Welcome to Litsy!

Book haul

I'm not doing so well with my book choices lately first I couldn't get into Furious Hours by Casey Cep and now I can't get into Grist Mill Road.

Probably I need to stay away from the bookstore for awhile. 🤣🤣🤣

Christopher J Yates‘s debut literary thriller examines the events leading to a childhood crime and its ramifications from the perspective of each protagonist with pacing sacrificed for character development, which is unfortunate as I found them little more than stock caricatures whose decisions solely serve the plot and were therefore difficult to relate to while the plot itself is predictable and a little true so it never really engaged me.

So so for me. No plot twists thst had me like 🤯. Kinda predictable. I did like how it was written in split narrative and time line. Written well and easy to follow. Just continued to be pretty underwhelming.

Trying to get into this one.. so far a little underwhelming.

At the airport! I always allow myself a stop at the bookstore at the airport if there‘s time! This is the book I decided to buy-I like to browse awhile and my husband was rushing me 😂😂 #NewOrleansHereWeCome

I‘m a little out of sorts because I‘m still in the middle of a book but it‘s not mine and it‘s big so I didn‘t bring it along. But I can‘t stop thinking about it!

I tore through this book and enjoyed it but am not sure I liked it, if you know what I mean??

I would not recommend this book. Some of the visual descriptions are very vivid and I enjoyed that. I‘m familiar with this part of New York and the author did a nice job highlighting the beauty of the landscape there and all the and rock formations. But.....the plot, the twists, meh.....didn‘t like it very much.

The first chapter made me feel queasy. Ugh, what a start!

Meh. Started ok, but took a turn for the “...really?” by the end.

Ugh. I hate giving this a so-so but it got so boring towards the last 3rd of the book and the end was just terrible. It got so predictable that I grew really bored. Yates writing is great so maybe I'll try his debut novel Black Chalk but I'm so glad to be done with this one. #springreads #thrillers #threestars

I was not super impressed with this book, but I did want to talk about it. A bunch of things got me thinking, like the way the mystery was introduced and the way suspense was built.

I am loving the way this book is written. The past is told in first person and the "present" in 3rd. Makes for a very interesting read. Only 30+ pages in but the story is already filled with so many twists and turns! #springreads #thrillers #mysteries

Just started this thriller and it's already thrown me for a loop!
#audiobooks #librofm

The Chalk Man kept coming to mind while listening to GMR. Certainly a different plot, and less gripping and suspenseful, but still I thought it decent and entertaining. His prior novel, Black Chalk has the same GR ratings, roughly 3.5, so I won‘t be jumping right to it, but haven‘t ruled it out as a possible quick read/listen. If you‘ve read GMR, or BC, I‘d love to hear your thoughts! #thriller #book #audiobook #litsy

I feel so bad I haven't posted in some time. Between having family come visit for the week and trying to finish up my semester I really haven't been reading. I am really excited to get to this one and will hopefully have a few days of reading ahead! #springreads #busybee #thriller #mystery #readerproblems

Yates does it again! I loved BLACK CHALK and this second novel did not disappoint. I was hooked into the story from the first page (an amazing first chapter) and the different viewpoints really worked for me. Highly recommend.

Rating: 2/5 Stars
I struggled with connecting with the characters and found this boring. Nothing was surprising and was confusing at times.
#bookstagram #audiobook #bibliophile #thriller #gristmillroad #bookreview #pan

He has done it again, this book has been bumped up into my top 10 favorites. I had the hardest time putting this book down, it's and edge of your seat story and I couldn't read it fast enough. Every time I thought I knew where the story was going, the next chapter would change everything and I was left guessing on what would happen next and how would it end. This is a truly incredible and well written this book.

There was so much to sift through in this story. Grist Mill Road has made an impact on me, and it may not be for everyone, but I will recommend it nonetheless because it is a mesmerizing piece of fiction that will surprise you with how it‘s able to pull emotions from you that you would never expect. You just have to keep an open mind. ? …See the full review at www.thegenreminx.com #bookreviewer #TheGenreMinxBookReviews

Library book, hammock, and a 70 degree spring day in Texas. ❤️ #relaxingsunday #metime

I pearl ruled this sucker. Maybe the writing improves. Maybe the characters become more complex and less boring. Maybe a credible explanation is given as to how a police beat tabloid journalist and her solidly unemployed husband afford a penthouse in a doorman building in Manhattan. I lost the patience to continue.

Going to read for about 30 minutes before work ❤️ Panama City Beach is beautiful this morning!

Well, when you work in Florida, you need a flamingo pen 😍😆☀️

Reading while doing my Physical Therapy 📚 #multitasking

Prose with depth AND a plot with momentum shouldn‘t be such a rare treat. But it sure is, and that‘s why I‘m gobbling this up.

7 days are almost up, better get cracking!

But she will want something green tonight. Green means health. Hannah wants them both to live forever, or at least until flaky parts of them start to drop off.

This one hooked me. Read it in two sittings

Is it just me, or does booze just plain taste better when it‘s in a mason jar 🤔

Today‘s book is “Grist Mill Road.” Three teenagers are involved in a brutal, savage act and the repercussions follow them in their adult life. I didn‘t really like this book. It was well written but it didn‘t do anything for me. The characters felt pretty shallow and the *big twist* left me cold 🤷🏻‍♀️ Sadly predictable

My first audiobook of the year! I actually got through this book a lot quicker than I usually do for audiobooks. I found the readers‘ voices captivating & fitting for the characters they read. It was an odd plot with strange characters, but after reflection I think that uniqueness bumped it up for me.

#audiobook #bookreview #bibliophile #bookish #booknerd #bookworm #bookaddict #lindseytailored #lindseytailoredreads #bookishfeatures #litsyreads

Just started listening to this. I have a feeling it's going to be a good one!

Next up, another library book that I was the very first to grab.

No quotation marks. I didn't notice until page 50. This is my flow. Cormac McCarthy and MacKinlay Kantor influenced my preference. Who influenced Christopher Yates? Maybe I'll look it up.

Also, screenwriting classes. I almost forgot. Reading plays, too. There's a world of simplicity out there.

#punctuation #riotgrams @bookriot

I don't normally drink swill; but when I do, I knock it over. Can 'o Rockstar. I spill, tip over, slam and send careening around EVERYTHING in my vicinity. I drink out of sippy cups (aka blender bottles) for the safety of mankind and the entire animal kingdom (probably the planet and the universe, too). That 7" Kindle Fire is living dangerously.

#riotgrams #bookandbeverage @bookriot

I frankly didn't like anything about this book. Slow, boring, underdeveloped and stereotyped characters, irritating dialogue. Oh, and the main female character had a lot of potential, but in the end was pretty pale and weak and kept getting rescued. Blech.

This was a terrific read. It‘s like a freight train that keeps going faster. The opening scene is horrible enough to make you feel sorry for the victim but as the story rolls along you‘re not sure who to believe anymore. Lots of twists. Thoroughly enjoyed it

Reading buddy 🐶

The library holds keep rolling on in. Between my two library systems and amazon prime, I've got a real challenge in front of me. Finish something! Anything! 😹📗📕📙📚📖📘😂

#libraryhold #ebook

Had to go return a few books that I got duplicates of as gifts and I ended up getting these 3! What a good night! Eagles win and I got 3 new books! Yay!

I was fully on board with Grist Mill Road for a while. I liked the changing perspectives and the slow unraveling of secrets. Unfortunately, though, the final twists just weren't strong enough or even sensible enough to justify what the author was going for. The impact was clearly meant to be more emotional than it was, but the plot points and character motivations that led there just weren't all that convincing.

Book + Breakfast

Wow! What a great night to jump back into the event season! 🤗📚📚📚📚

I was impressed by the cool and expertise of Christopher Yates and I can tell he really cares about his work. Can‘t wait to dive in.

It was also lovely to have Susannah Cahalan (author of Brain on Fire) both as the moderator and available to speak with (gush to) afterwards. ☺️💜

1. Grist Mill Road by Christopher J. Yates (1/9), Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi (3/6) and Macbeth by Joe Nesbo (4/10)
2. A Wrinkle in Time, Annihilation, All the Bright Places, Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, Ophelia
3. 🍷
4. Hubs reads on vacation and honors my reading time. I wish we could read together more but, I guess that's good.
5. Will do!
#friYAYintro @jesshowbooks

Received this ARC (it is out now) and have now finished. This is about a senseless crime that happened when the main characters were 12-14 years old and flashes to their lives now as a means to tell the full version of the story. I thought the first 1/2 was just setting up a predictable story then- that last 1/2 the twists just keep coming- raced through just to see where it landed. Excellently written, good read!

Reading mysteries in my pjs until whatever plague I've been infected with goes on it's evil merry way.

Starting your day with that great #GoodreadsGiveawayWin email! This publishes January 2018 and is by the author of Black Chalk- excited to read this!

Trying to reward myself with my favorite combo of snacks, chocolate and popcorn! This school week has been rough you guys, but I did find a new favorite essayist in my World Lit class—Henry David Thoreau. His philosophies reminded me a lot of the book Stranger in the Woods and I appreciate that (solitude nature-bunny here 🙋🏾‍♀️).

Update on #gristmillroad: This isn‘t a bad psych-thriller! It‘s violent, strange, and has wonderful writing.
#arc

This ARC of Grist Mill Road got off to an intense and gripping start and for a while it reminded me of psychological thrillers like The Girl with a Clock for a Heart, but ultimately the psychology didn't add up, or maybe I just didn't care about the characters enough. It left me feeling unsettled but also somehow dissatisfied.