Welcome to Litsy!

#readingoceania2024 #australia Fictionalized account of a real historical figure who was known as a bit of an Australian Robin Hood. Largely written as an explanation of events from Ned Kelly to his daughter it has a rough plot construction. I would have liked to hear more from other characters to have gotten more context but I did learn some Australian history along the way.

This was the second time I tried (because it won the Booker Prize long ago) and I got a bit further this time but it still is a story that doesn‘t interest me in the least. So I call it quits! And onwards!

Read this years ago- still love it with this most recent reading. Peter Carey at his true best.

The tagged book was the best book of June but it didn‘t make the cut to the next level when comparing it to Venice. But trying to pick between Venice and A Symphony of Echoes is too hard for me right now. I‘m too far removed from Symphony and Venice was too recent. I need a pause before I decide the best book for the first six months of 2023. #readingbracket2023

Most of the events of the 1800s involving Ned Kelly & his gang described are true, but the author says he tried to add the texture, the possible why‘s for what Ned Kelly did. It‘s a tremendous success. The Irish were treated so poorly by the English in #Australia, with no legal rights & often abused by the wealthy elite, continuing to punish this convict class—descendants of those delivered here for their punishment—for the sins of their ⬇️

I just finished this audio book (review to come). It was excellent but one of the best things about it is the author‘s interview at the end about the writing of the book, and his last advice to folks who want to be writers

#Australia #foodandlit @Catsandbooks

I‘m getting a head start on my book for June for #foodandlit set in #Australia. @Catsandbooks

#alphabetgame #letterT

@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

So many good books to choose from. Ned Kelly wins for me among firece competition from Things fall apart, The tenant of Wildfell Hall, and Their eyes were watching God

I just finished watching a 3 part series about iconic Australian books called ‘Books that made us‘. It was fantastic! I had read about a third. So my reading resolution for 2022 is to read all the books on this show. I started with this one. I loved it but I was disappointed to learn that some of it was made up. So the true history is not a true history 🤷‍♀️🤣
#ozfiction

#CuriousCovers #Horse
True History of the Kelly Gang and The Golden Mean are both fantastic reads, highly recommended for fans of historical fiction. Machine Without Horses is still TBR, but Humphreys is one of my favourites so I'm sure it'll be great!

@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs

Impressive. A review on the back cover said it quite well - a perfect blend of Dickens and McCarthy. It‘s a little uncomfortable how effectively the book humanizes a notorious outlaw and murderer, in fact, but Carey deftly and often painfully shows how firmly Ned Kelly is trapped by his life‘s horrific circumstances. With no way out, we all might have a little outlaw in us.

My current read for my IRL book club.

It‘s been sitting on my shelves for a shameful number of years. 😆

If you come to True History Of The Kelly Gang looking for, well, a true history of the Kelly gang, you‘re in the wrong place. While Carey did use many historical events and facts from Kelly‘s real life, much of the story is invented, including Kelly‘s love interest and his daughter and his inclination to write his own memoirs. Still, I loved it! Full review here: http://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/true-history-of-the-kelly-gang-peter-carey/

When you decide what you‘ll be reading over the weekend on Wednesday, it takes a lot of pressure off of Thursday and Friday.

Loving this #ManbookerWinner. #audiobook

“If you have felled a tree you know that sound it is the hinge of life before the door is slammed.” #aussielit

After opening with a climactic shootout between Australian gang icon Ned Kelly and police, there's a #ManDown (Under! 😆). But what follows was recovered from the scene- reams of pages scrawled in Kelly's own hand describing what's really behind his notoriety that the papers left out. Picked this for #JuneTunz @Cinfhen before I even saw the #junebookbugs one for today- #setinsouthernhemisphere @RealLifeReading ✌👆

#SetInSouthernHemisphere ... and still on my TBR. 😬 Have you read it?
#JuneBookBugs

Turns out my shelves are full of animals, so I narrowed the selection down to horses 😄 My mom would be proud.

#animaloncover #riotgrams