Welcome to Litsy!

My second-to-last finished book for 2021 was *only* sitting around for 5 years. 🤦🏻‍♀️

This book has not great reviews, and I kept putting it off, but it turned out to be a hidden gem for me. A well written, fast-paced character study of a book that is almost painfully sad but also very hopeful.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

⭐️⭐️⭐️ This book was very well written but the ending left a lot to be desired. The concept seemed well constructed and I understood the direction of personal growth and family ties. But for me there was nothing to be gained here. I wouldn‘t tell a person to skip it but I wouldn‘t recommend it either.

This was what I grabbed today and I‘m stoked. I have like three stories going at once but you can never have too many!!! #bookhaul #litsy

Finished this in hour 13 of my #24in48. This was really tough in some ways but also a book I couldn‘t stop reading. So good. Definitely getting sleepy but I want to do a few more hours today... @24in48

I really enjoyed this one. It‘s incredibly sad and beautiful.

Rio tries to leave her past behind and finds things unraveling after her estranged father dies. While I love the premise and there was some beautiful writing here, ultimately I found myself unsatisfied. #botm

#dogsofLitsy #Bindi

Well now. That‘s quite the opening paragraph.

Chizuru Akatani is the daughter of a legendary Japanese musician, but it does nothing for her. Her dad is distant, her mom is dead. And she's a hafu, half-Japanese, half-American. She's violently bullied in school, and next thing we know, someone dies.

That is just the first few chapters.

I'm a sucker for premises like this. This didn't disappoint, I thought it could have used more finesse instead of drawing out some scenes like fish entrails.

Hi Friends! Anyone interested in swapping books for any of these books?

My local bookstore only takes paperbacks, so I can‘t trade these in. 😒

They don‘t have to be #BOTM books to swap, I would prefer newer books in great or very good condition.

Let me know! 😊

#SpringCleaning #PreparingToEventuallyMove

I won this in a @Robothugs giveaway. How lucky ☺️💜 thank you Jen! 💜

This book wasn‘t exactly what I expected. I think I expected more mystery when actually it was a book looking at belonging and regret. There were things pointed towards which I personally would of liked more explanation of but the book did keep me gripped and was written beautifully. So I would recommend it

Today I celebrate five years of motherhood by dropping the birthday boy at school and treating myself to a very millennial breakfast with my current read... ah peace (for once!)

I‘m currently on placement as I train to be a counsellor and I‘m sitting around waiting. Luckily I have this lovely book to keep me company in the empty office and a (flamingo) coffee to keep me awake 😊

“My husband is a good man, and I have many friends, but it‘s when I‘m on my way to a foreign city that I feel most alive” As recently ex cabin crew I concur- I miss it so much.

So first up on my #litsyAtoZ / #attackthestack challenge line up crossing off P is Pull me under which I got for Christmas so apparently I‘m doing a last In first out kinda thing with my bookshelf. This year I will only be reading books I already own and haven‘t read. Only a couple of chapters in but enjoying this one so far 🙂📚📕📗📘📙📚

Pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this novel. Luce explores the theme of identity: how does one‘s past define (& control) an individual? Can you truly shut out your past and ignore who you once were?

“I‘m a fan of unforgiveness...”

I didn‘t expect to enjoy this novel as much as I am. Complex character histories, grappling with tragedy, loss, recovery.

Some thoughts about #bookmarks. True that I often cannot find one when I need one, but I love them all the same. And I totally agree with Sal about leaving books open and facedown: your beautiful spine! #bookquirks #bookishquirks #bookmarkswap

Nearly a year later...let‘s go! 📚

⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2: brilliant writing and interesting storyline. Just felt a little flat to me and hoping I️ remember this one down the road. Still need to think of this one ...

THANK YOU, @Reviewsbylola !! It‘s like you read my mind!! My #Halloweengoespostal package is amazing! Im starting this one today, and Im dying to get to In the Kingdom of Ice because polar exploration is my JAM!! We‘re also starting to watch the series on Zelda, so this book is perfect! So many awesome things! Socks! Bookmark! Tote! Chocolate! You‘re the BEST!!!!

Really loved this book at the start; it was fast paced and the character of Chizuru was developed well. The rest of the story was ok but not amazing. The plot is quite slow and Luce doesn‘t really develop the character of Rio. A little disappointing as I was really looking forward to this.

Really enjoying the start of this. Reading has definitely made me feel a little better today #readingescape

I love going to the library...... babe wasn't happy (I currently have 24 books checked out- 3 are for him) because I have a huge stack already, but as I remind him when he wants to keep me from going to the library: AT LEAST I DID NOT BUY THESE 🤗🤓📚📚📚📚📚📚📚 #libraryhaul #bookhaul

Well OK then. I'm sold. #BOTM #ClearTheBacklog

Pull Me Under by Kelly Luce
Published by: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York
Published: November 1, 2016
ISBN-10: 0374238588
Hardcover - 272 Pages

Rio Silvestri is a wife, mother and nurse. She lives in America and has what she thinks, and more importantly others think, is a typical life. When her father dies She returns to Japan the country where she was infamous as Chizuru, a girl who murdered another student. Great premise, really interesting read. Lots of themes about identity, what we tell ourselves vs other people. A gripping dark literary novel of unravelling & rebuilding ourselves.

Current read (with a cat hunting a spider in the background). Not sure it's for me, but we will see how I feel when I'm done. #catsoflitsy

Here are some of my #botm selections from my library! I've only read one of these books, the woman in cabin 10, but I really liked it! #readingwomenmonth

Just finished this one. While it was not what I was expecting for being marketed as a thriller, I was good. I would say it more of a woman coming to grips with her past and starting to learn how to move forward.

Just so-so.

This was actually my first Book of the Month pick back in December but I'm just now getting to it...oops. I like it so far (I'm about 2/3 of the way through) but I do feel like there's been too many convenient coincidences happening in the plot. What did you guys think?

I'm doing surprisingly well at sticking to my #MayTBR so far. I'll likely be tackling this one this week. #MayBookFlowers #BlackAndWhiteCovers #BOTM

Here's my TBR for the #boutofbooks readathon, which goes from May 8-14 and is a low-pressure challenge to read as much as you can in a week. I'm really excited to get to these!

#MayBookFlowers #blackandwhitecovers

All that I could find on my shelves... the only one I have read so far is Citizen. The rest are still tbr! 😳

This wasn't a bad book, it just wasn't what I was expecting and not what I usually read. It's marketed as a thriller, and a coming of age story. In truth, this is the story of a middle aged woman learning about the culture from which she was turned away as a child. The writing was good, but I couldn't relate to any of the characters or their experiences.

#immigration for #litsyreadingchallenge

Crawling back into bed with this one. It's only 7:00pm here, but I'm already tired. It might be time for a coffee break! #readathon

Enjoyed this #BOTM #Masked #AprilBookShowers

Love that my local Barnes & Noble has a used books section. My daughter found some good ones and I picked one as well. Got some journals as well. Book store therapy 💕💕

#BookClubPick #BOTM

Wow! I absolutely loved this BOTM book that's been sitting on my shelf for a while. Picked it up because it's a book club pick and I can't wait to discuss it. The unfolding is some of the magic, so don't want to give too much away.

#TBRTuesday

Looking forward to all of these!!!

Liked, not loved. The main character is insufferable but the writing is redeeming. I enjoyed learning a tiny bit about Japanese culture through the story.

I am loving Shinobu. He is the perfect distraction from the main character who is annoying me.

This was...just...so...Meh.
I wasn't on Litsy for weeks, just because I was forcing myself through this book. It's not the book, it's probably me... I'm mainly glad that it is over :)

Below, a photo from my run this morning, to be somewhat supportive of this book.

Day one #LyricalApril #Bittersweetsymphony Pull Me Under features a MC who committed a terrible crime in childhood, leading to an estrangement with her father a famous violinist & Japanese "Living National Treasure" When a mysterious package arrives, years later it leads the MC to a "bittersweet" journey of past, present and forgiveness. #musicalbooks

This is about a woman, who as a child murdered a classmate, and how she deals with that and her abandonment by her father when she's an adult. I liked the main moral of the story, about living a half life vs. a full one, and I thought she was interesting as a character. However, I thought the plot points didn't always seem believable.

The beginning and the second half felt like 2 different books to me. Started out a little bit thriller, turned a corner toward drama once the main character reunites with Miss Danny. I enjoyed the relationships in the second part more. The big reveal with the letter felt like it hadnt really been led up to. And the ending itself, while good and fitting with what happened in the book, seemed a bit off-kilter from the rest of the story.

Suffering has a way of slipping from memory