Welcome to Litsy!

Wow, a blind secret Santa swap and I picked a good 'un! This tells a fictional biography of an Australian woman in the twentieth century who has a bohemian life, searching for belonging and warmth.
It was so interesting to read some Australian history of Sydney and also the war years.
Plenty of detail and gorgeous natural description. Finished it just as I'm off to bed. New book incoming!

A fair few plot twists, some pretty predictable others not so much. The writing kept me interested and invested the whole way through, which for a six hundred page book is pretty impressive. Overall really enjoyed this one #pick #homecoming

An interesting and informative read about some of the more known Australian crime cases including Peter Falconi, Jaidyn Leski. With insights into the Australian justice system and it's issues it was a well written thought provoking read.⭐⭐⭐⭐ #robinbowles #roughjustice #goodreads #getlitsy #thestorygraph #tea_sipping_bookworm #truecrime #bookstagram #bookqueen #lakepress

Dexter and Athena live a life of mundane but content (at least outwardly) domesticity, which is shaken when Dexter bumps into an old girlfriend whose lifestyle is more hedonistic. Garner‘s writing captures the elements of both lifestyles and the effects well, and she has some excellent turns of phrase: “She had all the colour and dynamism of a parsnip”

Book 6/60; Page 999/18000 #Read2025 @DieAReader
#JumpStart2025 @Lizpixie

I read “The Restless Dolly Maunder” last year when it was on The Women‘s Prize for Fiction Longlist and I loved that book. Ever since I wanted to read more by Granville. I thought this sounded interesting, but it was not for me.

I‘m not sure if it‘s the wrong time, the translation or that‘s it due back at the library, but I read 20p maybe andI wasn‘t gripped.

I‘ll see if I try anything else by her in the future

An account of Davidson's trek across the Australian desert, but it's not an 'intrepid young adventurer' story. She explorers humanity, nature, brutality, race, and gender. The writing is excellent; it's was a bit of a revel. Highly recommend (though there are instances of intense cruelty to humans and camels described, be advised).

I need to go find the original NatGeo article on the trip, she was funded and photographed by the magazine.

Playing catch up here as I got a new phone and can't download the Litsy app, thus using the desktop site!
Very keen to read this but it took a bit of perseverance. The characters all seemed self involved and critical of each other, hardly friendly... But I did stick with it and enjoyed the overall story.

Before op shopping today I had a peak in the Little Free Library and scored these. 36 degrees in Dubbo today and I loved every bit of it. I‘m staying with my nan at the moment. This is one of her spare rooms. She took her car to be serviced so this is how I filled in time. We spent the morning running errands as she is hard of hearing and less mobile so needs more help nowadays. We had a delicious pub lunch. She was buggered at the end of the day.

How can I not love a book where an Oxford Comma is a clue!
Second in the series, and a strong second. I love the whole first person narrative and the narrator talking to the reader. He sets out the rules, points out where he's followed them, and even lets you know when he's identified the killer. I confess I didn't solve it, probably because I was too busy enjoying the narrative.

Thomas Keneally is one of those prolific Australian authors that rarely disappoints. His novels are often based on real historical events and people. This one is about one of the two sons of Charles Dickens who settled in Australia. Written beautifully and captures the characters and late 1860s Australia perfectly. And obviously lots of references about the life Charles Dickens and his works. Interesting and a good read