Welcome to Litsy!

So bizarre, the idea of consuming knowledge through eating the brains of others and when "redemption" is given then surviving off books, maps, and other printed material as a source of food. Definitely a unique science fiction read, one where you see many parallels in how we parent and protect at all costs.

This was interesting to me because the premise is that there is a species of people that live through eating books/ink that look human but are decidedly not. It's kind of a take on vampires but so different from other vampire variations that I've seen.

Rolo and I are enjoying the sun while I read the tagged. This book has been exceeding my expectations.

I picked this up finally, trying to get those goodreads bookmarks. It‘s been on my TBR for a while now. This is a low pick. It‘s a completely different kind of fantasy. They eat books instead of food. The women are kept from really knowing anything and are required to birth 2 children but are forced to leave them after 3 years. The story is told from the present and flashes back to her as a kid, giving birth and why she‘s where she is at now.

4/5
Sunyi Dean did a great job creating this parallel world in which book and brain eaters live somewhat secluded from humans. It's quite easy to enter into the story, the plot is well constructed.
The back and forth in time works well for that story, building suspense.
I'm sure it could lead to interesting conversations for a book club.

An innovative take on vampires and a very enjoyable audiobook. I loved the fact that the pov is that of a single mom, and heartily recommend sticking around for the conversation after the book ends in the audiobook between the author and the narrator about themes that could be read into the book: including ableism, neurodivergence, single motherhood, etc (both women identify as autistic and the narrator identifies as deaf among other things).

Very good. An interesting look at princesses and whether they need saving. Something both classic and new/fresh. Very entertaining storytelling.

4⭐️/5⭐️

It was an odd story, but enjoyable.

A story, in part, about stories and both the benefit and the havoc they can wreak. This is a blazer of a book, a dark fairy tale in a modern time, where your sympathy lies with the monster every time. A unique and complex look at family, love, and motherhood, plus an absolutely ripping plot that had me on the edge of my seat over and over again. The writing was harsh and beautiful, and Devon was a character I‘ll always remember. Just…lovely.

Read this book last year and now listening to the audio version 😄

#thebookeaters

#audiobooks

Something off the TBR for a windy unpleasant Sunday afternoon…

I can't believe it's almost time for the June #BookSpin draw! New to the list this month are the tagged and Terra Nullius. I can't wait to see what the new picks will be. Thank you to @TheAromaofBooks for hosting!

Such a strange premise, but very readable. The plot moves quickly, using alternating chapters with flashbacks to get the backstory. Lots of disturbing images and plot points as the mc wrestles with morality vs keeping her son alive.

An easy 5 star ⭐️ read for me. With the exception of a chapter or two a single POV with chapters alternating from present day to a linear past. Fantasy without the epic, and confusing, world building or ever expanding cast of characters. Highly recommend

Like so many places in the north, Alnwick was all history and no future. Gardens and castles for tourists, dwindling high streets and rising unemployment for locals.

I find myself lingering over this one. No breathless sprint to the end. Utterly delightful. Savoring every chapter

Engrossing start. Cannot believe I put off opening the book since I purchased it as soon as I heard about it.

edit: I added it to my librarything on Dec of 22 so I have sat on this book for a year. Totally crazy

I enjoyed this one.

Read for reading prompts.

Library Book

4/5

Gonna aim for a reading day today. I‘ll definitely finish THE BOOK EATERS (which I don‘t dislike, but also care about way less than I want to) and YUMI AND THE NIGHTMARE PAINTER, with some comics, poetry, short fiction, and 18th century fandom on the side.

Finishing strong with 143 books and 60,000 pages for the year!
Also I truly love the story graph stats something about it just gives me a dose of endorphins

Loved this novel! Devon is a rare female in one of the reclusive families of book eaters. They gain sustenance and knowledge from the books they eat. Girls, like Devon are raised on fairytales as they prepare for marriage. In this dwindling species, some children, including Devon‘s son are born needing to eat minds to survive. Seeking freedom from the families, Devon goes on the run with her son. This gritty, inventive novel deserves 4+/5 ⭐️s.

“But, I do I know we can only live by the light we‘re given, and some of us are given no light at all. What else can we do except learn to see in the dark?”

“What price do you put on love, Devon Fairweather?” She knew that answer by heart. “No price. There isn‘t one. Love doesn‘t have a cost. It‘s just a choice you make. “

“How did one give shape to absence? Fill a black hole with light?

So far this book has become my favorite book of the year 🥰

Had to give in and buy the Kindle edition as the print in the paperback is impossibly tiny.

#kindle

Not a pick for me, but it‘s not so-so. I‘ll admit that I just don‘t like dark gothic stories. If you do, maybe give this interesting spin on a vampire story a try. The book eaters and mind eaters concept kept me intrigued enough, and the out of order storytelling was interesting. Check content warnings before diving in. #LGBTQIA #Gothic #Vampires

Starting this while I wait for my son to get out of school.

I left the library with an arm full of books and one book bundle bag of Mexican fantasy and horror. It was all too enticing to leave behind. I'm definitely readathon ready now! Should I open the mystery bag or wait until Saturday for a readathon surprise???

I‘ve been asking for new bookshelves for my birthday on Saturday. I don‘t think it‘s going to happen, so I decided to buy myself more books to add to my already over flowing bookshelf. Also, I don‘t have little dogs anymore. I have a little one and a big one. I‘m taking suggestions for what my new username should be!

Devon is from the six families, Book Eaters who feed on the written word and have traditional patriarchal values. As a woman Dev is fed on fairytales and is expected to marry and give up her children twice before returning to her family to live out her days. When Dev‘s child is born a Mind Eater (a subset of Book Eaters that feed on the minds of humans) she learns just what she is capable of in the name of love.

#DoubleSpin

🌟🌟🌟the whole concept of this book was brilliant and unique. However the execution and lack of connection with any of the characters made this book just ok. I couldn‘t feel anything for any of them. But I love the idea of eating a book and absorbing all its knowledge, especially a foreign language lol. The mind eaters were a more horrific. Kind of vampire. Overall I liked but didn‘t love it.

Read this in one day. So good! The title tells it all. You‘ll devour this book. I guess it‘s true, you are what you read!:). Great concept. A mothers love leads this books message. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was way out of the norm for me, but I ended up liking and and couldn't put it down for the last few chapters.

Devon is a young woman who comes from a line of people who literally eat books and retain the knowledge therein. Girls tend to be fed fairy tales and boys eat adventure stories.

Females are scarce so they are married off in hopes that they will give birth the girls.

When Devon has a son who is a Mind Eater things turn dangerous.

Finished releasing the last of the Valentine's Day bakery treats with this chocolate chip cookie cake.
I can't believe I put down the tagged book (I'm obsessed!!) long enough to bake and post on social today!

At its core, this is a book about a mother trying to save her son against a system that wants them dead and gone. She happens to be a book eater, a being who eats books, internalizes the words and gains the knowledge inside. That is sustenance, normal food doesn't do it for them.

The core story is interesting, jumping between periods of Devin's life. I wish we had more details about book eaters, where they came from, and an epilogue.

I've had the tagged book on my TBR for a while and couldn't resist picking it up at the library. It's competing with my current ARC for all my attention!
Thinking about adding flour tortillas to my menu so I made some last night for shrimp tacos.

All little children are beautiful. Adults, not so much. We‘ve done too many things in our lives to be beautiful.

Everyone is a monster to somebody.

“Be strong, love, and don‘t let ‘em see y‘ cry. It‘ll all be reet in the end.”

I've got to assume it's the writing that worked for me here because there's so much about this book that I shouldn't/didn't like. There's something about a dual time period told story that really endears me to short chapters - you don't feel like you're slogging along too long without hearing from the other parallel narrative, especially when one is filling in blanks for the other, but a bit too handmaid's tale for my taste overall. 1/?

Imagine if words and stories had their own textures and flavors. In this creative thriller, there is a mythical race called Book Eaters who subsist by literally eating books. The words on the pages they eat stay with them, but they are unable to write anything themselves. A whole world of knowledge you can eat without ever being able to pass along your own. I thoroughly enjoyed this twist on a vampiric society living in the shadows.

This introvert is feeling a lot of kinship with this wording: "civilization's hard neon edges...lack of bodies created a vacuum of calm."