitely like to read more of her poetry. And just more poetry, period. 2mo
Billypar @TheBookHippie That's great on both counts: you are certainly this book's target audience! 2mo
TheBookHippie @Billypar yes, I actually received two copies as gifts- one I write in one I keep pristine. 😂😅 2mo
batsy @TheBookHippie That's amazing. I certainly need to incorporate more poetry into my daily reading; it requires me to actually pay attention, sit with it for awhile, not rush through. 2mo
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Billypar
The Sense of an Ending | Julian Barnes
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When an insecure character wrongs someone and then tries desperately to get back in their good graces, they usually end up making things even worse in the process. Usually, this is played for comedy, but the Barnes' version is several shades darker and speaks to how easily consciousness makes us the hero of a story vis-à-vis gaps or distortions in our memory. Lots of moral ambiguity arranged in short, crisp sentences that still pull their weight.

Anna40 I love this book. 2mo
Billypar @Anna40 Definitely one that sticks with you! 2mo
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Billypar
Rouge | Mona Awad
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A fantasy about what grief after a parent's death is like when the relationship was complicated: they hurt you, you blame them for things, but you also regret some of your actions. So you cycle between exploring painful memories and shutting them out. Maybe you indulge in things you know are bad for you, or sometimes you just walk around in a fog. Belle cycles between these reactions in a dark alternate reality teaming with fairy tale imagery 👇

Billypar There's plenty of Snow White, a bit of Wizard of Oz, but I enjoyed how the world itself is totally original, and much of the imagery references other pieces of the novel. Belle's lost mother is endlessly refracted throughout, via the sea, violets and smoke, blue-green eyes, red dresses, red shoes (red & black everything really). Throughout it all, Belle has support from others, but it's ultimately up to her to avoid drowning in her grief. 2mo
BarbaraBB Great review. Better than the book in fact, lol, I wish I liked it as much as you did! 2mo
Ruthiella @BarbaraBB Me too! 😆 2mo
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batsy Agree with @BarbaraBB I enjoyed reading your review more than I did the book. Glad you enjoyed it! 2mo
Billypar @BarbaraBB @Ruthiella @batsy Thanks! I think it's one of those cases where I can see both sides of the critique. I found the reading experience most similar to All's Well: I felt a little fatigue at all the repetition about 75% in, but then enjoyed the climax enough to forgive it. 2mo
sarahbarnes Great review. I really liked this one, too. A departure from @BarbaraBB and @batsy in this case! 2mo
Megabooks You captured the book beautifully! I think it was the way grief was portrayed that really sold this one for me, and you expressed exactly what I felt reading it. 2mo
Billypar @sarahbarnes I don't know if @batsy remembers this, but I think we met on Litsy when we almost simultaneously commented on a post for a Salman Rushdie novel with total opposite reactions (I was 'pro' for that too - forever the easy grader 😅) 2mo
Billypar @Megabooks I really liked how she took a funhouse mirror approach with it instead of just something more like a 1:1 grief parable. She didn't try to overexplain the dream logic, but the emotional core of complex grief still felt very authentic. 2mo
sarahbarnes Amazing! 😂 Perhaps I too am an easy grader. 😁 2mo
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Billypar
Foul Lady Fortune | Chloe Gong
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#AuldLangSpine
This inventive spy thriller has a few unique features that really elevate the action: 1) The spy MC is also a famous assassin who uses poison, something her new partner doesn't even know. 2) 1920s Shanghai is an ideal setting for spy noir. 3) The Shakespearean inspiration of As You Like It gives it a nice comic touch. There's also a lot of fantasy elements and references to the prior series, which I haven't read 👇

Billypar It wasn't hard to follow, but I wish I was the kind of reader who could get immersed in these kinds of series because they seem like a lot of fun. But I definitely enjoyed the twists and turns in this entry - thanks @TheBookHippie for recommending! 2mo
TheBookHippie I‘ve been invested for 5 books 😂😅 it‘s so out of character for me but I love Shakespeare and I love history which is how she got me with the first book!!! I‘m so glad you could enjoy it. It‘s very smart. The author is early 20s 😳🤯. 2mo
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monalyisha So happy this worked for you! 2mo
Billypar @TheBookHippie I really want to go back and read more about the history. It's crazy how much she's written already at that age! 2mo
Billypar @monalyisha @TheBookHippie One great thing about this challenge is how varied the lists can be - like now I'm going to leave 1920s fantasy Shanghai and check in on Emily Dickinson's garden 😅 2mo
monalyisha @Billypar Yes! I love how much fun everyone has with their lists. And I‘m looking forward to your review of that one; I was hoping you‘d read it! 2mo
TheBookHippie @Billypar after her first book I took every Shanghai history book out of the library!!! 😂😅 2mo
TheBookHippie @Billypar 🙃♥️ 2mo
37 likes9 comments
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Billypar
We Run the Tides | Vendela Vida
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Books like this are satisfying for me on the basis of writing style alone. The plot is almost besides the point - descriptors like 'missing girl' and 'coming of age' are true for countless novels. Vida makes this one memorable through her wry humor and keen observations for how teenagers interact. And there are moments that crystallize just how awful those teenage years can truly be.

Billypar This photo is not the San Francisco coast but a gorgeous nature preserve in Bradenton, Florida. 3mo
Ruthiella This one is on my list! 3mo
Kappadeemom Right down the road from me 😁 3mo
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Billypar @Ruthiella Vida is 2 for 2 for me: I really liked The Diver's Clothes Lie Empty as well. 3mo
Billypar @Kappadeemom What a great place to have nearby - so many pelicans and other birds! Just got back to NJ and greeted by rain and 30 degree weather 🫤 3mo
Ruthiella The Diver‘s Clothes is also on my (very long) list. 😆 3mo
Cathythoughts Stacking 👍🏻♥️ 3mo
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Billypar
My Name Is Red | Orhan Pamuk
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#AuldLangSpine
Here are a few things about me @TheBookHippie Excited for January to start!
@monalyisha

TheBookHippie I started out in Harrisburg ! My dad was in Army ! 3mo
TheBookHippie I love Jazz and Art Museums. 3mo
TheBookHippie I use to dance in the clubs to Donna Summer. Why yes this dates me 🤣😅🪩 (edited) 3mo
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Billypar @TheBookHippie I visited Harrisburg a few years ago, and they have one of the best bookstores I've ever seen. I was from Lansdale, closer to Philly. My dad was Coast Guard but he left after I was born so we didn't move around. 3mo
Billypar @TheBookHippie I was born in the 80s, and I grew up hearing all the lies about how bad disco was supposed to be, lol. That must have been incredible to experience it on the dance floor! 🕺💃 3mo
TheBookHippie @Billypar it was a beautiful time in my life. They lied because they didn‘t like gay people, it had nothing to do with the music . The music was everything. 🪩 3mo
TheKidUpstairs What's your favourite bird you've spotted in the wild? 3mo
Billypar @TheKidUpstairs It might be this brown creeper I saw once. I couldn't get enough of its strange waddle up and down the tree trunk. You? 3mo
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Billypar
Foul Lady Fortune | Chloe Gong
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#AuldLangSpine
Thanks @TheBookHippie for sharing this list! I've only read the Hardwick. After I finished it, I thought it was just ok, but I kept thinking about it after - it really stuck with me. So I'm going to revisit a couple of its essays. I'll be pairing the Rich and McDowell with poetry from Rich/Dickinson. I'm kicking off the year with Foul Lady, which is soo far outside my wheelhouse, but that's part of the fun of this exchange.

Billypar Can't wait to get started - thanks again @monalyisha for organizing! 3mo
TheBookHippie ♥️ I hope you find you like one! 3mo
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Billypar
The Buried Giant: A novel | Kazuo Ishiguro
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#Top23of23
It worked out that I had 22 5-star reads this year (I was tempted to bump one of the ratings up 🤓). Here they are in rough order of enthusiasm and broken down by fiction and nonfiction (+1 poetry).
-The Buried Giant wins for my favorite of the year, as I knew it would immediately after finishing it.
-Strangest Read: Stranger to the Moon
-Best Essay Collection: Pulphead
-Best Memoir: The Man Who Could Move Clouds
Happy reading in 2024!!

Ruthiella Such an eclectic list! Love it‘ 👍 3mo
sarahbarnes I still really want to read Buried Giant! Great list! 3mo
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merelybookish Great list! I have that Dorthe Nors book on my tbr. 3mo
BarbaraBB The Buried Giant. Such a lovely book. I also loved The Reluctant Fundamentalist and Dept of Speculation! 3mo
Billypar @Ruthiella Yeah, I enjoyed the variety - it was a good reading year! 3mo
Billypar @sarahbarnes I was looking forward to it, but I never imagined going in that it would be my favorite of the year. I still have a lot more Ishiguro to read - that was only my second one. 3mo
Billypar @merelybookish I really liked it - the kind of essays that blend descriptions of the landscape with history and personal experiences in a way that's totally seamless. 3mo
Billypar @BarbaraBB Both DoS and RF have such daring styles. They're not going to be for everyone, but they really sold me. 3mo
Megabooks 📸 3mo
Megabooks @BarbaraBB I need to get to both Buried Giant and Reluctant Fundamentalist. Fantastic list @Billypar ! 3mo
Billypar @Megabooks Both of those were my second read from each author. I think the other two were 5 stars also, so I should definitely check out some more from them! 3mo
34 likes12 comments
review
Billypar
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Mehso-so

A frustrating book! Frustrating because it's like an unfinished sculpture: inside there is a true fantasy classic, where dreamy depictions of the spirit world lay aside comical satire of a community in the grip of 'progress', yet undone by greed and thirst for power. But there needs to be 100-200 pages chiseled away from neverending scenes of partying, fighting, more partying, more fighting, dragging on indefinitely.

Tamra Shoot, I have had this TBR for a long time. Might need to remove it. ✔️ Took it off shelf and onto donation it goes. (edited) 3mo
Billypar @Tamra It's a shame because there are a lot of great scenes too. It might be better enjoyed by someone who reads faster than I do, so the dull parts move more quickly. 3mo
27 likes2 comments
review
Billypar
The Underneath | Melanie Finn
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Pickpick

Melanie Finn strikes me as one of those wonderful anomalies among authors. Are her books thrillers? Or literary fiction? Some people dismiss these as empty marketing terms, but most of us have our favorites, and how rare is it to find an author who isn't more one than the other? Both this and The Gloaming are steeped in an atmosphere of dread and feel a bit unreal even if nothing impossible happens. But they're also slow burns, so patience is key.

sarahbarnes This sounds very good. I haven‘t heard of this writer but this one sounds very intriguing. And a comparison to Patricia Highsmith. 4mo
batsy Great review. I've been meaning to read The Gloaming and this is another reminder! 4mo
Billypar @sarahbarnes The comparison to Highsmith is a good one - I can definitely see the similarities. 4mo
Billypar @batsy I liked this one, but The Gloaming is still my favorite of the two. I remember being very tense in some spots due to the suspense 😬 4mo
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Billypar
The Underneath | Melanie Finn
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That moment when your book calls you out 😳

review
Billypar
Sing, Unburied, Sing | Jesmyn Ward
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Pickpick

#TitlesandTunes #Blue
Happy publication day to Jesmyn Ward for her latest! I'm always about 5 years behind, so I just finished SUS. I'd heard it described as a road novel, and it technically is, but didn't feel like one. The journey matters less than the fact that the family must share tight quarters when they'd previously been drifting apart. I spent the whole novel concerned for them all: the entire novel is located on the brink of disaster.

Ruthiella Totally. That novel made me so tense! 😬 5mo
dabbe Hello there, sweet kitty! 🖤🐾🖤 5mo
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sarahbarnes Great review! And photo. 🩵 5mo
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks One of my favorites ❤️ 5mo
Billypar @Ruthiella @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Part of the suspense for me was due to how much I cared about the characters - they're all so well-drawn and nuanced. 5mo
Billypar @dabbe @sarahbarnes I sat down to figure out what kind of picture I was going to use, and then Jem hopped on my lap and solved that question for me 😸 5mo
dabbe What a Jem! 🤩🤩🤩 5mo
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Billypar I love Jojo and Kayla ❤️ I rarely reread books, but I‘ve read this one 3 times 💔 5mo
Reggie The part where the grandma is dying always reminds of Poltergeist the movie. Also, Jojo, Kayla, and Pops. Hope they‘re still ok somewhere. 5mo
Billypar @Reggie Great comparison: that part surprised me. I like how Ward handles the ghosts and spiritual portions. They're legit ghosts, not mere literary devices. It was one of the things I liked about Beloved also. 5mo
Centique You summed it up so well! This was so good and in looking forward to her new one. I think its the Oprah pick too, so should get Ward lots of new readers. 5mo
Billypar @Centique I actually had no idea she was coming out with a new book until my Google feed alerted me to it after I finished this one. I'm pretty bad at paying attention to upcoming releases, but then it is a nice surprise when they happen 😀 5mo
52 likes13 comments
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Billypar
Rouge | Mona Awad
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My local bookshop hosted this reading last night from Mona Awad and Laura Sims: Sims read from 'How Can I Help You' which I still need to read and Awad from her latest Rouge, which I only found out about last week after finishing her previous novel. Apparently, the two authors have been friends since 2018, which came through as they posed questions to each other about their work. A fun night of reflections on serial killers and dark fairy tales 😈

Billypar Awad mentioned two horror movies that influenced her in writing Rouge: Suspiria and In Fabric, which I hadn't heard of but think I need to check out: https://m.imdb.com/title/tt7464188/ 6mo
LeahBergen That sounds like a fantastic event! 6mo
GondorGirl I just finished Rouge and loved it. It was the literary equivalent of a fever dream, with twisted words and an unreliable narrator. 6mo
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Billypar @LeahBergen Yeah, it was a lot of fun! 6mo
Billypar @GondorGirl The portion she read was where the main character is first going to the beauty spa place in the creepy waiting room. I'm already hooked - can't wait to pick it up! 6mo
Reggie I have that new Sims books. Her book, The Looker, I thought it was great. And never has someone turned such a scene such as setting down a potluck dish into something so nail biting. So good. 6mo
Billypar @Reggie That one sounds great as well. For her most recent one she mentioned trying to do a serial killer story but coming at it 'sideways', so I'm wondering if Looker was doing something similar with the typical stalker character. 6mo
sarahbarnes Wow, this must‘ve been so cool! 6mo
Billypar @sarahbarnes It was! The part that Mona read from Rouge definitely matched your review - sinister indeed 😨 6mo
Suet624 It‘s so fun to go to book events. 💕 5mo
Billypar @Suet625 Agreed! I wish I could remember to look for upcoming events more often. 5mo
52 likes11 comments
review
Billypar
All's Well | Mona Awad
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Pickpick

Nothing like a good book and a glass of the golden remedy to ease your mind, am I right? If you've read this, you'll know this last phrase is repeated over and over. After a while, I was repeating it to my cats ('That's some yummy food, am I right?'). It's one of many careless phrases uttered by the happy that serve to irritate the miserable in Awad's theater of the absurd. A perfect dark comic meditation on the gulf between sickness and wellness.

Ruthiella I loved this one too. I‘m very excited for her newest and have it on hold at the library 6mo
Billypar @Ruthiella Yeah, the new one sounds great. Mona Awad is actually doing a reading at my local bookstore along with Laura Sims this Friday, so I'm really looking forward to that! 6mo
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BarbaraBB How cool to meet her Friday. I liked this one too. Your review is fantastic! 6mo
Billypar @BarbaraBB Thanks! Yeah, I don't always pay close attention to my local bookstore events, but I'm glad I noticed this one. 6mo
batsy I'm looking forward to reading this, too! Great picture... That's the ideal combo 😆 6mo
Cinfhen I just read two books by Laura Simms and they were SO GOOD!!! Friday‘s event should be AMAZING!!!! I enjoyed this book but Awad‘s newest is my favorite 6mo
sarahbarnes What a cool book event! Loved this one and am currently reading Rouge and agree with @Cinfhen so far it‘s my favorite of hers. I love her writing. 6mo
Cinfhen Yay @sarahbarnes !!!! Rouge was “almost” sane 😁😉 (edited) 6mo
Billypar @batsy The picture was one of those situations that was accidentally book-relevant, so no staging required 😄 6mo
Billypar @Cinfhen I'll be forever grateful to you and @BarbaraBB for introducing me to Awad via the Bunny readalong. And I can't believe Rouge is even better given the strength of her last two! But I will trust you and @sarahbarnes and maybe skip my usual year-plus delay on reading new releases. And now it also sounds like I'll have to make time for Laura Sims at some point! 📚📚📚 6mo
BarbaraBB If you make that exception on new releases you can probably get a signed copy of Rouge! That‘d be great! 6mo
Billypar @BarbaraBB Yeah, I'll definitely be getting a copy, hopefully signed. But it faces stiff competition on my TBR bookshelf once it arrives there 🙂 6mo
BarbaraBB I know what you mean 😀 6mo
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Billypar
Sing, Unburied, Sing | Jesmyn Ward
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#TitlesAndTunes #Blues
From the synopsis, SUS sounds like a road novel that is steeped in loss and haunted characters (maybe literally?). The perfect pairing with this Lurrie Bell album I picked up at a record shop recently. I'd never heard of Bell before, but his guitar riffs are a joy, the kind of blues that take you on a journey, which is perfect for an emotionally charged road novel. And it certainly channels its own ghosts of blues legends.

Billypar I chose the album opener - Givin' Me a Hard Time for the playlist: https://spotify.link/tO2khtN2hDb @Cinfhen @BarbaraBB 6mo
BarbaraBB I don‘t know the artist but your description is very attractive. Glad to add him to our playlist. 6mo
Cinfhen This book remains among my favorites and your song choice sounds perfect 🤩 6mo
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Billypar @BarbaraBB Hope you enjoy as much as I have. I like getting recommendations from Spotify algorithms, but there's still no substitute for record stores for finding new artists imo. 6mo
Billypar @Cinfhen I'm so excited to finally read it after all I've heard! 6mo
Centique Such a fantastic book - hope you enjoy it! 6mo
Billypar @Centique Very much looking forward to it! 🙂 6mo
40 likes7 comments
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Billypar
The Dreams | Naguib Mahfouz
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What if you turned your dreams into short stories? Such a simple concept, but one I hadn't seen until I picked up Naguib Mahfouz's The Dreams. The content varies a great deal, and even though this one could be considered a nightmare, it made me laugh out loud just because of how ridiculous yet terrifying it became in just a few sentences 😨😲😆

Centique Oooh i read his book Palace Walk and it has stayed with me ever since. This looks interesting and freaky 😳 6mo
Billypar @Centique Good to know - I haven't read any others of his, so I was wondering what to start with, novel-wise. I added it to my TBR. 6mo
Centique @Billypar it took me a while to get into the flow of his writing. It felt like he described almost every movement of each character - like someone capturing movie scenes in detail. But after a few chapters of me faltering my way through that, it made everything very vivid. 6mo
Billypar @Centique I think it's so interesting when something about a novel's style feels a little off-putting at first, but winds up being what makes it stick with you - I've definitely had that experience. 6mo
28 likes4 comments
review
Billypar
This Side of Paradise | F Scott Fitzgerald
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Mehso-so

#TitlesandTunes #TheWorldismyOyster
My favorite almost-pick of the year? Fitzgerald's inventive writing saves this story of a Princeton student 'finding himself' from being boring. But it also seems meandering and uneven - not like Gatsby at all in that respect. For all the strangeness of the lost social norms of the period, it's crazy to me how similar the mc's character is to a contemporary college intellectual dude. @Cinfhen @BarbaraBB

BarbaraBB Love your drawing 😂 and am intrigued by the premise of the book. 7mo
Cinfhen That is really crazy / goes to show not much has changed when it comes to privileged white kids at Princeton 😉 7mo
Billypar @BarbaraBB Ha - thanks! It's not what I was expecting - sometimes with good results, but other times not. 7mo
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Billypar @Cinfhen Yeah, he does have some character progression but it's something like 'aspiring snob with dreams of fame' to 'opinionated intellectual who refuses to get a job on principle'. 7mo
Cinfhen So basically this was autobiographical for Scott 😁😜 7mo
Billypar @Cinfhen He was the same age as the main character when he wrote it, so I wouldn't be shocked 😄 7mo
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Billypar
Just Kids | Patti Smith
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...or just open your eyes and look at the picture? 🙈

Joking aside about People's attempt at click-bait, I do like how many celebrity book clubs there are now. Seems like a great way to attract new readers. All that said, I've never actually participated in a celebrity book club - does anyone have a favorite they would recommend? I'm curious what the discussions are like.

DivineDiana I too like that there are more celebrities forming Book Clubs. Thank you Oprah for leading the way! I read one book for Caitriona Balfe‘s Book Club. There was an interesting online discussion. Disappointed that she did not participate. There were a few facilitators. Book tagged. (edited) 7mo
Billypar @DivineDiana Yeah, I doubt that any celebrity will come anywhere close to the institution that is Oprah's Bookclub. I've never seen Outlander so this one was not on my radar but it sounds pretty good! I never thought about there being facilitators. Not as exciting as the celebrity host taking part but still better than nothing. 7mo
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Graywacke She chose a terrific book. Also, I‘m intrigued that celebrity book clubs are a thing. 7mo
Ruthiella I actually shy away from Oprah picks because she seems to really enjoy depressingly sad stories. 😂 7mo
tpixie @Ruthiella yes! I agree!!! 7mo
tpixie @Graciouswarriorprincess reads Reece Witherspoon‘s books 7mo
Billypar @Graywacke Yeah, it's an interesting choice given how different Patti Smith is from Dua Lipa. I wonder whether she was a fan going in. It would be fun to see more musical celebrities with book clubs for their perspective on other musicians' memoirs. 7mo
Billypar @Ruthiella I never thought about that - I only really know the books I've read that are Oprah picks, but yeah, I think they have fit that description 🤔 7mo
Billypar @tpixie Of all of the clubs, it seems to me that hers has the most devoted following. I'd like to try it at some point. 7mo
tpixie @Billypar 👍🏻🩷📚 7mo
31 likes11 comments
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Billypar
All's Well | Mona Awad
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#DramaQueen #Titlesandtunes
What a great opportunity for me to read my most anticipated selection from my shelf (I'm weirdly proud I lasted a year for it to 'wait its turn', even though that makes no sense 🤷🏻). After Bunny, I can only assume this story of a director staging All's Well That Ends Well will have some bizarre complications. I think it's 'the drama I've been craving', as Sleater Kinney sing on one of my all-time favorite albums.

Cinfhen Fabulous choice!!! Happy you waited for the right time to read the book!!! 7mo
Cinfhen Perfect pairing 🎶✅❣️ 7mo
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Billypar @Cinfhen I'm excited already! 🎭 7mo
batsy Nice! I want to read this, too. Great pick for the prompt. And now I've gotta crank up some Sleater Kinney 🙌🏾 7mo
BarbaraBB Great choice for the book, it had drama queen all over it! 7mo
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review
Billypar
Art & Lies | Jeanette Winterson
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Pickpick

Some books you read and know exactly what you think of them. Others you read, puzzle, struggle over, and consider bailing on and off for four months, with final ratings of 0-5 all seeming equally plausible. That was Art and Lies for me. I went with a cautious '4 stars' because it has undeniably beautiful sentences and stretches of ecstatic musings. But it's tough going - like Virginia Woolf, not sure I even know what's going on at times, tough 👇

Billypar Plot? No not really. Three characters with artist names take the train and do lots of thinking, reflecting on their pasts. Handel is a doctor and ex-priest. Picasso is a painter with family problems. Sappho may actually be Sappho reincarnated, but I'm not 100% sure. And if you enjoy poetry about light, you've come to the right place. 8mo
Billypar (TW for sexual abuse and rape) 8mo
Cinfhen Wonderful review 😁 8mo
Centique Yes! I know what you mean - these complicated books with which you end up having both positive and negative experiences. Im like that with To The Lighthouse. Such a good review 🙌 7mo
Billypar @Centique Thanks Paula! Yeah, I really enjoyed To the Lighthouse and The Waves overall, but did I enjoy them every time I sat down to read them? Definitely not 🙃 But when they're good, they're very, very good. 7mo
32 likes5 comments
review
Billypar
We Sold Our Souls | Grady Hendrix
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Pickpick

#TitlesandTunes #SexDrugsandRockandRoll
A Faustian tale that isn't really about Faust so much as his bandmate who has to live with the aftermath of his bargain. It's not really about the tragedy of giving into temptation so much as the vacuum of being 'soulless'. When heavy metal becomes nu metal and gets taken over by corporate overlords, it's not mortal sin, just sad. Thankfully this novel has plenty of soul: it's darkly funny and fast-paced 👇

Billypar The ending makes sense logically and isn't weak, but the horror scenes are so unique and effective, I was hoping for a little more of that in the climax. But that's a small point - there's lots to appreciate, including the book itself, all decked out in black pages and red interiors. I'm liking all my picks so far for this series and plan to finally get back on track this month and read the book in its intended month 😸 @Cinfhen @BarbaraBB 8mo
Megabooks Agree! I love how he explored the bargain not from the bargainer‘s perspective. Unique take. 👍🏻 8mo
Billypar @Megabooks Yeah, it didn't even dawn on me until I was writing this review that this was what made it feel so unique. I also enjoyed the special kind of 'punishment' bestowed on Terry in the final pages. 8mo
21 likes3 comments
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Billypar
This Side of Paradise | F Scott Fitzgerald
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#Titlesandtunes #TheWorldIsMyOyster
I've never read anything else by Fitzgerald except the one we all read. While that novel is about someone looking back on his youth, his debut is about a young scholar who's looking ahead to his future with great zeal as he attends Princeton. Nas must have had a similar perspective when he made his debut album Illmatic, and I thought The World Is Yours is perfect for the theme. @Cinfhen @BarbaraBB

Cinfhen Brilliant! Once again you‘ve raised the bar ❤️🎶🙌🏻can‘t wait to see what you do with next month‘s prompt #DramaQueen 😂 8mo
BarbaraBB I‘ve only read that one too 😊, looking forward to your review of this one. And I saw NAS live last year and he was so good, glad to add him to the list! 8mo
Billypar @Cinfhen It took me awhile to come up with the choices for this month's prompt, but I thought of both a book and song for DramaQueen pretty quickly. Looking forward to it! 8mo
Billypar @BarbaraBB Wow, that must have been an incredible show! 8mo
29 likes5 comments
review
Billypar
The Buried Giant: A novel | Kazuo Ishiguro
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Pickpick

I'm not usually a fan of fantasy novels, and I don't usually cry from books, but this one broke both of those trends. I enjoy fantasy landscapes and themes, but I'm a poor visualizer of action sequences and prefer simpler world building. So Ishiguro's brand of fantasy that brings imagery to life through dialogue is perfect for me. The action is short and memorable, much of it being described through one character relaying a tale to another 👇

Billypar This brand of storytelling is crucial for the novel's themes of aging, memory, guilt, and regret. Again, not the usual stuff of an exciting adventure: the two main characters are an elderly couple beginning a quest to find their son, even as a dragon's enchanted breath has stolen their memories. They do meet a more conventional warrior hero, but his role is more complicated to say the least. Although there are many surprises along the way...👇 8mo
Billypar ... the ending is not one of them - you can guess it pretty early on. Yet, that turns out to be a strength rather than a failing because when it finally does come, it's all the more emotional and devastating based on how the story builds and how expertly Ishiguro renders the final pages. Sometimes you finish a novel that's a favorite of the year so far, but this is one of those reads where I'm quite sure I won't read a better one all year 🥇🏆 8mo
Ruthiella I loved this one too. So many readers were unhappy with its slow pace, but that didn‘t bother me. My favorite character was Wistan. I thought it was a complex and sad book, with no easy answers. 8mo
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Billypar @Ruthiella Yeah, it's not as action-packed as some fantasies, but it still has plenty of memorable sequences. The pixies in the river? Terrifying. It would have been easier to nudge Wistan's character more clearly into hero or villain territory, but that complexity makes it a stronger novel. 8mo
Cathythoughts Beautiful review and picture ♥️ 8mo
Billypar @Cathythoughts Thanks! I wish I could more information about the picture itself, besides that it portrays Charon. I got it from this site: https://bodyandface.ru/en/excretory/kto-perepravlyaet-dushi-cherez-reku-stiks-re... 8mo
Suet624 Hmmm…I don‘t usually read this kind of book but you‘re making me curious … 8mo
Billypar @Suet624 I think the higher talking to action ratio was a big plus for me, even though it may be a drawback for other readers. And how many fantasy novels do you get about aging? 8mo
Suet624 @Billypar The aging part is what really interested me... 8mo
31 likes4 stack adds9 comments
review
Billypar
Death in Her Hands | Ottessa Moshfegh
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Pickpick

This novel opens with Vesta, an elderly widow, finding this note in the woods behind the remote lakeside cottage she recently moved into with her dog Charlie. If you think that this sounds like an intriguing opening to a mystery, you should know from the start that this is not that novel. Because it is initially disappointing to find this isn't the mystery you think you're getting. But the odd character study that emerges is truly unique 👇

Billypar In some ways it's a portrait of loneliness, but also what happens when you have complicated feelings about the person you're missing. I'm going to end this review with something I liked that isn't all that important but still gave me a strange delight - the wonderful place names referenced: Levant, Monlith, Bethsmane, Dratchkill, Valtura, Bahl, Port Mary, St. Viceroy. 9mo
Ruthiella I‘ve only read Eileen but I really must read more from Moshfegh. 9mo
Reggie @Ruthiella I will never forget her talking about popping the pimples on her Russian exbf‘s back. Blughhh. 9mo
Billypar @Ruthiella Eileen was the only other one I read also. That will be a tough one to top for me - it's my favorite kind of novel - so unpredictable, funny, and dark. 9mo
Billypar @Reggie Moshfegh does seem to revel in dropping some memorably gross passages 🤢😄 9mo
43 likes5 comments
review
Billypar
Lexicon: A Novel | Max Barry
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Pickpick

#TitlesandTunes #GuiltyPleasure
Way late with this review, but I really enjoyed this fast-paced sci-fi thriller. It seems ready-made for a blockbuster film treatment and has some interesting narrative inversions. My least favorite part was the particular phenomenon: it reminded me of trying to explain the neurological reasons why Harry Potter spells work. But it also doesn't over-explain, which helps it deliver on the action and suspense.

Cinfhen Fantastic review and photo💕 9mo
sarahbarnes My favorite Woolf book editions. 😍 9mo
Billypar @Cinfhen Thanks! 🙂 9mo
Billypar @sarahbarnes Yeah, I love the artwork - it's got a haunting quality to it. 9mo
51 likes5 comments
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Billypar
We Sold Our Souls | Grady Hendrix
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#TitlesandTunes #SexDrugsandRocknroll
Quite behind on this past month's read, so just starting it now, but when does that ever affect choosing a next read?
I decided to go with a double-Hendrix for my pick this month. Grady has long been on my list of authors to try - I've read Paperbacks from Hell but never any of his novels. Message to Love is from Jimi's live album Band of Gypsys, one of my favorites from college. It's chock full of solos 🎸

BarbaraBB I‘m so glad you added Jimi 🖤 (edited) 9mo
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Cinfhen Classic 🙌🏻🖤 9mo
DebinHawaii Great pick! I‘m excited to read this one—it‘s been in my TBR for ages now! 👍👍 9mo
batsy Nice! I'm also keen to read Grady Hendrix at some point. 9mo
Billypar @BarbaraBB @Cinfhen Looking forward to seeing the full playlist! And to adding some rock memoirs to my TBR. 9mo
Billypar @DebinHawaii I'll look out for your review! 😈🎸 9mo
Billypar @batsy I keep vaguely considering him for a Halloween season read, but I shouldn't be saving all my horror for October anyhow. 9mo
35 likes9 comments
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Billypar
I Do Everything I'm Told | Megan Fernandes
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I know I've heard of largehearted boy before (possibly on Litsy?), but I totally forgot its main purpose of combining reading and music, perfect for #TitlesandTunes It's also been around since 2002 so I'm a bit late to the party! One of the features, "book notes" has authors creating a playlist inspired by a recent release of theirs, so I've been listening to the last few of those. My favorite is from Megan Fernandes' poetry collection (tagged).

Billypar @BarbaraBB @Cinfhen @vivastory have you posted about this site before? I'm trying to remember why it sounds so familiar. 9mo
rockpools This is fab! I‘ve never come across this before. 9mo
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Cinfhen WOW!!! This site is AMAZING 🤩 Thanks for sharing!!! I had no idea it existed but now I‘ll be going down the rabbit hole 🍄 9mo
batsy I love that site and it's incredible that it's been going on for decades, I think? I used to read it in the heyday of Bookslut and Maud Newton's blog 🙂 9mo
Billypar @rockpools @Cinfhen I only found it after doing a search for an author I like whose post from a few years ago came up. It's fun to see how varied the lists are and how they explain the connections to their work. 9mo
Billypar @batsy It's crazy for anything on the internet to last so long! I feel like I missed out on the blog era - I don't think I had enough authors and artists in my brain back then to seek out content. 9mo
vivastory This site sounds incredible! 9mo
BarbaraBB I hadn‘t heard of I‘d but this site is incredible! Thanks for bringing it up! 9mo
TheKidUpstairs I had totally forgotten about this site! Thanks for reintroducing me to the rabbit hole. For anyone reading with #CampLitsy23 - Claire Fuller contributed a list for The Memory of Animals 💗 9mo
Billypar @vivastory @BarbaraBB Hope you enjoy it - I'm finding that whether or not an author shares my music taste, the playlists are never dull! 🎶📖 9mo
Billypar @TheKidUpstairs I'm looking forward to trying one where I've actually read the material to see if I can pick up on the vibe that made the author choose the songs. (edited) 9mo
BarbaraBB @TheKidUpstairs That is so cool. Good to know @squirrelbrain ! 9mo
squirrelbrain Thanks for the tag @BarbaraBB - this sounds fascinating @billypar. I shall check out the list for the Fuller book. 9mo
33 likes14 comments
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Billypar
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It's been nearly a decade since I last read a McCarthy novel, but he made an impression on me - my Litsy handle is taken from Billy Parham who appears in The Crossing and Cities of the Plain, two of my favorite novels. I enjoyed those novels even more than Blood Meridian (not pictured), which has one of the most frightening literary villains I've witnessed. But The Border Trilogy focuses on two heroes, which is tougher to pull off in some ways 👇

Billypar John Grady Cole and Billy Parham are fairly unassuming as heroes: they may be cowboy-types, but there is also nothing too dramatic about them. John is quieter than Billy but neither of them say very much. Both seem to share a special bond with horses and often whisper into their ears. But that's about it. Yet somehow they're compelling, even as they confront violence and the more sadistic forces that always seem to pop up in his novels. 9mo
Billypar I haven't read his two latest, but I'm looking forward to revisiting a writer I've enjoyed so much over the years. RIP 9mo
merelybookish Cool to learn he inspired your Litsy handle. 🤎 9mo
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BarbaraBB That‘s a beautiful tribute to him ❤️ 9mo
batsy Lovely tribute. My introduction to him was via his last two books, which despite its bleak nature I found very welcoming/comforting, if that makes sense. I need to read his other stuff. And what a way to go out, with that diptych at the end, at 89! 9mo
Billypar @merelybookish I'm terrible with coming with screen names so I was just glad to think of something 🙂 9mo
Billypar @BarbaraBB Thanks! 9mo
Billypar @batsy Yeah, I'm glad he was able to finish them - I know he was working on them for some time! Totally agree about the comforting feeling in the face of grim realities - I don't think it was always there in his early work but definitely true in The Border Trilogy and The Road. 9mo
43 likes8 comments
blurb
Billypar
Lexicon: A Novel | Max Barry
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#GuiltyPleasure #TitlesandTunes
It seems right to start this post with a confession: I don't have guilty pleasure reads. I read mostly literary fiction and have noticed what people call guilty pleasures are mostly romance or thrillers. My explanation for that is bad versions of those genres can still be fun, but exactly 0 people want a bad LF novel. So I found one thriller on my shelf - actually well-reviewed but check out the tagline 🦴🤐

Billypar Now songs... I've got plenty of guilty pleasures! I still love all the Kelly Clarkson singles, including this one. @Cinfhen @BarbaraBB 10mo
BarbaraBB That tagline sounds quite cheesy! 10mo
Ruthiella Good point! Bad LF is excruciating. 😖 10mo
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Cinfhen Did we just “guilt” you into reading literary cheese??? 😂😂and Kelly Clarkson is TRULY an American Idol 🙌🏻🩷LOVE her 10mo
Billypar @BarbaraBB I know - it feels like it would fit better on a trade paperback from the 1970s. 10mo
Billypar @Ruthiella Yeah - no one's bringing a literary slog to the beach! 10mo
Billypar @Cinfhen Ha - I think maybe you did! 😄 Yeah, she's so good - my ears still perk up if I hear one of those songs now. 10mo
Cinfhen I recently heard this one by her and I instantly became obsessed https://open.spotify.com/track/0yUlMnLpU2W6JQtvg1k4Od?si=LecffFiqRly3dcxyGNkYsQ 10mo
Billypar @Cinfhen That's great - I hadn't heard it before. Thanks for sharing! 10mo
40 likes9 comments
review
Billypar
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Pickpick

Why is LoTF a great novel? Many will point to the symbolic aspects - how the tensions that emerge from the society of the boys mirror the wider world's lusts for power and violence. But for me, that's all icing, and the novel's true appeal is in how it handles the drama among its three leads. Their boyhood felt authentic to me - as they attempt leadership, they also battle fear and indecisiveness, and the suspense builds to unnerving levels.

Cinfhen Love your photo and thoughtful review! 10mo
Billypar @Cinfhen Thanks! 🙂 10mo
48 likes3 comments
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Billypar
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#IslandVibe #Titlesandtunes
I was never assigned Lord of the Flies in school, but it's been a long-time resident on my shelf and one I'd been interested in trying. So this month's prompt is a great excuse, and I'm really enjoying it so far. I just finished the scene where they're feasting on pig meat, so I thought Jimmy Buffett's 'Cheeseburger in Paradise' might be a fitting song pairing (even if a hotdog theme would be even closer 🌭 🏝).

Leftcoastzen 👏😄 10mo
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BarbaraBB Glad you found a reason to read Lord of the Flies, it‘s worth it! And I love the song you chose 🤣 10mo
LeahBergen I read this in grade nine and loved it! 10mo
vivastory I really enjoyed this one when I read it a couple of years ago and find myself thinking about it often 10mo
Cinfhen So glad you found the opportunity to pick up this book!! Fantastic pairing 💙🐷 10mo
batsy I loved this when I read it long ago! I've been scared to reread it because it was kind of like entering a particular world at the right time and you don't know if that world will stay the same when you go back 🙂 I hope you like it; you and I have the same theme for #IslandVibes because I read this one which I also recommend if you like Flies (though A High Wind is more sophisticated) 10mo
Suet624 Read this for school and it put me off reading books. Such cruelty. 10mo
Liz_M Another good continuation of the theme (and was written in reaction to LotF, I think?) is the tagged: 10mo
Billypar @BarbaraBB Me too! The song checks the island and carnivore boxes but may be just a bit off tonally for the material - not sure it would fit on a LoTF film soundtrack 😅 10mo
Billypar @LeahBergen With all of the questionable selections in the high school canon, this one seems like a better choice than most! 10mo
Billypar @vivastory It's got such an intensity right from the start - I can definitely see it sticking with you. 10mo
Billypar @Cinfhen I realized that the last one I just finished also took place on an island but definitely no island vibes in 19th century Sicily, lol (edited) 10mo
Billypar @batsy I have so many old favorites in that category - I'd love to revisit them but fear disappointment. I remember considering A High Wind in Jamaica when I was trying to find possible picks for the nyrb club - I'll definitely have to check it out! 10mo
Billypar @Suet624 I could see that! In most books, I think the leader would be more heroic and stick up for the boy getting picked on, but he's just another bully. 10mo
Billypar @Liz_M That's quite a title - I stacked it. I like it when authors respond to a past novel but do more than just a simple retelling or modern update. 10mo
Rissreads This book is one of my favourites! I read it at school then reread it not long ago. I‘m glad I did as there was so much I had forgotten. (edited) 10mo
Billypar @Rissreads I honestly never realized how many people loved this book - I probably would have picked it up sooner if I had! 10mo
49 likes19 comments
review
Billypar
The Leopard: A Novel | Giuseppe Di Lampedusa
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Mehso-so

What a Shakespearean opening: in 19th century Italy on the cusp of a regime change, a Sicilian nobleman with fading influence sides with his favored nephew over his loyalist son. And the tragic action that unfolds? His nephew gets married and...that's about it. I'm being a little unfair, but the writing, which offers imaginative descriptions and an endearing, satirical humor also isn't quite interesting enough to compensate for the lack of a plot.

kspenmoll Kitty approves! 10mo
BarbaraBB I felt the same whole I had such high expectations 10mo
Susanita I read this in high school for some reason and wasn‘t particularly impressed. 10mo
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Billypar @kspenmoll He's pretty sure he's also a leopard 🐆 10mo
Billypar @BarbaraBB Yeah, I didn't know much about it going in, so I just expected a completely different sort of novel. 10mo
Billypar @Susanita So, I wouldn't be shocked if someone liked this novel - the writing is good. But why someone would think high schoolers should read it is completely beyond me! 10mo
Susanita Right?? I don‘t know if I‘d enjoy it more now, however. 😉 10mo
sarahbarnes Love the review. And that kitty is SO handsome. 10mo
Billypar @sarahbarnes Thanks! And Jem is flattered 😸 10mo
39 likes9 comments
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Billypar
London Fields | Martin Amis
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A favorite author of mine, Martin Amis, passed away yesterday. I think he wrote the best novels with unlikable protagonists. It's kind of a lost art today, but what's great about Amis' novels is they're neither tales of condemnation nor winking approval of bad behavior. And definitely not redemption. But you get great insights into the characters, as unsavory as they may be, and all with a biting dark humor narrating their actions.

Ruthiella I‘ve never read any Martin Amis, but think I should at least read Time‘s Arrow…🤔 (edited) 10mo
vivastory I hadn't heard of his passing. I agree that it's a lost art. 10mo
Billypar @Ruthiella Between Time's Arrow, Money, and London Fields, I'm not sure which is my favorite, but Time's Arrow is the one I'd recommend trying first. It's great fun 🙂 10mo
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Billypar @vivastory It's probably about time for me to pick up another one of his. And I didn't realize how many nonfiction and story collections he's written. 10mo
batsy I've only read Money and The Rachel Papers, but you're so right. He has an unmistakable style & a kind of comic swagger to his prose that also seems increasingly rare now. I want to read London Fields and Information next and check out some of his essays. I'm ambivalent about him because of his politics in the later years, but as a novelist he's up there. 10mo
Liz_M 😭 10mo
Billypar @batsy 'Comic swagger' is such a perfect way to describe the voice that recurs in his novels. I am curious about his essays too - I've heard some quotes and snippets about his politics but haven't read much about his actual beliefs. I think The Information is next on my list of his novels. 10mo
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review
Billypar
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Pickpick

The title refers to the author's grandfather who was a curandero, a type of healer in the Colombian mountainside town where he lived. This memoir details that family history and the incredible tales of her grandfather's and mother's apparent supernatural abilities and their connection to Colombian culture. Those stories seap into present-day and affect the author's life in surprising ways. I'm confident this one will stay with me for a long time.

monalyisha Oh, good! We‘re reading this in my IRL Book Club at some point this year. I suspect it‘ll be a summer read since it‘s fairly short. 10mo
BarbaraBB Great review. I want to read it too, loved 10mo
Billypar @monalyisha It's an excellent book club choice. Some memoirs are good, but there's also not a ton to dig into when you talk about it. You shouldn't have that problem here! 10mo
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Billypar @BarbaraBB That one is on my list now. I thought her writing was fantastic - you get drawn in immediately. 10mo
Suet624 Sounds intriguing. 10mo
youneverarrived Sounds good! Stacking 10mo
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Billypar
Art & Lies | Jeanette Winterson
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Just read this passage while on the train headed to work 😆

tpixie Yikes! What timing! 11mo
nanuska_153 A very depressing way of starting the day 😅 11mo
batsy Ooof! 11mo
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Billypar @tpixie @nanuska_153 @batsy I feel 'seen' at any rate 🙃 11mo
tpixie @Billypar 🌟🌺🩵 11mo
Ruthiella Yikes! 😱😂 11mo
Reggie Lol I laugh because it feels true. 11mo
Billypar @Ruthiella @Reggie It's filled with similar depressingly accurate gems, spoken from a poetic, manic voice. Which is surprisingly fun, lol 11mo
Suet624 Yowzer! 11mo
30 likes9 comments
review
Billypar
Stranger to the Moon | Evelio Rosero
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Pickpick

In just 87 pages, we glimpse a world inside a single house where 'the naked ones', a society of hermaphroditic individuals, live completely cut off from the larger world outside, their only contacts being 'the clothed ones' who visit, have parties, and torment the naked ones for their own amusement. Weird? Yes. But it's a great example of how fantasy can provide insights into the nature of oppression without relying on some simplistic allegory.

BarbaraBB Sounds fab! 11mo
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