Welcome to Litsy!

S.T. Baumgartner and Anna Blume have been married for almost 40 years. The novel starts 9 years after her death, Baumgartner, now in his early seventies, remembers their love story, his parents, thinks about aging, contemplates remarriage and retirement. We follow him throughout his days and Auster takes us into his heart and mind. I wanted to stay with Baumgartner much longer. I loved it.

This one wasn't quite as gripping as the first book, but it's still a pacy read with bodies dropping left, right & centre. There's also an enemies-to-lovers subplot & the original survivors pop up in several chapters which was nice as I didn't warm to the new characters in this one. 3.5🌟

TWs: graphic violence, death.

Full Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5666283810
Read 10th - 12th May 2024

It‘s no longer an angry plea shouted to the void. Right here, on this stage, in front of eighty thousand people, it‘s becoming something else.
This is our new vow.
#WhereSheWent #GayleForman #IfIStay #lastline #closingline #book #books #bookfan #bookfandom #bookfever #bookfanatic #bookfrenzy #bookgeek #bookgeeks #bookgeeky #bookgang #bookgasm #geek #YoungAdult #Romance #Contemporary #Fiction #RealisticFiction #Music #NewAdult #Teen #Audiobook 💜💜

“Marriage is about becoming a team. You're going to spend the rest of your life learning about each other, and every now and then, things blow up. But the beauty of marriage is that if you picked the right person and you both love each other, you'll always figure out a way to get through.”

#Wedding
#StorySettings

💍 💒 🩷

My beautiful hydrangea 💐

Totally amazing! Loved it! Funny and sad and poignant. All books should be this good!

An intriguing, slightly mystical young adult romance. I loved how it incorporated elements from different cultures and mythologies into its theme, and that the art is really important to the story, not just illustrating the words. It would make a fantastic animated movie.

#BlameItOnLitsy

@Faranae I'm tempted to use this for URC “fine art on the cover“ 'cause it's so gorgeous or should I go more conventional?

And then I hear the sharp intake of his breath followed by the sound of his voice. It‘s the first time today I can truly hear him.
“Mia?” he asks.
#IfIStay #GayleForman #lastline #closingline #book #books #bookfeature #bookfeatures #bookfair #bookfan #bookfandom #bookfever #bookfanatic #bookfrenzy #bookgeek #bookgeeks #bookgeeky #bookgang #bookgasm #YoungAdult #Romance #Contemporary #Fiction #RealisticFiction #Teen #Music #Death #Drama #Audiobook

This book is STUNNING. One of the strangest stories I‘ve ever read, but it approaches love and loss with unflinching rawness and honesty. If you would have told me a book about a man mutating into a shark would be one of my favourite books of the year, I would have laughed at you. But, here we are. It‘s poetry. It‘s prose. It‘s art and paint and canvas. It‘s a love story. But mostly about self love and selfless love. Read it. Five stars.

This is a book with very little plot and lots of stream of consciousness. A woman is intrigued by a couple she doesn‘t know but meets every day in a breakfast place in Madrid. One day the husband is killed and she can‘t stop herself from talking to the woman.
Not much more happens yet it is an engaging read with some interesting thoughts.

#FoodAndLit 🇪🇸

Things take the time they take. Don't worry.
How many roads did St. Augustine follow
before he became St. Augustine?