Welcome to Litsy!

Just finished this cute YA romance ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Might be my top pick for Canada Reads this year. The trauma and devastation this woman survived, yet the way she turned the pain into empathy and compassion, is the most exceptional show of defiance. “Even today, when I am grateful to lead a peaceful and happy life, there are moments when I feel anger, bitterness, and regret. But those feelings only make me miserable, and I don't want to live like that.” Not the best writing, but worth the read.

February 19, 2025 My next TBR for the month is Here's To Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera. My goal is to read 5 books; usually I can read at least 4 books so this should be a good goal.

“From international drag superstar and pop culture icon RuPaul, comes his most revealing and personal work to date--a deeply intimate memoir of discovery, found family, and self-acceptance. The House of Hidden Meanings is a self-portrait of the legendary icon on the road to global fame and changing the way the world thinks about drag.”

Charlie and Nick are out at school, and the next steps are deciding when to come out to Nick‘s dad and how to have the courage to say I love you. But this installment also deals with Charlie getting help for some significant mental health issues while Nick learns how to best support him. It is wonderful how Oseman shows teens navigating this with sensitivity and care. And also how the boys‘ friends and families are crucial in the process.

This novella, a cute cozy mystery set on a generation starship, was a nice read but I felt there was nothing to hold on to. At times, I felt intrigued by ideas Waite presented but they were always sacrificed for brevity (this is a scant 112 pages). It ends up just being cozy space vibes which is fine, I guess, but I've already forgotten what intrigued me about it...

Billed as a “queer, feminist Western,” this novel is full of supposedly captivating characters but I wasn‘t totally sold. Never once did I feel like the narrative straddled me, stared me in the eye, and let down its hair. It all felt a little fast and loose. I wanted something deep and tight. I galloped along the surface of the text and was happy when I found myself at the end. Like Bridget, I‘m eager to move on to something else.

Fake dating on a reality show? Sounds like a fun twist on an old trope.

Not sure I‘d find a book I loved more than The Great Believers this year but this may just have pipped it. If you loved Yale Tishman in The Great Believers then be prepared to adore Sidney Ellwood. This book is a love story set mainly in the trenches of WW1. The battle scenes are graphic and the author makes no apologies for bringing the brutality of trench warfare to life but the moments between are tender and full of a forbidden love. Read it!