Welcome to Litsy!

"He needs to hurt nearly enough to kill him," he said, "because that's how we Goddamn live."

⭐⭐⭐⭐☆
Review on GoodReads.

? ilsahermannslibrary on Instagram

Found this beauty in a little free library by my apartment on the way to buy groceries. I love my new Neighborhood. #LittleFreeLibrary

#bookmoods Day 26
Made You Cry
@Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

This one was a dud with my book club. Opinions ranged from okay to bad. I didn‘t like it, but I do understand why people would enjoy it. I think there was a moving story in here, but it was marred in the telling. The writing style was often hard to follow and felt like it was trying too hard to be profound. The constant hinting at things to come and the tendency to dance around things rather than just say whatever it was explicitly drove me nuts.

I haven‘t posted in a bit because it‘s been a crazy couple of weeks with my father in the hospital and flying to see him. This may have affected my review of this book as I started it before Dad got sick and finished it when I returned home. I would put this between a pick and a so-so. There are some lovely moments and I read parts of this book with my heart in my throat. However, as it ambles along it never really goes anywhere in the end.

This is such a departure from The Book Thief but it's just as good on a whole different level! This book simultaneously ripped my heart out & stomped on it while practically making me fall off the couch laughing at the Dunbar bros antics. I loved it 😊
🌟🌟🌟🌟

As for the Merchisons, they were honest, hairy people. They were a blue singlet of a man, with great big sideburns like fur meat cleavers on his cheeks, & a woman named Raelene. Rofl!!!! 🤣📖

R100! What a steal! Is this book good?

I rarely re-read books as there are so many out there. This is one I wanted to read again almost immediately after finishing it. It took me a year & a half before re-reading it so I remembered some parts and not others. To me, the author didn't spell everything out, so I had to bring a lot of the meaning to it. It's beautifully written about love, loss, humanity, forgiveness - of others and also of oneself. Definitely worth a second read.

Book 89 Wow! Bridge of Clay is overly complex. It starts out very compelling, but is purposefully confusing and requires a lot of effort to make it through. The writing is really good-sometimes incredibly beautiful. My least favorite Zusak novel so far.

3 ⭐s

I really really wanted to like this book but ugh!! Bridge of Clay makes no sense. It has too many plot lines and loose ends that add no value to the story. Death plays a huge role in this book but without reason. There are random but persistent references to Michelangelo but we don‘t know why. The only thing which was remotely nice was the brotherhood element. Otherwise, a massive disappointment. Sigh

Bailed on this. I constantly wondered how and why the siblings live that way. Are there no child protective services in Australia❓

Didn‘t like their relationships with each other even if they are „boyish“ – but the least I liked how the plot was presented. I might have liked the plot line about Penelope but didn‘t have enough stamina to fight through.

It was so boring with all those plot layers indicating heeaavy meaning. 🥱

#MotivationalMonday Thanks @Deifio for the tag. Sorry I‘m late, Fiona and @Cupcake12 – I had a busy Monday, a busier Tuesday and an even more busier Wednesday.

1️⃣ So far only Germany (😔) but I hope to trip across the U.S. with Jack Kerouac soon.

2️⃣ I‘m no too big book buyer … but, let me ponder … Matt Ruff.

3️⃣ Online training, meal prep for this ✅, researching job stuff (I started.) aaaaaand: Snooker World Championship. 🤍❤️🤍🖤

#AnywayYouReadathon-wrap-up:

I did quite well, considering that I confused Sunday 11th with Monday 12th. 🙈 It was fun. Someone please remind me to from now on always include audiobook- and audio-library-time into my time goals. Less pressure. 😅 @kimmypete1 @Eggbeater @MidnightBookGirl

Markus Zusak‘s 🇬🇧 “Bridge of Clay” is for #AwesomeApril. I was looking forward to it but don‘t know what to think of it. Around page 42 and it feels inflated.

“Bestseller author Markus Zusak has written six novels among them “The Book Thief” and “The messenger” …

Suddenly I know someone who has to research on all the other books. You do know that someone, too❓😂

This is such a beautiful cover illustration.
Can anybody tell me, why they (= the publisher) need to ruin it with that sticker saying “from the author of »The Book Thief«”)❓

So _un_necessry_‼️?

I mean, if they feel the need to put a sticker on it, can‘t they put it somewhere _different_ ? and therefore adjust the front cover‘s layout⁉️

Glad, I have one more candidate in stock for #AwesomeApril.

It‘s Markus Zusak‘s 🇬🇧 “Bridge of Clay”, that I – with the help of @julesG – found in @Maike ‘s feed. 😃

So: Heyho, let‘s go. 🙂

From left to right:
Found @julesG mentioning @Maike and thought 💭: “Oh, I don‘t know her. Let me have a peek.”
And I peeked.
And I found a Zusak book title that was unfamiliar to me. I didn‘t like the “Book Thief” too much but loved “I am the Messenger” (🇩🇪 „Der Joker“). So I googled.

And. Found. It. At. My. Library.‼️

So, guess what.
Yeah.
Took it home right away.
Thanks, Littens. 🙇🏽‍♀️

I‘m having a hard time rating this book. It took me such a long time to get into it. at first I was mainly confused about what was going on as there were so many people and storylines I couldn‘t place. But after a third (!) of the book I was finally completly drawn into it. I‘ve finally decided on 4/5⭐️ because I‘ve really enjoyed it in the end.

Recently started this as Audiobook but probably wasn‘t focused enough to completely follow the story. I‘m switching to the physical version and hope it‘ll get better😅 Kirby is keeping me company as always😁

12 Colours of December - Snow White

#WinterGames2020 #TeamReadNosedReindeer

Picked up the order I placed last week from my local book store

I wanted to love this book. But it was excruciatingly long and there were so many cryptic threads to follow (some completely unnecessary). And while there were some lovely moments, it simply tried my patience too much to entirely enjoy it. I almost bailed but was already 200 pages in and just felt like I‘d devoted too much time not to see it through. But if you love Zusak‘s prose and are up for a door stopper, this may be right up your alley.

I was dubious about it in the beginning, but loved it. Another 5 star

Ok, Zusac. Hit me

"We were blank and empty iliads.
We were odysseys there for the taking.
She'd float in and out on the images."
#littens #Homer #BridgeofClay #markuszusak #bookworm #booklover

Help me fellow Littens! I‘m 100 pages in and I am struggling. The writing is good, but Zusak is throwing so so many cryptic bits of story my way and I‘m growing weary. I usually like this kind of time-jumping style but I feel like I need more to pull me along for the almost 400 pages to go! Do I need to keep chugging along? Does it start to pull together at some point?

Wow. That was an epic tale of the Dunbar boys and their history.
I'm in awe of how this was set out and how many times and ways he's moved back and forth, between characters and time. Truly amazing writing. 🙂🙂😍

This has been on my list for ever!!
I adored The Book Thief and sobbed my way through it on holiday years ago.
So now this one which is quite different...

"It was a slow and steady vanishing act. He left us like that, in increments."
#markuszusak #littens #BridgeofClay #bookworm #booklover

Day 22: For fun, I am going to post 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, some will be new. Don‘t judge me - I have a lot of books. Join the fun if you want. #bookstoread #tbrpile @StaceyKondla

"Returning and being let in:
Two very different things."

#TBR Pile Day 6. No idea what this is about but The Book Thief made me ugly cry in a campsite in Greece - any author who can make me feel things in public is an author I need to read more of!

Book about #Brothers

Not quite up there with The Book Thief, a hard act to follow. However this was still a very enjoyable read in a very different sense.

#MagicalMay

In so many books we read about how a person learns to live. Learns to love. Learns of the heartbreak of what it means to lose someone. Coming to terms with death. Death is an evil thing, that swoops in and steals your loved one away. Then you are left. Alone but not. Shook to your core. Trying to figure out what the point of it all is.
This book was hard to get into at first. Then at the end, it's hard to get out of. Zusak is a hell of an author.

Holy moly! What a wonderful story! I didn‘t want it to end. In this book, a family torn apart by grief and loss is brought back together again by one remarkable young man.

This is one of the most beautiful books I have ever read. It is so poetic, but I‘m finding it slow going because I want to savor the language so much.

So I'm like 100 pages in... not sure I'm up for it yet. Would love some encouragement!

#quarantineread #bigassbook

I really did a slightly grossed out double take there.
Flip-flops, we are talking about flip-flops.

I think I‘ve had enough of the world for today.

Book #7. Loved ‘The Book Thief,‘ but didn‘t quite get into ‘The Messenger.‘ But this was a beautiful, epic story about a family and their struggles, set amongst the backdrop of Australia. Made me wish I grew up on the same street as the Dunbar boys!

#croatianedition book from #library beautiful #bookcover 📚📚📚

I had to share a picture of my new bookends. I just think they‘re too cute. 😊❤️📚

I am a fan of Markus Zusak since I read The Book Thief. And I really love his writing style! I would recommend this book to people who like a slow pace book, looking for character improvement and love to savour moments of the reading (like me!). But, if you are looking for book to make your blood pumping, causing adrenaline rush and fast paced, then you'll just be disappointed. Death still play a big role in this book tho.

To sum up this book in a word: resilience. Well developed characters & at times Marcus Zusak even personifies the rooms of the house the 5 Dunbar boys not only live in, but survive in when life throws them every curve possible. At times I wasn't always sure what was happening, but I just kept reading and the puzzle pieces fell into place. This is well worth the read so don't give up if you think the start is slow.

Lastly (I ran out of characters 😂) was Bridge of Clay by Marcus Zusak which I honestly think was my least favorite novel written by him. Highly recommend his other reads!!

#Deweys24HourReadathon is off to a bit of a rocky start, but I'm here and reading! How're you doing coming into #readathon hour 4?
My intro post:
http://foliofiles.femmeflavor.com/2019/10/26/deweys-24-hour-readathon-fall-2019/

Book haul for the upcoming week. Finished “Bridge of Clay”...still in my feelings about that one😕

I feel disappointed. After waiting for weeks for this audiobook, I feel I should have read it. The book skips around n time and characters, and being able to flip back might have added enjoyment. It just wasn‘t what I hoped for. 3 stars. 😢