Welcome to Litsy!

Feeling the love - thanks #LitsyLove friends!

One of the perks of having a lending library is reading what people donate.

It took me a while to really get into the swing of this one but, once I did, I was all in.

Forbidden love, murder, mystery, and a missing finger that keeps showing up.

PS - how cute is my little library with Christmas lights?? 😍

This was solidly okay, but failed to really grab me. It felt like it tried to do too much, with too many characters. Beautiful prose though, and I enjoyed reading about 1930s Malaysia. I just wish it had come together better for me.

I‘ve already forgotten the story but I remember mostly enjoying it 😂 Hi Lisa 👋

May #BookSpin done! @TheAromaofBooks
Also constellation for #fourfoursin21 (cover image) @Lauredhel

I loved this book. I read it very slowly, but because I wanted to take my time with it, not because it wasn't holding my attention. I'm looking forward to whatever Yangsze Choo writes next!

May #BookSpin wrap up: 3 books done, so of course no bingo.

May #20in4 wrap up: goal was finish 4 books, and I finished 2. I am close on a couple of the other 3 that I read from though. I think just over 12 hours might be the highest time I've managed so far. Anyway, lovely to spend the weekend reading and #audiostitching

@TheAromaofBooks @Andrew65

Repost from @nelehelen ❤️📚🎉🎊 Click the link below for her recommendations!

Also, May is AAPI Heritage Month! Helen put a few recos together on her IG!!

https://www.instagram.com/p/COVUco3riG5/?igshid=10qguw8fjusaf

#Diversifyyourbookshelf
#Readdiversebooks
#Bookreccomendations from @nelehelen

I'm posting one book per day from the ever growing unread stacks in my personal library. No description or explanation, just books I own and plan to read. #tbr

Day 70.2 (Kindle edition)

#20in4 wrap up post

I didn't come close to 20hrs, or finish any books (though I read from 4) but I did finish this cross stitch #audiostitching. And I hadn't set any goals, so I guess... Win?

Thanks for hosting, @Andrew65 !

Another pick from Reese‘s book club...she hasn‘t disappointed me yet!

#20in4 time!

I have too many books on the go again, and I'm hoping to finish at least two... But I have a feeling I'll start something new first. Or maybe several somethings. There's so many calling to me and I'm not sure what I'm feeling like - but I am spoiled for choice! The pic is just a few possibilities.

While the book was interesting and the writing was well done, the romance kind of ruined it for me.

Really loving this one so far #ReadingAsia21 #Malaysia 🎧💕 #ReeseBookClub #Hoopla #Pop21 #AdvancedPrompt

Book 13 I listened to this book, excellently narrated by the author. Ji Lin, a young woman searching for the owner of a dehydrated, severed finger she came in possession of, learns this finger has been the source of bad luck and is associated with ancient Chinese lore. She dreams vividly of a young boy who advises her about the finger. Fantastical and interesting, the story and characters are compelling. I would read more from Choo. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Some of my #BOTM. Which arrangement do you like better? #shelfie #bookshelves

I finished this one today at the beach. It's a light pick for me, because it started strong but didn't have a strong ending. The description of the very real double standards for men and women in historical fiction is always so depressing.

🌟🌟🌟🌟
#LMPBC
@suvata @sprainedbrain @Chili

@sprainedbrain You should receive the book by Saturday. Sorry it is getting back to you a little late. It was an awesome choice!
#LMPBC

I just started reading this one. Has anyone else read this novel?

Really liked it! A wonderfully satisfying ending. Haven't read anything like this before.

#LMPBC #round8
@suvata @Chili @sprainedbrain

Sorry I didn't post as soon as it arrived. So far, I am loving it!

It‘s on its way! #LMPBC. Expected delivery is Friday. Great pick @sprainedbrain

This is a proof copy of this book which I got ages ago and only now have read it. I really enjoyed this story. Set in colonial Malaya in the 1930s it centres around 3 characters. A British doctor, a young chinese boy Ren and a young lady Ji Lin. There lives eventually all connect. #bookcovers

First #bookspinbonanza book done! 3*. It was a fast read and the mystery kept me intrigued but I wasn‘t completely connected with the characters and the romance between two of the characters felt particularly unbelievable. The Malayan myths covered in the book were fascinating though

Eek. The #bookspinbonanza gods weren‘t looking out for me when they picked this chunky book to start with! Let‘s hope it‘s a fast-paced read! 🤞Thanks @TheAromaofBooks for the challenge!

Book mail!!! #LMPBC book arrived @suvata

Litsy Markup Postal Book Club (#LMPBC) Round 8 - Group J in April 2020.

A historical novel set in 1930s Malaysia where men turn into tigers. Count me in!

Putting it in the mail on Monday. Enjoy!

Entertaining enough to keep me interested in these crazy times.

I think this is the prettiest book I‘ve marked up so far for #LMPBC. 😍

I really liked this mix of historical fiction and magical realism, with a bit of mystery and a dash of romance. I hope you all enjoy it as well... it‘s off to Suellen tomorrow.

This was also my #CoverCrush book for #Booked2020. Isn‘t it lovely?

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#LMPBC Round 8 - #GroupJ
@suvata @Chili @DarcysMom @sprainedbrain

Thanks to @sprainedbrain for stepping in and filling in our empty spot. Here‘s what our group looks like now. No big deal if things are delayed a week or so because of the timing. I just realized that we have all been in a group together before. No rookies here!

#GoodReads2020Challenge

A very good book. A glimpse of Malaysia (Malaya) during British occupation.

1. Tagged. Also:
Sands of Mars by Arthur C Clarke
A Game of Thrones by George R R Martin

2. The Discworld series by Terry Pratchett.

3. Skylark Bookshop in Columbia, MO

#WeekendReads @rachelsbrittain

Continuing on with my #BOTM back reads, I did a dual physical book and audio. I loved Choi‘s voice in the audible version. I could listen to her forever. The story was very intriguing. I loved Ren‘s story line as well as Ji Lin‘s. Some of the superstitions were so interesting to me. This is a culture I don‘t know a lot about so it was great hearing a bit about it. 4🌟🌟🌟🌟

Weretigers, twin bonds/ESP, complicated step-family dynamics, British colonialism in Malaysia, dance halls, ghosts, and a mystery. What more could you ask from a book? :)

This book is outside of my usual realm of reads but I enjoyed it. I learned about British Malaya history (what is now Malaysia) packaged inside of a murder mystery and love story. I could see some twists and didn't see others.

Choo's writing is engaging. It really provides the reader with a show.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

This historical fiction, set in Malaysia in the 1930‘s, is a murder mystery and a romance and is grounded in Malaysian and Chinese folklore. Ji Yin and her stepbrother Shin grow up under the control of Shin‘s abusive father. Shin can escape to school when he comes of age but Ji Yin is denied that opportunity even though she dreams of being a nurse. She and Shin are drawn into a mystery involving a severed finger. And weretigers.

Trying to read through my BOTM backlog.

Part historical fiction, part mystery, part ghost story. Very engrossing read!

My second #NYC bookclub of the day yesterday was the #2030SomethingBookClub, and we read TNT for that one! Almost everyone really enjoyed this one! 😁👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

A perfect evening snuggled up by the tree

Signed library book!

Loved this book! Wonderful, gripping story of a young woman and a young boy each trying to save someone. Mixed in with myths of shape shifting tiger/men, the power of numbers and of ghosts. Choo creates a believable rickety community of expats, diverse migrants and indigenous families in 1930s Malaya, that Ren and Ji Lin navigate.

The limits of fiction?

A fairly battered library copy that I have maxed out- just realised it's due back Tuesday.

Loving it! Why did I wait so long to pick it up? 1930s Malaysia (then Malaya) a mysterious deathbed commission and an ambitious young woman trying to rescue her mum.

#BFCr4 Week 2 Check-in: Got 3/4 runs in, which is fine because I had a stomach bug stopping me from running midweek. Finished 4/4 books (The Subtle Knife, Kwaidan, Xingu, The Night Tiger) thanks to that stomach bug giving me more fun reading time, and thanks to #BFC inspiring me, so I upped my goal to 6 books. Good week! 👍😊🎉 #RunningonReading @wanderinglynn @BarbaraJean @Catlover23 @hermyknee

Finally finished this #audiobook (while sick)! Okay, so I LOVED the setting. What ruined the book for me was the romance... which I saw coming from very early in the 14 hour long journey and which I hated so much. It's abusive and manipulative, more in the comments. Also found a lot of plot points surprisingly predictable? Disappointed because I enjoyed The Ghost Bride and wanted more out of her second novel. Book 3/4 for #BFCr4. #RunningonReading

No run today, but I did a pre-dawn body sculpt class at the YMCA and I'm gonna be soooo sore. 😂 Now I'm enjoying the sunrise, eating breakfast, and listening to an audiobook while I recover for a bit. 😂💪 Determined to finish this book this week! #BFC #BFCr4 #RunningonReading YMCA workouts aren't technically part of my challenge goals, but I'm loosely working towards 2-3 visits a week. @BarbaraJean @Catlover23 @hermyknee