1. The 90s when I was a teenager.
2. Ebook. I like that I can make the font bigger when I'm tired!
3. Older. Just.
4. No, not even in the same country, but at least on the same continent!
5. #friyayintro @howjessreads

A quick #booked2019 update...

This was between a so-so and a pick for me. It's a story about repeating climate catastrophes. I think I liked it because I sympathized with the author's perspective so much, but there wasn't much of a story about the protagonists as such.

#booked2019 #clifi

(I had no idea what clifi was before this reading challenge. My initial thought was something a lot naughtier.)

A disturbing thriller considered one of Rendell's best. It really takes off once Eunice meet her friend and accomplice, Joan. There are some vaguely preachy and some outdated bits (did watching American cop shows influence her?) but overall it's not just a story about class, but about how people of different communities can live side by side, even in the same house with no understanding of each other.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

How did I end up with three creepy thrillers on the go at the same time?
😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱

The Plague Charmer by Karen Maitland: a very readable medieval thriller I had picked up randomly at some point (might have been a 3 for 2 offer).
Judgment is Stone by Ruth Rendell: from my lifetime reading list. I'll probably finish it tonight.
The Circle by Dave Eggers: another #lifetimereading nominee and #booked2019 #socialmedia read.

A bittersweet snapshot of a small Icelandic town and its inhabitants on a summer evening.

Short and satisfying. ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

My first read from Peirene Press, a small publisher that brings out a few translations of short European literary fiction each year. Their catalogue looks very good. https://www.peirenepress.com/

#booked2019 #featuresamusician

@Cinfhen @4thhouseontheleft @BarbaraTheBibliophage

Thoughts as I go along:

1. I have always been bothered by the mild boy's own adventure feel. The worst that can happen to Orwell is that he has to return to his well to do parents' house. Would his view of poverty be different without this?
2. The misogyny! Ok, sex sells, but do we have to start off with a rape fantasy. (At least I hope it's a fantasy.)

I am in the process of putting together a list of books I've read in my twenties to re-read - some I liked, some I didn't - to see what I will make of them a decade or more later. I've been re-reading books regularly of course, some of them many times (for example Anna Karenina) but I want to do this in a more planned way, to run in tandem with my lifetime reading plan. (Right now based on 1001 books / Guardian 1000 books + assorted plays).

After last week's lovely reads, I am back in a reading slump.

Trent's last case is an ok detective mystery, but it is more of historical interest, spanning Victorian suspense with modern detective mysteries.

After loving Slade House, I ended up bailing on Bone Clocks by David Mitchell as I just couldn't face the meandering plot.

My #firstpost on Litsy was about the tagged book (a "pick"), got five likes and my #firstlike was from @EvieBee . Two years and many likes later I'm still very happy to be on Litsy!

@DebinHawaii @daisydo @LeahBergen @BookishTrish

Not sure who started this #firstlike thing, I've just seen it on my feed!

Quirky, creepy, shocking, hilariously funny; this book has to be read to be believed. The author had worked for many years in a convenience store to support herself while writing.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Straits Times article with interesting background info: https://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/arts/books-18-years-of-convenience-store-...

A literary thriller about a psychopath and the girl he kidnaps. It can be read on many levels: as a straight thriller, a commentary on class, a criticism of angry young man literature, a parable on a certain kind of marriage. Even though they are forced together they are unable to understand the first thing about each other.

Creepy, thought provoking and a quick read.

4.5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Currently trending ony Facebook feed. I've got a good Facebook feed. 😀

Valley of the dolls 99p on the Kindle. Another love or hate cult classic I haven't read yet.

A compulsively readable contemporary haunted house story. It's creepy but not full on horror. I liked that the setting was both the same and completely different in every chapter.

I did not realise that this was a sequel to Bone Clocks, but luckily it is also a sequel to The 1000 Autumns of Jacob de Zuit, which I've read.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ would make a perfect Halloween read

Already started Bone Clocks!

I have read a record breaking 41 books so far this year (thanks, influenza!), so I thought I'd have a look at how I'm doing on my current reading goals.

I've read 13 books from the combined 1001 books to read / Guardian 1000 books / plays I want to read list that's my current #LifetimeReadingPlan . ✔️
I've read 4 science fiction / speculative fiction books. ✔️
But so far I've failed to read any of the long novels I set for myself. 😱

My tentative TBR for the spring quarter of #booked2019 . 🌷🌷🌷

They are all books I own. I've already read Stone Gods by Jeanette Winterson for my #clifi selection, but I haven't posted a review on Litsy yet!

@Cinfhen @BarbaraTheBibliophage @4thhouseontheleft

This might be interesting for those who are doing the #shakespearereadalong : there are two episodes of BBC In Our Time on the relationship between Shakespeare and historical fact. The first us on the Plantagenets (including the current readalong play, Henry IV part I) the second is on the Roman plays. Here's a link to the podcast:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0000nd9

@GingerAntics

As much a murder mystery as a spy novel. The plot is not as complex as in other le Carre novels, but it is an enjoyable read. I liked finding out more about Smiley's past.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Follows the life of a disparate group of neighbours in a north London suburb over six months. The crimes themselves are less important than the interesting descriptions of people's odd lives and motivations. This being London, by the end of the six months all but one of the residents have moved on. Interesting psychological portraits rather than a psychological thriller and I was pleased to guess the culprit.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ An easy but engaging read.

A brilliant start to Hilary Mantel's Fludd. She is now one of my go to authors and I am working my way through all her novels. 💗

Word of the day: honorificabilitudinitatiubus. Meaning: ??

One of Shakespeare's neologisms that didn't take, possibly due to the non-appearance of Mary Poppins in the play, as it can be pronounced to the same rhythm as supercalifragilisticexpialadocious.

Starting what I think will be the perfect read for spring / summer, listening to birdsong in my garden.

Enjoying a ridiculously warm February day.

#dogsoflitsy
#babiesoflitsy

From Book Memes on Facebook

😂😂😂

And #booked2019 winter is a wrap!

Female investigator: Lindsey Davis, The Third Nero
Fairytale retelling: Jeanette Winterson, Sexing the Cherry
Happy place: Stella Gibbons, Cold Comfort Farm
Related to podcast: Hilary Mantel, Beyond Black
Irish author: Roddy Doyle, Snapper
New to me author: Sally Rooney, Normal People

@Cinfhen @BarbaraTheBibliophage @4thhouseontheleft

Apparently it is #LoveYourPetDay
And though I love them all every day, here's a picture of my little pack looking out the window.

#dogsoflitsy

My least favourite book by Barry so far. I prefer his less epic novels with a smaller, more domestic setting.

1. I am just outside London, UK in a small village in Surrey.
2. Literary novels, mystery, history non-fiction
3. Barbara Pym, Henry James, Willa Cather
4. We have always lived in the castle is the first that sprang to mind right now

Playing along with @EchoLogical for #socialsunday 😊

Midnight: just finishing a great book, listening to the rain and my dog's breathing as he sleeps in his bed. All else is calm and quiet. Bliss.

♥️🌃🌧️🐶

(My husband's on a business trip, so no snoring!)

Thank you! My Litsy score just passed 10k!

As a reward (or punishment) to my followers, here's my version to the popular nursery rhyme "the grand old Duke of York":

The grand old dog of York,
He had 10,000 fleas,
He marched them up to the tip of his tail and he marched them down again.
And when they were up they were up and when they were down they were down, but when they were only halfway up they were neither up nor down!

I feel like this photo ought to have a glass of champagne and some confetti in it - congratulations, you finished it! - but all I could manage was the toy caterpillar.

It is a good book, but (a) it's a family saga and I'm not much into family sagas (b) it's long and (c) it is possibly less deep than the author intended it to be.

I don't regret reading it, but struggled for the last 100 pages or so.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

#lifetimereading

I've got the flu, I'm bored, and I've been going through my TBR, looking at #booked2019 prompts. I have been putting together a list for spring and I thought: what is it with books with musicians in them? I've read 3 this winter (The Commitments, Eleanor Oliphant and just finishing The Noise of Time) and I still have at least 5 on my TBR (2 by Rose Tremain, 2 by Ishiguro and Visit from the Goon Squad.) Could be a reading challenge in itself...

Why haven't I read Roddy Doyle before? This novel is really funny. But there is more to it than you'd think at first sight. There is also trauma here and severe limitations by society, overcome by love and a kind of gallow's humour.

After a recent traumatic pregnancy, it also made me remember the good parts for the first time.

Can I just be adopted by the Rabbitte family now?

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Image from the 2018 stage production.

Another classic play I finally got round to reading. (I like reading plays probably more than watching them. I'm weird that way.) I stopped counting the times I wanted to punch Nora's husband, Torwald.

"A woman cannot be herself in modern society with laws made by men and with prosecutors and judges who assess female conduct from a male standpoint." Ibsen

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Link to some background in the comments.

A ghost story without a ghost. A fascinating novella that I'll be guaranteed to reread. There are so many possible interpretation s of what goes in here. It's probable that more meaning can be read into it than the author ever intended. It is so short, I can't say much more about it, without giving the plot away.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Highly recommended

A short, readable biography. It helped me consolidate the various facts I have picked up about Shakespeare. As far as I can tell Bryson keeps to facts and points out what is speculation.

Image: isn't the Dutch cover brilliant?

Couldn't resist reposting this Facebook funny. Happy Friday!

#meme #joke

The twelve dancing princesses was one of my favourite tales as a child. I always liked that in the version I knew the successful suitor didn't marry the youngest or prettiest princess but the oldest because he thought they would suit each other best.

So my #fairytaleretelling for #booked2019 is Sexing the Cherry, which is partially inspired by this tale.

I am about halfway through and really enjoying it.

This is a quick, easy and enjoyable read. It was great to read about love between a relatable married couple in early middle age. I will be buying this book as a gift, as I can think of more than one friend who would like it. A definite recommend.

Another #NewYearWhoDis read recommended by @Joriebooks. I managed to read two from the list. Thank you for organising, @monalyisha !

Snow and sunshine just outside London. My dog is super happy playing outside. 😊

Yes, Clarke predicted a lot of technological developments (although there are still way too many fax machines in here). But there are much better written and more interesting classic sci-fi novels out there that aren't nearly so depressing. The overall message (or was there even one?) was unconvincing. The only entertaining bit for me was the form the overlords took.

#1001books #LifetimeReadingPlan

This #BlameItOnLitsy purchase came yesterday. Thank you @Hooked_on_books @8little_paws for recommending it!

I have just reread this book and I still laughed as much as at my firstvread. While fictional, Cold Comfort Farm definition qualifies as a #happyplace for me: somewhere to visit when I feel down.

I wonder if someone who has never read Hardy or Lawrence would find the book quite as funny. I have also noticed that there are quite a few Comfort Farms in real life Sussex.

#booked2019 @BarbaraTheBibliophage @Cinfhen @4thhouseontheleft

A lot of misery and suffering, but I have to agree that this is Zola's best novel. The novel rises above melodrama in order to speak more deeply about the human condition. The last part of the novel is like a real punch of horror.

It is worth noting that the same kind of coal mining still goes on in parts of the world today and 15 Indian miners died recently in a mine disaster:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-46734451

20 things about me (and I managed to find the title of a book I like with the word twenty in it!)

Nominated by @merelybookish. I am nominating the last 5 people I followed who haven't seen to have done this yet to say hello: @Sassenach1 @Gissy @sixgun @EliseJames @blamethestardust

(Sorry, @Literaturenut I saw you posted this already, but hello anyway!)

#twentythings #twentythingsaboutme

An easy to read, feel-good scifi book. Sympathetic characters and an interesting world. This is a picaresque novel with an episodic plot, but I did wish the overarching plotline was stronger. There was one plotline in particular that I thought wasn't fully exploited. (See comments.)

Enjoyable but probably also forgettable.

This was recommended to me by @Joriebooks as part of the #newyearwhodis challenge organised by @monalyisha.

Three chapters in, and if it wasn't for the glowing reviews on Litsy I would be bailing right now. Not sure I want to spend any more time with Eleanor. She is creepy and in a bad way.

Image: http://zirkusdesign.com/free-novel-art-print-eleanor-oliphant-is-completely-fine...

If this was published today, it would probably be a YA novel: unique protagonist changes dystopian world. Seemingly inevitably, I ended up liking his pet obsessed best friend better.

A lot of the elements of this book have been reproduced in other fiction (eg domed city) or in reality (uploading to and downloading stuff from the cloud) making the story less striking and surprising than it might have been originally.

Recommended to genre fans.

About to make some home-baked doggy treats for a dog rescue fundraiser I am helping to organise.

This is a lovely cookbook full of healthy recipes for our four legged friends, from the founder of Lily's Kitchen organic dog foods.

#cookerybook #cookbook #dogsoflitsy