Welcome to Litsy!

Really liked this novel about a young mother‘s calm unraveling. I read another review that this book is all about the voice, and that‘s true - the flow is meandering and sometimes harrowed with lists of words jumbled on top of one another with no commas. It all worked well for me, and was really impressive for a debut. As I don‘t have kids, I worried I‘d get turned off by all the baby/motherhood content but it was surprisingly tolerable.

This was good. I‘m the perfect audience for this, so maybe that‘s why I enjoyed the, admittedly, tedious portrayal of mothering a toddler. Though this isn‘t the entire focus of the book, Honey, our 16 month old scene-stealer appears constantly. If the toddler herself isn‘t in the action our MC is thinking about her. This is the experience of motherhood — all consuming; so relatable for me. I did the #audiobook & it may be the best bet for this one

Five books on my shelf I recommend which deal deeply with #mothers and #motherhood

Happy Mother‘s Day to those who celebrate 🌻

So, I do think the author did a pretty realistic job about incorporating all the daily life stuff of caring for a small child in w/the book, but it certainly took the momentum out of the story. I struggled with Daphne's choice to retreat up in rural CA. She kept justifying why she didn't go to Turkey to be with her husband (even if she doesn't have a job, the USD she's got would gofurther in Turkey than in San Francisco). I should have DNF'ed it.

Lydia Kiesling sent me a box of books over Twitter recently when I was in between jobs. Now I have a job while a lot of people are in between jobs for a hazy amount of time. If this sounds like you, find my recent post on Twitter andrewtbarnes as I want to pay it forward for Lydia‘s birthday! Or buy it yourself if you need a good self quarantine read and are too late for this deal (as much as I‘d like to buy unlimited copies), stay safe everyone!

I saw mixed reviews on this, but I actually really enjoyed it. I think it is for a pretty specific audience (youngish working moms) and there isn‘t a huge story arc, but I thought Daphne‘s honesty and internal dialogue were very relatable, and I loved the relationship that developed with Alice. I was not a huge fan of the audio narrators delivery..

Starting 8.30.19

Attempting to distance herself from unpleasantness in her work and personal life, Daphne takes an impromptu trip to her family home in the high desert of northern California only to find new challenges there.

This novel reads a bit like funny Kafka. The style---present-tense, long comma-less lists--- grates a bit at times, but Daphne is relatable in her maternal anxieties and her craving for a sense of place, and the story is interesting.

Sent my family and the two other teens staying with us to the beach, and I'm fixing to have myself a little party before it's time to make dinner.

A women takes her infant and runs from her life to the town where her grandmother lived.

A woman in crisis in rural Northern California. Daphne is taking a break from her life with her toddler daughter while her Turkish husband is stuck in visa limbo and she reflects on the remnants of her own family and inheritance. I loved the writing and the details about Turkish linguistics.

The grief and loss and disorientation the mom and main character experiences in this novel are, well, overwhelming. But still compelling! Not a super fan of the very end, but yes, good book. Great on the demands of single motherhood too. 4⭐️

Started reading this a few nights ago after getting news that a friend had been killed (you‘ve all heard about it by now - Northern Ireland). Unrelated to the book, but I couldn‘t sleep, and there it was on my library shelf. However good it turns out to be, it will always remind me of Lyra.

I may have only loved this because I listened to it, and the narrator is so believable and perfect for the role. As a young mother myself, I commiserated with the main character, although didn‘t love the ending.

I wanted to like this...I really did. So much of it was unique, from plot to writing style. A single mother heads to northern CA for a hiatus from her life/circumstances & encounters quirky characters. But the sentence structure that lacked, well, ANY structure became exhausting, the lack of connective plot detail left me frustrated & the constant self-analysis by the narrator was far too indulgent for my tastes. 2.5/5 ⭐️

#ASwingAndAMiss #ToBfail

This is so skillfully written, I felt I was in the main character‘s head (especially since I‘m also a mother and married to an immigrant). I‘m not sure about the ending, but I did like the book. #ToB

The Golden State was excellent, a hypnotic story of 10 days in protagonist Daphne's life. She has fled from her life in San Francisco with her daughter Honey to Paiute, where she has inherited a home from her grandmother. Daphne's husband, Engin, has been trapped in Turkey (his home country) because of a horrific green card mixup. (continued in comments)

Sadly this did not work for me AT ALL. I found it tedious and pointless. I get that Daphne was supposed to be having some sort of breakdown which prompted her retreat to the middle of nowhere but the author didn‘t really do enough to sell me on that. The State of Jefferson folks were thinly drawn caricatures that added nothing to the story IMO. Had this book been told from Alice‘s POV, I would have found it...👇🏼

I didn‘t expect much of this book since it got such mixed reviews but I ended up loving it. I think this is partly due to the fact that I could relate deeply to the main character, a mother struggling to deal with herself, her toddler and motherhood. I remember so well being that young mother. Also I loved the writing style and the politics.

#ToB2019 13/18
#Booked2019 #NewToYouAuthor
#ATY2019 Book 2 of 2 related to the same theme

This book started out very slow for me. I‘m not a fan of stream of consciousness writing but it did make sense in this context. Once I became used to the style and other characters entered the story, I started really enjoying it. 3 to go for my #tob2019 shortlist. #pop19

Lunch and some reading on this miserable day! This one started out very slow for me but I‘m liking it more that I‘ve gotten used to the stream of consciousness style which I don‘t usually enjoy. There is also more “cooing” than I care to read about. 🤪 #tob2019

11/18 #tob2019 books done. Working on America is Not the Heart and Golden State. #currentread #riotgrams

What struck me first about this book was what a perfect embodiment it was of the experience of being a first-time parent with a young child. The anxiety, the lists, the constant obsessing about everything you‘re doing wrong—it all felt so familiar. But there‘s more, because I think the book is also in many ways about what it means to be an American, and specifically a Californian. Excellent prose, both poignant and funny, just really well done.

“Why did I have a child? To have a child is to court loss.”

I mean, yes.

Another meh book from #TOB2019. A young mother tries to flee the stress of her life after her husband is deported under complicated circumstances and a crisis at work, to her grandparents' home in rural Alta Vista. Kiesling does well to create a feeling of isolation, loneliness, and frustration throughout, but I am left wondering what the point of all of it is as it all feels aimless.

Calling OverDrive audiobook listeners! How can I tell where I am %age wise? It‘s a 9+ hour listen but my page shows only which chapter I am in. I could assume by chapter count that I am half way through, I suppose. #tob #tob2019 #rooster #motherhood

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟/5
for this deeply emotional and insightful book!
A story about young motherhood. But it also captures the human experience and the female experience. Reccomended Reading!

This is a book I'll return to again and again. It's about motherhood, but it's also about loss and grief, about marriage and friendship, about place and belonging.
*
From stunning descriptions of landscapes to unforgettable insights into parenthood, Kiesling's prose sings.
*
I loved the stream-of-the-consciousness narration, loved the unsettled yet fierce main character - who was so close to the edge, but always pulled back by love.

Next

On procrastination, being mad at male writers, books that detonate like bombs (or throw off the TSA anyway) and not finishing the “required reading”.

https://themillions.com/2018/12/a-year-in-reading-lydia-kiesling-6.html

An exceptional #novel & arguably one of the #BestOf2018

Full review: http://misanthropester.com/2018/11/26/the-golden-state-by-lydia-kiesling/

This book is boring me, so gotta bail. Taking care of a toddler can be brief moments of joy interspersed among frustrating and tedious days. Reading almost 300 pages about it even more so. There are some other political issues highlighted in the book, but there‘s just not enough here to keep me reading. 😴😴 #TOB

A single mother takes off from the city to her deceased grandparents' place in California's rural "north state." (Meanwhile her Turkish husband is stranded in Turkey.) Daphne narrates her inner conflicts, her life with Honey, and the strange resentment-driven local politics.
And, IT IS DULL! ? Life with a toddler is portrayed accurately. But life with a toddler can be pretty monotonous. So too, life in a small rural town. So I quit ? #TOB

This profound and insightful debut novel is ALL about the voice, with stream-of-consciousness prose that‘s so sharp and wry. It‘s one of the most striking accounts of motherhood I‘ve come across, offering candid insight into the joy, fear, anxiety, awe, monotony and love that comes with being a new mother. It also tackles bigger topical issues, like the carelessness and callousness of American immigration policies driven by Islamophobia.

This is a really spare but intimate novel about a woman grieving for circumstances that are beyond her control - her husband has been deported back to Turkey due to shady federal immigration officers, a young woman in her academic program died in an accident on a sponsored trip, and she‘s a single mom with a toddler and no family to help her. Mixed into this almost plotless story is a secessionist movement in Northern California.

Just got this today, a Goodreads giveaway win. Matchbox, stirstick, & napkin as promo swag #bookmail

Reading this novel, I got the feeling that the author must be jealous of all the books portraying Florida as the crown jewel of crazy states. After reading this, I would say California should not be dismissed in that regard. The novel itself just didn‘t quite grab me and several things felt unresolved in the end. #netgalley

This was a tough one to get through. Lack of punctuation led to a stream of consciousness feel, which was meant to mimic the anxiety and frantic thought patterns of the main character. I get that--but it was often times annoying as I had to slow myself down to follow the character's thoughts. Not a lot happened plot wise, making this a slow story. Thanks to #netgalley for #thegoldenstate in exchange for an honest review. 🌟🌟🌟/5

This is a book about a woman in the midst of a severe depression who runs away from her life to forget everything that‘s affecting her. She‘s functional and manages but her depression is deep. She‘s sympathetic and sad and you feel for her situation — all of them. It‘s written in an almost stream of consciousness which makes it a bit annoying to read at times but also gets you inside her head and the writing is gorgeous. ARC from NetGalley

Starting off this year's #FirstNovelPrize long list. Wish me luck!

We made it! Just in time for my first panel - "The Book Review: Top Reviewers Share How It's Done." Hoping to pick up some tips for my book reviews on my blog! @Blueberry is next door at another panel. #BayBookFest #BayAreaBookFestival