Welcome to Litsy!

Both of these were great! 'Queen Takes Rose' is the final 'Wicked Villains' novel and it's a super ending. I have been thinking about 'Such a Fun Age' since I finished it... It really challenged me... I'd highly recommend it!

From what I got, Emira is a babysitter and is enamored with the toddler she works with, but feels uncomfortable around her employer (mother of said toddler), Alix. One night, while babysitting, she gets accused of kidnapping her because she is black and the toddler is white. This opens up a conversation of stereotypes, microaggressions, and prejudice, and fetishization.

This was good. I didn‘t really like any of the characters, though. (And although I don‘t particularly like kids), I did love Emira‘s relationship with Bri. Alix weirded me out there when she tried to befriend Emira. At the end, I liked the way the author delved into future years with how Emira was doing and what she continued on to do after the main part of the story was done.

My February #bookspin (Kindle read) - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Glad to have finally read this novel. Quick-paced & multi-layered.

I really enjoyed this book. It was great having the chapters narrated by both the main characters Emira and Alix. Having this type of storytelling helped provide a deeper perspective.

How badly I wished Emira would have exposed Alix as the video leaker on the news broadcast. I do appreciate how delicately the author honored the love that Emira had for Briar.

Finished my August #DoubleSpin last night and the only good thing about it is it was a quick read.

52/62

#MountTBR #ReadAway2024

Moving on to August's #DoubleSpin and hoping for a better read 🤞🏼🤞🏼

I finished the tagged book this morning… it was thought provoking and dealt with many serious issues such as racism, privilege, class, sex, and power. There were many scenes that made me cringe. I loved the friendships between the girls and Emira‘s relationship with Briar. I COULDN‘T stand Alix… I can‘t think of one redeeming quality for her. The ending was abrupt and left me wanting more. I‘ll give it a soso rating. 🤷🏻‍♀️

#LitsyLoveReads

Started this one yesterday! Really good so far!

We are thankful for a little rain here in Mississippi! It‘s unbearably hot and humid! ❤️‍🔥 🥵

I‘ve had this one in the queue for a while!

Little Bit and Tux say Happy Caturday 😻

#CatsofLitsy
#Adayinthelifeoftux
#TuxandLilBit

I liked this satire of middle-class white liberal attitude to race. Elmira, at the centre of the story, is a black woman lost in life role post college, a nanny for an affluent family, caught in a racist incident at a local shop. As the book progresses, we find her pulled in separate ways by Alix, her employer + her white boyfriend. The qn is whether she is viewed as an individual or as a trophy for a middle class society unsure how to manage race

4 ⭐️
This book touched on the topics of race, politics, family, manipulation, and almost a coming of age story as it follows Emira Tucker through her struggles of working as a family babysitter, going through a relationship, and dealing with a boss who romanticizes Emira. This book is what I‘d consider a should read for young women.

“Oh girl, yes,” she said. “One hundred percent. This is probably the best thing to ever happen to Emira.”
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Ok but is it? Cause to me that seems manipulative as all hell…. This book has me invested

I can‘t decide how I feel about this one — I‘m kind of back and forth. Though it may make the reader somewhat uncomfortable, it‘s definitely thought-provoking and would be a good one for a book club discussion.

Starting this one for the fiction book club at my local library (Gwinnett County Public Library—Mountain Park in Lilburn, GA). The in-person book club, which meets monthly, has been a nice way to meet people in this community that I just moved to in April.
Several of the members especially like reading books chosen for Reese‘s Book Club, as this one was.

Started this that has been in my reading list for a while. Starts off with a bang!!! No slow start, let me tell you. There‘s no slow build here. Btw, this is my new baby Jessie, she‘s 3 months old. I lost my other kitty in March, after I took this pic I realized the name of the book is fitting for my Jessie …. Lol… she likes to bite everything and everyone…. Lol #kileyreid #kittensoflitsy #cats #newread

I didn‘t connect with this book at all. It wasn‘t bad, it just never seemed to go anywhere.

Packing for a work trip. Leave tomorrow and gone for 5 or 6 days. I know I will get through two of these but packed a third just in case.

Such a Fun Age is my last roll for #roll100 March.

I more liked this book than didn't like it, but I was very angry at the ending. Without giving anything away, while it may be reflective of real-life choices that are made, it definitely left much to be desired for the reader. Otherwise, it is a thought-provoking work that is mostly fun to read.

A really clever story about race, class, and privilege. This book made me think and it made me feel for the characters, even the awful ones.

An exploratory novel that raises many, many points for discussion. Lost a bit of nuance in the second half as the characters' behaviour became more dramatic.

Throughout the book, I was desperate to know "what happens next?" Upon finishing, I did feel a bit deflated and empty. Excellent debut.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

At the Ann Arbor library for the Washtinaw Reads program to see Kiley Reid talk about her book!

(Spoiler alert- the book was PHENOMENAL!)

Loving this!! Started it over an hour ago and haven‘t been able to put it down. Literally surprised at the time that had even passed. It was like coming up for air. Love this kind of reading experience! Briar is a wonderfully written child character.

An enthusiastic yes! Also Alix and Tamra are two of the biggest yuck characters I have read in years. Awful. Boo, no sympathy.

After a black babysitter is accused of kidnapping her white charge, her life takes some unexpected turns culminating in the release of a video taken the night of the kidnapping accusation. Parts were uncomfortable to read, but I loved the end!

This makes book 2 of 2023 that I am reading as a library book but it also turns out that I own it 😑

Both Kobo copies and I‘m glad to support the authors but is this indicative of a problem? Think of the other books I could have bought!

“Sooo… But you gotta act like you like Briar once in a while. Before she like… really figures it out… It is what it is, you know? You‘re her mom.”

-Chapter 26, Pages 294-295

this chapter really broke my heart! the class and wealth divide throughout this whole novel really shines at this one line, because caregivers tend to know the kids better than their own parents! and alix never really knew how to not let her wealth influence her decisions :(

read: november 9-19, 2022

this book was such a great read! it really makes you think about race and class, and allows you to reflect all while being entertained by the drama and sometimes lighthearted plot. the relationship emira has with briar as her sitter is so heartwarming, especially since i want to work with kids. there are some great moments as well as some more serious moments that deserve these kinds of discussions! so well written!

chapter 27

this chapter! such a revelation chapter right before the book ends. i like that reid writes in a way that you definitely know whose side you‘re on by the time the book is over and this chapter will help you make your decision!!

“Some days she carried the sweet relief that Briar would learn to become a self-sufficient person. And some days, Emira would carry the dread that if Briar ever struggled to find herself, she‘d probably just hire someone to do it for her.”

-Chapter 28, Page 305

This was such a relevant book and highlighted microaggression very well! The racism depicted in this book was not completely overt (though aspects were), and went into the nuances of microaggression. This book was beautifully written.

I actually enjoyed reading this one! It‘s pretty different from what I normally read (romance/fantasy), since it‘s more focused on racial/social issues. But I think it was good for me on an educational level to hear a such a story from a Black woman‘s perspective. Also just in general, the storyline is very interesting! Would recommend☺️

This definitely proudly up a lot of issues to contemplate. It wasn‘t perfect, and actually really uncomfortable at times but I enjoyed this as much as I could. I would recommend.

OK... so it wasn't awful - enjoyable, an easy read and made me continue reading whilst my eyes were dropping and I needed to sleep.

However, I never connected with any of the characters, their actions were the focus on a book about colour and how race can affect how others are viewed in certain situations. As a reader, it made me think more about how our own actions may be perceived by others, thought provoking more than anything.

Started this book today, been a while since I wanted to read 📚 can't wait to see where the story will go 😆

⭐️⭐️⭐️ • This book is ridiculous but I didn‘t hate it.

Interesting characters combined with an engaging story. There are depths to this book that will certainly make you think.

This was a different twist on race and class from anything I‘ve read recently. I liked that I didn‘t have a handle on what Alix or Emira would do next.

There's something unsettling about a book where everyone is problematic. The relationship between Emira and Briar seems to be the only sincere relationship in the book, and it is a beautiful one. However, the rest of the characters feel one-dimensional, and I'm still not sure how I feel about the ending. I'm hovering between a Pick and a so-so.

Easy read, but just sort of meh. I don‘t know if I didn‘t like the end, or didn‘t like any of the characters, or what. The entire thing made me cringe a bit.
⭐️: 3/5

My book club sure is going to have a lot to discuss when we meet about this one. I enjoyed how nobody was fully right or fully wrong about the other characters and their motivations or what they needed out of life. Really felt like a reflection of life. #contemporaryfiction

This was the right book at the right time. Like Little Fires Everywhere, I got totally sucked into this story with crackling dialogue and interesting characters. I really enjoyed it. 👍

After being accused of kidnapping a child one night at Market Depot, Emira Tucker is humiliated and begins to question her role as the Chamberlain's babysitter. At the same time, Alix Chamberlain, Emira's employer, struggles to find the motivation and work ethic that she had had before moving back to Philidelphia from her New York City apartment. If you like dramas, you will like this book.

I‘m having fun with this one. Easy read but still gets you to think a bit.

I really enjoyed the writing style and how the author was able to shine a light on privilege in the US with a story that captured my attention at every point. This was a quick read that had its fair share of cringeworthy, heartwarming, heartbreaking and triumphant moments.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book is about a young teen who deals with racism. I posted the back cover of this book because I don‘t know how someone could read the back and not want to read more about this book. The only down side of this book is that I got a little confused sometimes on who was talking, because it wouldn‘t say there names very often. It‘s more of a mature read, sometimes I was a little shocked by the language. But other than that I highly suggest it.

Obviously this is very much a book about racism, but I think it's also about the dangers of projecting one's own values/fears/dreams onto others. Easy to read but plenty to think about, not least what was likely to become of poor, dear little Briar. This book was a gift from lovely @JennyM Thank you, my friend 😘 I enjoyed it very much.

Popsugar: misleading title