Welcome to Litsy!

Another solid reading month in the books!

A.S. King is an amazing author (and I honestly didn't get that her initials spelled out asking until someone else posted about it in a review) and Still Life with Tornado might be my new favorite! Sarah is 16 and is dropping out of school, spending her days wandering around the city, and running into herself at other ages. There's 23 yo Sarah, and Sarah 40 yo, and 11 year old Sarah who remembers things 16 yo Sarah does not. Weirdly good!

Well this was just excellent. A. S. King is one of those authors I‘ve been meaning to read for years, but never seem to get around to. I‘m so glad I finally did.

Technically the #24b4monday #readathon is over, but the kids are with their grandparents and I‘ve got the whole day to catch up on laundry and read. So I‘m going to let the timer keep running...

I think readers who liked Speak will really enjoy this book. I saw a lot of similarities in the bare bones of the stories. Young girl traumatized by unknown events who is acting out with inexplicable behavior.

Getting in some YA reading before heading back to work tomorrow. Where did the summer go? 😫 #teachersoflitsy

Repost for @BarbaraTheBibliophage :
(A little late, but I'm sure help is always welcome)

Friends and Littens ... YA author A.S. King lives near me. Her teenage daughter died tragically over the weekend. Someone has set up a GoFundMe to help the family, if you feel moved to help.

https://www.gofundme.com/in-the-loving-memory-of-gracie-king

💔💔

Friends and Littens ... YA author A.S. King lives near me. Her teenage daughter died tragically over the weekend. Someone has set up a GoFundMe to help the family, if you feel moved to help.

https://www.gofundme.com/in-the-loving-memory-of-gracie-king

💔💔

Heartbreaking but ultimately hopeful story of 16 year old Sarah and her existential crisis living in the tornado that is her family

How A.S. King‘s books are not on the MUST READ summer list of every high school remains unfathomable to me. LOVE LOVE LOVE this book! How about a movie or series based on one of King‘s books, Netflix?

“The absence of violence is not love.”

I give it a pick, but I‘m always so wishy washy... is really like to give it a So-So and a half. Some unnecessary language, and even an unnecessary plot line...

This is an interesting one as it slowly peels back what happened in a family and how things combined to get the main character where she is as the books progresses. Insightful look into family trauma. I was a fan of perspective switching between the daughter and mother in the family, thought that added a necessary layer to the story.
#LitsyAtoZ #LetterK

Ouch. Too close. :/

Started listening to this at work. It was probably inappropriate, but I may have laughed during the chapter where her mom talks about giving people the middle finger. 😂 I know this book deals with heavier topics but still...

I‘ll read anything A.S. King writes. Few authors do multiple POVs that include a parent‘s narrative. Tough topics but so well done.

This book took a while to grow on me. The main character seems like a whining teen. But once the deeper issues she is dealing with start to come out, things become much more involved and interesting.

#2017Book172
Like all of her other books, A.S. King uses incredibly unusual, almost supernatural, elements to draw attention to issues that are all too real for most teenagers. Her writing style is completely original and the plot makes this book hard to put down.

#CoversInYourFaveColor (This cover just happens to have all three.) #AndItsAugust

I love how A.S. King takes such serious topics and throws in an element of magical realism. A girl is worried that she's going through an existential crisis as she tries to figure out why she's lost her art. It highlights the importance of speaking up and how burying your head in the sand doesn't change your situation.

Audio soundtrack while I made breakfast on #day2 of #24in48 - can't hold a book? No problem - don't want to miss a minute of reading!

Ready for my first time participating in #24in48. I've got lots of good picks and a will of steel. Plus I've been napping all day in preparation. 💁🏻📚

I just like constructing new things that are real. I believe this is a side effect of growing from seed in soil made of lies. I believe this is a side effect of being born into ruins--this need for construction.

On the inside I know there is something wrong enough that someone should be taking it seriously. Maybe it starts with me. Maybe I have to take it seriously first.

#AprilBookShowers Day 18 - Local Author

I have a dream of randomly running into A.S. King in the local bookshop, Aaron's Books 🙏 #CentralPA

Starting my first A.S. King book today.

I actually did enjoy this book. I think it has unique style. A confused and conflicted 16 year old girl trying to figure out her life.
There's a lot of meaning to be taken from tornados, umbrellas, seeing art in everything around you or in everything that is being said.
3.5 stars/5 stars

This goes with my previous post.

This is good advice.

Good advice? It's important to remember in any relationship that people don't change if they don't want to. I've known girls who think, "oh he will change after we are married." No it doesn't work that way.

While I enjoyed the story and style of writing there were a lot of things I liked and disliked about this book.

The story unfolds backwards. Sarah is basically have a "mid life crisis" at the age of 16 and trying to figure herself out. At times her thoughts were confusing but entertaining.

What I didn't like and it could fused me was the different Sarah's. I honestly thought she was crazy but everyone else saw them too. So confusing.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Hmm on Facebook it is raining bullshit too.

A feminist, surrealist YA title in shades of Vonnegut. Ostensibly the story of a 16yo girl calling out her family on its toxicity and lies, TORNADO is really a bold invitation for women to welcome, love, and nurture of all our different selves.

An invitation to tell ourselves and those around us the truth.

An invitation do the work we love even when others undermine it--or us.

This. Book. Vonnegut meets the Time Traveler's Wife, minus the romance.

The Friends and Family event was a success. Trying to not go back and buy more lol.

#bookwormproblems #powellsbookstore

This book looks super interesting! Dear Littens, have any of you read this??? #askalitten #tbr

King weaves an element of magical realism into each of her novels in a way that you believe in as a reader. She explores tough concepts and immerses you in the reality that her characters experience. In each of her books, I have felt a visceral connection to her characters. More people should be raving about her work.

I finally got around to reading this and I love, love, loved it. I will always read anything that A.S King writes. She's amazing. I'm about 8 1/2 hours in to my readathon, going to try to read at least 12 hours today but I'm exhausted and feeling under the weather so not sure I'll make it. #24in48

Heartbreaking and spiraling. I loved the slow pace of this book (kind of reminded me of Love That Dog) and the slowly dawning and painful realizations tucked within.

Love this quote. We do often disparage teens, particularly young women for their emotions. Feeling something in a deep and raw way doesn't make them any less real.

As always, King has created a brutal and moving and necessary and mystifying novel. I love how her magical/off-center events don't take over the story but I stead augment it. Would recommend this one as I have all the others she has authored. Great read!

Finally getting around to reading my first A.S. King book and I think I've picked a good one!

An insightful, honest depiction of a teenage girl's struggle through bullying, family crises, and emotional growth.

In classic AS KING fashion, this book is weird and thought provoking and looks at deep emotion from a uniquely removed perspective.

#bookmail 📚❤️😍

Could not put this down. A. S. King is one of those authors whose new work I read religiously. Last year, I Crawl Through It didn't really work for me, but this one was a home run (a really sad and difficult home run). Best King book since Everybody Sees The Ants.

My TBR pile for December. I won't be able to finish them all, but I'm hoping focusing on these will catch me up on some of this year's awesome book releases.

I think I'm the odd man out with this one 😕

I'm sad to say that this didn't work for me like I had hoped. The multiple Sarah's were strange and made the story feel cluttered + confusing. I never understood WHY they were there, especially toward the end. To me, they took up valuable page time where the family's issues + some resolution could have been hashed out + expanded upon.

BUT: I love every page spent with Bruce + Sarah's mother. 💯✔️