Welcome to Litsy!

A disturbing (and sad) read about a freshman‘s year at Harvard. David is academic smart, pathetic, a loner, and is obsessed with a fellow student. His obsession and stalking take a dark turn. The novel is gripping; thought-provoking in exploring obsession, privilege; David‘s interior monologue is at times witty and mostly struck as unhinged; the vocabulary used is good, clever. I‘ll like to read more of Teddy Wayne‘s works.

Thanks to @britt_brooke for tipping me off that this was “dark academia”, my 2nd to last category for #Booked2022 to complete.

David gets into Harvard but his plan to become “someone” isn‘t as easy as he thought. He‘s possibly a sociopath? The book is creepily narrated from his perspective as he mimics behaviors in an effort to attract a cool, rich girl, ignoring real friendship from others he deems deficient. It‘s all terrifyingly plausible.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Both misogyny and female empowerment are the center of this twisted redemption story set in dark academia. David, a lifelong outcast, attempts to reinvent himself at Harvard with increasingly cringy, abhorrent behavior as his obsession with Veronica devours his life. Is he a narcissist? Maybe. A sociopath? Likely. A stalker? 100%. Wayne‘s use of the second person narrative as David addresses his desire is creepily effective. #bookclub

After three VERY FULL Disney 🐭🏰 days, we‘re having a much-needed “rest day.” Tomorrow, we head to Universal! 🎢🧙🏻⚡️

PS. This books is so cringy, but good. #bookclub

*Boop*

Waiting in the school pick up line to get our boys. Champ goes with me every morning and afternoon. It‘s one of his versions of “herding” them. 😂 He‘s a good reading buddy, too.

#dogsoflitsy #bookclub

@AmyG thank you dear friend for the birthday goodies! The puppy cards, notes, and tote are perfect. Loner has been on my TBR for a really long time. I really fell in love with Jesmyn Ward when she was our #AAM, and I know I‘ll love Sing Unburied Sing. And Only Killers and Thieves sounds gripping. I can‘t wait to dig in! 🧡

SOOOO GOOD!! Fabulous narration🎧David Federman enters Harvard with dreams of reinvention - a loner in HS, David hopes his college years will see him flourish and grow but when he falls for a girl so out of his reach, he concocts a scheme both dangerous & detrimental. Excellent word play and sharp observations. Creepy & unsettling/ i couldn‘t stop listening

Taking in an #AudioWalk before my daughter, her fiancé and puppy arrive ???This book is DEFINITELY sending out YOU/Joe vibes....David is creepy creepy about to go FULL psycho-path....loving the narration ??

I know you didn‘t like this one @Cathythoughts but thank you very much for sending it to me as I loved it!

The MC, David, is initially only mildly unlikeable but then the book turns a *whole* lot darker. I love campus novels and this one is based at Harvard. I‘d never heard of final clubs before so had to look them up. Reading about that obnoxious culture really helped with the book - and as for the ending...! 😧

I finished my Summer choices for #Booked2020:

▪️Red, white or blue type: The Free
▪️Eccentric MC: Loner
▪️YA novel by a POC: Clap When You Land
▪️Banned book: Despised and Rejected
▪️#WineOrWhine: Het smelt
▪️Armchair travel: My Cat Yugoslavia

On to autumn 🍂 🤎🧡!

Thanks so much for the book, treat and lovely card @Cathythoughts ! 😘

I‘m looking forward to reading this - hopefully I will like it better than you did! 😬

It didn‘t take long to arrive at all, did it? The post is being really unusual still - did you get my postcard?

I really wanted to like this one, and started off well enough, but very quickly this changed & I just couldn‘t be in the company of the MC , or take the tone of the writing. I made a few attempts, did some skimming ... I didn‘t like him at all , and soon became completely allergic. So , I decided it was time to quit ....
But I‘m really glad I gave it a go because I love thrillers & college settings ... this one wasn‘t for me though.

Tonights Reading ... as inspired by @BarbaraBB , Thankyou ! It‘s meant to be “ chilling “. 😁😳

David was rather invisible in high school but is determined to do better in Harvard. Veronica is all he ever dreamed of: a cool, rich girl coming from a private school in NYC. He constructs his entire life around her. From a loner he becomes a creep.
Great read. And that ending!!

Pic: A rainy day in empty Ghent, Belgium. I hope I can count this view for #BuildAFortAndReadInIt! #SummerFun #LitsyBitsy #Clock #Booked2020 #EccentricMC

#audiobook review

Narrator Bendena brings prototypical awkwardly obsessive incel* David Federman to life. His voice shows the grating combination of white privilege, toxic masculinity and complete impotence. His narration elevates this book 1/2⭐️.

David is obsessed with fellow Harvard freshman Veronica and goes to extreme lengths to gain her attention - dating her roommate, breaking the honor code - only to get caught in a great ending twist. ⬇️

When @Megabooks wrote Wayne is one of her favorite authors you‘ve never heard of,I was intrigued.
My library had this one , so ..Impressive, you get a bit of a character like Joe in You, a bit of The Secret History.Wayne writes lines that are funny, deep and cringe worthy all at the same time.David felt unappreciated in high school but wants to change it all when he enters Harvard.Ambition ,class, & gender politics come into play +dark obsession.

Pick - I so love an unreliable narrator!
A Harvard freshman becomes obsessed with another student . . . At first you root for him, but soon things get weird. The ending is unexpected. Really liked this one. Will definitely look for more books by Teddy Wayne!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

1. Black Mirror came out!!
2. I‘ve listened to the tagged audiobook more times than I can remember!
3. Who doesn‘t like a dinosaur? 🦖
4. The Grapes of Wrath
@SW-T @Reviewsbylola @tournevis idk who has done this yet!!??

#humpdaypost @DebbieGrillo @MinDea

This was the first “loner” that came to mind (hence me posting it). However I should note David, the titular character, while certainly a memorable loner, is one that‘d set off alarm bells if claimed as a “favorite.” Loner mines some dark&disquieting corners of a particular brand of toxic masculinity. The meeker type that goes “I‘m a good guy, really!” But as the book goes deeper the reader knows better... #oneistheloneliest# @Elle_Skeldon

Surprise snow day plans #currentlyreading

Two hours to kill in Frankfurt

This was the creepiest book I've ever read. I found it to be predictable and there were zero likable characters, MAYBE Sara. David was vile, I hated being in his head. BUT, it's fast paced and was a quick read.
*I received this as a Goodreads Giveaway.

Received this yesterday as a goodreads giveaway. It's pretty short so I'm diving in while I wait for A Conjuring of Light to arrive, TODAY.

My Goodreads giveaway I won arrived today!!! #bookmail

This book is creepy and sad and brilliantly written. I was completely numbed by the narrator's emotional distance and psychotic actions. I couldn't put this book down. Definitely worth a read if you like college reads and thrillers.

I think I was expecting more intense characterization. But the story was still disturbing and unique.

Oh my lord this narrator is going to give me an aneurysm but I can't stop reading it's so creepy 😵

If anyone needs a book for a challenge with unlikeable, nay, insufferable characters, this here's your book. (It's satire so it's not a terribly misogynistic book.) #litsomnia

Deeply unsettling.

Started this tonight on audio, but I snagged the kindle version too so I can read along for quotes when I want. The narrator is great! I'm not entirely sure where the book is going yet, but the prose is decadent. Just like this #heavypour of dark red wine. 🍷🍷

I'm also watching When We Rise tonight, and I highly recommend it so far. It's a lot more intersectional than I was expecting, and that's a good thing!

A friend recommended this one, saying how creepy she found it. I read it in two sittings and it is unsettling.

Phew, this had many more layers than I expected it to, but I'm still torn. I'm a sucker for campus novels, so I held on as the typical dude psyche got creepier and creepier. It almost has two endings: one totally redeeming, brilliant twist and one gut-punch that needs a trigger warning. I almost wish it had made it through to the #ToB17 shortlist because I'd love to read discussion on it.

My ten best books of 2016. Am eclectic list of favorites, many debuts. I tend to reward books that weren't perfect but took chances and whose authors have lots of ambition and promise. http://brokebybooks.com/best-books-2016

When I picked up Loner I knew it was in my wheelhouse, books set at university in New England, but I didn't know much more. It's a quick novel that slowly reeled me in as I got to know the main character, David. It's also the first book in a long time that I really liked but, at the same, disliked all of the main characters. The twist near the end and the ending are what make this novel though.

I'm a fan of unreliable narrators, but this guy was both too obviously unreliable, and too relentlessly unlikable. Still, the writing itself was undeniably well-crafted, so I can't quite pan it.
But I'd be interested to hear from people who liked it.

Reading at lunch with the help of my USB-heated narwhal slippers!

"Heated slippers? Don't you live in Puerto Rico?" ?
"Yes." ?
"Isn't it like 80-some degrees there?" ☉☉?
"Yes, but the A/C is freezing!" ❄❄☃

#unicornofthesea #officewinter

Not as compelling as I thought it would be, but it was okay.

#seasonsreadings2016 #EReader I read on my phone, my computer, and my Kindle but my Kindle is upstairs and I haven't had any coffee yet so enjoy this screenshot. Also, can someone go up and get my Kindle? 😉

Well-written and realistic, with great characterization and a perfect narrator's voice... Right up to the end (see comments). If you're interested in sociopaths/psychopaths/antisocial personality disorder, if you like Criminal Minds, this book might be for you. The narrator David is a sociopath/psychopath (depending on your preferred definitions) who fixates on a girl when he starts college. It's not a pleasant read, but it's very well done.

GUYS MY NEW KINDLE PAPERWHITE CAME IN AND I'M IN LOVE. Also I started reading Loner, and so far I'm loving the characterization and the narrator's voice.

I couldn't put this one down but I don't think I actually liked it.

Both $2.99 on Kindle today!!! These deals are killing my budget!

I've heard this is a little creepy; about to find out if the rumor is true.

A boy at Yale becomes obsessed with a girl so much that he takes things way too far to be closer to her - cheating, lying, using friends. But there's a truth that he discovers about her that ultimately causes him to take things to a point of no return.

Picked this one up to read in line for our early voting at City Hall today. Feels good to be done and I am hoping for the best but pretty stressed out 😕.

Who else early voted!? Or do you like waiting until Election Day? Or mail-in? 💙.

As for Loner, I can't put it down. Will probably finish it by tonight!