Welcome to Litsy!

Two college acquaintances run into each other at an airport, and one decides to tell the other of how he saved a man‘s life. This reminded me of Patricia Highsmith‘s books and Alfred Hitchcock‘s films. The writing is excellent, and the characters are well-developed. I loved it!

Picked up this quick read after seeing fellow Litten discussing it. Two university acquaintances meet unexpectedly in an airport after 20 years where on divulges a story about their life to the other. I don‘t want to give a lot away but there are interesting things to ponder here about what is owed when saving a life, who is “good” and who isn‘t and it‘s got one of those ahhhh endings.

Interesting… this short and strange story, which covers one conversation between 2 people at an airport during a delay, is hard to evaluate. It went quickly because it was only 170 pages. Did I like it? Not really, per se, but it held my interest. Did I expect it to go somewhere more impactful? Yes. Overall it was memorable for its weirdness.

This was so meh for me. Smart writing but the story wanting….

“The timing was good, the chemistry was there, this book treated me well. That‘s my choice.” And thus today‘s judge in the #ToB23 chose Mouth to Mouth over The Passenger. Just like us.
Its success in this round in the #LitsyToB33 is mainly due to the fact that many people didn‘t read or bailed on The Passenger. It was voted for by @Megabooks, @jlhammar @Cariashley, @Readerann, @Larkken and @Ruthiella but it wasn‘t enough. Mouth to Mouth it is!

I‘m disappointed not to like this more as the reviews I read looked good to me, and Jeff‘s story starts off well, but I‘m getting very impatient with him…
I‘m bailing … I might come back to it another day , or not.

Every sighting of this mystery man yielded a frisson, as if he were my guardian angel keeping tabs on me, followed by a pang of anxiety at the thought that I might never see him again.

#SundaySentence

I will finish this book tonight, most likely; and I am loving it!! Who ARE those of you who thought this boring?! I am on pins and needles wondering what is going to happen - - didn‘t somebody say the ending was a jaw-dropper?! Eeeek!! Maybe, I am being setup for a let down, but this is hitting that sweet spot of wanting to readreadread AND …. Not wanting it to end, scared to see how it ends. Wild.

So many words! This author reminds me of ⬇️

Starting this now! #tob2023 #DogsofLitsy #Copper&Esther #whpg #Griff4short

Still working through what I thought about this one. I definitely liked the writing/language - kept me fully engaged (in conjunction with great audio narration). Nobody was likable to me, but that‘s not something I care much about. I didn‘t necessarily find it super suspenseful or twisty, but had I not been kind of expecting that (based on some reviews), I don‘t think I would have considered that an issue. So I guess I liked it! 🤣

#2023readingbracket

I went with Mouth to Mouth for January even though The Violin Conspiracy was right there too.

Hmmm, kind of torn on this one so I‘ll round up to a pick. I didn‘t find it particularly shocking or twisty and I don‘t really care about the world of the rich, famous and ambitious. Jeff struck me as having no personality (by design, I‘m sure). I did appreciate its brevity though and the many questions it leaves you with. Could definitely see this being a good one for discussion so it will be fun to see what the #ToB23 judges make of it.

Meh. This was…okay. The airport conceit was completely unnecessary. I‘m rather perplexed as to why this made the shortlist. It wasn‘t bad, it just wasn‘t fantastic or terribly memorable. #TOB2023 @Ruthiella @Cinfhen @Suet624 @sarahbarnes @thebluestocking @Mindyrecycles @vivastory @kwmg40 @squirrelbrain @BarbaraBB @amyrabbitt @MicheleinPhilly @Hooked_on_books @cariashley @batsy @Chelsea.Poole @Addison_Reads @RebelReader

Maybe I've read one too many thrillers, but I saw the ending (twist?) coming, just now the how of it. I'm surprised by my reaction; I've seen only good reviews by readers & in the media, but this left me cold. It says something about careerism, male-centric success, & the way money transforms a person once you get a taste of it. But there's Muriel Spark's Loitering with Intent that did megalomania, narcissism & deceptiveness way better. #ToB2023

Ok so the blurb of this book is chilling - but that‘s where the chills end until we read the very last line of the novel. The book revolves around the premise that a man saves another man from a near death scenario and then becomes obsessed with the life of the man he saved - only to wonder whether he was worth saving at all. But the book falls way short of the build-up and is mostly descriptions about the art world. Overall it‘s a time-pass read.

I loved this one! So far my favorite of the #ToB23 shortlist. What a way to spend time in an airport! No one is very likable in this one, but dang, I just couldn‘t look away!

The plot seems simple enough: a man recounts some episodes in his life to another over drinks in an airport lounge. However, there are more layers to this story than is immediately apparent.

I didn't love the story but I think it's a perfect book for the Tournament of Books, as it definitely invites discussion. #tob2023

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

Two former college acquaintances meet up in an airport years later. While they wait for their delayed flight, one shares the story of saving another man's life and how it shaped his destiny. There's the story, and then what lies beneath the story. That tension was intriguing to a degree, but like Alice Munro who I love to (mis)quote, a good story needs a female character. And so, this tale of male ambition & ego inevitably left me a bit cold. #tob

Intending to just read a few chapters this morning, I ended up reading the entire thing. It's that kind of book.

A man runs into an old college acquaintance and invites them to join him in the lounge as they wait for their delayed flight. There, he tells the story of the life he saved and what happened next. There's nothing superfluous in this tightly-told story.

#ToBLonglist #ToB23

I listened to the audio of this and I thought the narrator did an excellent job. This story is subtle with many layers built into what seems like a simple conversation between two old college friends.

It's not a book I would have read on my own, but I'm glad now that I did.

This is a tale of a college acquaintance telling a story about how he saved someone‘s life and what happened after.

I can't really say why I enjoyed this novel. It's straightforward but subtle, meta, with a couple of layers of narrators that the reader has to decide whether to trust or not. It also has a bit of a modern fairy tale feel with an ending that's easy to predict given the setup, but which leads the reader back to the trustworthiness of narrators, character motivations, etc. The idea of crafting a truth by telling part of a story runs throughout.

I feel bad for giving this a so-so but I was mostly bored reading it. It‘s old-fashioned in its framing: a story of a story in a story; a man confesses to an acquaintance about how he saved another man‘s life, which set him on a path of success… but was this fate or design? I think it would have been sharper/more powerful for me if it had been pared down even more to short story length. But I am enjoying its ambiguity and the discussion! #ToB2023

When this book wasn't mysteriously causing me to fall asleep, I was flipping the pages to find out how this story would evolve. A short novel, it tells the story of someone who has saved a drowning man & the ensuing interactions he has with this man. Once I finished reading, I spent time thinking about quite a few of the twists and turns involved in the story. I appreciate books like this that cause you to rethink what you've just read. #TOB23

I really liked this (shortish) book, as an author bumps into an old college friend, Jeff, in JFK airport. Jeff tells him a tale from his youth that he‘s never told anyone before.

I liked the slight changes in narrative voice from first (the author) to third person; it leant the story a more mysterious, unreliable narrator, air.

I listened to this and think it suits audio really well: you feel like you‘re there in the airport lounge with them.

I‘m enjoying this story and I honestly thought I‘d read it in a day but every time I start reading it I fall asleep. I‘m going on 4 days now! What the heck! #TOB23

So glad I #reread this #ToB choice, and it‘s definitely still one of my favorites!

A writer runs into an old college friend at an airport. The friend shares the wild tale of his life since saving a man from drowning. The friend‘s curiosity about who he saved drew him deeper into that man‘s life and family, changing them both forever.

Thanks to @BarbaraBB and @Megabooks for encouraging me to finish. I think I would have spent sometime time wondering had I not finished. It is a soft pick for me. Well written and short, I‘m not sorry I read it but won‘t be shouting from the mountain tops about it. Maybe audio would have been better.

#TOB23. I think Dinosaurs is next up on audio

@Cinfhen

Great mantra while in an airport: stop thinking and be the cargo.

#WinterReadathonDailyChallenge Day 13

I‘m 54% into the tagged book and am not sure how I feel about it….do I care enough about the MC and his story to give up the time to finish. Is there payoff that I shouldn‘t miss?

The pictured tea is a night time favorite herbal.

Working my way through the TOB shortlist. I didn‘t love this as much as many of you have. It was fine. Interesting enough and well written but I was glad this was on the shorter side.

Read for #ToB2023
Jeff saves a man‘s life on the beach. He‘s a stranger at the time, but Jeff soon learns who the man is, Francis, a wealthy art dealer, though Francis seems not to remember Jeff. He soon becomes involved in his life and tells this never-before-told story to a college acquaintance in an airport lounge. Intriguing, for sure! I found this one to be good, not great, but it certainly has something to say about ambition.

This is an interesting book with a first person POV in which the narrator is telling someone else‘s story, serving as a proxy for the reader and pulling us closer to the narrative. The entire story is interesting, with some questionable decisions by the speaker, and closes with a bang that upends everything. I found this really thought-provoking. #toblonglist2023

Jumping on the #TOB2023 bandwagon. I do hope there are refreshments. Beverage cart?

I loved this story within a story novel. The unreliability of its narrators left me feeling unsettled in the best way. I related to the psychological twists and turns of the story - I kept thinking about what I would do in such a situation. A page turning thrill of a book. #ToB2023

Patricia Highsmith could have written this literary thriller, which reads like a morality play told by an unreliable narrator and that raises questions that will linger with me for a while.

A struggling writer runs into former classmate Jeff. While waiting for their delayed flight, Jeff tells how he years ago brought a drowned man back to life. Afterwards he finds out that this is Francis Arsenault, a famous art dealer. ⬇️⬇️
#ToB23

9-11 Oct 22 (audiobook)
Obama recommendation.
Listening to this reminded me of The Reluctant Fundamentalist. Odd, because I barely remember it and am not sure they had much in common. Maybe the form - the narrator recalls a story he is told by a past acquaintance whilst sitting in an airport lounge waiting for their flight to be rescheduled.
I enjoyed the small twist and turns in the rags to riches plot; and the idea of history repeating itself.

September Reading Wrap-Up...all audio except one!
4.5🌟
Mouth to Mouth: Antoine Wilson 🎧
3.5 🌟
Chouette:Claire Oshetsky 🎧
Haven: Emma Donaghue 🎧
Trust:Hernan Diaz 🎧
3 🌟
A Prayer for the Crown-Shy: Becky Chambers 🎧
Disorientation: Elaine Hsieh Chou 🎧
2.5 🌟
We Set The Dark On Fire: Tehlor Kay Mejia 📖
So very close to a #bookbingo maybe next month!
@TheAromaofBooks

Loved this straight forward narrative of how a man lost his soul. The writing was easy to read and had a beautiful flow to it. Highly recommend 4 5 🌟
My firt read from the #gillerprize

Just passing through, said a voice inside his head, source unknown, probably a bumper sticker.

A story within a story—tight, polished and propulsive. I really enjoyed the ride and the moral questions raised in this brief (179 pages) novel.
#CanLit #ShadowGiller2022

“But I think he really did see me as a sponge, as the second-best thing to uploading his consciousness into a giant computer. Which he would have done if he could have. Silicon immortality, it was a side interest of his.”

[Ha! Shades of Egan‘s Candy House in Wilson‘s Mouth to Mouth.]

“She was beautiful in an alien way, and her youth must have appealed to Francis. It held no sway over Jeff, who could only imagine her crawling across the bed like a spider, all arms and legs.”
[I couldn‘t help but think of The Stalk (pictured) a character from the Saga comic series.]

This definitely had me turning the pages but in the end I found the story a bit predictable and unoriginal. Still a pick but I‘d say #BorrowNotBuy

I had a hard time getting into this book and it just didn‘t flow well to me. The story could have been intriguing but to me, was really dragged out. It was highly regarded and even on Barack Obama‘s summer easing list but I don‘t understand the interest in this book.

Fun and quick. It was engaging and disturbing throughout, though I couldn't really take it seriously. A fun read, though!

On BO's booklist, so i'm excited to try it. Its interesting so far! Short and compelling;

I liked this little book about a man who saves someone‘s life, only to find out nobody liked him anyway.
His entire life becomes defined by this one act of compassion.

Not entirely sure I liked the construct of this novel. The narrator runs into a college acquaintance at an airport and proceeds to hear his life story, including a rise to fortune amidst some ethically questionable decisions. More of a morality play than a novel really? The narrator served little function. This could have been a short story.

25/22 This felt like a true holiday read. Immersive but not to deep. It had a very distinct atmosphere, like a holiday friendship. I enjoyed it. The ending was ok, not great. It left me with no real satisfaction, but then that probably suited this book. If you are looking for something a little mysterious which isn‘t heavy but isn‘t silly pick this up. 3⭐️