Welcome to Litsy!

#MonthlyRecap #AprilRecap
#BookSpin✅
#DoubleSpin ✅
#SeriesLove2024✅
Book that‘s been on my board forever✅
Book I read in one day (tagged) ✅
The latest Kate DiCamillo (loved it!)✅
Great month✅

The writing could be hard to follow at times, which is why I don‘t rate this highly. Elements included that just didn‘t feel they meant anything other than to add length, or because that‘s what was assumed. Still a good mystery

I love a good thriller, and this book did make me want to keep reading…but just seemed kind of like three different stories haphazardly thrown into one. What was up with Reed Lester? Why did Billy decide to risk his life after being a dick the rest of the book? Why did he text the word blanket? I feel like I missed something here.
⭐️: 3/5

A family takes one last vacation before the oldest child heads off to college. Problem is, oldest child disappears on said vacation. This suspenseful read focuses on how each family member copes with grief and while the overall tone of the book was depressing, in the end I was moved by this story. If you like a more character-driven thriller, this book is for you!

This book was recommended by a Litsy friend.Wish I could remember who!🤷🏼‍♀️
Just returned from a visiting friends in Colorado which is the setting. I felt immersed in the story as I was surrounded by the mountains. A teen aged girl and her brother go up into the mountains, but only the brother returns. What happened to her is the mystery. Her family continue to search for years.The pages turned quickly as I hurried to discover the outcome.

“Her name was Caitlin, she was eighteen, and her own heart would sometime wake her- flying away in that dream-race where finish lines grew farther away not nearer, where knees turned to taffy, or feet to stones.”
#FirstLineFridays
@ShyBookOwl

The writing in this book was frustrating which is a shame because the plot itself was good. The shining light for me was Caitlin. I love reading about strong women and I loved her strength and will to survive.

#LMPBC

Free Space for #BookSpinBingo

Going in!

#LMPBC

A brother and sister go up in the mountains, only the brother comes back down. Where is the sister? What happened? What was kind of slow and and going all over the place led to a crazy, fast-paced last 100 pages that I couldn‘t put down.

It‘s Day 4 of the 5 day weekend I decided to take off from work and I continue to take advantage of it and read as much as humanly possible 😊
#LMPBC

#LMPBC Round 10 Group T!!!

Have any of you read the tagged book before? Normally I would post a few options (and I still can if someone has read this!) but it is one of the oldest books on my Litsy TBR and also happens to be a thriller so I thought I would throw it out there!

This is not the mystery/thriller I thought I was getting, but it is a good book! The focus is on character development, with building suspense and a satisfying ending. I‘m glad I stuck with it!

Am I reading on a regular basis? No.

Am I buying all the books like I am? Yes.

#kindledailydeal

It took me some time to get into this one on audio. It has a literary feel and there are character and timeline shifts that make it a bit confusing. However, it really picked up, and I especially appreciated how Johnston handled the end. It's much more than a book about a girl that goes missing-- the character development of the entire family is really well done.

⭐️⭐️⭐️: Hard to read at times but the drama kept me reading.

Over the past month I have spent $675 for my classroom library. $500 of it was Grant money from my school. Nothing I like more than buying books and nothing better than spending someone else's money.

A family from Wisconsin is in Colorado, their last vacation before Caitlin, 18, leaves for college. One day Caitlin goes for a jog through the mountains with her brother Sean, 14. Only Sean returns. The story follows Sean and their father over the next few years after Caitlin's disappearance, asking the question: At what point does a family stop searching? Absorbing story, but problems with pacing that made it obvious this is the author's debut.

“A riveting literary thriller of the can‘t-stop-turning-the-page, stay-up-all-night variety.” I had to get this today!!! I do love thrillers!!!! Who has read this one?

This book is about a family that goes on vacation in Colorado and their daughter disappears. You follow the family for two years on their journey to find her and/or to move on. I enjoyed this book- 3.5 stars. I listened to the audiobook on Scribd. The book was well written and although a bit predictable. The only issue I had was that there were two narrators and the female was absolutely ridiculous.

Forgot to post this great thriller I finished on audio a few weeks ago. It was well paced with interesting characters and extremely well written—more like literary fiction rather than your typical thriller. Great descriptions of the setting and action as well. I really enjoyed this one!

DNF at 100/375 pages. I kept having to convince myself to read this, and life is too short for that. There is a heck of a story here but I was having to work too hard for it.

Sidenote: The audiobook sounds awesome if you can hang with the slower pacing. Great narration. Unfortunately it just was not enough to help me turn the pages.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This #audiobook was a little slow to get into at first- the characters and the chronology make it a confusing listen at times - but ultimately this one ended with me #AudioColoring with anxiety! Very well-written and with complex and developed characters that feel real- and a setting #WhereTheStreetsHaveNoName ! @Cinfhen #Rocktober

For a full review check out bergenreadsbooks.wordpress.com

Overall: 2.5/5. I probably wouldn‘t recommend this book to anyone. It wasn‘t terrible, but it wasn‘t particularly enjoyable. If I had been reading the physical book rather than the audiobook, I probably would have put it down before I finished it.

Beautifully written, with deeply developed characters. It manages to be both a page-turner, and at the same time, thoughtful and unhurried.

Still on my #TBR, but a teenage girl goes #missing on her family's mountain vacation in this thriller. #maybookflowers

This was a slow starter for me, due to multiple narrative perspectives, two narrators and the author not referring to main characters by name. However, once I got used to the structure, I was hooked in. The story unfolds at a steady pace and the ending isn't rushed. It's a satisfying book.

@BekahPat ! I feel so spoiled! The socks remind me of my bearded husband. I love the nerdy foxes and page tags 🦊. I can't wait to relax in this bath, and each book sounds so great! I've been wanting to read the classic that is Rebecca, and the other two sound so creepy and thrilling, I can't wait to dive in. Thank you, thank you, thank you! 💘 #cupidgoespostal

@LauraJ I've been dying for a signed edition! Thank you! 💓💟 Have a wonderful day! #cupidgoespostal

Just opened my #cupidgoespostal, thank you sooo much @LauraJ it's wonderful! @BookishMarginalia

A low-key thriller & page-turner about an 18 y.o. girl's disappearance in the mountains of Colorado. Johnston's narrative opens w/ the short scene leading up to Caitlin's abduction, & the story that follows chronicles the disintegration of the father, mother & brother left behind. I 💙 the rich writing of this piece--unexpected in a contemporary thriller--& the distrust, forgiveness, personal anchoring, & strife that comprise Descent. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I, too, have been struggling with the circle of hell that social media has become...but my books + my bump keep me going as I remember -- #AllIsNotLost. (Including the irony of that hashtag with my current read, which is indeed about a teenager that is lost/missing.)

@24in48

Next up for the @24in48 . I heard from @Liberty that this is a creepy one.

Thank you so much for the books Jen! What a great surprise! I'm definitely going to work in Coraline soon. I haven't read it in so long. I'll be paying it forward soon! And check out the adorable lamp I got for my library y'all!

Welp, I took a nap today to recover from all the holiday madness, so I'll be up late tonight reading with my best reading buddy #dogsoflitsy #litsyafterdark

#coffee and beginning a new book!

You guys, I ALMOST BAILED on this one. I found the first chapters a little confusing and was underwhelmed and uninvested in the characters. Standing firmly in the "so many books, so little time" camp, I typically do not hesitate to know when to say when and move on to a new read. In this case, I'm so glad I stayed with it! The experience was like going up and over a mountain, in a good way! Not just a kidnapping story. Surprisingly enjoyable!

By no means did this reach #threwitacrosstheroom bad, but it just never seemed to engage me. It's about the disappearance of a teenager and the effect that has on the family. Started slow, remained slow, and I'm moving on! Seems as I get older, I am less inclined to waste my time when there are so many delicious books waiting to be devoured. Maybe I'll try it again some other time. Oh well...call me cranky. Now get off my lawn! #novemberreads

Found a lovely little park while waiting for kitty to recover from her procedure at the vet today. Quality reading time! I am endlessly delighted by the experience of reading, by how I can be in a lovely New England town and the Rocky Mountains all at the same time, thanks to books. #longlivebooks

#AllHallowsRead #Booktober #HalloweenRead #favoritehalloweenread October was a really good reading month for me😊All the challenges and Dewey's Readathon made a big difference❣️Excited to start a new month of reading challenges and recommendations💗These were my favorite #scaryreads

Took me a while to get into this one, but once I did, I was hooked! It's creepy and suspenseful. Nice writing but some characters were hard to care about. I thought the author did a good job of building on guilt and assigning blame. How each member of the family dealt with the abduction and trying to move forward. Some parts were really sad and once or twice I felt a bit anxious....I would recommend @Tiffness83