Welcome to Litsy!

I didn't read very much this week, but of the two I finished, this was the one I liked better.

#WeeklyFavorites @Read4life

This one is a soft pick for me. I enjoyed the exploration of the inner workings of the Larkin family, but I'm disappointed that we didn't see more of some of the family members, especially Lexi. I'm also not totally on board with the brush with fame Alec had and the influence that had on his actions. #tob25 longlist

Photo: Not a wolf but a gray mammal at the table (Silo feeling betrayed that we didn't share Thanksgiving dinner with him).

Amazing myself (and perhaps my seatmate but probably not because she didn't know me and so had no historical context), I spent nearly the entire flight reading the tagged book! It helped that none of the available movies seemed compelling.

Very surprised at all the meh reviews here (have only looked now once finished!).
I thought it was great.
Dysfunctional family, with one mega dysfunctional son. Decide yourself what made him this way.

Wow, this one was heavy. I can see why it was a finalist for the Pulitzer. Family saga that spans the second half of the 20th century. And really, what‘s more American than baseball and serial killers? 😂 This family keeps having eerie brushes with serial killers over the course of their life struggles,of which there are many. I listened to the audio, and I think the matter-of-fact narrator suited the material well. This is a good one.

Mixed feelings about my first 2025 read. The writing, the ingredients, this strange family: all was there to create a great story. But we only follow two of the siblings and we don‘t even get to know them that well, let alone the other family members. There are no real answers and while this may resemble real life, it‘s not what I expect after almost 500 pages. #ToB25Longlist

Another book from the #toblonglist that I like better than many / most that made the short-list. 🤷‍♀️

It follows 2 out of a family of 5 siblings from childhood to adulthood, and one of their children too. It was a fascinating look at the nature / nurture question and how things we do or things that happen to us as children can reverberate throughout our lives.

It‘s long, but worked well for me on audio.

2024 favorites.

I just finished this and I‘m so angry!! It‘s the story of 5 - make that 2 - siblings, and he focused on the 2 I was least interested in. One sister is disabled and gets no story. Two more you hear from in the beginning and never again. One you don‘t even know what happens to at the end. I‘m calling BS!! You had almost 500 pages!!

That said, the writing is beautiful. The characters who are explored are captivating. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Mixed bag for me.

This one started off so well. I was loving it. But as the characters took shape , I liked some of them less and less. Usually that wouldn‘t bother me , in this case I bailed, or at least I‘m taking a long pause. I can‘t really see myself returning to it.

I finished this a week ago cant stop thinking about the Larkin family. It is dark and complex and so well written. 5 ⭐️