Nice one, NYPL 🤣

since it's subway reading, it's Travels with Travels with Charley

New library book and a sleepy dog

#DogsofLitsy #LibraryHaul

This series was quite good. I enjoyed all of it, but the second book was my favorite.

Subway reading. Something just a bit creepy for Halloween.

Hey Litsy! I'm trying to remember the name of a book I read as a kid- maybe one of you can help! It's a middle-grade novel about a boy who starts to turn into a plant. The latest it could have been published was during the mid-90s, but it was probably older.

Anyone know what book this is?

#BookMail- Since I loved 'In A Lonely Place' so much, I had to get the other novel by Hughes that #NYRB has republished.

This book was really interesting and filled in lots of gaps in what I knew about the mass suicide/murder at Jonestown, but ultimately left me with lots of questions that just probably can't be answered. For example, were Jones's beliefs sincere or just a way to maintain power over idealistic people?

This book worked really well in audio.

"It cost money to rent the storefront, and the meager offerings Jones collected on Sundays from his impoverished followers weren't enough. Marceline‘s salary from her full-time job barely covered essentials for Jones‘s immediate family. So Jones worked, to selling spider monkeys door-to-door for $29 each. "

#UncannyOctober- #Publishedinthe1930s
I really enjoy this German novel first published in 1931 about a modern young woman. It's kind of refreshing when the character is aware that they're making really bad decisions.

#BookMail- Got my October #NYRB book club book. It's translated from Catalan, which makes it a pretty timely pick since Catalonia just voted for independence from Spain.

So far I'm enjoying this one more than East of Eden. Same great writing, more engaging story.

'... she had perfected a way of conversing and sleeping at the same time.'

Useful skill😁

This was amazing! It drew me in from the very beginning-the entire book is just so unsettling, and while you know from the very beginning that something's not right with the main character, it gradually becomes more and more clear just how twisted he is.

When you realize the dog, her bed, and the rug are a close match for the colors on the book cover, obviously you should post it on litsy! #dogsoflitsy

I kind of wish I read this before I read 'The Fifth Season' and 'The Obelisk Gate', since this book isn't as strong as the later books by Jemisin that I have read. Still, this is a really enjoyable book with interesting worldbuilding.

I went to the Brooklyn Book Festival today. Got a few books and overall enjoyed myself (even though I missed a panel I really wanted to see due to subway nonsense)

#BookHaul
#BKBF

Currently listening to this as an audiobook and it's giving me a lot of heavy stuff to think about- this is a book I'll still be processing long after I finish it.

On a lighter note, I had no idea how important salami is to Russian culture.

So good. Answered a lot of the questions from the first book but raised a lot more. Can't wait to see how this series concludes!

Wow, what an amazing book. It took a while to get into, but eventually I couldn't put it down. Really looking forward to reading the others in this series.

#FallInToBooks- Getting close to a #BookRainbow with my #nyrb collection

I'm starting to think I shouldn't be allowed on my library's website at night. Does anyone else ever completely forget about having placed a hold on a book?

This book has an intriguing concept though (18th amendment prohibits magic, rather than alcohol) so I guess I make good choices while half-asleep

I really liked this book. I didn't get really emotionally involved with the characters, but I think this worked in the book's favor, since it kind of puts focus on the plight of Koreans in Japan, rather than on the characters' individual struggles.

(On another note, I kept getting Rhett Butler vibes from Hansu- not sure why. Anyone else see this?)

I really wasn't expecting there to be a discussion of Daniel Deronda (one of my favorite novels) in the middle of this book. That was a neat surprise. 🙂

Does it count as a #libraryhaul if it's only one book?

Excited to read these short stories by Dawn Powell, since I really enjoyed the novels I've read by her.

My hold on this book finally came in! Looking forward to reading it while watching my parents' dog. #dogsoflitsy

"The distinctive gritty sound of Nesta filing her nails became to his nerves in their emotional aspect what the dentist's drill was in their physical aspect."

Came across this sentence on the way to a dentist appointment ?

It's not really book related, but burekas are really tasty.

#BookHaul- A small #LibraryHaul with bonus green toenail polish

I found my dad's old copy of The Hobbit from the '70s, so I'm going to give #lotrchapteraday a try.

Sometimes you really notice how an author's gender impacts a book. I can't help but think that a female author would handle a situation like the one here differently.

Still, I'm enjoying this- even though I have a ton of questions and wish there was some more focus on the characters' emotions.

"One of the reasons why the world has not yet gone under is perhaps that even at the most dramatic moments there is always somebody who unconcernedly looks the other way."

I don't agree with this (at least not without a lot of caveats) but it's an interesting idea.

It's such a gorgeous day and I have a bunch of time to kill, so I'm reading by the river.

"...and no girl's charm is enhanced by a flock of elderly corpses around her hem."

Using a Metrocard as a bookmark is a bad idea if you're going to be taking the subway. Now I've lost my place in this book, but at least I could get to the place I was going.

I'm really enjoying this book so far though. I'm kind of surprised how funny it is- not laugh-out-loud funny, but more of a snicker-quietly-to-yourself funny.

Reading in Riverside Park

"humorless as a chicken"
?????
Can someone explain this to me?

I always thought of chickens as kind of goofy, funny birds.
?????

Why haven't I read any Willa Cather before?!?

Beautiful descriptions of nature, dramatic plot that's not too over the top, and an underlying romance running through it

Read on #SerialReader

@LitsyFeministBookClub is giving away a copy of Pachinko! See their account for details on how to enter.

Here's my entry:
My favorite book by an Asian author is Naked Earth by Eileen Chang, a Chinese author. I just got another of her books from the library, so I'm looking forward to starting that soon!

#BookMail- My parents got me a subscription to the NYRB Book Club for my birthday and my package came today! Family Lexicon is the book for April and The Unknown Masterpiece by Balzac was a bonus for signing up for 12-months.

#BookHaul #NYRB

#AprilBookShowers- In the world Carol Berg's Lighthouse Duet and Sanctuary Duet take place in, magic users must be #Masked when interacting with people without magical abilities.

Read on Serial Reader.

I may want to read it again after reading more Sherlock Holmes stories, since I think there may be some elements of parody here that I'm not totally getting.

I really liked this at first- it was an interesting concept and quite funny. It dragged so much in the middle though, so even a pretty satisfying ending couldn't bring my rating of it higher than a so-so.

#AprilBookShowers- #EarthToneCovers
I tagged the book with 'Earth' in the title.

#GIVEAWAYTHETRUTH- My favorite memoir

Really enjoying this one so far. I'm getting a bit of a Stefan Zweig vibe from it, but more funny.

#BookMail - #BookHaul- My birthday was earlier this month, so I got a 20% off coupon from ThriftBooks. I couldn't resist using it.

#AprilBookShowers - #LocalAuthor- Lots of authors call NYC home, but the most local author I can think of is Gail Collins, who lives in the same apartment building as my parents.

I've been meaning to read her books, since her column in The NY Times is usually pretty good.

What a great book! I learned a lot about a time and place I knew nearly nothing about. It addressed a lot of questions I had, that I didn't expect to be answered. It took on some serious issues in a very human way. Add in some lovely writing and a love triangle I didn't find annoying- this book was wonderful.