First book of #20in4 done. A lot crammed into this novella of under 200 pages. It‘s horrifying, tragic, psychological, and philosophical. I love psychological horror books that questions the reality, and this book does this in a lyrical yet human way.

I‘m probably doing this mostly today, as I‘ve decided today‘s a reading a day due to how I‘ve been terrible at Litsy and leisure reading in 2023. Hopefully, this gets me back in a good reading groove. #20in4 #readathon

1st book of 2023. I‘d say it‘s a “little late” seeing how it‘s a retelling of “A Christmas Carol”, but book carried through New Years & 12th Night. Possibly one of the best “retellings” of “A Christmas Carol” I‘ve read. 100% true to Dickens‘ original & doesn‘t change a thing, but rather expands upon it in a way that gives new insight while still keeping the “spirit” (no pun intended), of the original.

This was so CREEPY. Seriously, it takes a lot for a ghost book to actually scare me, but this one managed to. It was extremely unsettling, unpredictable, and intense. Easily one of the best ghost books I‘ve ever read. That said, I‘m addicted to Darcy Coates.

Oh good. I love reading that the anniversary of a spooky curse happens to take place on the exact day I‘m reading it. 🤣

Came here looking for a readathon ❤️ Been terrible about Litsy and reading in general this year, (aside from academic texts), and it‘s been made so much worse due to adjusting to my new job over the past month. Love my job, but need to chill and read for pleasure. Getting a new Kindle tomorrow, which should help.

Goal:
20 hours and/or 3 books

#novelnovember #readathon

Haven‘t had much time to read this month since starting my new job, so this took me longer to get through than expected. Still, it was a lot of fun and put me into the Halloween spirit. While I wasn‘t crazy about “modern”, Kat; the original Katrina‘s story was great. Also, I always kinda felt like Ichabod was a jerk, so was glad to see that played out.

More of baby Kirby ❤️ #catsoflitsy

Little Kirby has developed a love for books. #catsoflitsy

A lot of hyped books tend to be a bit “overrated”, just kind of filled with platitudes and almost seeming to capitalize off the #MeToo movement. This book was not that. It‘s worth every single bit of hype that it‘s gotten. Jeanette‘s voice was one that was so deeply silenced, that no one even considered how dark such abuse could get and how deep the lies ran, until she came out screaming in this book. She‘s def the writer she always wished to be.

This was stunning. I needed a moment after reading this. It‘s haunting, lyrical, and extremely intense yet real. A bit nihilistic in a way that‘s kind of uncomfortable, but still, amazing. No idea why it has such a low rating on Goodreads, but I think that‘s from the same people who romanticize “The Secret History” (which Donna Tartt said not to do). This book gets meta with the “Dark Academia” thing, & notes the problems with romanticizing it:

It‘s been a while, but I need this. Hope to finish at least three books. #20in4 #readathon

When you‘re just trying to enjoy your book, but you have a cat. #catsoflitsy

My first Darcy Coates book & and definitely won‘t be my last ❤️ I‘m a sucker for gothic ghost stories, & this doesn‘t disappoint! It wasn‘t particularly scary, but great ghostly fun & definitely atmospheric with a lot of twists & turns I didn‘t expect. Also, loved the characters! Daniel is dumb AF, but he‘s young, so I forgive him. Total heart of gold. And I would die for Annalise and Bran. I actually wish there was a whole book about Bran.

Absolutely stunning. That‘s the only way I can describe it. While I remember loving the movie, upon reading this, it feels like it started it‘s life as a book, not a film. Poignant, dark, and absolutely gorgeous.

Thank @BrittanyReads for recommending this amazing book! I‘m a sucker for MG ghost books when I want something light to read, and this one was above and beyond. It was actually pretty creepy. The character of Hoodoo was a great narrator, very true to the tone and time, and multi-dimensional. Also helps that I loooove a good book about hoodoo and/or voodoo. Taught about the magic & culture as well. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Such a great summer read, especially if you like thrillers. It was a quick read and easy to get immersed in. There were a lot of twists and turns and multiple layers to what might have happened to the person who died. The characters were realistic as well. Plus, there was a great summer nostalgia vibe to it, which I‘m all for in July ❤️

Not my usual type of book at all, but I‘m taking some time to relax from reading the academic journals I tend to (which has cut back on my leisure reading), to enjoy some light books while on vacation. This was surprisingly good. Summer-y and the characters are rather realistic. I‘m actually going to read/listen to the rest in the series.

TBH, I mostly listened to this on Audible because I‘m about 5 books behind on my Goodreads goal (much thanks to only ‘counting‘ leisure books & not academic texts on there 🙄), & it was super short. Plus, MG ghost books are sorta my guilty pleasure, so I thought it would be fun. It was more “zombies” & “Walking Dead” than ghosts, which is not my cup of tea. Plus, if was just kinda “blah” as a whole.

Oops. Totally missed the start date on this. It‘s ok, though, because I was sick for the past two days and wouldn‘t have gotten any reading done. Is it too late to join? If not, I‘ll goal myself at 20 hours. #marvellousmay

I got this book the moment I saw that it was compared to “The Night Circus” & “Caraval”, as those are two of my all-tune favorite books. While I‘m not completely floored by it as I was the other two; it‘s still an astounding book and totally worth the read. The setting is very intriguing, and I especially loved the characters, who thankfully had a lot more layers & realism to them than is found in most YA fantasy.

Absolutely stunning & a work of artistry. This is DEFINITELY not a MG or YA book, despite the narrator being 11. It‘s a retelling of ‘Hamlet‘ (not a single beat or character missed), with some hints of “The Oresteia” in it, but set in modern times. It‘s narrated by an 11-year-old boy whose father (a ghost) wants him to avenge his murder. The writing is kinda weird, but it‘s meant to sound like a young boy is narrating. (Con‘t in comments)

Loved this so much, that I read the whole thing in one night, & I‘m pretty sure it cured my reading-slump (finally!). This was better than the first book, and it answered a lot of questions that the first book left me with. I also find Carrie to be a far more interesting narrator than Cadence was.

This was SO much better than “Ariadne”! While I still will always despise Clytemnestra and find her to be just as bad as Agamemnon in canon; this book did an excellent job of showing the psychology behind her and Elektra. I‘m also glad that she didn‘t go with the version where Apollo r*pes Cassandra and also showed the youth & innocence of Orestes.

Between this book and “The Maidens”, I can say that I‘m definitely an Alex Michaelides fan & look forward to reading more books by him. As a Greek Classics scholar and someone who is writing a retelling, I appreciate how he uses the Greek myths in a way that deep dives into the history and psychology involved and then shows a different way of looking at the myths.

It‘s been so long since I‘ve seen the movie, that I totally forgot what happened. So, I decided to read the book. Despite how the book was written after the movie, it worked very well as a book , (even if just a play-by-play of the movie as other readers have mentioned), especially since being able to actually read the poetry & see how it applied to the plot allowed me to appreciate it on another level.

1st book of #20in4 done (though I only had a few chapters left). Absolutely stunning, & surprised this book doesn‘t have more hype. Set in a fictional version of 16th Century England, May is punished for stealing bread by having to live her life as a Sin Eater— someone who eats food that symbolizes the sins of the dying. Powerful, beautiful, & a rare historic piece where the protag fits with the era, as opposed to being modernized. All the stars!

#20in4 is finally happening on a free weekend for me! Yay!

This was better than I expected. At first I thought it was going to be a bit *too* YA-ish, but then it turned into a psychological thriller with a ton of dark twists and turns. I especially enjoyed it seeing how I adore horror movies & books.

This book was so very pretty. Pretty in a haunting, gothic sort of way. It‘s told from the POV of a ghost, in a world where ghosts are very well known to exist, (despite being loathed), and hunted. I‘m curious to read the rest of the series. Also, I‘m a sucker for books where ghosts are the narrator...strange as that is 😂

Seeing the amount of hype and awards this book has received, I decided to listen to it on Audible. While the writing is fantastic, I found it pretty dang boring aside from a few parts. Nothing against the writing or the book, just not for me. It had kind of a “Circe”-vibe, at least with the character of Kya. I also had trouble relating to/feeling for Circe, which I think was my same issue here. I feel weird for not relating/being moved. #20in4

Going to try #20in4 again, and likely won‘t get to 20, (again), though, this time it‘s because I‘m going to my dad‘s wedding tomorrow. Still, I have some travel time on the train and most of Sunday, so we shall see.

❤️I‘d like to finish both “Where the Crawdads Sing” (audiobook) & “Grace Year” (print). Though, I‘d settle for finishing the audiobook and getting a good chunk of the other book read.

Admittedly, I don‘t feel like I read the best translation of the play, (it was the free one on Kindle Unlimited). Still, in studying the comparison between Dionysus and Orestes for the book I‘m writing, (in which I maintain that Orestes is supposed to be one of the reincarnations of Dionysus), this was super important. If read alongside Euripides‘ “Oresteia”, it‘s easy to spot how it‘s like “The Bacchae”, but inverted. Euripides knew 😉

Had planned to finish this a lot sooner, but ended up catching Omicron, which made me spend the past 5 days asleep 😩 I ‘read‘ this when I was 14 for school, (by ‘read‘ I mean the Cliffsnotes due to being an angsty teen). This was friggin‘ incredible. So glad I chose to revisit it. Had missed most of it the first time, so this was new to me. Love Atticus ❤️❤️❤️ Seriously, Atticus is the best.

Just found out this was going on, but 10in2 (I guess, since I‘m starting halfway through 😂), would be rather helpful, seeing how I want to start 2022 off right, since 2021 was such a bad reading year for me. Need to get back in the groove of reading more than academic journals. Would love to finish “To Kill A Mockingbird” (audio) & “What Once Was Mine”, which I started at midnight, this weekend. #20in4

I spent most of December redoing my living room and decorating, resulting in most (if not all my books this month), being audio books. Also, side note, that‘s the “A Christmas Story Musical” on my tv. It‘s an absolute favorite in my house.

Well, this was horrid. Saw it on Audible and I love Christmas ghost stories, so I decided to give it a whirl. Weak writing, a lot of people “letting out breaths they didn‘t know they were holding”, the narration was poor, and a cat died 😢

I love a good “Christmas Carol” retelling/reimagining, especially when they go deeper into the characters and keep true to the Dickensian spirit (no pun intended), of the original. This one was great. Focused on the impression Marley had on Scrooge in his life & after life.

Post says it all. Please drop any current #readathons you know of here, and help a #litten in a year-long reading slump out ❤️❤️❤️ #litsyhappenings

I love the musical and hated the movie. However, I must admit, it worked SO much better as a book. I especially loved the added insight of Conner through his POV chapters.

This was a fun way to get in the holiday spirit. Wonderfully written stories. Had a very “classic” feel to them, yet we‘re not overwrought and plenty spooky. It was one of the rare occasions where I enjoyed all the stories in an anthology.

Joining this super late, but I feel like reading will help my writers block with #NaNoWriMo . I‘ve also been bad at reading anything other than academic texts over the past year, so want to catch up with reading that isn‘t related to Greek Classics. Anywho, goaling myself at 15 hours. #NovelNovember

4/5. I love Stephanie Garber‘s writing, as well as the world she has created. However, I didn‘t find this book to be half as engrossing and immersive as the “Caraval” trilogy. Still, I feel like it will pick up in the sequels, as it definitely started to get much better towards the end.

Decided I needed a spooky, ghostly, Halloween read (since I love all things ghost-related), and this one definitely fit the the bill. It had a bit of a “Ring” vibe, especially in the vivid descriptions of the ghost (which is rather graphic, so warning if you‘re not into that kind of stuff). Also, some fun history in solving the background of Mary. Also a sequel, as it‘s a duology , which I‘ll def read.

This was a straight up chilling psychological thriller. It was based off some real events that happened in the 80‘s, but a completely fictional account. The POV shifts between a little boy when he was 5 years old who perpetrated a lie (thinking it was a game), that ended up creating mass hysteria about Satanic cults, & then the boy as an adult when the past comes back to haunt him.

This was ridiculously good. Far better and more complex than I would have expected from a MG novel (though, I‘ve read several really good ones). It was extremely clever & so much mystery & intrigue! Plus, it was the perfect Halloween book!

I definitely feel like I would have gotten more out of this book if I had read it as opposed to listening to it on Audible. Still, it was very well written and I loved the history and psychology brought in. Also, some good creepy ghost moments.

This was so much fun and really well written! I did actually guess the “whodunnit” a little over halfway through the book, but wasn‘t certain on it, as it seemed way too “out there”. However, the way it pieced together was phenomenal & rather dark. Also, loved the fleshed-out/flawed yet likable characters & their growth.

WHHYYY?! I mean, the title warned me, but dang, I‘m more wrecked than when I read “Song of Achilles”. This book is so crazy good, but your heart will get torn out of you. This might be my top book of 2021.

I def think I missed a lot in listening to it over Audible as opposed to reading it. Still, the narrator confused me. Like, metaphors & symbolism are great —so long as it‘s clear that‘s what it is. (Ie. I spent the 1st half of the book thinking her dad had literally shot her). Though, the twist haunts me, so , extra points for that. #20in4