Welcome to Litsy!

2ond to last for #14Books14Weeks2023 and a #RememberingJenny pick as well. I recall Jenny‘s high praise on her podcast. This book blew me away. I often dislike novels told from multiple perspectives but this one was amazingly good. And it‘s a debut ?!?! 🤯 Teenagers Mae and Edie are sent to NYC to stay with their estranged father they‘ve not seen since childhood. Their mother is in a mental hospital. The story is raw, complicated and triggering.

Hmm… so many feelings about this book.I can‘t go into too many details without giving things away. This book was a lot darker than I expected, and it was difficult to read at points. Two sisters cope differently with the attempted suicide of their mother, Marriane. They move to New York City to live with their estranged father. Marianne has a strong hold on both the girls even after they move to NY. A tragic story.

Starting this one just now, already teared up at the first chapter.

Why did I wait so long to read this books. It was so amazing. 5 star read for sure.

#3books that were recommended to me.

Honestly, I‘m pretty terrible at following through with recommendations IRL. I think it‘s just too much pressure. That said, I get a ton of recommendations from online sources.

Gift from the Sea - recommended by @annebogel on the One Great Book podcast
The Deeper the Water - recommended by Jenny of @ReadingEnvy (either on Litsy or Goodreads)
The Vanishing Half - recommended by #botm (and a ton of littens

My first 5-star book of the year!

I haven‘t posted in a while. This is me now. I am the same but got my first and only* tattoo for free books (unless you‘re reading this and wanna send me copious amounts of quality books for me to deface myself). Shout out @twodollarradio . Read their books! I tagged my fav of theirs but truly they all rip. If you love them too or also love free books join me in joining their tattoo club!

It‘s hard to know what to add to the praise this awesome novel has already received. It‘s got fraught family dynamics, art, mental illness, obsession, and a time span from the 1960s to the early 22nd century. My favourite aspect is the layered, wildly varying viewpoints built from multiple sources including letters, interviews, medical notes, phone conversations, plus the main alternating voices of two sisters. Wowsa. #blameitonLitsy

Novels with women photographers are suddenly on my radar. I‘m excited that Janeczek‘s will be translated into English this fall.
“I‘ve coped with this and everything else by retreating into my camera. The world through the viewfinder was contained and manageable. My Leica became an extension of my new body. I slept with it pressed to my body, so it was always warm.” —Katya Apekina, in tagged book.

“Don‘t cry,” she says and closes her eyes.
I hadn‘t realized I was crying. Tears have been leaking out of me since we got here, like my face is incontinent. “I‘m not,” I say and wipe them with her hair.

I picked this up yesterday after hearing @ReadingEnvy recommend it on her podcast. I raced through it and loved it. Two sisters deal with the fallout from their parents‘ lives and neuroses. Apekina weaves their stories and separate and shared experiences with a deft hand. I‘m realizing that I love this kind of story that shifts perspectives.

Unputdownable, multiple points of view, five star novel about two sisters in the wake of their mother's suicide attempt. Highly recommended for the writing and the journey.

The format of this book was so unique and had so many perspectives. I thought it would be confusing but it worked really well. ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

Happy International Women‘s Day! Over the years we have published some rad women writers and we are excited to continue to present bold works and voices too loud to be ignored.

One of my most favorite publishers, a consistently great press @twodollarradio is now on Litsy! Consider showing them some love and giving them a follow. (Also, this book was amazing. One of the best I've read over the last year.)

Bookmail from indie publisher Two Dollar Radio. I‘ve been trying to read more from indie presses lately. Do you have a particular independent publisher you really like?

Whoaaaa, boy. This book goes to some dark places. I picked it up after seeing Ottessa Moshfegh recommend it in a recent article. It clearly fell beneath the radar in 2018, which is a shame because it‘s quite good. As far as families go, it‘s hard to get more dysfunctional than this one. A bold, assured and captivating debut about mental illness, self-destruction and the possibility of emerging on the other side broken but still whole.

I‘ve said it before and I‘ll gladly say it again: Two Dollar Radio is one of the most interesting publishers out there. Just look at this beauty of a book! The title is quite awesome as well!

I was mesmerized by this book. It was raw and dark, an examination of what it means to be family and the many ways in which we use those around us for our own needs. What I really liked was the multiple perspectives through which the story was told. The author unveiled information slowly, without blatantly pointing it out to the reader. This is a quick read but an emotional one.
TW: suicide, sexual abuse

I wish this was a real holiday.

15 pages into this book and already hooked. I suspect this will be an emotional read but I've got the tissues handy!

I love this title. I'm about half way in and it's easy to tell this is great work from a very talented writer.

4.5/5📖. Mae and Edith are sent to live with their father after their mother attempts suicide. The father has not seen them in 14 years. This book is visceral. Each character looks at the world from their own mentally dysfunctional lens. I wanted to feel empathetic toward each of the characters, but their narratives were turned so inwards, I couldn‘t even feel bad for them. Fantastic read. Highly recommend 📖📖

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