Welcome to Litsy!

Holy Hell(diver)! That was an intense finale to the Red Rising Trilogy. Even the plot twists had plot twists. Crisp, intentional writing with not a single wasted word. Darrow enters the third installment more broken than he ever had been in the previous two books. An amazing finale that sated my hunger for revenge and justice.

repost for @Riveted_Reader_Melissa

Updated schedule for #SheSaid!

We had 1 book with 5 votes (Wild Swans) and 4 with 4 votes. I added them all to our schedule for 2026 along with our 2 fiction reads. I did bump Wild Swans back to March, so we could read it and the follow-up book by the author after (and hopefully 🤞 when the hold lines at the library are not so long 😬). Then there were about 12 books tied after that…so new vote this summer.

Before I read this & the previous one (TBOSAS), I wasn't sure we needed additional books about Snow & Haymitch. Have to say, I was completely wrong as yes, yes we did. Snow's villain origin story was interesting enough but this one about Haymitch Abernathy was just about perfect. It was also good to see Plutarch, Mags, Wiress, & Effie Trinket in their earlier roles.

Yes, I devoured the new Ian McEwan novel. You will, too.

Chris‘ wife died giving birth to their daughter, so The Kid is given a second shadow. That‘s how criminals are marked and punished. She‘s marked as a killer from birth. Chris has her own second shadow.

This was tough to read as it‘s mostly about the grief of losing her spouse and raising a child alone, as well as social commentary about being marked a pariah for something outside your control. 1984 vibes, very explicit sex, and melancholic.

This is a book about monsters - but this is a photo of a baby Orca! Not a monster I promise! 😍
Cleaning up my Kindle and read this Victoria Schwab in a single afternoon. Just a fast paced dystopian with monsters - reminded me a little bit of Arcane (not so complex though) or Naomi Novik‘s Scholomance series. Definitely my wheelhouse.

I‘ve always wanted to read this book and thankfully my husband had an old copy. I knew it was dark, and right away I noticed similarities between it and the series Yellowjackets. This book is banned, but of course it shouldn‘t be. It‘s an important coming of age story with the real world horrors that can take place when young boys are left to their own devices (with a taste for violence). Too much testosterone on this island for me!

Having read some dystopian young adult novels, I must say The Maze Runner is weaker conpared to other ones. The characters don‘t have the chance to be developed and already everything is falling into pieces. I didn‘t get as absorbed as I normally do. It will be the first ans last book of the series for me.

Hey #LiteraryCrew ! It‘s time to discuss this month‘s book. I have 8 questions posted as spoilers; you can find them on my feed, the book‘s feed, or by searching the group‘s hashtag.

We conclude the year with Colm Toibin‘s Brooklyn. Official post tomorrow, and I hope to have the results from voting ready by then to also announce next year‘s titles!