Welcome to Litsy!

The most #brown cover I could find. Now I‘ve dug the book out, I kind of want to read it again. That wasn‘t in the plan! #gratefulharvest

As promised, here‘s my book and highly-inappropriate Christmas bookmark combo @TrishB ! The colours kind-of go. And one of the characters does like Christmas, even if his is looking super-dystopian this year! (Yep)

Thank you for sending me this @Cathythoughts - and sorry it‘s taken me so long to read. It really was excellent.

I loved these short stories, esp. the writing. Hall's prose is elegant, effortless. Reading the stories made me feel contemplative and sophisticated. Themes include a woman who turns into a fox, a woman with a terror of heights who crosses a high bridge, a post-apocalyptic world with constant high winds. But it wasn't the content, rather the authenticity of the feeling that captured my attention. They are scary in their perceptiveness and truth.

Perfect autumn evening inside as the rain falls outside 🔥🌧🍷📖🎃

Also! I have finally calculated my points for #TeamHarkness for this week and last week. I've been on vacation and then really busy at work, so I've just been fitting in reading whenever I can and haven't been able to work around any readathons.

Still, I hope a few points are better than none!
Week 1: 68
Week 2: 38

#Scarathlon @StayCurious

Wonderful and wonderfully varied stories. Shadowy themes and rich language. I found something to love in each one, but my favorites were "Mrs Fox," "Wilderness," and "Evie." That last one is gonna haunt me for a while.

"He might find comfort in the sinew of winter, when nothing exists but that which is already exposed, and so he does, slowly, and as the earth tilts back towards the sun, his mind begins to ease a little. To be comfortable inside one's sadness is not valueless. This too will pass. All things tend towards transience, mutability. It is in such mindful moments, when everything is both held and released, that revelation comes."

❤

#MOvember #GirlGoneWild from the collection Madame Zero! Mrs Fox, my favorite short story❤️ 🦊

“At his feet she sits with her tail rearing. Exceptional, winged ears. Eyes like the spectrum of her blended fur..... he lifts her..... “

Sarah Hall shows off her virtuoso skill in this collection of short stories that shift from folkloric to science fiction to contemporary surrealism. Dark, sometimes funny, often sensual — stories of inner lives in unsettling times.

He pictured a buffalo. It was enormous & black-brown. It had a giant head & the shoulders of a weightlifter, a tapered back end, small upturned horns. The image came from a picture he‘d kept in a box in the bunker, one of the things Craig had taken. The buffalo looked permanently, structurally braced.

She turns fully and hoists the tail around beside her like a flaming sceptre. Slim limbs and slender nose. A badge of white from jaw to breast. Her head thrust low and forward as if she is looking along the earth into the future.

The first time I read Mrs Fox, the first story in Madame Zero, the hairs stood up on the back of my neck.

Among many memorable sentences:
What can be decided in a few moments that will not be questioned for a lifetime?
It is like trying to wrap fire.
What would become of her, and, with her, his hope?
If anyone were to ask, he would say, I am not without happiness.
The vividness, the contrasts and transformations, make this story unforgettable.

Another great book of short stories and they're so good for a commute! I definitely want to read more of Hall. 5 stars, book 10

Productive day so far.
Book 5 of the year finished and sent to @RachelO for #lpmbc and another package sent to @TCLinrow for #mhroundrobin. Sorry I'm so late both!
And returned two books and got two books out the library, Sarah Hall new to me but heard great things, and couldn't resist another Groff after loving Florida.

Thank you so much for your generosity and kindness @Cathythoughts! Can't wait to read this, particularly the story you liked. ❤❤❤

#InBetween @RachelO congratulations 🎉. And thankyou for your generosity. I usually don‘t read short stories or books. But I would highly recommend the tagged book of stories, especially the first story: Mrs. Fox 👍🏻🦊.
I would be interested in Every Note Played, this sounds very good ❤️👍🏻

An interesting collection of short stories with some magic realism, science fiction and dystopian styles. There was a heavy thread through the collection on motherhood which was a challenge for me but some intriguing persectives. After suggesting it for book club, I found myself worrying a bit about what some of my less literary book clubbers would think but many found at least some stories engaging. It sparked some good conversation at the least.

#litsybookmail
Thank you @Cathythoughts this was a wonderful care package ❤️
The scarf is lovely - you just can‘t see it properly in the picture!!
Chocolate will be eaten with wine tonight 😁and I shall certainly try the short stories!
Happy St Patrick‘s Day 🇮🇪

#FierceFeb #NoOrdinaryLove good call for Valentines Day 👍🏻❤️. I‘m posting this book again 🙈. Short stories Madame Zero by Sarah Hall. First story is Mrs Fox ( my fave ) & the love that Mr Fox has for Mrs Fox is no ordinary love. But, I‘ll say no more, 🤐, you will have to read the story to find out why. Happy Valentine‘s Day Literary Friends. ❤️❤️❤️❤️sending warm wishes to you all.

#FierceFeb #nasty Madame Zero is a short story collection- we read for bookclub- & it‘s excellent. In the final story called EVIE, Evies husband becomes nasty, nasty is too easy a word for what he becomes. Very nasty & horrible. I‘m not a short story fan, but would highly recommend this book 👍🏻

#Quotsyjan18 #invention @TK-421 From The tagged book , the short story Mrs Fox ! Mrs Fox. Re - invents herself ✨✨✨✨✨✨

Madame Zero is a book of short stories for our Bookclub. The first story Mrs. Fox would sound like a fairy tale if I tried to describe it. But it is not. For me it was poignant, one of the best little reads this year. The last story Evie : while I was reading it I felt, no , too graphic, not for me. But looking back on Evie , it is staying with me , as is Mrs Fox. The stories in between are good too. Mrs Fox & Evie are outstanding. Excellent 5⭐️

#DeckTheShelves #ReindeerGames @JoeStalksBeck @Tiffy_Reads this is the closest I can get to #Reindeergames Myself & @Julielovesbooks & my oldest friend Ger ( who will be a Litten soon ) out on the town for our “ Christmas Party “ We had a ball 🎄😍🎄🎄Rudolf the red nosed reindeer ......🎼🎼🎹🎹🎻I got Madame Zero for Ger for Xmas ✨

#QuotsyDec17 #Flight @TK-421 she has taken flight. This is my first #Shortstory #ReindeerReads @Jess7 from Madame Zero. I cannot recommend highly enough. Sarah Hall has blown me away with stunningly beautiful writing. Please read Madame Zero Littens. It is extraordinary ✨✨✨

#JingleShelves #bookclubread @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @bookloo This is our present #bookclubread As soon as I finish The Dry I will begin Madame Zero. ❤️💫💫

These are short stories for people who love the intrigue and challenge this type of fiction presents to a reader. One of those really solid literary fiction collection that shows the art of the short story. Highly recommend to connoisseurs.

BONUS It‘s pretty with and without the jacket.

Random library grab

Enjoying these short stories.

Heard about this on #allthebooks and I enjoying it, only a few pages in.

Evening reading. 📖

Won an advanced proof on Goodreads. I just started reading and my sister's dog has already mangled it a bit. This is why we can't have nice things.