Welcome to Litsy!

Wow it‘s been so long since I visited Litsy. I‘ve been reading some wonderful books..two of my favourite authors John Boyne 5 🌟and Geraldine Brooks 4🌟. Also I loved Shy by Max Port and The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry. Missing from my picture is Wifedom by Anna Funder and Jaguar by Sarah Holland-Batt, both 5 🌟 reads for me.
Hope you‘ve been getting some reading time!!
#fiction #literature #greatbooks

One very tired puppy!

As for the book…I thought I might have to bail in the first 20% or so; just didn‘t want to pick it up. Then it suddenly grabbed me and I couldn‘t put it down! I‘m in awe that Boyne could come up with such an unusual structure.

I can see why some don‘t like it though, as it‘s definitely not the usual tear-jerking Boyne book.

Thanks for sending me this last year Katie! @youneverarrived

#authoramonth #aam

This is creative storytelling - how in the world (past, present, and future) does this author have this unique ability to spin a story!? I thought I‘d struggle to read from AD 1 to 2080 but I was fascinated to read this unnamed traveler move through time and space to discover what changed, what stayed the same, and also what evolved as the story moved forward.

April #AuthorAMonth @Soubhiville
BookSpin #DoubleSpin number 1 @TheAromaofBooks

Thank you so much for my lovely gift Katie @youneverarrived ! 😘

I‘m very intrigued by this book, as I‘ve loved all of Boyne‘s other books that I‘ve read so really looking forward to this one.

Love Randoms too - and even the wrapping paper was beautiful!

I‘m sorry to say this Boyne didn‘t work for me. The premise did sound interesting but it felt so repetitive. For now I‘m using this book for #SriLanka but I may change it for another one because it feels like cheating. I‘m sorry I can‘t be more enthusiastic about a book you so lovingly shared with me Cindy 🤷🏻‍♀️😘

#ReadingAsia2021 🇱🇰

An intriguing premise - a vengeance quest told by an unnamed narrator living multiple lives - that wore thin when he became the Forrest Gump of Reincarnation, hanging with major historical figures. (At least he wasn't Napoleon or Cleopatra -- why does everyone who was “reincarnated” think they were famous? Somebody had to be Steve Buscemi's ancestors.) In the end, I was left with a "what the hell did I just read?” feeling. And not in a good way.

I was just a bit underwhelmed by this one. I admire his skill as an author to write in so many different styles and so many different types of stories. This one just didn‘t entertain me like some of his others and I found it slightly boring.
I look forward to his next one 😁

#currentread
Just decided to read this and then this article was posted on Facebook :

https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/john-boyne-i-was-abused-at-terenure-col...
💔💔

It pains me to say, but this Boyne is #MoreMehThanYeah... every new chapter feels repetitive because the new scene has to be set, all the baddies are apparantly fat and ugly, and that trope got old very quickly. It feels like Boyne is trying to do too much with the setting, but in the process he forgets his character development. Too stereotypical, too flat, and not very interesting...

#Doublespin pick for November, just in time 😅

Read in December 2020 ...
#suvataStats #December Reads #Bookstagram

Nice way to round out the year!

I finally had some time to start the newest Boyne, but at around 50 pages in, I‘m not impressed, yet. The structure is pretty strange, and I‘m hoping I‘ll just have to find my rythm with it 🤞

#currentlyreading #doublespin from November

An artisan‘s soul repeats his story through several incarnations from A.D. 1 to 2080 — forever trying to gain his father‘s approval and save his sister, wife and child. Truly an epic, mythical journey through time and space that you don‘t want to miss. A literary history of major world events

My initial thoughts were what I am reading. But as the book develops I realized that Boyne is so brilliant. I have never read anything like this nor do I predict will I again.

This book is very different to Boyne‘s other books, told in a unique concept which is impressive & cleverly crafted. I was initially confused by the first few chapters, but very soon I was drawn in..very interested with where it was going & Boyne‘s writing style is brilliant. A novel that spans 2 millenniums, across the globe, with important historical events, it was an absorbing read with themes of family, love, values, ⬇️

#ReadingEurope2020

Almost there. Didn‘t know the book is so long when I started it. It‘s taking me days to read it, not because it‘s not compelling, more of my stressful & distracted brain. Anyway, desperate times call for desperate measures - this book is helping me ✅ off a few more countries which I haven‘t covered #ReadingEurope2020 :
Armenia, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czeh Rep, Hungary, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Switzerland, UK, Vatican City.

😳

Yes! Just got this one! 🥳🥰

A welcome haven from a fraught Saturday morning. #johnboyne #atravelleratthegatesofwisdom #book #books #fiction #bookish #bookphotography #irishfiction #bookcommunity #booklove #booksandcoffee #caffeine #coffee #coffeeandbooks #booknerd #booksbooksbooks #bookstagram #currentlyreading #i❤️books #verocaffe #dauntbooks #friernbarnet #n11

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ An unnamed artist narrates this epic tale of vengeance. Both time and setting change over the course of 2000 years while the characters slightly shift, but remain the same. Very clever story building and structurally interesting. I liked this a lot but it feels like Boyne deliberately tried to write a Pulitzer-caliber book. Something felt forced. Idk. A worthwhile read, regardless.

🎧🐾 Its so peaceful walking this guy first thing in the morning.

#audiowalk #dogsoflitsy

WHOOPS!!
Apparently John Boyne‘s latest includes imaginary ingredients from a Zelda game. He‘d googled “how to dye a dress red” and used the first result in his book, not realising it was to, a game. 🤦🏼‍♀️

With everything going in the world, I haven't seen too much news about upcoming new releases...needless to say, I was ECSTATIC to learn about the new John Boyne on deck! I'm hoping to hear about some more good ones in the next few weeks. Anyone have other highly-anticipated releases slotted for this year or early 2021?

I love Boyne, so I was super excited to get my hands on this #ARC. But this is nothing like anything I‘ve read of his before. Structurally it‘s ambitious and, after taking a bit of getting used to, I think he nails it. It is a mythical, old as time story. It‘s humanity through the ages. Yet, I found it a tad too long and I got a bit restless in the middle. Cont‘d ⬇️