Welcome to Litsy!

4-17-23: My 40th finished book of 2023! Grace, a therapist, has the ideal life. A husband she loves who is an pediatric oncologist and a son who attends the prestigious Manhattan private school, Reardon, the school she attended as a child. She is even about to publish her first book in which she scolds women for not bailing their intuition when it comes to first impressions in relationships. Then a murder occurs and it shatters Grace‘s world.

This was between a pick and so-so for me. I watched the TV version of this entitled The Undoing during COVid lockdown. After reading this novel, I feel that they did a good job on the TV version which moved along faster and was a bit more suspenseful than the book. I did appreciate getting inside the main character‘s head while reading this but felt it was somewhat long winded at over 400 pages.

Ding ding ding ding. I believe this is my first grid this year where the entire grid was published prior to 2021. And look at me working down that Elin stack! Some slightly better than average but sometimes that‘s how it goes. Tagged my favorite.

5* = Loved It, want non-reader IRL friends to read. I do/will own a physical copy. A+
4*= I liked it, would love to discuss. Solid B
3*=Meh, no need to discuss. Average C
2*=Nope D
1*=DNF F

I had a blast binge-watching the Undoing a few months ago. As I was stacking The Plot to my TBR, I saw the tagged by the same author was the inspiration for the limited-series (I know - I should have known), and the audio was available so I checked it out. The essence of the series matched the book, but there were enough differences that I was completely engaged in this original.

August BookSpin #DoubleSpin

I actually think that the book's new publishing name, The Undoing, suits it much better. I have been doing this thing this year where I choose books simply on their cover (or every once and a while, on a good review). I could swear I found this in the thriller section, but it is not at all a thriller, so that may have clouded my judgement as I read it. Overall, well written and vaguely sentimental. Not my usual, but good nonetheless.

Watching the adaptation of this book, The Undoing, on HBO. 85 year old Donald Sutherland delivering a calmly terrifying threat in extreme close-up while assuring the recipient that he will prevail because he is “an old-fashioned cocksucker who will destroy anyone” who hurts his loved ones is simply masterful. 😳🔥

I read this because the first 2 episodes of The Undoing were so compelling! Now I feel the compelling , razor-sharp class commentary in the book is much better!

Thought I would try finishing this book before I watched anymore of the HBO series, and I‘m glad I did!

Happy Friday, Littens! And happy holidays too! We had a quiet Christmas at my house this year, just me and the hubs. We went on a bike ride, watched some movies, did some puzzling. His gift to me this year is an Introvert's Retreat subscription! ❤️ How are the holidays treating you this year?

A marriage therapist writes a book about how women should learn to trust their intuition when it tells them that a guy isn't going to be Prince Charming -- and then she is stunned when her own husband disappears after a horrific crime. Good pacing and a psychological examination of a marriage that kept me reading right to the end. 4/5 stars

This book needed some serious editing! It‘s 400+ pages, which in my opinion, is a length best reserved for multi-generational family sagas, not psychological thrillers. I liked the underlying storyline, but there was just way too much unnecessary description and “noise” for the first 3/4 of the book. I skipped/skimmed many pages. This would have been a pick at 250 pages, but a meh at 400+.

Starting a new book! Pairing with a day off and a nice hot bath with a pumpkin spice fizz!

@Schlinkles @TsundokuAleax @starrdom would either of these books appeal to you for the #LMPBC ? Both have been on my TBR. Pardon my cat (lol).

I think was a great book to listen to on my work commute. I liked Grace as the narrator, though I felt she would have reached some of the conclusions sooner with how intelligent her character is.

Happy Book Day!! My favorite holiday ever! Also great because the clerk at my local B&N was impressed with my book haul skills. All this PLUS bookmarks for UNDER $50. Gotta love clearance!

I could not put this incredible book down! Intensely character-driven, the plot of this realistic, literary thriller mixes genres to deliver a story that is the perfect blend of suspense, introspection, and cultural critique.

My downstairs TBR is officially a little out of control ? I keep TBR piles all over the house (although I can't tell if it really bugs The American and he's just being nice or if he truly doesn't care, but whatevs - this is what happens when you love a reader), but the downstairs one is usually my "read these first" pile. Two library holds came in and my library book club choice and now I don't know what I'm doing with my life.

I would have thought that reading a thriller from just one perspective (of the one woman who absolutely does not want to uncover the truth, no less) would frustrate me, but it was fantastic and balanced. Great read

I found this book well-written. It was a familiar theme of a successful woman and her journey back as the life she knows spins out of control. I liked the protagonist, Grace. Ending was not great but it wrapped up what needed to be dealt with. Good summer read.

I liked this ... until the end. When I finished I felt slightly dissatisfied, like I was finishing a meal that, while tasty, was not my favorite. I am not sure how I wanted it to end - just differently than it did. Despite this, I will read more of this author.