Welcome to Litsy!

I absolutely love this edition that i got from Thriftbooks!

It took me a while to realise what the author was doing here(I‘m a bit thick sometimes 🙄) but once I did it made a lot more sense. While I was moved by both strands of the story, the final coming together left me unsatisfied. For me, the 2 strands were uneven in their treatment of the inner emotional lives of the 2 central characters so it didn‘t quite add up. Nonetheless, Little Dave & their friends will stay with me for a while.
#ozfiction TW👇

Discoveries like this are why I love #AuldLangSpine

I really wasn't sure about this one going into it. I was forced to read Heart of Darkness in high school, and have been put off by Conrad ever since. So a book about a PhD student studying Conrad, with scenes from his life, did not seem like the book for me. But of all the #OzFiction on @CarolynM 's list, this was the easiest to get my hands on, so I tried it. And I freakin' LOVED it.

Cont'd 👇

#12BooksOf2024 December

I was surprised by how much I liked this #ozfiction about a C9th girl whose thirst for knowledge led her into a life of deception in the church. It‘s my pick for December, although my new favourite Georgette Heyer, The Grand Sophy, is a very close second.

Thanks @Andrew65 for making this an annual tradition. And thanks to everyone who‘s participated, I‘ve enjoyed seeing all your choices.

I‘ve held off creating my best of 2024 list because I had a feeling this book might on it & I was right. It is a story about the aftermath of a great artist who was a far from great husband & father. The widow & 2 sons are all reeling in their own ways from the emotional scars of the family dynamic. It‘s quite fascinating, but it leaves a lot unexplored & a lot more questions than answers. I‘ll be thinking about it for a while. #ozfiction

Holy 💩⚽️⚽️! Climate dystopian #ozfiction, written by a local #mustread author. Finished reading it today, a day that reached 43C 🔥, whilst hibernating in air con. Absolutely terrifying and affecting. This is Winton desperately trying to WAKE US UP. Read it… if you dare. #chunkster

Historical fiction is not really my thing & I come from long lines of religious non conformists with no sympathy for the Catholic Church, but I was fascinated by this story of a C9th girl who disguises herself as a Benedictine monk in order to feed her voracious intelligence & desire to learn. The place & condition of women in at that time is a major theme, as is corruption within the church. Captivating stuff! #ozfiction

Ugh! Drivel!

I admit that this is not my thing, but I don‘t think it‘s just a matter of personal taste. I found almost everything about it entirely unconvincing, cliched & predictable. And it was written with such seriousness, not a scrap of wit, while the characters did the stupid stuff that happens in horror movies or survived beatings like the heros of action movies. I would have bailed if I hadn‘t been reading it for book group. #ozfiction

The love lives of a pair of sisters put their sibling relationship to the test over the course of a steamy Sydney summer. Although there is plenty of 20 something angst, it‘s intelligently rendered & there are some interesting takes on self awareness & social/romantic manipulation. #ozfiction

It‘s my wedding anniversary today. 17 years 💕🎉🍾. Love that this is what my husband got me. The latest book by one of my absolute faves, Tim Winton. #ozfiction