Welcome to Litsy!

An enjoyable, character driven look at a small neighborhood and two small girls trying to make sense of the grownups nonsensical behavior. Lots of humor and a little mystery. Just what I needed.

August review
I liked this story. Mrs. Creasy mysteriously disappeared during summer 1976 in England Grace and Tilly, 10 year olds girls are in the mission to find out this mystery. As the book blurb says the girls, inspired by something the vicar said, “...believed that finding God they might also find Mrs. Creasy”. I usually don‘t like stories with religious content but this story has more elements, is about this community⬇️

An absolutely charming book that is partially told by two ten year old girls. Part mystery, part human nature. All the neighbor‘s secrets start to reveal over a sweltering summer in 1976. It‘s a humorous, yet poignant read.

A perfect Christmas holiday read, light but meaningful and great characters. Time up north has come to an end, though will my train turn up tomorrow...?!

I loved this book about how we are too quick to judge people. The fact that it was set in 1976, with a main character being about the age I was in that year, made it feel very real. I was craving custard creams and Butterscotch Angel Delight for months after reading this.

#AdventRecommends

not what I expected but enjoyed

This book, although slow, should really be focused on. It is character driven; the plot is less important then the lessons learned. Joanna Canon is a really good writer and a (former?) psychiatrist. The story follows two time periods: summer of 1976 (hottest on record for Britain) and late 1967. It‘s a coming of age story, a bit of a mystery, and a small town narrative. It highlights the dangers of herd mentality and misjudgment. 4⭐️

I enjoyed this very much. I loved the writing. The mystery of a missing woman mostly from the point of view of two children. They believe finding God on their street will solve the mystery so they go looking for God among their neighbours with some expected and some surprising results. 4/5 🌟🌟🌟🌟

My very first swap box! Thanks so much for all the thoughtful choices @Karkar ! I love everything. The chocolates are perfect, the book is a wonderful selection, and the bookmark is so apt for me. Thanks again for hosting, @candority , I can‘t wait to do it again! #bookcupidswap

Just started a new book. How well I remember the scorching summer and drought of 1976 in the UK which is the setting for this story. I was sitting my O Levels (school leaver exams). It was so hot we were given sweat bands for our wrists so we could write. I am loving the book so far.☀️☀️☀️🌡️

Books set in the 70s and 80s always bring back childhood #memories for me. This one, set in the long hot summer of 1976, has a lead character about the same age I was at the time, so it brought back a lot - custard creams and butterscotch Angel Delight in particular.

#ForeverNovember
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @OriginalCyn620

Loved this!! It was like a soap opera but in a book ☺️☺️ #pick

With a To Kill a Mockingbird vibe, this novel tells the story of a British neighborhood during the hot summer of 1976. Two curious and naive girls, Grace and Tilly, go around from house to house trying to find God (literally) and solve the mystery of their neighbor who went away. Along the way, the reader learns secrets that mostly go over the girls‘ heads. It‘s a well observed story about family and faith that will summon nostalgia. Pick!

Sunday morning with my ginger boy and a good read. 💞 🐐🐑🐧

This is a great gripping read. An unusual mystery, not so much a whodunnit as whodunwhat. It's a fascinating & thought-provoking reflection on how petty small minded gossip & prejudices can escalate into something much more sinister, especially in a tight knit community. I'm not always a fan of child narrators, but it works perfectly here as Grace's inquisitive & innocent voice puts into perspective how illogical the adults around her have been.

Next up

Continuing my TBR project:
This is one the oldest selection on my TBR list - Originally added November 12, 2016.

This is one of the best books about family and community that I have ever read. Some of the time it is sad, some of the time it is funny, and some of the time it prompts you to search your own soul. 5-stars

Day Five: #7covers7days #covercrush

Thanks for the tag @Cathythoughts

ANYONE CAN PLAY!!! 🤓
(A week worth of book covers, no explanation needed.)

This was the first thing that came to my mind with today‘s #JulyColdPlay prompt #Trouble

@Eggs

Set in the #Summer of 1976

#30junebooks

This book was excellent. Rich, imperfect characters. Well-timed information-revealing. So many layers of meaning to the themes. Love the perspectives of child versus adult in this gossipy British suburb. And justice is delivered in the end!

Big secrets are kept in this small British suburbia, where the neighbors all know each other‘s business. So when one woman disappears, speculation runs rampant. Two children and best friends, Grace and Tilly, lead the investigation. I thought the voices and world building of the neighborhood were strong and well defined, with light touches of humor to cut through the disturbing undertones.

😂

I love this writing! This quote is about Mrs. Morton.

I should have DNFed this but just as I was about to drop it, a little thing happened that made me want to keep going. Should have trusted my gut. The ending was rather anti-climactic, I had a hard time keeping the cast of characters straight due to the switching narration and the high number products and slang I didn‘t understand (because of 1970s Britishisms) was distracting.

Another month gone! Man, time flies when you‘re neglecting your TBR. Time for #MarchTBR, I suppose... I‘ve got lots left over from last month - including five in-progress that I‘m hell-bent on finishing this upcoming week. New to the stack are The River of Darkness, my #GirlyBookClub book and four new pulls from the stacks in my never-ending quest to #ReadMyOwnDamnBooks.

The book I'm currently reading! It's really good and I'm almost done.

It has never taken me so long to read a book before, I didn't enjoy it. Too many characters, to many holes in the story and a very dissapointing ending that went nowhere.

Because a woman disappears in 1976, her neighbors are forced to think back on the 1967 events that led to the disappearance. When I realized how integral to plot the protagonist's search for God was, I was tempted to DNR this, but ultimately decided that the voice delivered by Cannon made the book worth reading. The voice is stupid good.

A deeply moving inside look at life in 1970‘s Suburbia, with a genuinely gripping mystery at it‘s centre. Impeccably clever writing, mixed with shockingly real characters leaves you thinking about Joanna Cannon‘s created universe long after the final page.

"...and an old newspaper, which turned over and over on the concrete, as a breeze read through its pages."

The secrets on The Avenue were what kept me reading this book. Grace and Tilly, the children, were likeable but all the adults had something to hide and I like how secrets were revealed as I kept reading. I seem to be doing a good job of picking books that have interesting character studies going on lately and I think this book could have given more actually. My colleague recommended the author‘s next book too, so that‘ll go on my tbr list!

A hot summer, a street, a story about the fact that people only see what they want to see. While I liked it while I was reading it, it took me quite some time to finish it.

Starting on this today. I‘ve been having trouble sleeping lately (we moved house last week, so have been stressed by that) and keep being awake in the middle of the night, so am aiming to stay up late so I can be too tired to be awake later on! I‘ve heard LOTS of good things about this book, so am hoping I agree!

I should have read this one on paper instead of listening to the audio book - it jumps between characters and times, and it w really hard to keep the timeline straight and I kept getting characters confused. It's a shame, because it's a charming book with beautiful writing about a group of people in a council estate in Northern England in the 1970s. There are a lot of mysteries in the community, and it feels like a mystery novel, but it isn't.

An amusing and enjoyable story of hidden secrets and community life set in Britain the 70s. I sped through this story of two 10 year olds solving a neighbour‘s disappearance. I‘ll be giving “The Trouble with Goats and Sheep” 4 stars.

See my full review on my blog (find the link on my profile!) 📚

Hmm. I finished it but don't feel anything much towards it. A few pieces stick in my mind but wouldn't be in a rush to recommend :/

I'm reading this for a new group I've joined (and want to mske a good first impression! ).
30 pages in and not enjoying it at all. Neither the writing or story...
Does it get better????

Finishing this off in the winter sun - beautiful 😊
This is the tale of a neighbourhood in 1970s England. A woman has disappeared and ten year olds Grace and Tilly are determined to save everyone else by finding God in their street. While looking for God they visit each of their neighbours, and through child eyes we learn each is more than they seem to be. ⬇️

I was lured away from my TBR #cheatingonmyTBR by the way @SavidgeReads rhapsodised about this book.

I‘m already very glad. “Early widowhood had forced her to weave a life from other people‘s remnants and she had baked and minded and knitted herself into a glow of indispensability” 🙌🙌

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the 10 year Gracie and all the angst and humour she brought to the story. It‘s a mystery but unconventionally so, it‘s more an unraveling of what transpired on this ‘avenue‘ to understand why everyone feels and acts the way they do

Enjoying the smell of my new cedar deck while I read and sip rosé ( did some journaling too) there is rain coming but I‘m not complaining because it‘s been so dry up to the last few days

Sometimes you love a book from the first page

Some beautifully phrased descriptions and metaphors (if perhaps a little overdone). Themes of secrets and jumping to conclusions resonated with me, especially now.

I wasn't really sure what I expected from this one, but it was an enjoyable read and a great little story with a good mix of characters. For me, it was just lacking something and I was a little bit underwhelmed by the ending. Saying that, it was a solid 3.5/5 and I would definitely recommend for a light holiday read.

When Mrs. Creasy goes missing from her quiet neighborhood, 10 year olds, Grace and Tully set out to discover what really happened. Told mostly through their eyes, you watch long held neighborhood and family secrets start to unravel. Charming read, with some depth to it.