Welcome to Litsy!

#augustreads

I read about a quarter of this on the plane and it‘s so good and so messed up all at the same time!

1. Come read a book and do some gardening with Grandma.
2. Tagged

@TheSpineView #two4tuesday

☀️ The Power of Now, Eckhart Tolle and/or The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz

☀️☀️ ✅

#two4tuesday @TheSpineView

I like the premise of this book - living life over and over until you get it right. It‘s interesting how our choices set us down one path, but if we could go back and make a different decision, the path completely changes. This book is really well-written, but in the end, I was left unsatisfied. I am glad I read it though!

#bookspinbingo - free space
#pop24 - book where someone dies in the 1st chapter
#readaway2024

A great story to accompany me on my trip. This was my first Atkinson and a book I had on my shelf for awhile. I‘m so glad I finally read it. And then I left it in the Taipei airport for another reader to find. 😊 I‘ll be reading more of her for sure.

The only thing I have that say for myself is that I was saving and/or anticipating these books for October reads, and timing and mood is everything! Tagged my favorite but this was a great grid of reading!

5* = Loved It, want to shout out loud about this book! I do/will own/keep a physical copy. A+
4*= I liked it, would love to discuss. Solid B
3*=Meh, no need to discuss. Avg C
2*=Nope D
1*=DNF F

What a treasure I had sitting for years on my shelves. I knew this was about a woman who died and lived many times over. And it is, Ursula is born many times over and always as the middle of 5 children to Sylvie and Hugh. But it‘s so much more than just that. I was aware this was not a stand-alone read but anticipated being one and done, marking it off my TBR. Now I must read Teddy‘s story that heretofore had not been on my TBR!

The idea of reliving your life over and over again until its perfect and the consequences of the small changes you make each time and their butterfly effect is interesting to me, however I didn't love the reading experience as much as I anticipated.

At points I loved this, at others I was confused as it gets to the stage where there's so many variations of the same life that I couldn't keep a handle on what happened when.

Flying back this morning. Definitely mixed emotions today, but a big, fat book is a nice distraction.

I finally got to this after 10 years (!) on my TBR. It‘s very good, although by the end I was a little weary of the time jumping.

This #temptingtitle is perfect for those who like interesting story structures! #withlife

@Eggs
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

#withlife #temptingtitles @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs

I finished #pop22 😀
~ a book about the afterlife (I did not attempt the advanced 😳)
I love the idea of this book and exploring reincarnation. It was a good spin on a WWII story. I didn‘t love the book, but didn‘t hate it. I did find it a bit confusing and repetitive, and then it just ended. Maybe I‘ll give the sequel a try since I have a copy of that as well. I think reading my physical copy would have been the better bet on this one.

I loved the two books about the Todd #Family, superbly written by Kate Atkinson.

#DivineDecember

@Eggs @AlwaysBeenALoverOfBooks

“On a cold and snowy night in 1910, Ursula Todd is born to an English banker and his wife. She dies before she can draw her first breath. On that same cold and snowy night, Ursula Todd is born, lets out a lusty wail, and embarks upon a life that will be, to say the least, unusual.”

#Childbirth #IndelibleMoments @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

A small book haul, picked up some in Waterstones on a child-free day. I could spend hours perusing the bookshelves of that store.

I also love the smell of new books 🤣🤣

"It was a long time ago now. And it was yesterday." Ursula keeps dying and starting over. Sometimes it's a change she affects that saves her, other time it's just the flap of a butterflies wings that saves her (not literally).
This book was fascinating. Yes, it did get a bit repetitive but for me I enjoyed how one little change affected a previous scene or didn't maybe.
I definitely ended up loving it a lot more than I thought I would have.

My first book read this month! 😅 It‘s been a slow reading month but I‘m glad I was able to finish this book. Really enjoyed this story. Given that I had no clue what it was about when I began this book, it‘s not surprising that I found it confusing at first. But, it became clearer and I‘m so glad I read it! 5/5⭐️
(June 18, 2022)

I read this after enjoying the recent BBC adaptation. A baby is born again each time she dies. What would you do with a life that has seemingly endless chances? Set during the pre-WW1 to post WW2 era.

Took awhile to get into the swing of this book but glad I did. We had read the one that comes after this for book club some time ago ,so I‘ve had this on my TBR shelf for some time. I felt good when I finally got to the end. Perfect.

How excited am I???
I just read that this is on tonight 😍😍😍😊😊😊

A good read, I enjoyed this. As Hilary Mantel says ‘a box of delights‘. Each scene is fun, well-paced & tells you a story. Characters ring true & their relationships are poignant (especially with the wartime backdrop) but not too sentimental. The book feels very (white) English. Interestingly Atkinson says it‘s ‘about being English‘ & she captures well the stoicism, restraint, humour & sense of being defined by the war(s). Slightly too long.

Catching up on book reviews on a rainy day. 😉

I loved spending #FamilyTime with the Todd family, great books.

#FestivePhotoChallenge #WinterGames2021

I am in the minority on this one, I fear. I found this repetitive and the plot somewhat lacking. I started off reading it but ended up listening to the last 2/3 on my Libby app. I kept waiting for it to do something other than just swirl through potential outcomes of Ursula‘s life but it never did. I liked parts of the book but overall it was not all that engaging for me. Glad I was able to listen rather than reading it all.

My 3rd Atkinson, and I finally understand the fuss. Though the premise of this novel is a familiar one, its execution was flawless for me. I was especially moved by the sections set during the Blitz. Ursula‘s time as a volunteer during the nightly raids was harrowing and the respect I have for those that served England in this way is unshakeable. The affection I have for the Todd family is deep and I could spend many more lifetimes with them. 5⭐️

About a quarter through this book and still not sure whether I like it or not yet. But I can say one of my fave things about used books - I picked this one up at the Friends of the Library sale - is finding artifacts from their previous lives stowed away in the pages. This particular one looks to be a bus ticket from 2010, which seems especially interesting given the book‘s subject & the book‘s publication date in 2013.

I met my goal for #outstandingoctober yesterday by starting my #bookspin book “Life After Life.” I did not expect to read “Imaginary Friend” in two days, so that put me well ahead of schedule. Looking forward to getting a couple more books read this month!

My #bookspin bingo card for October! I am very much looking forward to lots of rainy and blustery nights cuddled up with a book (I live in the PNW). My #bookspin book is tagged and my #doublespin book is Brit Bennett‘s “The Mothers.” Excited to read them both!

3rd attempt at this and I've gotten farther this time than ever before

I very much enjoyed this one, although I‘m not sure what the “point” was. With Ursula reliving her life over and over, making various changes both small and large, I kept waiting for one of them to change the future, making it possible for her to not come back from a final death. But, unless I missed something, that didn‘t happen. Which means she‘d just keep repeating forever? Sounds exhausting! Beyond that I loved the characters 👇🏻

Ursula Todd, born in 1910, grows up in idyllic Fox Corner near London and finds herself reliving various versions of her life after each untimely death.

Read May 13-18
Rated 4/5 ⭐️
Book 27/60

Honestly? I got really tired of the resets and I never really connected to Ursula despite all the tributaries of her life #bookspin @TheAromaofBooks

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I enjoyed this historical novel. I‘ve read quite a few books set during WWII and this book reminded me how little I‘ve read about England during that time. While a few parts felt a bit unevenly paced, it‘s well written and felt almost atmospheric at times. I loved seeing what Ursula would do with each life she was given. It made me think about how one choice can change so much of the future.

The life-altering consequences of seemingly small events. And I learnt lots about the Blitz.

#QuotsyOct20 Day 28: #Construct

A gorgeous day watching my son play cricket.
I really enjoyed this book and found it fascinating how small events in time can have huge lasting consequences to people‘s lives. I‘m looking forward to reading the companion book ‘A god in ruins‘.
#Bookspin @TheAromaofBooks

Woke up this morning thinking about last week's trip to Tennessee 🌄 Those views!! (And the book is pretty good too)

Really really enjoyed this book. I absolutely love Kate Atkinson‘s writing. I loved the characters in all their different scenarios. I almost felt like I was reading a Choose-your-own-adventure book from my childhood.....except without the choices. I loved where the author took me.

Time to read another book that has been on my ‘to read‘ list for ages! I‘m 60 pages in and it‘s great so far

That‘s my #weeklyroundup for my first week of #bookspinbingo and so far it really motivates me to read more. My favourite was definitely the Atkinson though The Martian was a close second ❤️ i‘ve alread downloaded “The Mysterious Benedict Society” and “How To Be An Antiracist” and the Smith and Mitchell are waiting as signed copies next to my bed. #weeklyforecast

I audiobooked while I did the cleaning I should have done last night , but now I'm settled in. #reversereadathon @DeweysReadathon

Opening Survey:
1. Nashville, TN
2. Finally finishing Life After Life!
3. Leftover Indian food for dinner (just finished)
4. I'm worried that my hamster isn't running on her wheel enough
5. I've never done a reverse readathon, but I've gotten distracted during my last few readathons - not letting it happen this time!

August, here we go! Thanks @TheAromaofBooks for making #BookSpin, #DoubleSpin & #BookSpinBingo happen. I think this will be very helpfull in tackling this hughe TBR pile of mine. I‘ll get right into the first novel tonight. ❤️📚

What if you could live again and again, until you got it right? On a cold and snowy night in 1910, Ursula Todd is born to an English banker and his wife. She dies before she can draw her first breath. On that same cold and snowy night, Ursula Todd is born, lets out a lusty wail, and embarks upon a life that will be, to say the least, unusual. One of my favorite books ❤️
#ifyoulikethis #groundhogday @Klou

#Booked2020 - Spring wrap up!

7. Makes you LOL - Paris in Love (Eloisa James)
8. Parent & Child Memoir - Inheritance (Dani Shapiro)
9. Tartan Noir - The Blackhouse (Peter May)
10. About Genocide - This Accident of Being Lost (Leanne Betasamosake Simpson)
11. Pan Asian Author - Library of Legends (Janie Chang)
12. Animal on Cover - Life After Life (Kate Atkinson)

Thanks to our hosts for another great quarter! (Tagged in comments)

#BoundTogetherJune #RepeataWord

Day 27: For fun, I am going to post one book per day from my extensive to-be-read collection. No description and providing no reason for wanting to read it, I just do. Some will be old, some will be new. Don‘t judge me - I have a lot of books. Join the fun if you want. #bookstoread #tbrpile @StaceyKondla

This month's #BookSpin was another winner! I understand all the Litsy love this one has received.

@TheAromaofBooks

And I'm using this one for #Booked2020 Animal on Cover 🦊🐰
@Cinfhen @BarbaraTheBibliophage @4thhouseontheleft