Welcome to Litsy!

Ann Patchett‘s second is ok. She brings two semi-orphans from the far east Tennessee mountains to Memphis in far west TN, where they mix with a black not-quite deadbeat-dad who runs a bar on Beale Street. So she mixed black and white, rural conservative and inner city, youth and innocence with middle age, etc. And she stirs with something like meth. What comes out is entertaining but also has some stereotypes. Nothing particularly rewarding.

My current audio. (Although…I have covid again. Second time. So no commutes)

Taft is the only adult AP book I need to read. Just back from her Wichita KS book tour stop and

IT. WAS. GREAT!!! ❤️ I am *SO* glad I went. I might even have met some new friends who might want to form a book club ✨💫🌟

There were times when I wondered where Ann Patchett was going with this and why I should be interested. In the parts about Fay and Carl's late father, I was unsure whether this was what happened or whether this was what Nickel imagined their life before coming to Memphis was like. I still didn't know by the end of the book, but it did feel much more cohesive and I wanted to know what happened next to Nickel, his son, the Woodmore sisters, and Fay.

I was underwhelmed by this one: intricate characters and backgrounds (and thankfully not a plethora of characters to keep track of), but I was unable to suspend disbelief in the story. Not my favorite Patchett

#authoramonth2021 @Soubhiville
#bookspinbingo @TheAromaofBooks

#CuriousCovers @AlwaysBeenaLoverofBooks @Eggs

Probably my least favorite book this month, but at c least it's off my TBR.

I‘m really glad I‘m finally back to wanting to read again. March through May was a slog and I could never turn my anxiety down enough to just sit and read for long lengths of time. I got to the end of May and started reading the right string of books (and okay, work isn‘t so stressful currently) and now I get up in the morning and can‘t wait to get some tea and sit in my library and read for hours. 💕

We don‘t deserve cats! Look at my sweet girl, Lucy. 😻 And I‘m excited that it‘s Ann Patchett for #authoramonth this month so I can finish up the last couple of books by her I haven‘t read yet.

Wonderfully written as always, but the story just didn‘t pull me in. Definitely not my fave. But am enjoying going through the ones I haven‘t read.
#authoramonth

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks #AuthorAMonth2021 @Soubhiville

Not as strong I felt as the first book I read by her, but I was happy to see what happened with Rose after Patron Saint of Liars.

A father who is an ex-blues player struggles with relationships with his son and others in his life. I felt the characters were all a bit too one-dimensional and found myself feeling unconnected to them and the story.

John runs a bar in Memphis and spends his days wishing he could spend more time with his son. He hires a young waitress and she & her brother becomes fixtures at the bar. John finds himself imagining what their life was like before their father, Taft, unexpectedly passed away. I will read anything Patchett writes. It's not her best, but for a 2nd novel it shows a remarkable range in point of view. If you're new to her work I'd recommend Bel Canto.

I get the low Litsy rating for this one although I ended up really liking it. Not every part of this book is successful but I love Patchett‘s writing and immediately cared about John Nickel the ex-blues drummer, current bar manager, who just wants to be a good father to his son although he lives in another state.

Ann Patchett always has a way of developing interesting characters and writing prose that paints a mental image. This one did not disappoint, but she added an interesting element of a made up story that the main character, John, uses to try and piece together the events that brought Fay and Carl into his life. #favoriteauthor

#titlestartswithat #septinbooks18 @bookisglee

This is definitely an odd book and probably my least favorite of Ann Patchett‘s novels, but I still enjoyed it. For me, the genius of her books is her ability to pick one defining event (which is usually the climax of the book, right at the end) and trace in incredible detail and authenticity how things got to that place.

Postal book club book that's supposed to be mailed out tomorrow. Whoops I completely forgot about it but it's moving fast and is quite good. I don't think i' have any problem finishing it tonight.

Pretty good. Read it in one day and skipped a bunch of pages. I loved Bel Canto and like State of Wonder. This was an odd story but it worked today.

I read three audio books, three ebooks, and four "paper" books, and one DNF. #bestofmay is hard to pick, but either Taft or The Heart Goes Last. #maybookflowers @RealLifeReading

As always Patchett does an excellent job drawing believable characters and showing them change in reaction to events around them. Taft explores themes of family and love as well as loyalty. Highly recommend.

"Back where I come from," he said to me, "all they sing about is Jesus. You'd be amazed at all the different ways there are to sing about Jesus."