Welcome to Litsy!

Another 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

A 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

Yet 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.

The 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 ⤵️

This 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.⤵️

I 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.

Hopefully this will help any of you having a case of the Mondays like I am! 🤪
Have fun, tag me, let me know if you want to be added/removed from my tag list! Thanks for playing along, friends 💚 #readyourkindle #readyourebooks
#readyournook #readyourkobo

The #BookSpin fates are whispering “read your challenge books.” My BookSpin will fulfill 1953 for the #192025 challenge AND # 15 (BIPOC author I‘ve meant to read) for my #50x50 birthday challenge (which I‘ve neglected in favor of finishing 192025 😆) My #DoubleSpin is any #50x50 book. I‘m debating between the three on the right: Last Unicorn (classic children‘s fantasy), Mabinogion (Arthurian), and Hungering Dark (published before I turned 10).

Daniel Pinkwater is definitely a marmite author. Either you're totally willing to embrace an 11-year-old left on his own for a week who starts seeing a band of giant lizards playing music on late-night TV and then meets up with an old black man with a chicken on his head who seems to go by several mysterious aliases and they travel together to a floating invisible island to meet up with a bunch of lizards named Reynold... or you're not 😂