Welcome to Litsy!

Playing catch-up with #StorySettings prompts

I had the opportunity to visit the art galleries in The Cloisters years ago, so I thought of this book for the #ArtGallery prompt. 🖼️

I found this book disappointing. I think it‘s trying to be something it‘s not. I quite enjoy a slow burner but this one dragged a bit for me. It didn‘t flow. The tarot card elements were interesting although I don‘t believe in all that stuff. The characters weren‘t particularly likeable. It just goes to show you shouldn‘t judge a book by its cover and this book‘s cover is certainly eye catching. It lured me in!

I‘m reading this with my online book group, thereadingloft.groups.io.

“I think people make themselves beautiful. I think everything on our outside is a line sketch, and whatever‘s on the inside blows those lines into three dimensions.“

This book was fascinating. Written in a dual timeline, we follow the lives of several people from a traveling circus in the 17-1800‘s up through today. The main group being a maternal line of mermaids, or divers that can hold their breath for 10 minutes…but who all end up dying by drowning on July 24th.

“I don‘t know what will become of my life,” I said. “And I‘m the one living it.”

📸 The Met
Selection of tarot cards within their collection

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/475513

Monthly Reading Tracker

FEBRUARY
(8 books)

The Book of Speculation 4.25 ⭐️
Transient & Strange 4.25 ⭐️
The Celebrants 4.0 ⭐️
This Is How You Lose the Time War 4.0 ⭐️
Astrid Parker Doesn‘t Fail 3.75 ⭐️
Enchanted to Meet You 3.5 ⭐️
Everybody Come Alive 3.5 ⭐️
Mislaid in Parts Half-Known 3.0 ⭐️

#ReadAway2024 #FabulousFebruary #20in4

I finished my 3rd book for the #Roll100 challenge (#44) On my #BOTM stack, I‘m glad I finally got to it. It‘s a lighter pick for me. I loved the setting of The Cloisters. I was in NYC in 2008 & we spent the day there (my first & only time seeing it) & I loved how atmospheric it was & thought the author captured that well. The arts, antiquities & academic aspects were interesting as was the tarot card ⬇️

I‘ve had a great reading month! The Book of Speculation takes the February slot. It couldn‘t not. It felt tailor-made for me. The collection of memoir/science essays by Nell Greenfieldboyce, Transient & Strange, was pretty fab, too, though! If I had to guess right now, I‘d say T&S may end up snagging one of the bonus spots for the first half of the year.

Turtle Diary could sweep the whole board. It‘s pretty singular. 🐢

#ReadingBracket2024

“Fuck Geoffrey,” Brand said. “He‘s lucky I‘m not hiding outside the sanctum, making ghost sounds. What‘s happening now?” Hee hee hee I love Brand.
Side quest, does anyone else logically know that Geoffrey is pronounced the same as Jeffrey, but still read it in your head as GEE OFF REE?