Welcome to Litsy!

There‘s a lot going on in this one — some of it a bit crazy. The first half of the book did not sell me at all, but the second half redeemed it for me. It was definitely not my favorite of McMahon‘s, but it had some redeeming qualities.

👤My middle name, Alice, was my grandmother's first name, and her mother's name. I think it goes back further than that too.
👥️Tagged for the author, one of my favorites, who shares my name.
@TheSpineView #Two4Tuesday

Oh this author. She always writes with such original ideas for stories and characters. Burntown has some of her most unique characters and a very strange plot, as always. I liked it, but there are definitely parts of this story that make zero sense. A circus, fire eaters, Thomas Edison, brutal murders, a dynamic fat lady/strongman duo, precocious teenagers, possible supernatural events..if any of this is up your alley give it a shot! #summerreads

I really am bouncing between a soap and a pan. I did finish the book but it has been my least favorite Jennifer McMahon book - who is an auto buy author for me.

Jennifer McMahon is one of my favorite authors that I love to listen to while I walk. However this is probably my least favorite of all her books. The reader did strange voices for some people that really ruined the experience for me. Some of the main characters were just flat and strange. Pru, the circus fat lady who was addicted to speed, might be one of my least favorite literary characters ever. Overall, skip this one. Not worth the time.

I finished Burntown while taking an audio walk at lunch yesterday. It was such a beautiful day in Ohio.

Pretty good story of a murder mystery that spans two generations. It all surrounds Thomas Edison‘s plans for a machine that allows people to speak with the dead. Unique, fun characters that kept me engaged; circus lovers and fire eaters. 🎪🔥#MountTBR (Oil painting credit goes to https://poesoulstudio.com Bell Rock Sedona, Arizona)

Happy October Littens! Are you excited to sign up for Non Fiction November 2020! During the month of November we invite you all to read non fiction!

@Clwojick and I are hosting! Sign ups end Nov 8th 2020

Here is the link to sign up:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeyViS4OkF95mTUzAhMe7n-tM53pSACjNI3EjHF...

I haven‘t had much time to read lately which has been bumming me out. I‘m able to finally have an undisturbed 2 hours to my self on this beautiful day outside and cramming in as much reading as I can for this much needed me time.

I‘m so tired I could pass out with the pups, but I just can‘t put this one down! I love spooky creepy books. Any recommendations are welcome 😊

I tend to really enjoy Jennifer McMahnn's writing... This was no exception! It did a great job holding my attention and building the suspense.

I would recommend this to anyone looking for a suspense/thriller that's not too gory.

📚📖 Happy Reading! 📖📚

Once again Jennifer McMahon did not disappoint. I thought I had this all figured out, I was wrong.
2nd book finished in the #24b4monday 8:27:34.

Took some time out from my #24b4monday to do Yoga. 5 days of walking/yoga done 2 days of weights done and I have met my 6 book goal. #BFCr2 #weeklycheckin
My mom said to me yesterday, "you may no be seeing numbers change, but I see a change in your physical shape."
Yay for positive feedback!
@wanderinglynn

@MaleficentBookDragon Thank you so much! My 7 year old Daughter was giving me the side eye as I made sounds of delight at each package. I Love Jennifer McMahon, after reading Winter People (my first McMahon) I want all her books. You did a great job with this! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!

A slow night in the ICU means another book finished. 👩🏼‍⚕️

While I usually love Jennifer McMahon‘s books this one was just not as thrilling as the others. The characters were likable but the overall theme was not as appealing as I had hoped. Certain details seemed completely thrown in without any actual meaning to the overall plot.

I wanted so badly to love it but I found myself very on the fence about it. Anyone else feel the same?

I‘m down to only 12 in progress books. Yes, I know this is still beyond out of control. I‘m diving back into this one next to see if I can‘t finish it and drop down to 11. I‘m hoping to be in the single digits before January but I do know I‘ll likely read more in between working on the in progress stuff. 😜

I read The Winter People a few years ago, and that book started my love for Jennifer McMahon stories.

And though I still have several of her backlog to read, this will be the next I consume.

Have you ever read a book that completely redefined your taste in different genres?

Current status of #newtsreadathon2018

#GetMovin #BurnItToTheGround

Three books burning ?up my stacks. I read and enjoyed "Burntown" and "Burn Baby Burn" and "Girls Burn Brighter" is in my #TBR stack.

The moment of bittersweet perfection when your three month old has fallen asleep, but you can't decide between trying to sneak in 5 minutes of reading, or follow him to sleep, stat.

California fire over NY for scale, and it‘s still burning. 2018 has been a rough year, folks. Houston, Puerto Rico, Trump and devastating wildfires. If I can find a babysitter for my dog, I‘ll be leaving town for a couple days to find breathable air. Let‘s hope for a happier New Year.

Ash fall from the fires. You can see how muted the sun is through the smoke, reflected in the windshield. Fire at 15% containment (an improvement from the 5% two days ago). It‘s a good day to stay indoors with a book!

Photo from the news. The Thomas fire has been burning since Tuesday and tens of thousands of people in Southern California have evacuated. While my house is thankfully not in the path of the fire, smokey air is at hazardous levels. It‘s gray and eerie all day with the smoke cover and everyone is antsy from being cooped up indoors. I‘m looking at everyone‘s snow pics with envy. ❄️⛄️🌨

Fast-paced, suspenseful, great characters and a little bit of supranatural on the side.

Where her other novels intrigued, even haunted you, Burntown came up flat with an ending so contrived, it makes you wonder if McMahon had no idea how to end it until she was forced to write one.

I usually really love Jennifer McMahon‘s mix of fantasy and suspense, but I‘m having a harder time getting into this book than usual. Thoughts? #jennifermcmahon #burntown #fantasy #suspense

I don't want this book to end because then I'll have to wait for the next book by this author. I adore her.

Finished both of these and it's only day 3 of vacation! 👍(i was almost done with the Kostova when we got here). Butntown was good, super fast read, very haunting and weird and a little magic. I think the main premise of the bad guy was a little far fetched, but I guess people are weird and I can let it go. I loved the depth of the secondary characters in it - the circus was my favorite part!

#JulyStats July was a pretty good reading month with some great books. (I posted my July Best yesterday.) I had less audiobook time this month, but the #24in48 readathon helped add to my count. Not included in the 17 books read are finishing Deathly Hollows & starting The Cursed Child for #hpchapteraday & the first 13 chapters of The Hobbit for #LOTRchapteraday Still not caught up on reviews on Goodreads & Litsy for this month & before. Bad me!😬

This was.... fine. I started reading a paper copy, then spent a Scribd credit on the audio version without completely listening to the preview. This was a mistake- I haaaatteeeeed the audio book narrator.

After a trip to the bookstore, I put about 10 books on hold at the library. Most of them came in this week. #bookhaul

This book scared the crap out of me and I'm only on page 29. I guess I'll have to keep it in the freezer tonight like In that Friends episode 😳

#currentlyreading #scarybooks

This one was a bit of a slow start for me but I'm not sure if it was my mood the day I started the audiobook, the book, or a combination...but today, it kicked in & I couldn't stop listening until the end. Enjoyed the 3 female leads: Necco, Theo & Pru & the twists & turns of the story. Maybe not as creepy as other McMahon books but clever & good. It's the coffeeshop owner's birthday tomorrow & she shared her mini chocolate-cheesecake bites. 😋🍮💜

So twisty and fun

Well my library book break is over. I put all my holds on pause until 6/30 and I picked up 4 today (Burntown was a bonus) and have 7 more in transit right now! I'm about to be drowning in library books again but am going to try to keep up and throw in some of my own in the mix as well over the next month. #libraryhaul #bookhaul #stacks

Loved this book! Of course to like a book there needs to be a good story, and there is, but this book was also paced perfectly- it never slowed down or lagged. I also really enjoyed the characters. At first I wondered why some characters were introduced, however as the story moves along (did I mention the great pace) it becomes clear how these characters will fit and interact. Heroes, villains and a mystery to solve - this book was my cup of tea!

I went to the library. I didn't go to my usual branch since one of the activities on our summer reading program is to visit a different branch than normal. So I checked out these goodies. Will I get to them? Maybe, maybe not but I had a great time browsing different stacks.

#2017Book131
While not as relentlessly creepy as some of McMahon's other novels, Burntown contains its fair share of horror. The story spans a few decades and the reader is given insight into several characters' perspectives. The main thread, though, follows the mysterious murder of a beautiful woman which leads to the supposed suicide of an important professor which leads to the horrific stabbing of the governor's son.

The beginning of the book had me but then it just kind of fizzled out and by the middle I had already guessed the ending. I'm a little disappointed, I really love this author's previous books but the whole secret machine, circus, flood thing didn't get me.

After seeing his mother murdered when he was a little boy, Miles grows up, discovers the true identity of the murder and soon his family is in imminent danger. This is one twisty mutha and one heck of a dysfunctional family. I enjoyed it but a few aspects were a little farfetched, I'm looking at you, Pru! Still I listened to the audiobook in a day. JMcMahon knows how to keep a reader engrossed!

I'm making a concerted effort to spend more time reading but I am also considering trying an audiobook so I don't have to give up too much knitting time. I have previously tried to listen to The Mothers and could not get into. Any audiobook recommendations? Please help so that my knitting does not suffer and neither does my reading!

This is the second McMahon book I've read, and I'm happy to have discovered her. I enjoyed it quite a bit, although the ending felt a bit rushed to me.

I've been in a bit of a slump, just bit spending time reading and now my Bookish Box is lost in the abyss. Last UPS track was May 21 😥

Currently reading...Thoroughly entertaining​.

🍭🍭🍭🍭🍭Wow!! What a read. I don‘t even know how to classify this book. Horror, murder/suspense, supernatural…it‘s all in one. I so enjoyed trying to guess what happens next….I was wrong every. single. time!!

Full review https://reecaspieces.com/2017/05/21/burntown-by-jennifer-mcmahon/

Jennifer McMahon writes books that are difficult to pigeonhole into one specific genre. This is one of the reasons that I am always drawn to her titles. This particular one has many different elements: romance, mystery, thriller, and a hint of the supernatural. I loved the atmospheric setting and the creepy feel of the story, as well as the quirky characters.

This supernatural thriller both captivated me and bored me. It fluctuated between gripping, interesting, and twisty and weird and annoying. It teetered on having too much plot and too many characters but at the same time needing them all to tell the complete story. The writing was strong and creative even if the plot was too big. It passed the time just fine although I can't say move it to the top of your TBR immediately.

I love Jennifer McMahon's books! This was a quick and fun read. This book has made me want to go back and reread Jennifer McMahon's books that I read years ago. This is a pick for me!

A very quick and enthralling read. The characters are always so well developed yet I always leave McMahon's novels feeling that her mystery wrap-up is not as good as it could have been. I enjoy 95% of the novel but never leave totally satisfied. Her conclusions are always rushed and sometimes too ridiculous. Would still recommend as the story and characters were amazing but definitely don't read it for the mystery.