Welcome to Litsy!

I do love books - only lately I find myself unable to finish one. Sigh.

Late 60s, early 70s, Serena loves to read but is persuaded by her family and teachers to study maths. She starts an affair with one of the professors (not hers), only to realize later that he has prepared her for MI5. There she gets an assignment to recruit an author to one of their projects. And things escalate from there.

This book gave a lot of details of what was happening in the 60 and 70 like the oil crisis and the 3 day work week.

I have a thing for McEwan. More than once he has pulled me out of a reading slump and I love that about him.
This is an older book, and it is honestly a bit of a mess. The characters were boring and I kept losing track of where the story was going.
But evye with all that I was curious about it and interested enough to read to the end. So it was fine.

Stretch goal since I am commuting into office this week, but I do have the tagged on audio so that should help.

#weeklyforecast

Sweet Tooth. Salty snack.

This book was BRILLIANT. I will say: McEwan always makes uncomfortable and bored in places. And yet I keep coming back for more. In Sweet Tooth, the story is enticing, and McEwan's classic genius insofar as metafiction astounds me. I loved it by the end (even if I did skip over some of the boring page-long descriptions of Cold War ins and outs). The ending more than made up for any hard feelings.

New reads from today's shopping trip. Haven't begun yet, but excited to.

Interesting... a novel with the main character who‘s a crazy reader ....

https://www.post-gazette.com/ae/books/2013/03/24/A-conversation-with-Ian-McEwan-...

This book had promise, it wasn‘t bad, but it was dull, and only got more dull the more I read. The “twist” at the end couldn‘t save it, being at the end of an arduously long letter explaining the twist. I finally started reading the first sentence of most paragraphs and found I didn‘t miss a beat. #authoramonth

This person, presumably the main character—well, I officially don‘t like her now. She is such a know it all. I get it, she‘s a naive 20-something who hasn‘t grown into a wise humble human being yet. Maybe I could deal with her if the book was more than just reading her running silent monologue. So I decided if I haven‘t finished by May 31 (I‘m at almost 2/3), I‘m sad to say I‘m going to do my first bail for #authoramonth

Oh my gosh, this book just plods along. Sample above. I think the author pulled a 1970s newspaper from the archives and listed topics he found in it. Gee, thanks.

I am committed to finishing it this month for #authoramonth but it‘s a struggle. Only 150-pages to go. Maybe it‘ll pick up the pace?

@Soubhiville Help! I‘ve lost my list of authors for #authoramonth. Would you please repost? I‘d like to plan June to try to recover from this read.

1972. Cambridge student Serena Frome‘s beauty and intelligence makes her the ideal recruit for MI5. Operation Sweet Tooth is determined to manipulate writers whose politics align with the government. Serena, a compulsive reader, is the perfect candidate to infiltrate a promising young writer named Tom Haley. She loves his stories and then falls in love with him. How long can she conceal her undercover life? Read this book and find out!

“I now knew with what trouble it had been assembled, western civilization, imperfect as it was. We suffered from faulty governance, our freedoms were incomplete. But in this part of the world our rulers no longer had absolute power, savagery was mostly a private affair...The cathedrals, the parliaments, the paintings, the courts at law, the libraries and the labs—far too precious to pull down.”

Worth remembering, when the world feels so awful.

#AuthorAMonth #unpopularopinion
This book set on post Cold War England about Serena Fromme, an MI5 agent was bleh. There was too much of historical notes, half baked characters, and a simple storyline that was stretched too much. The love story was shallow and I felt no connection to Fromme. Hoping for something exciting to happen, I reached the end 🤦🏻‍♀️

Next up. For #authoramonth for May. @Soubhiville

Cambridge student Serena Frome is thrilled to be recruited to join MI5 in 1972, when the Cold War is far from over. She learns quickly how tricky espionage and double-identity can be while working on project “Sweet Tooth”. Nice flow in McEwan‘s writing!

#authoramonth
@Soubhiville

1* just finished the tagged ⬆️

2* I like both every once in a while

3* I don‘t think I have, but I like space setting for films 🎞

#weekendreads
@rachelsbrittain

I think I‘m addicted to the feeling of opening my mailbox and finding new books 📚

#momreviews @Doll8455

Project TBR 2020. In an effort to decrease the massive number of my current TBR (450!) I‘ve decided to use my #goodreads want-to-read shelf and have a bit of fun with the numbers. ⁣
⁣
First up, these are the 5 oldest books on my TBR (added back in 2013) that I plan on reading next year. #babygotbacklist⁣
⁣

#AyUpAugust
On this cover, Serena Frome, a young MI5 recruit in post Cold War England, is looking #overmyshoulder as she is being followed.
I loved this book, full of jittery atmosphere, sly manipulations, secrets and betrayals...This is such a book for readers, with McEwan‘s always beautiful prose, and the bookish Serena infiltrating a literary circle.
As I add to my McEwan Vintage cover collection, this may have to be next so I can re-read it!

Very unlikely characters and unbelievable story

Yes, I'm reading my signed copy. I *assume* that's his signature - I won a signed copy in a drawing from the publisher. Kinda looks like they had the mailroom guy scribble random words on the title page though. 😆
#AnglophilesAnonymous

Not great

Was tagged by the industrious and #inspiring @TheReadingMermaid for this so I'm doing it:
1. My fave book is Sweet Tooth by Ian McEwan because...because... ok there are too many reasons. Just go read it.
2. No. I fall in love with a new one every time I read.
3. Graceling. I am sick to death of man-bashing combat queens.
4. I reread old faves because it makes me feel centered and beats valium. 😂

#summerreading2018 #readingmatters #favoritebooks

A good read from one of my #favouriteauthors now #bookcrossing registered and released on a bench for someone else to read. The building is one of several Martello Towers situated on the #Suffolk coast.

1. Reread of Sweet Tooth 'cause I like to have McEwan in my brain when I finish a manuscript.
2. Yep but staying home.
3. Jasmine.
4. Chocolate eggs!
#manicmonday @JoScho

Also from my Secret Santa @Izai.Amorim for the #wintersolsticebookexchange
A staggering amount of Christmas cookies I have never heard of, which is really exciting because this is one area where I am thoroughly Norwegian! We have 7 different types of cookies for Christmas and I love trying new types. Also there's some high quality marzipan there on the right, and that's one of my favourite things in the world. 😁

“Writers are said to have superstitions and little rituals. Readers have them too.” ― Ian McEwan, Sweet Tooth
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Let's talk superstitions... do you have any?
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I don't really think I do... paraskevidekatriaphobia or Triskaidekaphobia is certainly not a fear for me
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Tell me your rational and irrational fears, phobias, and superstitions today

Challenge | Day 14

After a bad experience with the author, this book surprised me. Not just for the plot, but for making me see some people who were in my life at the time (and even myself) and how the behaviors were similar to some characters.

#saltyreads or #booksthatleftbadtasteinyourmouth on #booksacrossoceans by @pri_bibliophile and @mellisarock

#Riotgrams #Characterwhosharesyourname I've not come across too many characters who share my first name, but remembered this one I read a few years back. Like the 'Serena' in Sweet Tooth, I am most certainly "a compulsive reader of novels". And my name is spelt the same way. ?

This is a great little #bookwithinabook about a girl that gets hired by MI5 to be a spy because she is such a bookworm and has to infiltrate the literary circles. How cool is that for a job! #ReadJanuary

And THIS! #thisshouldbeamovie
#seasonsreadings2016
@RealLifeReading

#spynovel #photoadaynov16
Sneaking this in before the day is officially done.
I cannot do justice to how good this book is. So I present to you the blurb on the back. If you are interested in this even a scintilla, pick it up - you won't be disappointed!

Misplaced the Jackaby novel I was reading so I started this. Personally, I believe all books should have single quotation mark. British editions all the way!

in hebrew translation. Love serena!

Survived my 1st big library sale! Ok not that big, but crowded! The friends of the library org in my town runs a used book store during reg library hours. It's always well stocked, but the room isn't really meant for more than 5 or 6 people browsing @ a time. Today there were 15-20 in there & you could barely move. I didn't get to look around much; it was getting claustrophobic. But mom & I did fit 13 books into 1 bag for $5! 👈My stack & mom's 👉

This book plods along, but truthfully I was a bit disappointed. I found the plot was slow and characters slight. It was okay.

This was ok for the first two-thirds. The last third made me roll my eyes in annoyance, especially when I figured out the ending. Disappointed because I've loved other McEwan books, but this one was not for me.

Trying to like this book as much as I do Antonement. Afraid it isn't happening

Though Atonement is still my favorite McEwen book, this might be second. He makes it look soooo easy.

I think this is appropriate.

In the mood for a thriller. Hope it's a good one!

Loved it! It kept me interested from beginning to end and I could easily identify with Serena and her passion for reading. Plus I loved the story within the story...

A little Saturday afternoon reading and coffee. I love Ian McEwan...but I've also heard some mixed things about this one. Curious what I'll think of it.