Welcome to Litsy!

So.. this book had been on my TBR since last year‘s #AuldLangSpine but as I am writing this I now realize the book on last year‘s list was actually the same title but a different author 😅

But it worked out and was a pick for me. I think fans of Emily Austin will enjoy it. Lots of dark humor and existential themes. Kind of Six Feet Under meets Dear Evan Hansen in terms of the pickle the main character puts himself in. ⬇️

A portrait of loneliness & the power of connection. I loved this story of an English woman who returns to the UK after 60 years in Australia. Her path crosses w/a little mouse & unexpected connections follow. It reminds me of an even lovelier Man Called Ove. It was a reminder to look deeper than 1st impressions. It‘s one I‘d love to reread in the future. “The pleasantness of Sunday has come apart and lies in pieces at the feet of Monday.”

Super short, provocative book about a man‘s attempt to erase himself and his entitlement as a white, middle class American man. What‘s he running from? What is his agenda? Definitely a book that made me think. It also made me a little paranoid. Thanks for the recommendation @Lesliereadsalot

Ok…this one is strange. The nameless narrator is on the run with $168,000 in cash and not much else. Who is he? What is he running from? Where is he going? It‘s a short book, but the answers appear close to the end. Hard to put down and a weird conclusion. I liked it though and I found its strangeness rather interesting.

Hubert Bird moved from Jamaica to England in his early 20‘s, met the girl of his dreams, and started a family. Now in his 80s and living alone, he struggles to make himself leave the house. A young neighbor pulls him out of his shell, and together they decide to address loneliness as a societal issue in their town.

Reminiscent of Ove, beautiful and sad and sweet, with issues such as addiction, estrangement, and loss of family members. Loved it!

I normally don't read anything that can be considered "self-help" because those kinds of books always seem common sense to me.

I honestly downloaded this because it was a short audiobook.

Turns out something happened this week that left me feeling rejected and blindsided...this book addresses those feelings.

I love when books show up at just the right time ? This felt like divine intervention

Not quite what I thought it would be, but exactly the book it needed to be. The tone is a bit quieter, a bit more solemn overall, but the sense of community found via the catalyst of looking after a mouse was indeed present. I didn't realize how much of the book would be centred on loss, grief, trauma; memories and nostalgia and how those can be a wound or a comfort. 1/2

MOOD. 😂

It‘s a wrong book, wrong time situation. My ‘bail‘ is directly related to my current inability to focus on anything requiring any brainpower. I actually enjoyed the half of this book that I read, and maybe I‘ll pick it up again, but for now, back to the library.