Welcome to Litsy!

Overall a Pick. The plot and way the story is told is delightful, very arch and amusing and old-fashioned in a way that made me think of The Sisters Brothers (although that could be chalked up to the fact that Dan Stiles designed the jackets of both books, in the editions that I have). One scene I didn't like in spoiler comments.

An entertaining riff on fables combining deadpan, Wodehousian dialogue with a Charles Portis-like shaggy dog narrative. There are some vocal dissenters on the question of whether this is a "good" book. Suffice it to say, if you require that a novel be tightly structured, realistic, or (God forbid) impart a moral, you may not enjoy this one. If you're fine with a loosely connected series of humorous set pieces, then it's an absolute delight.

Lucien Minor's mother had not wept, had not come close to weeping at their parting.

#FirstLineFridays @ShyBookOwl

I love Patrick DeWitt because he's weird as heck.

This was another quirky, dialogue-led sequence of bizarre events masquerading as a novel. It was amusing, whimsical in a dark way (if that's even possible), and creatively original.

It's not clear when or where this story is set. It doesn't really matter. DeWitt follows his own rules and I'm a fan of his surreal storytelling and lean, stripped-back prose.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Part 2 of my #booketlist was a little harder - and I may change my mind 🤔

7) The Mirror & the Light - let's see this play out!

8) Undermajordomo Minor - I just have a feeling about it.

9) Salem's Lot - it's chunky, I love this cover, and it's Stephen King

10) EITHER Captain Corelli OR a Ruth Ozeki. Both come highly recommended...

The plan is to stop delaying reading books I'll likely LOVE...
Now to read them (with #booketlist)

JOIN ME!

I am posting one book per day from my extensive to-be-read collection. No description and providing no reason for wanting to read it, I just do. Some will be old, and some will be new. Don‘t judge me - I have a lot of books. Join in if you want!

#ABookaDay2023

⭐️⭐️⭐️ I really wanted to love this which is no way to start a book. Clever and quirky right out of the gate, but I struggled to give it my full attention.

Here is my Bookspin for December 🎄📚 @TheAromaofBooks

I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed and down in the dumps this week. My plan for now is to focus on what I'm already reading and take the pressure off myself.

I may be on track for a November Bingo, but I don't want to count my chickens just yet... 😋

☕️

Happy Canada Day! I was tagged by @runswithscissors007

I‘m a huge Patrick deWitt fan - and was lucky to see him when he visited Melbourne for a Writers Festival in 2019... (remember writers festivals!?)

Apparently Peanut Butter was officially patented by Gilmore Edson of Canada in 1884... I mean - it‘s no Vegemite - but it is pretty good... THANKS CANADA!!

#HappyCanadaDay : play along if you feel so inclined

Slightly #StrangeTitle, very strange book. Bonkers but great.

#BiblioMAYnia
@OriginalCyn620
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

U is for Undermajordomo Major which contains one of my all time favourite quotes : ‘I shall not sit idly by and settle for anything other than a perfect cup of tea.‘ WORDS TO LIVE BY!! ☕️

I loved reading this. It was so delightfully strange.

More Patrick deWitt. Will read them all because he‘s hilarious.

Buy it!

Loved this book. It‘s like a Wes Anderson movie in a book! Hilarious, fun, and dark.

Cheeky, fun, and clever

Is there a Litsy equivalent to #latergram? Finished this at lunch yesterday. deWitt is my new favorite.

Hmm. The first chapter was great. The theme that love triggers all manner of extreme behavior be it heroic or horrific was interesting. It lacks connective tissue though. The result is an assorted collection of good ideas and great moments - which of course do not a good novel make.

I loved this! I was only meh about The Sisters Brothers, but liked this one much more! It‘s kind of like a tall tale with deadpan humor. It‘s really enjoyable! *picture stolen from internet

Just started this book, and oh yes, I think I‘m going to like this.

Hahahahaha erm what?
50 pages in—I think this book is my kinda weird.

#triviathursday
@GarthRanzz

1. Mark Twain - Patrick deWitt
2. Night in with someone & a good book?
3. The future

🎶I always feel like, some dog is watching me! 🎶 ANYWAY, catching up on #30DaysofReadathon with Day 28: Red Books!

This eccentric Atlantic Canadian writer isn't everyone's cup of tea. I have no idea whether he will be mine – but this was an attractive softcover edition—book flaps!—on sale, so I snapped it up.

This was such a weird but funny book. I still don't really know why, but it reminded me a little of The Princess Bride. 🤔

#ReadingWomenMonth / day 20 / #shelfie / A couple of the many, many shelves in our house! These contain the newest/most TBR books.

This one is different than Sister Brothers, but has it's fair share of humor and gruesomeness. Came to love all the characters, from the mainstays to the incidentals, and somehow have hopes for a sequel.

Well this was a miss for me. I went audio on this one and found it slow, at times super boring and very light on any interesting plot. Should have been a DNF, but kept hoping it would get better. Did anyone enjoy this book in print?

52 ~ Undermajordomo Minor by Patrick deWitt (Kindle edition📱) ~ Started: 18.05.17 ~ Finished: 25.05.17
Rating: 4/5📚

I enjoyed 'Undermajordomo Minor', Lucien (Lucy) Minor is a interesting character, he knows who he is & is comfortable with his choices. I also liked his outlook on life & how he reacts to everything that happens to him.

'Undermajordomo Minor' is a quirky story which has something for everyone.

Recommended.

The story was a bit slow, but his writing style is unique and kept me interested.

Put this book down for a bit, now I'm ready and reading outside! Trying to read mostly real books and not ebooks this year, but I'm a little behind on my reading challenge and this might be a quick one 🤞

Loved Sisters Brothers. This one was a bit slow getting started, now I'm half way through and can't wait to get back to it.

"The moon held its position admirably and unwaveringly, pegged as it was to its corner of the sky."

Tfw when you make a delicious lemon blueberry cake and you keep shaving off thin little slices and you suddenly realize you've eaten almost half of the cake in about three hours. 😔 (and it must have been you because you are the only one home.) Also, I bailed on this because after 50 pages, I realized I had no interest in what would happen next. So, off to the next Dr. Siri Paiboun...always a comfort read for me.

Bedside rotation, all fantastic

2017 #48 novel audio wasn't as enjoyable as Brother Sisters and an unpleasant scene is all that I'm left with. Enjoyed the words and the way they were put together but this wasn't one that I'm going to be singing from the roof tops about it. +

Kafka as directed by Wes Anderson. DeWitt's droll humor & repartee will not appeal to everyone, but I found it charming.

And the rest of my haul from this weekend's thrift shopping. Have you read any of these? (this photo is for you, @DebinHawaii 😂).

You guys...I need a handler for this thrift shop. I just want you to know a)I actually put books back! b) It was 50% off day and c)This stack cost under $9. Now to find shelf space...😬 #thriftscore #cantstopwontstop

My #TBR for the month #FeistyFeb

Though a slow start, I loved the final third of this book. Lucy grows from a whiny boy into a man of his own. The story doesn't bother with tidy conclusions or simple plot developments. The conclusion is open-ended, as is much of the narrative. Its strange and oddball and a bit unknowable, but it made me think, long after I put the book down. While maybe not one of the best books I've ever read, its one of the most INTERESTING.

Okay, it's official: I'm a Patrick DeWitt fan. I loved Sisters Brothers and I thought Undermajordomo Minor was just as fantastic in a bizarre, amusing way. It's a funky little parable-esque novel but it made me laugh aloud. I also felt attached to several characters, though they were all flawed in their own ways. The audiobook performer is fabulous as well! #recommendsday

This is a funny (not, like, ha ha funny, but sometimes absurd and definitely amusing) book about someone who is basically witnessing other people's lives and observing the people around him. The story ends when he makes a decision entirely on his own, guided by no one (this isn't really a spoiler as I haven't told you what happens!). It's a fun read and I'm glad I picked it to break in my new Kindle Paperwhite. :)

"There was in her eyes a sorrow so profound..."

I really love this paragraph. It's also rather expressive of the book as a whole. The MC is generally witnessing everyone around him. Different! In a good way.

Funny, silly, light and dark. Just the change of scenery I needed. Not the type of novel I'd usually choose, but it was on loan from a friend & had been on my TBR pile for a while. Think it would be fair to say it was quite the romp.

?I just didn't get this book. Maybe I'm just not familiar with folk tales. It had its funny moments, and plenty of weird ones. It was a quirky, quick read. It's my "U" pick for the #LitsyAtoZ challenge.