pickI‘ve been meaning to read this forever- since the summer I lived in Asheville and his house burned down. I finally got to it this month, and while I‘m glad I read it I wasn‘t really wowed. Some passages though ripped my heart out. So it‘s a low pick. #192025 1929 @Librarybelle
pickA low pick. The mystery was OK but I liked the Saskatchewan setting, as I've not read many books set in that province of Canada.
#192025 #1994 @Librarybelle
#ChristmasCrimeChallenge (cosy) @Ruthiella @RaeLovesToRead
My guy & his coworker got a hookup to attend Monday Night Raw this evening. Yes, I'm missing out on a live wrestling event, but I've got some uninterrupted reading time. Watson is concerned about the horror book, so he's staying close by, in case I need him to bark at hungry ghosts.
I'm trying to finish #192025 as soon as possible, but I really needed to read something modern to break up the older stories I have left.
#dogsoflitsy
pickAnother super-belated review—I read this back in August.
This is Heyer, so of course it was a delight. Ancilla, companion-governess and “too old” to consider romance (28) didn‘t factor “the Nonesuch” into her plans… The two leads are as likable, witty, and intelligent as Ancilla‘s spoiled charge, Tiffany, is annoying. The misunderstanding in the middle is far too easily resolved, but I liked the characters too much for me to be put off by it. ⤵️
Here's a summary of the #192025 books I finished over the past few months. I'm not sure I'll fill the remaining 17 slots before the end of the year, but I'll give it my best shot!
@Librarybelle
pickA woman gets stuck in a train station for several days and has time to reflect on her life. This was written by Agatha Christie under a pen name and I really liked it. #192025 1944
pickYet again a book I would have never read if it wasn‘t for a Litsy challenge- in this case #192025
Lutie is a single mother trying to raise her son in a not so great neighborhood. The story of her trying to overcome poverty and racism is poignant, but this book also had some of the unsettling undertones of a Highsmith or Du Maurier.
pickThe book cover‘s description of “quietly devastating” is spot on. This is another book that‘s been on my TBR forever. I knew I‘d love it, but in recent years, I haven‘t been in the mood to be devastated, even quietly so. But I decided to read it as my 1989 pick for #192025, and am so glad I did. What depth of characterization through such a slow-burn gradual reveal. The denial, self-delusion, and pretense that are slowly laid bare ⤵️
pickThis is a quiet, internal story, with abuse, abandonment, and unanswered questions at its heart. Julia—pregnant at 41—returns to her hometown after 23 years away. She‘s searching for answers & some measure of resolution about her past. I appreciated the nuance with which Hegi paints her characters—acknowledging both the repercussions of abuse & abandonment, and the unreliability of memory—as Julia struggles to reconcile the past & move forward.⤵️
pickI loved this hidden gem I picked up at a library sale. It‘s based on a true story about a racehorse in the 1930s, who was shipped to India from England—and the various lives this horse brings together. There are themes of hurt and healing, prejudice and acceptance, redemption, and found family. The backdrop of 1930s Calcutta—from the poor and the privileged, to the convent and the racetrack—is fascinating. This was my 1981 pick for #192025.
