This is a fine collection of about 40 short stories Fitzgerald wrote with a brief introduction when and where they were published and a few lines with fascinating facts about them. I loved Winter Dreams written while he was planning The Great Gatsby and The Swimmers which Fitzgerald described as “the hardest story I ever wrote.”

Unpopular opinion. Low pick. Great description of life in a small rural community and I particularly liked the challenges the farmers face because of climate change. Dialogues were too long and too many details I wasn‘t interested in. The second half was better than the first. I listened to it and liked the audio but read a really weird story about the voice actor Roger Clark. That surprised me more than the ending of the book.

In this novel betrayal is the main source of conflict between the characters.Baruch Kotler,a married Israeli-Russian politician,opposes withdrawal of Israeli settlements from the West Bank&because he refuses to back down from this political stance photos of him&his young mistress Leora are leaked to the press.The novel starts with the couple‘s arrival in Yalta where they want to hide from the press.They happen to rent a room in a B&B👇

This started out so strong&then… the plot is like a bouncy ball,the characters actions don‘t really make sense except Annie/Anne maybe.Why does Mitch leave the love of his life to work in an indigenous community?Why does Grace act unprofessionally& why do Annie‘s parents not sue her?What is going on btw Grace&Mitch?I guess the underlying theme is:can we support one another,trust&let someone in?hence the title Inside?but I don‘t know.Not4me.

I really thought I‘d like this because I loved Rogue Wave which was also the reason why I wanted to read more by Ohlin.She‘s a wonderful writer,very talented,but this collection is not for me.By the forth story I was only annoyed&frustrated by the characters.I found them all extremely unlikeable&I don‘t think it will get better for me.I‘ll try one of her novels or other story collections.

Book 2 in the Cyrus Haven series.The murder of a retired cop has something to do with Evie.Soon her old tormentors find out where she is&are after her.Evie has to run.It was very satisfying that the author reveals her backstory gradually without slowing down the pace of the main plot.I liked book 2 but didn‘t love it.I don‘t know why.Maybe I should have waited a bit to read it?

Cyrus,a psychologist working with Lenny,the leading detective,investigates the murder of a teenage girl,Jodie,when a former college friend asks him to interview a girl,Evie,who lives in a group home.They become friends.Jodie is the good,Evie the bad girl but both are neither good nor bad,just two young women who experienced violence.Cyrus,too,has a terrible past.I loved the complex characters,writing&case,a bit predictable,but still good.👍

This has so much potential:set in New Zealand,the main character,Lorraine,a non-Māori,is the widow of a Māori man&the filing clerk in the police station.When her niece‘s son is one of the missing children in a series of abductions,Lorraine is personally affected&starts investigating as the police can‘t seem to solve the case.Sadly,it‘s slow &the writing at times clunky.I might pick it up again as I want to know what happened

I loved these stories about refugees from Laos and their children struggling with poverty, language, adapting to, fitting into, finding a place in Canadian society. The writing is outstanding. The author conveys with seemingly simple language and metaphors complex feelings and issues. To me this is some of the best writing and storytelling I‘ve come across in years. Highly, highly recommend!

In his poetry, Hass remembers other poets (Eugenio Montale) meditates on death in various stages in life (childhood, youth, middle age), describes nature in detail, reflects on history.
“All you have to do is say the words for some imagined others in a world of words, a lull of world and words that make a world, or makes a seeing in the dark as sheet lightning does, sometimes, at night, in summer fields.”

Told from the perspective of Israeli women in the US, all three novellas center around mother & child (or a similar relationship as in The Hebrew teacher), a disconnect because of generational differences or the distance living in another country. Particularly The Hebrew Teacher is so intelligently crafted, combining the personal with the political, I still think about the novella even though I finished reading it two weeks ago. Highly recommend

I find the genre historical novel, even the word novel misleading.This reads like a long prose poem.Michaels reflects on intimacy,romantic love,trauma & loss.The characters are often connected (parent-child-grandchild).Their stories are not told in chronological order.The writing is at times outstanding & at times I rolled my eyes at the lyrical language. I didn‘t enjoy the audio, the somber monotonous narration was annoying & switched to print.

Two timelines:London at the beginning of the 21st & London in the 17th century. Characters and story are imagined but historical events (Sabbatean movement, the pest) & philosophers are real and very well researched.I went back&forth btw loved,liked &disliked the book.But overall, I think combining history, Jewish thought&philosophy with an entertaining plot is an amazing achievement and the author rightly received the National Jewish Book Award.

A collection of thoughts on disease, death, nature, art. A collection of memories (childhood, living and travelling abroad, love relationships). There‘s also a recurring warning not to bequeath nuclear waste to future generations. Mankell was a man of the highest integrity, one of the finest (crime) writers which shines through in this wonderful book. It was a joy to read and makes me want to explore everything he published.

An old man appears in a small town in Abruzzo after WW2.The older locals identify him as Luca who has returned after serving a life sentence in prison for a murder he didn‘t commit.Andrea,a young communist & son of Luca‘s friend, is determined to find out why Luca held on to a secret although revealing it could‘ve set him free.I loved the writing & the way the story is told but found the overall theme - power of love- a bit cheesy.

Wallander found a farmhouse in the country he likes & is about to make an offer to buy it when he stumbles over a human hand in the backyard. The hand belonged to a woman in her fifties but her identity is unknown. Wallander & his colleagues now have to find out who the woman was & who killed her. The fact that she died after WW2 makes that more difficult. The story also focuses on Wallander‘s thoughts on ageing & retirement, end of life.

The first person narrator Fredrik lives with his cat,dog&anthill in his grandparents‘ house on an island.The only human he talks to is the hypochondriac mailman until Hariett,a former lover whom he abandoned,shows up&demands he keeps a promise he once made to her&broke by leaving.The 2 embark on a journey&Fredrik on an inner journey that doesn‘t make him a better person but a person who finally starts taking responsibility for his actions.

The twists were okish-good but the lovey dovey we‘re all friends and happy family in a beautiful place drinking wine, eating lasagne, cheese from the farmers market and tahini, etc, plus, the endless romance blah blah were just tedious and annoying. Oh dear! What a disappointment after The Dry which I loved.

I waited a long time to read this because the story sounded like a tearjerker&what a tearjerker it is.But it is so beautifully written,a joy to read each sentence, the characters are all wonderfully developed, deep&rich. The plot draws you in,the ending is satisfying. Themes are love, parenthood, loss,betrayal,war,forgiveness. What a wonderful book but oh so sad, so incredibly sad.

I loved the Memory Monster but Victorious was only ok.It tells the story of Abigail a single mother and military psychologist specialising in making soldiers more efficient killers. When her son enlists in the paratrooper battalion she seems to question some of her beliefs.I disliked Abigail & found her behaviour and actions unprofessional and unlikely. So much was left unanswered.Plus,an unsatisfying ending with too many loose ends.Disappointing!

Rosenfarb‘s stories explore the life of Shoa survivors emigrated to Canada and how they deal with their traumatic past. Written in Yiddish, Morgentaler,the author‘s daughter, translated her mother‘s complete work and wrote a fascinating foreword. Rosenfarb is a writer I highly recommend & I‘m thrilled to have discovered her work. Her stories&characters are complex, full of twists, inner journeys, her prose is haunting.

Quoting various thinkers&writers&drawing from religions,Armstrong wrote this beautiful book to impel the reader to repair the damage done to the natural world.She argues that everything is connected,we must overcome selfishness,we must cultivate the conviction that every natural thing is inseparable from our ultimate concern.She gives some practical advice on how to bond with our environment&promotes kindness,empathy&love.Very moving&necessary

Franzl,a young man from Salzkammergut,leaves his home to become the apprentice of a tobacconist,one of his mother‘s ex lovers.In Vienna he falls in love with a woman who doesn‘t reciprocate his feelings,has conversations with Freud&witnesses how the city changes under Nazi rule which he opposes but can‘t fight.I love how Seethaler writes about the “little” people with warmth,depth&humor without romanticizing working class life or Nazi opposition.

Boyle‘s stories are playful,inventive,witty.He writes about misogyny,school shootings,teachers who have sexual relations with their students,our relationship with nature,a quarantined cruise ship during Covid etc. in a way that is original&unique.I didn‘t love all stories but appreciated the outstanding plot and writing of every single one.My favourites are the title story&The apartment.Highly recommend!

Nili,the daughter of an archaeologist,thinks she can find the Ark of the Covenant,too bad it‘s no longer on Israeli territory.With the help of clever Gedanken & his hilltop youths,businessman Abuloff who buys artefacts from Isis,the IDF&2 Palestinians, she digs a tunnel that will hopefully lead to the Ark before her brother& Prof Sarid,the bad guy,get to it first. Modan published this before October 7,during the pandemic. Funny&thought-provoking.

Debbie starts her first year at college in Dublin&commutes so that she can continue to help on her family‘s farm where she lives with her mother&her alcoholic uncle.She struggles with insecurities&anxiety but soon makes a friend. I enjoyed reading this novel & think I‘d have loved it when I was younger.It‘s a relatable portrayal of a young woman transitioning into adulthood,delightfully written & despite its heavy themes has some light moments.

Murderbot,a “messed-up second-hand SecUnit”-half bot half human- accompanies a team of scientists on a mission to collect data.But something or someone is after them and they don‘t know who&why.Murderbot loves watching TV shows where he learns about human behaviour&feelings.He prefers TV humans&is both annoyed&intrigued by real humans.This is a fun book but AppleTV is turning the books into a show&I‘d rather watch than read this. very original👍

I enjoyed reading Antonia‘s story focussing on her life after her husband‘s death.Recently retired,she is also “dragged” into caring for an illegal immigrant& struggling with her sister‘s disappearance.The novel deals with love,loss,immigration,mental health,family,privilege. The elegant writing reminded me of Barbara Kingsolver.

Whew!21hours.This is the longest audiobook I‘ve had the patience to listen to.The book&film adaptation are masterpieces.There is so much to discover:scholasticism,the Catholic Church-heretics& the Inquisition,postmodernism,crime&historical novel.So many references to medieval and modern thinkers.The untranslated passages in Latin are a challenge when listening but the audio is a delight especially when Salvatore comes alive.Thanks @rwmg

I loved this slim collection of short stories so much.I have no favourites,savoured each one.McGill writes about loss,love,travelling,youth,aging and quietly captures intimate moments with simple but powerful prose.Highly recommend!

6-year-old Denny goes missing in 1880s South Australia.The novel spans 7 days moving back&forth between the numerous characters:Denny,his family,Aboriginal trackers,other members of the community,a European painter couple&Afghani cameleers.This is not a mystery but a quiet,poetic story that takes the reader to Australia when it was colonised.I felt immersed in the small town as if I was there.

My copy of the first in the Murderbot series has arrived! @Soubhiville @Adventures-of-a-French-Reader and all my Litsy friends who‘ve been praising this book and getting a no science fiction reader to get so excited about reading sci-fi

I bought this for my nine year old son who didn‘t want to read it. I‘d have loved The letter for the king at his age. Reading it as an adult was enjoyable but only ok. However, considering that Dragt wrote it when she was a child is truly remarkable. That‘s why I gave it a pick. I would say this appeals to kids aged 8-10.

The 10 short stories are set during the Covid pandemic.The writing is a delight,I loved Worms it made me cry but the plots… I wish there was more to what happens in the stories and I feel it‘s generally something that seems to be no longer relevant for prize winning writing.I appreciate the character‘s inner turmoil&thoughts&insights but where is the story?And there‘s only so much older-dude-feeling-sorry-for-himself I can take as a reader.Soft pk

Set in Northern Ireland in the present,Tessa is a young,divorced mother of a baby who works for the BBC.Her world is turned upside down when her sister is caught on camera during an IRA attack&identified as a terrorist.Slowly Tessa gets sucked into the world of the IRA&MI5.This book does something many novels no longer do:entertain&guide the reader through a “world” they‘ll never “see” while addressing universal themes such as motherhood,family.

4 Blackfeet men kill an elk herd,1 young elk is pregnant&Lewis promises to use the meat¬ let any part of it go to waste but the men get caught&are told to dispose of the animals.10 years later mysterious events kill first Ricky.Is it the elk ghost avenging her calf&herd?It‘s gory but I didn‘t find it spooky or creepy.The story is original,I‘ve never read anything like this.Dialogues are excellent&so is the writing.Great storytelling

Lady Anne rules with reason,logic&wisdom after the outbreak of the plague kills her brutish husband.She isolates her community from the rest of the world&keeps her people safe while many around them die.In quarantine bad things happen within the walls of Develish:a murder,rape allegations.I liked it but wish it was shorter,wish Eleanor was multi-dimensional! &there was a proper ending.Thanks @Chrissyreadit for recommending!

A sadistic murderer preys on his victim‘s biggest fears.How&why he chooses to kill women by targeting their children is what forensic psychologist Joe O‘Loughlin tries to find out with the help of retired detective Ruiz&the police.The story unfolds alternating between O‘Loughlin‘s&the killer‘s view.Some characters are a bit one-dimensional,but Joe,who has Parkinson‘s,is very likeable,the writing style is good,witty,the story gripping.Loved it

This is a question/request rather than a blurb: I‘m somehow weirdly and for the first time and I don‘t know why interested in historical fiction or fantasy or both set in the Middle Ages or a world created on the ‘model‘ of the Middle Ages. Has anyone read anything like this and can make recommendations? Thank you

Lahiri is like a 3star Michelin chef of literature. Whatever she writes is perfect. She is & always will be one of the best writers of our time. Still, I wish there was more to the plots, the stories are variations on the same themes & the setting Rome didn‘t change that.

The Children of God is a cult whose members lived as ‘missionaries‘ in communes,read the bible&raised their children to sleep with everyone within the family from a very young age-a blend of Christianity&counter culture gone terribly wrong.Daniella grew up in a family of devoted members,experienced rape,abuse,cruel punishments.At 15 she left,worked while going to school,then college&joined the army where she suffered more assault.Very tough read&I

June,the protagonist,&Athena have known each other since college,are both published writers but unlike June,Athena is very successful.June is in Athena‘s apartment when she dies&steals her last draft manuscript-a historical novel about the exploitation of Chinese labourers-polishes,finishes it.It gets published under June‘s name&becomes a success until allegations arise that it‘s plagiarised.June is simultaneously likeable& detestable.Brilliant

The story So late in the day is brilliant BUT I wish I‘d known that the other stories in the collection are Antarctica and The long and painful death. I expected a few new stories and 20$ for 2 that I‘ve read already read and were published in her other collections - and I didn‘t even particularly like them - feels like a total rip off. You can read So Late in the day in The New Yorker for free & spend 20$ on something else!

In this novel a Blackfeet&Gros Ventre man travels to Malta in Montana to track down his girlfriend.He meets a sketchy character & some women, in the end finds Agnes but her brother beats him up.He returns home to find the house empty,his grandmother died&he learns more about his heritage&her life.Themes are loss of identity&trauma.The writing is exceptional,original,concise prose poetry.

An Israeli army recruit drives with his father to a military hospital to talk to the physician in mental health.I thought he wants to get out of military service but what he wants is to change jobs&I find it very difficult to understand what the story is actually about& why they couldn‘t just transfer him?!Throughout the book he whines about how terrible everything&everyone is even his girlfriend but nothing bad ever happens to him.🤷‍♀️

We follow Stephen as he goes off to university,feels cut off from his group of friends&Ghanaian community,returns to London to work as a chef cooking meals he‘s grown up with.There‘s music,dancing,church,immigration,racism,love&lots of spliff smoking.There‘s grief,parent-child relationship&more dancing,a trip to Ghana,history of slavery.I loved the first half,it‘s like a long poem but it got too long for me,plot meanders into what?I‘m not sure.

Codi returns to Grace,her hometown in Arizona,because her father is struggling with Alzheimer‘s.She falls in love with her first lover Loyd,a Native American man.Codi‘s backstory&Loyd‘s character are well written&there are some beautiful scenes but there is too much going on:environmental issues,the Nicaraguan revolution,Native American culture&overall it reads a bit like a romance novel.I loved that it‘s set in the Southwest.Soft pick

I love the premise & the thoughts on communication, immigration, language & what it means for us if we cannot communicate because of language barriers or because of who we are. But the narrator‘s voice was irritating, worse was the going off topic especially at the beginning when I felt it needed to pick up pace…even though I‘d love to know what happened, I don‘t think I‘ll pick this up again. Not for me.

I loved the title story:a retired&widowed father visits his grown daughter who is pregnant with her second child,her husband is on a business trip&it‘s told alternating from father then daughter perspective.I loved the metaphor of the garden&how beautifully Lahiri writes feelings,relationships,domestic scenes.Overall though I found myself bailing on many of the other stories precisely because of that.I wanted a bit more variety in plot.Soft pick.

I disliked all the characters but was drawn into the story because of the brilliant writing and the late 60s setting was well captured. Sadly, this just wasn‘t for me. The way the story progressed in the second half felt trite and unrealistic. But I definitely want to read more by Hadley. I love the way she writes and develops her characters.