Welcome to Litsy!

An engaging crime novel, but I have to say I'm shocked this was on the Booker list. Judging it purely on its own merits it was a decent thriller, well crafted and developed story (but slightly let down by its ending, which I felt came together too rapidly at the close). But for a crime novel to be listed for the Booker, I was expecting more depth and it just wasn't there for me. Still, an enjoyable read and I look forward to more from Bauer!

Well, this was a surprise! This book sucked me in with the story of Jack and his sisters. While it‘s a murder mystery, the children are the stars of the show. Bauer takes that trio and makes you care deeply about them; the adults are along for the ride. Those other characters are drawn well also (let‘s have more about Louis, please!) but the children are the reason this book was long-listed for the Booker.

A very enjoyable thriller with a simple premise but it takes you on a very interesting journey. We'll defined characters considering it's a quick, fast paced book. Really pulls you in!

This is *probably* my last read of the year. Thanks to @squirrelbrain I‘ve recently discovered BBC2‘s Between the Covers. I was reminded that I have had this on my Kindle for AGES. While I did really enjoy it, I‘m amazed that this showed up on the Booker list. It is a quick, snappy (heh heh) read but miles from what the committee typically selects. I‘m looking forward to her other books I‘ve hoarded over the years.

This was good! My #doublespin for January @TheAromaofBooks

#kindledeal
There are 7 Bauer books on offer today 😁😁 go for it!!

#summerfunbucketlist #readingrainbow @StayCurious @4thhouseontheleft

Read it in one sitting, loved it. Great characters and lots going on. A bit emotional but maybe that‘s just me 🤷🏻‍♀️

Just finished this and it was soooo good.

BAUER is a fantastic thriller author. I've enjoyed all of her books.

⭐⭐⭐⭐🌠

Loved this story with lots of secrets to uncover! https://lucycatten.wordpress.com/2020/04/10/snap-by-belinda-bauer/

Not a bad book to listen to, the voices the narrator used for some of the characters was alittle on the annoyance side, lol.
Jack and his sister sit in the car on the side of the road, waiting for their mother to come back, but never returns.
At the age of fifteen he starts looking for the person who killed his mother, with the police.
Not a bad book, I liked it

Read for my library book club.
It's good: Belinda Bauer is a safe pair of hands (if that's not an entirely ridiculous thing to say of a crime writer!) but I'm perplexed by its inclusion on last year's Booker Prize longlist: "fiction at its finest"? For one thing I thought the motive was rather weak, and it's not especially ground-breaking. However, Jack is a great character and the story moves at a cracking pace and kept me thoroughly entertained.

On a warm summer night, Jack, Joy and Merry are left in the car. Their mother is going to find a phone along the road to call for help. But their mother never returns. Then 3 yrs pass, and we get to see how the siblings life have changed.

This book really hooked me and kept me reading. I actually read most of it today. The twists and turns just keep on coming and I never knew where Bauer would take the story.

Next up

The chowder's simmering nicely for a few minutes so I'm making a start on my next library book club read.

Thought this was an excellent page turner. Bauer weaved a very dark story and the plot was very clever.
Just finished it on the plane home and it kept me interested even though it's very late and I'm shattered. High praise from me as I can't normally read when I'm tired.

Finished this book after starting it way back in February! I feel like I‘m starting to get my focus back for reading and I‘m excited about it. This book was so-so for me. I felt like the end was rushed and the whole book led up to a not so impressive revelation... I‘d give it 3🌟

For crime enthusiasts:
https://harrogateinternationalfestivals.com/uncategorized/shortlist-for-theaksto...

The shortlist in full:
Belinda Bauer – Snap
Steve Cavanagh – Thirteen
Mick Herron – London Rules
Val McDermid – Broken Ground
Liam McIlvanney – The Quaker
Khurrum Rahman – East of Hounslow

I‘ve read the tagged book 👍 and have Thirteen on my tbr (thank you, @Cathythoughts ).

#TuesdayTBR for #NewToYou authors ♥️

Let‘s see how many of these audiobooks I can get through this week, and how many #NetGalley reviews I can do! #MayMadness

Here‘s my #top3 #bestoftheseason Winter reads 2019 ❄️☃️❄️

Inspired by the inimitable @CouronneDhiver 💕

Finally got time to update my book journal. All the books, except The Gown and Snap, are #blameitonlitsy reads. 📚

#bookanddinner
Snap it up before it gets cold! ☝️

This was one of the books that I wanted to read after it was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize.
#currentread #crime

Good job I ❤ cats! Thanks @Mynameisacolour and @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks - replies sent this week!

Brrrr. It's definitely a day for curling up, and no one curls quite like Daisy #dogsoflitsy

Started a new book on the treadmill. I have my 9th half marathon in 16 weeks and it‘s almost time to start training! 🏃‍♀️🤪

Thumbs up from me. I think Bauer did a great job in depicting the trauma that the siblings went through after the senseless loss of their mother. I really liked Jack, and the few main characters..Marvel, Reynolds..they sort of grew on me. I liked the humour too. I was rather annoyed with Catherine, and was dissatisfied with the motive of the murder, nevertheless it‘s engrossing and has its surprises but the star of the story has to be Jack. 👇

Next up. I‘m a bit anxious as this one has such mixed reviews, from ⭐️ to ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️!

⭐️

Thee worst reading experience of the year and not just because it ended up on the Man Booker. Under any circumstances this is terrible. I can think of dozens of better plotted and well written crime. I found this oddly stilted and offensive in numerous ways

A most baffling experience

Book 28: This book served it's purpose to entertain and distract on a long train journey. I imagine would also be ideal on a beach, perhaps? At its core, there's a strong crime narrative which with a more rigorous edit could have been much better paced adding to the tension. Mainly I found myself yelling and baffled by one character's completely ridiculous 'snap' decisions. That said, I imagine someone has bought the TV right for this already.....

I found this enjoyable. Fast paced, it had an easy to read lightness to it despite the subject. I liked the young boy Jack, the grizzled detective Marvel, and the relationship that grew between them. But I found Catherine While and her bizarre choices puzzling and a real weak point for me. It also felt unfinished in relation to her story. I am intrigued as to why this was chosen for the Man Booker Longlist above others in the crime genre.

Sticking with the scary/psychological thrillers for October...

My latest read from the Man Booker Long List and one of the more controversial as it is *gasp* genre fiction! Many of the reviewers dismiss it as a darling of judge Val McDermid. I enjoyed it. It was slow, then a plot twist, then a bit slow, then fast, faster, finished. I do think it was unique, the murder of a mother 4 years before the book takes place. Her 3 children are left in the car when it breaks down and she walks for a phone. 4⭐️ for me.

Just had a conversation with my hubby, who has just written a song about being on the .. hard shoulder ( metaphorically) of the road .. & I‘ve just read Snap .. also about the real actual devastation on the hard shoulder... books & music & metaphor collide .. I love these conversations .. ❤️❤️his song is ... “ I have cried on the cold shoulder of the road , in the pouring rain ... “

And I finished this Man Booker Nominee this morning. I went in with low expectations after seeing so many so-so reviews, so was pleasantly surprised when I didn‘t want to put it down. I could have finished in one sitting if time had permitted. The characters were interesting, and the story wasn‘t as formulaic as I often find with thrillers. I can‘t imagine it will be shortlisted, but glad it was on the Longlist so had a chance to pick it up!

#SeptemberDanes 5 gold stars ⭐️. This is Jacks story, he is just a kid but he has more guts than anyone I know. He is intelligent, has integrity, & has been terribly wounded. He is wise , what he does may not be right , but he reasons , it is fair. He takes responsibility. The Goldilocks theme is genius by the author.
“Jack closed his eyes & and drifted cautiously towards the darkness.
And there- right at the threshold of sleep- 👇🏻

From SNAP.
I‘d say , yes Jack , they are the same thing ! How young & how wise you are.

I think this book is brilliant... savouring the last chapters .... ❤️💔💔

#SeptemberDanes I have a date with that chair & book #thedayaftertomorrow meanwhile helping out with extra Granny days. There we are coming home from school 💕

Next up ...I only wish the night was younger , I could definitely read on .. this is good ! But , lights out soon , busy day tomorrow. I‘m looking forward to getting back to this one though ... 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

3.5⭐️ A perfectly good mystery/crime novel. Not gory (yay!), lots of characters (yay!), some twists and turns (none of which surprised me, as all the clues are spelled out). But I have no idea why this made the #bookerlonglist , and apparently it‘s the first of its genre to do so. #mystery #crimenovel

This starts off so strong. My heart was in my mouth and rather than make me sleepy it did the opposite!
Then the rest of it was ok. I didn't bond with any of the characters. There's some mild feminism running throughout which I liked.

I can‘t decide how to rate this. Parts were tedious and I agree with others who question the believability of Catherine. So much hinges on her stupidity and poor decisions. Would anyone really make those same choices? Jack and his sisters broke my heart. There are some good edge-of-your-seat moments, but overall, the pacing was uneven. So...meh. #manbookerlonglist

Just when I‘d about made up my mind to bail, THAT happens. 😱 I guess I‘ll keep going for a bit longer. 😂

I loved this book - perfect beach or vacation read!

I finished this in one sitting. A pacy, intriguing crime novel with interesting characters - realistic & gritty but with a sense of hope. The suspense builds gradually as we hear from different points of view - it‘s well-balanced. I liked the character arcs, especially Jack & Marvel. As a murder mystery it kept me thinking but I‘m still puzzled by motive. Not fabulous women characters but overall a good, strong read.

Oh Snap! Man Booker Long List read #4 up next!

Longlisted for The Booker Prize, and for good reason, Snap is a witty mystery novel that‘s doesn‘t disappoint. Snap won‘t win The Booker Prize because it doesn‘t carry that arthouse feel like others on the list, such as The Mars Room and Warlight. However, it‘s just as good as either of the those audiobooks, in large part due to the fantastic narration. Overall rating: 4.26 stars

#ManBooker2018 book 8

This is one of the best thrillers I have read lately. Jack is a 14-year old, looking for his mother‘s murderer. Fast paced and with good and unexpected twists the story made for some well spent hours.
In its genre it is a 4* read for me, but man, this is the Booker longlist! Call me a snob, but I don‘t see its literary merites. 👇👇👇 (continued below)