Welcome to Litsy!

I hesitate to mention A Man Called Ove, because there's less concrete plot pieces in common, more a vibe. Gil is a man who is slowly recovering from a bad break up, not the death of his wife, and he's less a crabby old guy than an independently wealthy middle-aged man trying to feel he's doing something worthwhile. 1/?

Hummingbird type: jewel 💎

Reading this at the same time as Robinson Crusoe really pointed out how introspective Gil is. (And how much more I like him than Robinson 😀) This also feels like a book that will reward multiple readings. It touches on so many topics that could be depressing, but is actually hope-filled. I look forward to my book club‘s discussion on Thursday.

Current book club selection.

There were about three thousand active satellites up in the sky, he'd read. Some twenty-thousand pieces of orbital debris. At any given moment, an average of nine thousand passenger planes flying.

And yet, he'd thought as he walked, without the last of the dinosaurs the sky would be empty.

Wow this book is absolutely magic, best book I have read this year. Wow fantastic. Highly highly recommend

Great, quick read.

I will now be placing holds on all her other books.

I bought this hoping a good chunk of it would be about walking cross country. It‘s not that.

But it is a good story of a man who makes a move (by walking) from New York to Arizona after a big break up, and getting to know his neighbors in his new place.

Not a lot of plot, but I enjoyed the characters and the descriptions of Arizona and it‘s plants and birds.

I love the 2nd of the month, because it‘s the day @TheAromaofBooks draws the #bookspin numbers! Here is what she chose for me this month.

I‘ve had The Little Friend on my shelf for years- I got it at a library booksale after loving The Goldfinch by Tartt.

Dinosaurs I picked up in the New Year‘s B&N sale where all the hardcovers are half priced. Looking forward to finally reading them both!

Finally got around to reading this. I liked it, but it felt unfinished. Loved the writing. Interesting concept: MC who is so rich he doesn‘t have to work, but instead flails around trying to find purpose in his life through volunteer work and his friendships. He‘s so oddly clueless, I wanted to shake him, yet he‘s somehow sympathetic too. Not easy to pull that off. tournamentofbooks #ToB2023

I really enjoyed this writing. There is no real *plot* in terms of beginning, middle, and end. But the world and the characters are so well fleshed out and human — a real slice of life story.

I need to read more of this author.

I loved The Children‘s Bible so I am excited to start Millet‘s next book set in Arizona.

A subtle — even gentle — story of the power and value of community, even as an awareness of our disastrous climate realities and political divides looms in the background.

A man walks from New York to Arizona after a bad break-up and moves into a castle-like house. Next door is a house with glass walls, and he becomes friends with the couple and their children who live there. I was worried that the story would turn creepy, but instead it focused on relationships with neighbors, partners, and grief. This is an excellent book that I still think about.

Slow & subtle. 45-yr-old Gil, orphaned but wealthy, moves from NYC to Phoenix & makes friends w/ the neighbors. Activity vs. passivity, bullying vs. kindness, human activity vs. nature, resistance vs. avoidance. Clipped sentences, quirky humor. Couples. Grief & ghosts. Wealth & responsibility. But Gil‘s lostness edges annoyance. P176 “A lazy solution, his form of self-defense: throw money. But it was better thrown. He felt a little lighter.” 2022

Loved this book. 5⭐️

I feel as though a lot of people are not giving this read the time it needs to get going. It is a very slow burn, but beautifully written. You really get to know the main character. #bookspin #tob @TheAromaofBooks

The March #bookspin list is primarily #tobshortlist for #tob23. First up is the tagged novel. Wish me luck!

California snow day!

Such an endearing book. It‘s not a plot driven story bursting with action. Rather, it is a book where the main character gradually unfolds for the reader as he discovers himself within a small found family. I loved Gil so much. And what a beautiful ending.

Loved this quiet but profound book about one man's life. I also loved The Children's Bible by the same author. The writing has an ease to it. Here is the last line of the novel:" How you came not from a couple or a few but from infinity. So you had no beginning. And you would never end." 4.5/5 ? #TOB23 #52bookclub23 #inheritance @Clwojick @BookBelle84 @jennifer80 @Librarybelle @triplem80 @AshleyHoss820 @LauraReads @KarenUK @britt_brooke

4⭐️/5⭐️

This story had some appealing characters and posed interesting questions but I found it rather slow-paced and was grateful that it was a relatively quick read.
#ToB2023

6th book finished for #FabulousFebruary @Andrew65
#BookSpinBingo #BookSpin @TheAromaofBooks

The book description is the story of a man who walks from NYC to Arizona after a failed love. The book basically begins after his walk and hardly references any part of the walk. . . It was okay, a quick read with likeable characters but I kept waiting for some big insight or development and it never happened.

Millet is never going to be my favorite writer, but I found this to be a deft story with just enough undercurrent to make me dig for meaning. How difficult is it to be compassionate in our world and specifically in current American culture? Gil is rich and privileged. Even he, the top of the food chain, so to speak, is powerless in the face of modern societal and environmental challenges. How much is enough? #ToB2023

Overall, the book was good. It was a really sweet story, and the characters were endearing. It just fell a little flat of being great.

This is why I wanted to read the #tob23 shortlist titles- a book I likely never would have read otherwise and absolutely adored. Second book in a row without a lot of plot but I loved reading about Gil, a genuinely good guy doing the best that he and trying to make real connections. I could see myself reading this again.

After a slow start, I ended up finding this pretty compelling. I really liked the characters and the writing was beautiful. The themes of community and loneliness are well-handled and give the reader a lot to think about.

I‘m DNF-ing at over halfway through…and that says a lot. “Boring” is not a descriptor I use often but seems spot on for this one. Character driven is my jam, but I could care less about Gil. Millet‘s other book (which oddly isn‘t mentioned in her author‘s blurb 🤔) didn‘t work for me either, so I can officially cross her off my list.

Eh. This struggled to hold my attention on audio, although it was read really well. As others have said, it felt a bit flat to me and never really pulled me in. #tob23

Not my favorite and I‘m glad it was short. 🤪
It seems like I either really like these #ToB23 books or they leave me cold.

I‘m trying…and hoping it starts keeping my attention a little better. 🤞

I really enjoyed this listen. I liked , even loved Gil, who is finding his way through a painful breakup, who is still and I imagine always will be, figuring out what life is all about. There are some nice characters in this book. I loved figuring out in my mind why it‘s called Dinosaurs. There was a welcome softness in the writing and the story. I must look up more by Lydia Millet 👍🏻

I really enjoyed this endearing book. Quiet and careful, the narrative style very much embodies the essence of the MC. I too was drawn into the lives of these characters. A win from #ToB2023!

Really good listen. My first Millet so wasn‘t sure what to expect. Gil is a great character and it was a pleasure to spend time with him. I also dig the title (birds being descendants of dinosaurs) and the various ways you see it reflected in the story. Is Gil a dinosaur among birds? Does it speak to his (or our collective) journey changing, growing, adapting, surviving? I‘m sure there are more layers I‘ll be thinking about in the days to come.

Gil is an independently wealthy man meandering his way through life, trying to do good things for others but otherwise lacking focus. We see his current life in Arizona and his past in NYC as well as how they intersect. There‘s a bit of a melancholic tone here in this interesting character study. #tob2023

Finished my last book of 2022 last night at 11:30 pm, and what a book! How to describe it? About a guy who just wants to do good in the world. One of those books that reminds you how small acts can make a difference. Also people are messy and complicated and that's okay. I was smitten! A new fave for #tob23
Brought my year-end total to 125 books! Maybe my best year ever!
Happy New Year Littens! Here's to more good books in 2023!

Might be my last book haul of 2022.

Loved this. LOVE ❤️ 💕 💗 🐦 🦅 🛹 🦕

#TOB23 #QuietProfound #LitPie

“It was a peach 🍑 pie” 🥧
#TOB23 #iLovePie #CaresPieShow #PieinLit #LitPie

Is cozy literary fiction a genre? If so - this book is it.

#BookReport #PlayingCatchUp

Still loving the Gaslight murder mystery series and a big change has happened at the end of this one. Secret of Snow was good for #LMPBC, enjoyed Matzah Ball and Mouth to Mouth. Favorite of the bunch is the tagged book. Working my way through the TOB23 short list, still on the fence about my two current books. Ariadne is last book for #Booked2022.

What a gem of a book. Gil is a wealthy man who hasn‘t been happy in NY. He decides to give it all up, walk all the way to Arizona and start afresh. It‘s not easy but he tries. He is such a kind and good man. I rooted for him all 230 pages. Beautiful and touching! #ToB2023

Although I found the ending a little disappointing, overall I thought this novel was excellent. It's an honest portrayal of mid-life, when even those of us who thought we were paying attention open our eyes one morning and realize that 1) we're mortal in a more urgent way than we'd felt it before, and 2) we went a little sideways when we thought we'd been following the path to happiness and fulfillment and aren't where we thought we were. #tob2023

This is the 3rd book I‘ve read by Millet. I‘ve liked every one of them. This might be the most “normal” of the three. I listened to the audio and was interested the entire time which rarely happens with audio-fiction. Gil was a lovely character, overcoming the recent loss of a partner and long-ago loss of his parents. Watching as he developed relationships in a new location was a lovely experience. #TOB23.

Gil, raised by his grandmother, now a grown man, has strong moral character. His grandmother was absolutely horrid, in my view. He walks across the country and ends up in Phoenix where he becomes involved with his neighbors‘ lives, who happen to live in a literal glass house. Gil begins to notice birds that have been shot dead in his area which he finds out for despicable. Not big on plot, but meaningful scenes make it a pick.
#ToB23 long list

@Cinfhen wrote a great review about how this book is full of small moments w/ big impacts. So true. This is a satisfying book to read.

Gil, an independently wealthy New Yorker, needs a shake up and walks all the way to Phoenix where he buys a house next to a family. As he becomes more involved in their lives, he begins to open up about what brought him to Phoenix so suddenly and finds the community he‘s been longing for. As I said, v satisfying!

#ToB23 long list - After a breakup, Gil an independently wealthy New Yorker leaves the city and walks his way to Phoenix to begin a quiet life in the wilds. Instead he becomes enmeshed with his neighbors & rural community life. This book lacks BIG moments but it‘s small everyday life experiences creates BIG impacts. A definite pick! Audio #Hoopla

I bailed on this earlier in the month but since it‘s now on the #ToB23 long-list I thought I‘d give it a second chance. It‘s actually good. Millet has a way of effortlessly writing the inner lives of highly moneyed privileged New Yorkers. Gil is an interesting character. Audio #Hoopla