Welcome to Litsy!

Next up, I feel like I NEED to get through at least one borrowed book…which one? Any must reads here? (A wee portion of my stack, lol)

#AyupAugust #Everykindapeople I came across this one as I was looking for a book for this prompt... I think it sounds good , Litsy reviews are mixed. Thinking of stacking 🤔

#Currentlyreading

A disappointing read unfortunately. I love Zoey Whittall's other novels, but her latest is very different. This is a dark, sad, complex novel about what happens to the family of a respected man who's accused of sexual assault. I felt like it was written for an audience that wasn't me--people who aren't already familiar with the term rape culture. This novel had none of the humour or the queer urban Canadiana I love about her other work.

Wow wow wow the #audiobook narrator just mispronounced the word "toque," saying it like "toke." How embarrassing!! It must be an American voice actor. Although now that I think about it, this book (which is by a Canadian writer) is set in the States, so it's a bit weird that the omniscient narrator used the word toque.

Gingerbread scones to fuel my reading day. This book completely surprised me, well maybe ‘completely‘ is too strong but I still said “what” out loud at the end. I spent most of the book wishing for a certain ending, then arriving at a place where I expected another ending and then got another. Too much water under the bridge and I‘m not sure any ending was going to feel right. Damn good book.

I am taking a reading day, sort of like a mental health day, but I have goals to finish a few books and maybe bake a treat to eat while I read

I won this book on goodreads. I never win anything! I read it on my work trip to NY last week and liked it alot. I loved the perspective of how sexual molestation accusations affects the family of the accused. Especially as the family did not gloss or sugar coat the experience. It was a relevant read for today's times

I need help! Since I have worked for a literary festival, I have several books, including the ones in the picture, that have personalized messages/signatures in them. The problem is: I no longer want these books. The messages the authors wrote are special to me, but I didn‘t enjoy their books enough to hold onto them. What do I do?! Do I take photos of the inscriptions and donate them anyways? Do I remove the page with the inscriptions on it?

My September Target book club subscription. Like I need a reason to love Target more then I already do...

This was so so so so good. Once I started it I could barely put it down. Whittall writes these characters so well and they really come to life on the page. It was a difficult subject but she handled it was great respect and empathy.

Next on my TBR. Working through a stack of ARCs I picked up at BookExpo LAST YEAR... 🤦🏽‍♀️

Happy Pride! 🌈🌈🌈 #canlit #pride

Dieter thinks I should be reading and not on social media. I agree, I just have to check Twitter...

Good

I was on board until the end. It fell flat which was dissapointing as the rest of the book written well

The compelling story of the prestigious Woodbury family‘s unravelling in the aftermath of a shocking accusation.

Read March 22-25
Book 10/50

An incredibly powerful story of what happens when the people we love and trust the most let us down. What was really brilliant about this book was the believability of the events that happened that made our hero fall from grace and how it impacted those in his life. Each character has high points and low points, making their reactions completely real because just like life has complexities, so does human nature.

A long but important read. It‘s well written and relevant and not only explores the problems with CanLit failing women but also society failing woman.

https://thewalrus.ca/canlit-has-a-sexual-harassment-problem/

Recent purchases and the baby girl in the background who would be annoyed this picture is posted on any social media platform.

I picked this book up because it had a really interesting premise that seems so relevant right - trying to reconcile your understanding of a loved one with the acts and abuse they are accused.
The plot of the books was quite strong and really drew me in. However I was really disappointed with the ending. It felt very rushed and didn‘t seem to resolve or make any satisfying commentary on the issues the author had initially raised.

Finished this on the flight home. I went in with high expectations based on the reviews and my own personal experiences with teachers (most were great, but some made me feel uncomfortable). I was underwhelmed and bored by the beginning (rich white people problems). Then, the last half hooked me; I liked how teenager/adult relationships were fleshed out and not clear cut. Boundaries are tricky + consent and power are played out in many ways here.

TORTAS! With the best kind of people 😍. Happy New Year‘s Eve!

So. Mexico City is gorgeous. Also. Remember how in Iceland there were random chairs everywhere!? I found this one on our walk today and had to snap a book pic! This city has these beautiful walkways surrounded by lush greenery dividing the car traffic. I would read here if I lived here!

1. Spinach & Artichoke dip with warm Pita.
2. Check out the photo.
3. Participate in the GR #CleartheShelves2018 challenge and read a total of 40 books.
4. Get my hip into better shape so I can start walking for exercise again.
5. Love you all!
#friYAYintro @jesshowbooks

Ahhh!!! @BooksTeasAndBookishThings YOU ARE MAGICAL. My #litsygoespostalOG box is superb! Filled with so many goodies and all the things I love ❤️. The pens/pencils (my faves), candle, assortment of teas, chocolate, bookmark, & book sleeves put a smile on my face. The calendar, cookbook + recipe book, and these much-anticipated works of fiction!? Cherry on top! Irvin D. Yalom is a giant in my field and I am touched by your thoughtfulness. Xoxo 😘.

Hmm. Well, I liked the journey but was SO unimpressed with the destination, so I‘m rating it So-So. It was a fast read with interestingly developed characters, and I was really curious how the author would wrap everything up! But then everything just ended in this hurried, unsatisfying way that seemed like a cop out. Such a shame!

Settling in for a little reading time at the end of a long week. I‘m halfway through this book and it‘s really drawing me in! Plot-wise, it‘s about a family where the dad, a beloved teacher, is arrested for sexual misconduct with students, which he denies. The family members are affected in different ways as their new reality unfolds. I think the writing is great!

Also, I‘m trying Halo Top today. It‘s good! Does anyone have any favorite flavors?

I had incredibly high expectations for this book - I've heard great things about it, I've wanted to read it since it's release date, and I've heard/met the author multiple times - but I was disappointed. There were parts of it that were great, but it sort of petered out. The characters didn't really act how I expected them to, there were several things I questioned throughout and the ending felt rushed to me. I wanted to love it, but just didn't.

A very timely novel! What if one of the men accused of sexual assault was your husband or father? Highly recommended for fans of Celeste Ng. eARC from publisher.

How would you react if your loved one was accused of a sex crime? This is an extremely uncomfortable thought, and the focus of this gripping novel. It focuses on the wife, teenage daughter and adult son of a beloved high school teacher in the midst of a public scandal. I'm drawn to books that make me uncomfortable, and I appreciated this intricate take on how one person's actions can impact everyone around them profoundly and irrevocably.

Wow! I plowed through this 400+ page book in 4 days! This novel looks at the family (professional wife, 17-year-old daughter, mid/late 20s gay lawyer son) of a teacher arrested for indecent acts against girls at his (and his daughter's) small town private school. Fast-paced, Whittall explores who stands with them and why, who rejected them and why, who they can trust and believe, and how they react to their world being turned upside down. #arc

Started one of the ARCs from my pile--so far so good, I'm already up to page 70. Reviews suggest this will slow down soon--but I am loving reading something modern!

Absolutely in love with my new bookends 😍 I've decided to use it to hold the books that are next up on my to be read list!

Whittling down my "started & put down" TBR. Bought this one over the summer, stopped because it was A Lot. It's certainly not any less of A Lot now? I'm about 150 pages in & wondering how seriously we're going to take Andrew's HS experience as a parallel predatory situation.

It is funny to me how clearly Avalon Hills is an "American" community written by a Canadian. Every time the text mentions that they're in Connecticut, I'm a little surprised.

She didn‘t like being older in this moment, despite all the years she‘d wished she could just get over the awkward, in-between feeling of being a teenaged girl, the feeling of being ugly in the body that is probably the most beautiful you will ever have.

Hmmm I may come back to this one but for now I‘m bailing! It started off with a bang but now 100 pages in there is just too many long drawn out conversations about life instead of the crisis they are in the middle of.

Has a quick and dirty ending but also an intriguing premise which kept me interested throughout. If a high school science teacher saved the lives of the children at his school (including his daughter) by preventing a mass shooting and 10 years later is accused of attempted rape & harassment by teenage girls at the same school.....who do you believe? Such a timely read considering current events. Delves into multiple POVs of the family and locals.

???

"Sadie wondered: if she kept faking it, would she start to feel normal again too? Could she trick herself with muscle memory and routine?"

FYI- page 1. Grabbed my attention and my heart in one paragraph.

Wondering how this was not even on my radar before I noticed it on the new release shelf at my library 3 weeks ago... there are currently 3 holds on it so I had to put aside my other current reads to zoom through it and I'm glad I am! I was quickly swept up into the goings-on of the small town of Avalon Hills, CT. No idea how it's going to end 🤔
#underratedread #riotgram #recommendsday

So I don't have any candy in the house, but bananas and peanut butter is one of my favorite combos, and, honestly just as good!! #booksandcandy #riotgram

Also, had to start this book today since I can't renew it and damn if it isn't fantastic.

3.5 stars. Super easy fast reading. An "issues" novel in a style similar to Picoult. Startling accusations tear apart a well to do but likable family. This is mostly about the growth and change of the family of a person accused. The book follows their lives up until the trial a season later. I liked the characters but often the dialogue was not real. There is a meta-novel in the mix. I wished the ending was stronger. Somehow it just...ended.

4-4.5 stars

This book got some low ratings on GR, but I really liked it. Not sure what I think about the ending though. 🤔

#NetGalleyReads

Hubby is out and kids are watching a movie. That leaves me curled up with a good book and one cuddly Skitty Kitty. It appears as though he's had a hard day and needs some beauty sleep. Who knew trying to steal cheese filled sausages could be so exhausting? 😆 #CatsOfLitsy

Jennifer reviews The Best Kind of People
http://bookishdevices.com/2017/09/18/best-kind-of-people-whittall/

Evening reading. 🍃

What happens to the family of a prominent man accused of unspeakable crimes? This novel explores just that, creating complex characters with fascinating inner lives in a ritzy, yet believable, small town. There was maybe too many things going on, and the ending was incredibly abrupt but overall I gobbled up this book in a manner of days.
Publication date: 9/19