Welcome to Litsy!

#ToB26 long listed, but this was already on my radar. As someone who loves those stories about reclusive people living off grid I was hoping for much more of that, since our MC is doing just that—he removed himself from the world at-large after a family fight over politics on Thanksgiving 2016. The novel really takes off when his grandchildren show up at his door. A look at America in the age of MAGA and the creepy Christians-with-guns movement.

Cora meets Sam at playgroup & thus launches the "ten year affair" that sometimes lives more in Cora"s imagination than in reality. This is well-trod territory with a millenial spin.I probably would have been more moved by this book at 35 when I too was immersed in the world of raising kids, managing careers & making a marriage work. At 52, I found it kind of exhausting. That said, I was moved in the end. And Somers makes some sly observations ?

This #ToB longlister is very meta and I can‘t figure out how much of it is ironic. ⬆️

There are various POVs (confusing at times), one of which is a supposed submission for a Creative Writing MFA.

There‘s a lot of angsty conversation so, if you don‘t like that, don‘t bother. However, it‘s not like Rooney where there‘s no communication - here, they over-communicate in a very performative, affected way.

Weirdly, I didn‘t hate it, a soft pick.

I read the fiction part first, and now there is no way to redo and try it anew beginning with NF. I do NOT have advice (other than to say that the print does have note on copyright page in front of NF side…) I honestly had to go review my notes on Biography of X to recall if I liked it or not, maybe ‘respect and being intrigued by‘ is positive enough. As to 💭 on this one, I found it fascinating. #Nov2025 Book 108 #ToBLL26 #ToB #Library

Ugh, this short novel from the #TOB long list is BLEAK. It follows a young woman's descent into serious mental illness. (Schizophrenia is suggested.) Eventually she must choose between life on heavy meds or psychotic episodes. As a reader, we experience both. As well as the hospitalizations in between. The book is well written but it is rough going. Worth reading maybe if you want to understand that diagnosis? Otherwise, I would say skip.

Is this the front cover or the back? I am so conflicted about which end to start 😆 #ToBLongList26 or is it 25? Ack #ToB #MemoirVSFiction #Both!

I am still trying to decide if I liked this because I liked it or if the bad reviews just gave me super low expectations.
Vi is a super unlikable MC. She is listless, unambitious, rude. Floating around with no direction for no reason (her parents seem great) then she molds a man out of a blob. I got Awada Bunny vibes from this but hesitant to say that, it is not as weird and the writing is not as strong (GR commenters are mad at the comparison)👇

#TOB
Well. That is a book.
I do not believe this is a book to tackle on audio. There is a monotone to the narrator, mixed with a stream of consciousness that makes it hard to digest. This is going to be a book I have no memory reading even though this very short read took me three days - I turned it off each time my mind started to wonder
Not for me

@squirrelbrain @BarbaraBB @Deblovestoread @Bookwormjillk @Chelsea.Poole @sarahbarnes

Help Wanted landed on last years‘ (this year?? 2025) #ToB long list. I read it earlier this year and I was not impressed. Follows a group of employees at a big box store teaming up and forming alliances to help corporate decide who should get promoted to manager. The characters were interchangeable, all just there to make a point about low-wage jobs and how employees are set up to fail.
Anyhoo, I‘m excited to get started on the new 2026 list.

#10BeforeTheEnd Week 5

How is everyone doing??

I am glad I put enough nonfiction on here to get me through Nonfiction November! All the NF is ticked off (finishing Peepshow today) I now have some chunksters while I also look at #ToB

Anyone else feel like they are running out of steam??