Audio-puzzling with a view!

I don‘t have a huge interest in Elvis or his life, but this was well-reviewed on here and was available on audio on BorrowBox so I thought I‘d give it a go, and I‘m so glad I did.

It‘s an unusual format, but really worked to tell Lisa Marie‘s (and Riley‘s) story. I learned so much about their lives, most of it heartbreakingly sad, but Riley took care to tell how great a mother Lisa Marie was.

I struggled to get into this at the start, the art world seemed rather impenetrable, filled with obnoxious, entitled people, mainly men. But then I realised that this is the whole point of the book and I ended up loving it almost* as much as I did Olga Dies Dreaming.

Anita is a rising star in the art world in 1985 when she is found dead. Raquel, a student of colour, feels out of her depth at Brown, until she meets an older very privileged ⬇️

Book 21 in the Kim Stone series, not in the database yet, out in the UK on 10th December.

Yes, it‘s as good as all the rest! If you love Kim you‘ll love this one and, if you‘ve never read any before, then you‘ve got a gripping, fabulous long series to start!

This time, someone is leaving cryptic clues for the team to follow, otherwise something terrible will happen…. And can the team actually work alongside Frost?!

Quite different to the other Ogawa books I‘ve read, this was very sweet and whimsical and not very ‘challenging‘ or complicated at all.

Tomoko, aged 12, is sent to live in her Uncle‘s opulent mansion, where she makes friends with her cousin Mina who is one year younger and in delicate health.

It did read like a children‘s book at times and I loved it whilst reading it, but it‘s immediately gone out of my mind since I finished it.

I picked this up at the Amnesty Bookshop in York, on tour with @MicheleinPhilly ☺️

Set in Yorkshire it follows Neef and Danny as they meet as teens, then grow up together. Neef has never had a dad and her Mum can barely look after herself. Danny‘s Mum died and his Dad (a Black man) is perceived as a trouble-maker, so you can imagine how their lives furl out.

It‘s a tough read and *isn‘t* like Normal People, as claimed on the blurb.

A rather disturbing read for me, but one that really made me think. Annie is a ‘cuddle bunny‘ AI robot living with Doug, a 34 year old man who has issues with Annie becoming auto-didactic and therefore more human like.

The juxtaposition of the sex scenes and Doug‘s abuse of Annie was really uncomfortable and the book raised questions about what it is to be human and what constitutes abuse.

I got the ARC of this ages ago but never got round to it so thank you @BarbaraBB for bumping it up my TBR.

I loved it (read it in 2 hours) but it was totally not as expected from the blurb. That suggests it‘s a ghost story with a recently-deceased Max watching his girlfriend Hannah, but that‘s only a very minor part of this utterly fascinating novel.

It‘s quite a tough read though, covering past trauma and abuse amongst other difficult topics.

I‘m so glad I picked this at Gladstone‘s during Blind Date With A Book - thanks Jess! @jhod

This is an autobiographical novel - the author herself was in and out of prison for sex work and other petty crimes and died aged just 29 in 1967.

It‘s definitely a French novel, with that curious dispassionate, distant, style that is so common but I felt sad for the MC in her emotionless, grubby world and I want to read the author‘s other (2) novels.

I started this on audio and struggled to connect so switched to physical. However, whilst I really enjoyed the book overall, I think the lack of human connection might have been the issue rather than audio.

Neither of the two male MCs was very relatable and there was too much distance between all of the stories - they sort of came together at the end but I didn‘t feel emotionally connected.

It would still have made my #booker shortlist.

Playing catch-up with reviews….

I really liked this novel, which did feel rather like a memoir at times, and it feels even more relevant now after the events of last week, being about undocumented migrants.

At times it was a little bit too ‘stream of consciousness‘ for me and I struggled to understand the relevance or tangent of Catalina‘s thoughts but, overall, a hard-hitting worthwhile read.

Thank you for gifting it to me @MicheleinPhilly 😘

Leaving this here for those who need it this week….

From today‘s Guardian newspaper in the UK, literary comfort novels that tell us ‘despite everything, it‘s going to be OK‘

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2024/nov/09/it-will-renew-your-faith-in-humani...

Any American Littens from our #europacollective (or anyone who loved this book!) feel like cheering themselves up with a trip out to see Anne Berest speak?

Actually, just noticed that 3 of the 4 are in NY, so not really much of a tour, but still…..

Great to see there‘s a new book coming out too.

#ToBwaiting

Great idea @BarbaraBB to post our thoughts on what might be on the ToB longlist, but very difficult to choose just 6!

I haven‘t read any of these but either own them or have access to them on a platform such as Everand (my library apps are not ‘weird‘ enough for the ToB! 🤪)

I‘ll also tag two below that I think should be on the list but probably too UK-based to be included.

I was a bit disappointed with this, because I loved Leave The World Behind. Brooke starts working for a billionaire who wants to give away all his money before he dies, but she starts to become more greedy for herself.

Brooke, and her mother, were both awful people but I quite like books with terrible characters and the book certainly made me think.

What nearly turned it into a so-so for me was the nothing ending - it just fizzled out.

Loved this collection of interlinked short stories about Palestinian families and their descendants, living in the US.

I agree @arlenefinnigan - it was sometimes difficult to follow the familial links between the stories on audio but it didn‘t detract from my overall appreciation of the book.

I finished this a couple of weeks ago, but only just realised I forgot to post a review. 🤦‍♀️

On a delayed Australian flight, an unremarkable lady stands up and starts telling all of the passengers how and when they‘re going to die.

I really couldn‘t see how Moriarty would bring this to a satisfactory conclusion but it ended up being far more than just satisfactory - fabulous if rather worrying in places!

Thank you for this gift, Holly! 😘

I got the ARC of this from #netgalley, long before it was published in August, but it had mixed reviews so I wasn‘t really tempted. It‘s recently been announced as being one of the BBC Between The Covers books so I picked it up, and absolutely loved it.

It‘s really devastating though so be warned, with some CW. Following 3 different people in different timescales, all linked by water, I loved how it all came together in the end.

I tried a few different books on my commute over the past few weeks that I just couldn‘t get on with on audio (Playground, Intermezzo etc) so I thought I‘d go with an ‘easier‘ listen.

This was going to be a so-so all of the way through because all of the twists were heavily signposted. But then they weren‘t. 😳 I didn‘t see THAT coming!

The female MC was so stupid though, and made terrible decisions, it drove me crackers. 🤪

Loved this, as I have loved all of Perrin‘s books. She writes melancholy stories so well.

I agree with you @BarbaraBB @TrishB - it‘s not quite as good as Fresh Water for Flowers, but what is?!

Thank you for gifting it to me Barbara! 😘

Oops, when I said Margo was my final review of the weekend, I didn‘t mean it! Finished this one yesterday and forgot to post it.

I loved Small Pleasures and this one lived up to it. Somehow, Chambers‘ characters aren‘t always particularly likeable but you still root for them.

I need to investigate more books by this author.

Final review of the weekend (for now - still have an hour and a half to go! 🤪) and another fabulous read.

I‘d seen so many fabulous reviews of this and I‘m so grateful to @Oryx for gifting it to me.

I haven‘t got a clue about OnlyFans, pro-wrestling and TikTok and there were far too many bodily fluids for my liking, but I loved Margo and Jinx.

I need to read more by this author.

Just finished this one this morning - recommended and gifted to me by @BarbaraBB - thank you! 😘

Cooper and his daughter Finch have been living in a remote Appalachian cabin for years, when a series of events threaten to shatter their careful sheltered existence.

Loved both Cooper and Finch (and even Scotland!). I have a question, though, for those who have read it already, in spoilers below.

My #bookhaul from our reading retreat at Gladstone‘s Library.

The bottom two are from Emma @Oryx

Catalina is a gift from @MicheleinPhilly and Forgotten on Sunday (which I‘ve just started) is a gift from @BarbaraBB .

The top one is my pick from our Blind Date with a Book swap - it sounded so intriguing from the clues that Jess @jhod had written, and even more so know I know what it is.

Haven‘t been posting from Gladstone‘s much - too busy reading! 🥰 I picked some fabulous books to bring - I‘ve loved them all.

I bought this a while ago and bumped it up the TBR list when I found out it‘s going to be on the BBC‘s Between The Covers.

Such a compelling read - I couldn‘t stop reading it. (Which wasn‘t a problem on a reading retreat! 🤪)

I much preferred it to We Begin At The End.

First book finished at Gladstone‘s reading retreat!

I loved this look at Ranita‘s life as she leaves prison, tries to get her life back on track, and tries to get her kids back.

Beautiful prose and more hopeful than I thought it might be.

Thank you for sending it to me! @Megabooks

I‘m absolutely loving this so far (at about 25% in) but I‘m also scared to keep reading it, as I get the feeling it‘s going to break my heart. 💔

@Megabooks

Loved this! Such a tense book, from both the POV of Cy Bellman who goes west to find mythical animals and even more so for his young daughter left behind in the care of Cy‘s sister.

I don‘t think I loved it as much as Clear, and I wasn‘t *entirely* sure about the very end but I definitely want to read more by this author.

Thanks for sending it to me @BarbaraBB 😘

Another excellent addition to Boyne‘s ‘Elements‘ series of books, this time about a plastic surgeon, dealing with burns victims.

Again, like Water and Earth, a very tough subject matter. I love how we get little hints and links to the other books in the series.

I still think the first book is my favourite, but they‘re all so good and I‘m already looking forward to Air, with an idea about which character it will be about.

Out 7th Nov (UK)

Odile is going through the vetting process to become a member of the Conseil, who decide whether people can travel out of their valley to other valleys beyond. This is speculative fiction, so the other valleys are twenty years ahead or twenty years behind.

I liked this, although I‘m glad I listened on audio, as many readers complained about the lack of “” in print.

I‘m also not sure if there were huge plot holes or if I‘m just a bit daft! 🤪

Thanks for the tag! @Mitch

1. The tagged book will be on my favourite list for 2024 as well as just for August.

2. I prefer paper books, but read all three types - they all have their place!

3. Probably literary fiction.

#wondrouswednesday

Whew, this was a tough read, but definitely worth it. The author, whose previous book was about her own experience of sexual abuse, focuses on the 4 women who told their stories during the trial of Ghislaine Maxwell, as well as the defence‘s attempts to discredit them.

A slight quibble would be a couple of areas that seemed repetitive - sometimes it was clearly deliberate for emphasis but there were some points that needed better editing.

I loved Profile K by this same author so bought this, a previous novel, at the Crimewriting Festival where I saw her speak.

I‘ve realised that my issue is that I‘m not a huge fan of ‘locked room‘ mysteries / crime - they‘re not expansive / wide- ranging / as full of opportunities for me.

That said, I did enjoy this one for the most part and at least I‘ve learned what style of crime I like. 🤪

I had high hopes for all of my holiday reads - that‘s why I chose them to take - but, whilst they were all good, they didn‘t live up to my expectations.

This one, failed to pull me in completely, I think because none of the characters were very likeable, and it was a bit Rooney-esque in that they were all failing to communicate properly. It had a bit more bite than a Rooney though, hence the pick.

This was the first book I read on my hols and, probably because I had such high hopes after seeing the author speak, I was ever so slightly disappointed that it didn‘t quite live up to my expectations.

I still liked it, but it was very violent and I didn‘t feel particularly connected to either the characters or the setting so it felt like I skimmed along the surface rather than being engrossed in the story.

Content warning below ⬇️

Thanks for the gift, Jess @jhod ! We just got back from our hols today and it was waiting for me.

Henry had a fun time in Keswick - visiting The Pocket Bar twice and being made a fuss of by the staff in there!

It sounds like a fascinating book and I‘m sure I‘ll love it - I‘ve looked up the reviews and they‘re not *that* mixed - pretty positive, I think.

Thank you for your lovely gifts @Caroline2 @Cathythoughts ! 😘

Sorry I didn‘t post pictures of the *actual* gifts - this morning was rather hectic as we hadn‘t packed much ready for our hols.

Pic is the view from our pitch in the Lake District.

Thanks for all of my wonderful birthday gifts! (Not featured here, vouchers from @julesG @TrishB @MicheleinPhilly @Hooked_on_books )

@quietlycuriouskate - The Wonder sounds fabulous, as does Fifteen Wild Decembers @youneverarrived and I love the notebooks and bookmark too.

@BarbaraBB - both books sounds fabulous - isn‘t These Silent Woods a strange shape though?!

@Megabooks - I‘ve been looking forward to reading Pomegranate ⬇️

I said I wasn‘t going to go book shopping today but happened to be walking past Waterstones and got propelled in by an unknown force.

I couldn‘t revisit this beautiful copy, and it‘s signed as well, so it was lucky that I had a birthday voucher from @julesG burning a hole in my phone! 🤣

Thanks Jules! 😘

❤️❤️❤️

Lovely article about how well The Open Book in Wigtown is doing. This is the bookshop where you stay and run it for a few days / weeks at a time.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5y844905n9o

❤️❤️❤️

I still really liked this, but it‘s not my favourite ‘Lucy Barton‘ book. As well as Lucy, Bob Burgess is highly featured, as is Olive Kitteridge.

Early on, there were too many disparate threads and inconsequential stories about characters we‘d never met before. The book soon picked up though, as Bob becomes involved in a murder investigation - I wished this had been the whole focus of the book.

#netgalley
Published 19th Sept in the UK.

#camplitsy24

Well, here it is….! Your final winning book of this year‘s camp is BEAR! 🐻

No huge surprise there, I don‘t think, but we did have some votes for The Alternatives too - Bear won by 27 votes to 6.

Look out for Barbara posting the final vote shortly… I‘m excited to see what we choose for our overall winner of #camplitsy24!

#camplitsy24

It‘s time to vote for your favourite book from August!

Will it be The Alternatives or Bear going up against Clear and James?! Let us know in the comments below ⬇️ with reasons why (if you want to!).

I‘ll announce the result once everyone has had the chance to vote, and then Barbara will be along with the vote for the overall favourite of #camplitsy24.

And our last question of #camplitsy24 for this year…. Let‘s talk about the ending of the book - what did you think?

Tomorrow we‘ll vote between Bear and The Alternatives and then Barbara will post shortly asking you for your #camplitsy24 favourite.

We hope you‘ve enjoyed August‘s books - thank you all for your valuable and insightful contributions! ❤️

#camplitsy24

This part of the discussion is all about the 🐻.

We looked at fairy tale elements last week, but do you think that the bear is ‘just‘ a bear or is it an allegory for something else or a particular message to the reader?

Do you think the events surrounding the bear would have actually played out like this in real life? (note that we'll discuss that ending in Q3)

#camplitsy24

Well, here we are in our last week of camp! 😢 Time to think about rolling up your sleeping bag, and exchanging friendship bracelets before we leave.

But not before we have a few more questions about Bear.

A few of us touched on this one last week - we only saw Sam‘s perspective throughout the book. Did you wish you could have seen Elena‘s POV too- and how would it have differed?

Here‘s my #booker #longlist in order of favourites (without Playground yet, of course). I actually enjoyed almost all of the list this year - only Held got a so-so.

I don‘t think this will be the judges‘ list - I think they‘ll have Orbital, Headshot and perhaps Wandering Stars in there.

I was torn between Creation Lake and TSEH for my final shortlist place - I think the Kushner is a bit more Booker-y which is why it won the spot in the end.

#booker #longlist 12/13

An odd book, but I rather liked it. ‘Sadie Smith‘ is a spy sent in to infiltrate a group of French provocateurs. Their shady leader, Bruno, sends emails to the group which Sadie becomes fascinated by. These emails are rather an excuse for the author to expound on topics such as pre-history, anthropology and philosophy but weirdly I didn‘t feel talked down to, unlike The Alternatives. It kept me hooked all the way ⬇️

#camplitsy24

‘They made magic. They were the girls at the center of a fairy tale, and they, along with their mother, would live in such bliss all their days‘

It‘s often said that this book is a fairy-tale retelling. Did you see that in this first half of the book? What elements from fairy tales were included?

#camplitsy24

Elena and Sam caring for their mother is a central part of the book - how has this impacted on their relationships with each other and with the wider community?

How do their caring roles differ? Who do you have the most sympathy for?

Welcome to our final book of #camplitsy24! But watch out, there‘s a 🐻 in camp!

As ever, if you‘ve read to the end please don‘t include any comments that may spoil it for others.

The book has a real sense of place on San Juan island in the Pacific Northwest - how did this influence the storyline and the sisters themselves?