Welcome to Litsy!

I didn't know @sharread but feel a bit overwhelmed with the outpouring of love and appreciation for her. I will choose a book from her recommendations for my next Read Harder challenge
Fly high in that big library in the sky, lovely lady x
#sharreadathon

Make no mistake, this is grim, gory & gruesome. And very, very good. The writing is dark, brooding & atmospheric & the gory bits sit well within it ie. not at all gratuitous. The murder mystery plot is well structured & frankly devastating, exploring the depths of human depravity & how monsters are created. The 2 MCs are excellent. Mickel Cardell is the jaded/violent/damaged ex-soldier who comes through with hope of redemption...more in comments⬇️

Started this one last night. Well, that is I fell asleep with this one open in front of me last night! Oh, the books I could read if I didn't have to sleep....

I couldn't get into this writing style. Oh well you win some and you lose some. #BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

#TBRPile 📚 1793, Stockholm. A body is found jn the city‘s swamp by a watchman, Mickel Cardell, and the case is handed over to investigator Cecil Winge, who is dying of consumption. Together, Winge and Cardell become embroiled in a brutal world of guttersnipes and thieves, mercenaries and madams, and one death will expose a city rotten with corruption...

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, some will be new. Don‘t judge me - I have a lot of books. Join the fun if you want.
This is day 207 #bookstoread #tbrpile #bookstagram

4 1/2 🌟 and a LOT of prompts!

#bookspinbingo square @TheAromaofBooks
Book 22 #murder2020 @Tove_Reads
#sweden #readingeurope2020 @Librarybelle @BarbaraBB
#armchairtravel #booked2020 @Cinfhen @4thhouseontheleft @BarbaraTheBibliophage

#TBRPile Day 28 📚 Every so often I have a historical whodunnit binge. 18th century Sweden is not a time or a place I know much about, so looking forward to this one!

#bookreport week 15/8/20 @Cinfhen

Finished top 3
Continued P & P
Started last 2.

It‘s a hard nope from me. I don‘t mind books being dark and disturbing sometimes if I feel like it‘s in service of a meaning, or educating me, or just a plot, but this wasn‘t dark in order to get somewhere it felt like an exercise in writing down the most twisted, disturbing and just plain icky stuff someone could come up with. The plot didn‘t even hang together and I got nothing from this apart from ‘wow stop thinking about torture so much mate‘

Dark, disturbing, & definitely not for the faint of heart, this historical mystery is a compelling read that plums the depth of humanity in exploring the making of a monster & the impact of hunting that monster on the men tasked with his capture—if they can solve the crime. As dark as it gets, there are also moments of hope, resilience, & redemption for wrongs made right. If you like dark, atmospheric period mysteries, it‘s worth a read.

I‘m not always (usually?!?) a mood reader but the snowy, gray day outside made me think of this book which has been sitting in my TBR stack(s) a couple of months. So, why fight it? I‘m going with murder in 18th c. Stockholm for my next read.

Well this one is dark and grisly....and very, very good. If you enjoyed The Alienist, this is better. 5 ⭐s

I didn‘t want to, but I had no choice.
Back cover:
- reads like a season of True Detective (yes)
- an ornate period piece with style to spare (perfect)
- includes a riveting murder mystery (let‘s do it)
- a bit of Patrick Süskind‘s Perfume (gross but good)
- a bit of Sherlock Holmes (right on)

This book came home last night for all the right reasons!

What are the odds on finishing a Japanese torso mystery and the next read starts off with the discovery of a torso, but this time it‘s a historical thriller, bleak, horrific, and violent,set in Sweden where life is brutal for the poor in war‘s aftermath? The watchman is ex-Navy with a wooden arm-the muscle-and the wolf is a detective dying from consumption who has a moral compass. Women are finely portrayed. Horrific but satisfying. More, please.

"And what is your view on the matter? Are we wolves to one another, always on the lookout for the least sign of weakness before we choose our moment of attack?"

? #spooktober #hallowreads

A dark and grim murder mystery set in 1793 Stockholm. A mutilated corpse brings together Cardell (the muscle) and Winge (the brains) as they attempt to discover the killer. Told in four parts, the reader is given multiple character perspectives which eventually all point to how and why the victim was murdered. Fair warning, if you do pick this up, I would maybe avoid eating during part two.

There's a great eerieness to this book.

@wanderinglynn I have been hopeless at #bookfitnesschallenge but my goal for the rest of the 3 weeks will be one audio book per week (I have read 2 already but didn't post them).
I am in a wonderful place, anchored in Rangiroa Atoll in the Tuamotu Archipelago. Not walking as much as I would normally but its very very hot here. The wildlife is amazing, this shot I took through a marine viewer (bucket with perspex on the bottom).
#readingonroam

This book was broken up into sections which followed different characters in the story. I did not love the first section, but after that I was hooked. Historical fiction and a mystery.

To say I liked or enjoyed this seems wrong. It is graphic and brutal in its depravity. It is also well-written and compelling. Many, many times I wanted to bail because of the explicit violence, but I needed to know what happened. This is an impressive debut, but I don‘t think I could stomach another book by this author. Third book done for #24B4Monday, about 10.5 hours total for the readathon.

Reading on the Kindle app during lunch. This is NOT a good book to read while eating, FYI. It's like a horrific accident scene or train wreck - there's blood and gore and you KNOW you shouldn't look, that it will be unbearable, but you just. can't. look. away. The writing is so good, but it is definitely not for the faint of heart. I'm torn between bailing because UGH and needing to know how it ends. 😱

This tale blurred the lines of good and evil, right and wrong, love and hate. Makes one question, is it right for us to play God when things need to be righted? Or let life take its course? Is there humanity in this dog-eat-dog world? Or is every man for himself?

Full review on my blog.

Thank you #Netgalley and #AtriaBooks for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Loved this: dark, mucky view of Stockholm 1793.

‘Tell me, Mr Winge, does the expression homo homini lupus est mean anything to you?‘
‘Plautus wrote it during the Punic Wars: Like a wolf is man to other men.‘
‘.... And what is your view on the matter? Are we wolves to one another, always on the lookout for the least sign of weakness before we choose our moment of attack?‘‘
(My photo of Swedish coast, much more recently!)

His memory is beginning to return . He is at Cellar Hamburg and must have drunk himself senseless. A glance over his shoulder reveals others in a similar condition. .... ‘Mickel, you‘ve got to come! There‘s a dead body in the Larder!‘

I read to page 114 and couldn't not go any further. The plot moves too slow. This is not a deal breaker for me if I like the characters and feel vested in them. Unfortunately I never had any connection with the story or the characters. Sigh... on to other more interesting reads!

Though I understand that the violent scenes were necessary to show the horrible gap between classes, the terrible realities of the destitute and the poor, some of them did feel gratuitous at times. In a way, it's a good story that deals in a realistic and often heartbreaking manner with the stories of the less fortunate, their horrible fates and the way they're used for the entertainment of others and nothing more.

So-so to pan. I'm sorry I seem to have the unpopular opinion concerning this one. I found it plodding and humdrum. Grittier and more engrossing reads were found by me in The Burning Chambers and Martyr.

It‘s a cold, rainy Friday night here in the Queen City. #Bailey and I are snuggled up while I try to make a little headway in this well-written, engaging, nauseatingly violent historical mystery. Happy Friday everyone. Wishing you all a wonderful weekend! 😘

#currentlyreading #dogsoflitsy #pitbullsoflitsy

@TheReadingMermaid

"Recognition registers on her face in the same moment that their eyes meet."

Hmmmm... I am recognized!?

#currentlyreading I was really excited to read this book on NetGalley, but then I hit a slump and missed the publication date. I was still so intrigued by the book that I bought a copy. At @ 57 pages into it, I can definitely say it is not a book for the faint of heart. I‘ve blanched twice already at the graphic violence. 😳😱

We have maps! We have nicely printed pages introducing the Parts to the book. Love when there are added touches like this! 😍

Ready to crack this one open today!!

I have this ARC I have been trying to read for several weeks. I am now at page 74 and can't get into the book. I am just not being drawn in. It might be my first DNF of the year. Some one tell me it is worth going on!

#Netgalley #ARC #Thewolfandthewatchman

4⭐️
TW graphic scenes of torture.

Murder mystery in Stockholm 1793 showcases the differences between rich and poor and their treatment by the law.

Full review here www.thereadersroom.org

Just received this #ARC in the mail today. I love #bookmail now to cozy in for a snowy couple of days!

What an absolutely stonking start to my 2019 reading, with this historical fiction set in Sweden in the late 18th Century. Character, setting and writing are all so well done, and it's pace, although leisurely in some parts, kept me hòoked. My first read of 2019 and it's 5🌟 from me!

#NetGalley #ARC #52in52-2019 #prompt42 #popsugar2019 #setinScandinavia

Current reads as we reach the end of 2018. Don't think I'll get any of these finished before we ring in 2019 but I'm hopeful 😊😊

#currentreads #needtospendmoretimereading #LMPBC #whodunituk #Pigeonhole #NetGalley #Audible

I received this ARC today. Love coming home to #bookmail. ❤📚