Welcome to Litsy!

I managed to fit in one more book before New Year‘s Eve starts. But I was too impatient to fully appreciate this little book. 52 micro-memoirs, some gems (especially the ones about married life), some I glanced over before moving on. I‘m calling it quits, looking forward to a new reading year and beginning all those new reading challenges!

(Photo: Les Crosets, Switzerland)

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ #Reread of a book I absolutely loved first time around. It didn‘t quite hold up, but was still enjoyable enough. I docked a star. Rather than calling it “micro-memoirs,” which I previously thought was so clever, it‘s really mostly personal essays. Kudos to marketing!

In every book my husband's written, a character named Colin suffers a horrible death. This is because my boyfriend before I met my husband was named Colin. In addition to being named Colin, he was Scottish, and an architect. So you understand my husband's feelings of inadequacy. My husband cannot build a tall building of many stories.
He can only build a story, and then push Colin out of it.

Delightful, quirky, fun - this book was a joy to read. Each chapter is a short story, so it‘s easy to pick up and enjoy without a lot of characters to keep track of. I can‘t wait to read more of this author.

Rereading this slim memoir today for #nfn2020. It‘s a series of very short( sometimes just a sentence / paragraph) and precise memories that are loaded with meaning and wider significance. The amount of work every word does is immense.

Redefining the genre of non fiction infused with prose poetry and pithy chapters ranging from two sentences to two pages.

Like with any collection, there were parts that I liked more than others, but this one had enough lines that made me laugh and made me wince from truth that it is definitely worth the quick read.

Loved this innovative little collection. They are like a Jackson Pollock painting: at first, you think, it‘s so easy, I could do that, but after reflection and a close look, it‘s simply genius.

https://wellreadneck.wordpress.com/2018/08/17/heating-cooling-52-micro-memoirs-b...

#MonthOfMemoirs

I loved this collection! While it seems at first like a petite portion of prose fit to tickle your funny bone, it becomes something much more. This is quick read great for transitioning from book to book or for anyone who has had trouble finishing things lately.
👏🏼 Ms. Fennelly! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was a quirky bite-sized read. Fantastic as a palate cleanser before a weightier read.

#nonfiction

12 books total this month
All 12 by women authors or editors (Not That Bad did have male contributors)
5 from the library
3 audiobooks
#junestats

Lovely little bite-sized essays about her life. It has a poetry feel, but was mostly prose. Perfection!

brought this gem along on our Spring Break and would feel remiss if I didn‘t tell y‘all how much I loved it! If you have seen mention of Heating and Cooling, you might be wondering if it‘s worth your time because the idea of micro memoirs sounds odd. It only takes an hour or so to read, and trust me when I say that I would have read a 300+ page book of Fennelly‘s uproarious, emotionally raw, and searing wit. Definitely worth your time. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I thought this started out a bit light but it grew into a profound collection. I especially loved the writing about her sister and children. The micro-memoir pictured was my favorite- the change in tone is breathtaking.

A wonderfully crafted memoir in 52 short episodes, some just a sentence, others 4 pages long. Some of the memoirs are almost like poems in complete sentences. What I loved is these are very open and beautifully observed, Fennelly hones in on the details of life. Because of this, unlike other memoirs, it felt very universal & less about the authors life and more about prodding my own memory and reflection on relationships, marriage and family.

“When I was a girl with a book in my hand I could go to a place so deep no one could follow “

Think I spent many years as a kid in that place. I loved it there.

Pausing my walk to dive into my #Easterbasketbookswap

Crazy coincidence- whilst walking I was listening to the ever brilliant Reading Women and @autumnprivett and @kdwinchester were talking about a recent interview with the new to me author that I have in my bag! You‘re so on point @BookNAround

Loved these quick reads! 💚

#QuickRead #ReadingResolutions

Did you know we have a new Q&A on the blog with Beth Ann Fennelly? We both loved these mini, poetic stories that manage to be both touching and funny, while often fitting on one page. As she says, "The micro-memoirs in HEATING & COOLING explore the reverberations of a moment, particularly moments that seem small, unimportant, but, when the noise and clutter are cleared away, reveal themselves to be central to identity." It‘s on our website!

I‘m a big memoir fan and I loved this unique take on the genre. Fennelly presents snippets of her life that give you almost enough. I appreciate the missing pieces. The style works. These thoughtfully-written essays range from a couple sentences to a few short pages. I want more!

Quite enjoying this little book. Thanks for bringing it to my attention a few weeks ago @Well-ReadNeck !

#currentlyreading #booksandbrews

Just finished this cute little book that the wonderful @booknaround sent me. It's 52 "micro memoirs" that are mostly recollections of sad, funny or meaningful things that happened in the author's life. I loved the sense of humour and writing style and found that some of the shortest stories were the most moving. Fennelly sure does have a way with words. A definite recommendation from me.

"Everything she had was better than everything the rest of us had. Not by a lot. But by enough."

I sort of loved this. Seems like such a fun and difficult form to master, but such a lovely and vulnerable book.

#libraryhaul

Went into the library to pickup the teeny Heating and Cooling and found a couple of other goodies, too. #sorrynotsorry

I enjoyed most of these essays. They just left me wanting. It‘s a slim volume. We get a glimpse of her grief but no explanation about her sister‘s death. That is just one topic she covers. Well-written but not quite satisfying.

This seems like the perfect read for these mild southern “winters” we have. As soon as I heard of HEATING & COOLING, I knew I had to read it. It‘s a collection of micro essays that come together to create a micro memoir. Can‘t wait to jump in. What are you reading this weekend? - A

Thanks @w.w.norton for sending us a copy.

I picked this up yesterday at McNally Jackson and I am thoroughly enjoying it so far. It‘s making me laugh and appreciate how hard it must be to write a memoir in this short piece form.

Not gonna lie - super disappointed in this one. I didn‘t get it. This is now considered a book?? It‘s nothing more than musings - some just a sentence or two! Maybe I had higher expectations for a book I receive through a subscription service. Maybe the reviews had me hyped up for something different. I‘m not sure, but this book did absolutely nothing for me.

At the Southern Festival of Books - just heard Beth Ann Fennelly the Poet Laureate of Mississippi reading from her work Heating and Cooling:52 Micro Memoirs. She is a wonderful speaker and the essays are by turns hilarious and poignant. I will be buying this one!

Short but powerful... micro memoir is a good description of the content. Parts have got my mind cranking ... looking for other work by Fennelly.

#confession: I may leave an hour early for work because traffic is a crap shoot or my built in emergency time may actually be built in reading time away from text and stupid questions... ARC in the mail yesterday. Have a great day ☀️

Super excited, because this is not on the library's to be ordered list yet.

I left this feeling like I could have a chat with the author. While the stories are truly micro, they're also revealing. Witty, quick read.

This tiny book is superb! I'm sharing one of the shorter micro-memoirs to give you a taste of Fennelly's writing style. It's very witty and honest.

(Comes out in October)

devoured these clever "micro memoirs" in a sitting, sharing several with @helgagrace on the way

Loving these micro-memoirs! It's incredible how much can be captured in one or two paragraphs 📚🙌

Oh man. I wish I hadn't blown through this book as fast as I did but I couldn't help it. (And anyway, I will reread it but slower in the future.) Funny and sweet and heartbreaking and gorgeous and most of all genuine, always. I will be recommending this to everyone, forever, I think.

When I was a girl with a book in my hand I could go to a place so deep no one could follow.