Piranesi | 
pickGot this book from the library as I love dark academia and it was on one of those “best of” lists for that genre. An interesting choice for that list but I can clearly see why it was included. This is a unique story and one that initially will leave you asking “what the heck am I reading.” However, it quickly begins revealing itself, bit by bit. A fascinating read. Worth your time if you like fantasy and, yes, dark academia. #puremichigan
pickSlim book which weaves in mystery and magical realism. I was absolutely drawn into the story when the labyrinths were introduced. However, I found my interest lagging slightly as we approached the halfway point of the book. It seemed to drag a little. The end really pivoted - I definitely did not think it was heading that way.
A soft pick for me (partially due to all the hype as well I think).
pickA uniquely captivating read and a marvel of world building, not a page passes by without the plot slowly creeping in like the tides. The ending was satisfying without feeling as though it were grasping for a happy ending.
pickWhat an adventure! Almost dream-like, the mystery winds itself to a sharp peak, and then climbs down back into reality. I found myself unsure in the beginning, and then riveted all the way to the end. I fell in love with Piranesi even as he frustrated me, and I feared the halls even as I wanted to know more and more about them. I'm sad the journey is over.
"Perhaps that is what it is like being with other people. Perhaps even people you like and admire immensely can make you see the World in ways you would rather not."
I do not trust "the Other". I didn't from when he had access to technology, clothes, food, and vitamins that made no sense to the image of the house Piranesi's experiences have painted. But this man really just said he met 16, but that 16 didn't know the way to where they are and ensnared himself in a lie and just... left? Excuse me sir? Also don't get me started on the memory lapse conversation they had before this ?...
so-soI don‘t think I really got this book. Yeah, the halls were described as beautiful, I‘d love to visit. But it felt lol for me, only picking up in mystery of what the hall really is till halfway through. I felt lost. Feel like I missed the point of the book, being hidden in this hidden world. To many unstable unknowns for me too soon in the plot for me. Although, I always went back to reading it. Couldn‘t ”stop” all together
💠 Tagged! And a smattering of other books
💠 E-Book - love my Kindle Paperwhite, great for chronic illness, but miss physical library trips!
💠 So far Piranesi gets a 3/5. I'm struggling to follow the descriptions at times, I wish there was a map or drawing of the general shape of things. The questions I have, though! I'm so intrigued.
💠 I do when on my kindle! Digitally marking up is easy😊
Tagging anyone ☺️!
Creds: @MoonWitch94 🙌🏾
I'm never reading one book at a time! This is the newest acquisition from the library in my growing list. The only challenge is juggling them all so I can finish reading before they're due back 😅. Anyway, I'm very excited for this one; it sounds like quite the adventure!
pickWhat a fascinating book this was! I loved the world that was created. A house so beautiful and atmospheric, full of wonder. Of different floors filled with different things. The ocean and tides, birds, clouds and marble statues. Is this house real or in Piranesi‘s head? A story of both fantasy and mystery. This book was a breath of fresh air! ♥️
so-soI really liked it at first. Then it got meh...
It was interesting enough though. I wouldn't call it boring.
@jenniferw88 thank you for the #SpeculativeSpringSwap #SSS package. I love bookmarks and notebook. Chocolate is my favourite and books are from my wishlist. So you really surprise me. It was the best gift I opened today. It is my BDay and I opened a few packages😆
Thank you again Jennifer💕💕
@Avanders
#BDay #surprise #gifts #bookexchange #litsyfun
pickWhat an absolutely gorgeous book from the first page to the last . This isn't something I would normally pick up but I feel so much better that I did . This book stole my heart and will be the book I recommend to everyone this year . 5 stars and my book of the year so far 🥰
Here's my April list for #bookspin #doublespin #bookspinbingo @thearomaofbooks
I've already started the tagged book and may finish before EOM. I'm doing a multi-month buddy read of All the Young Dudes, so I'm trying to clear other books from the list so I can dig into that one.
pickThis was the first book I read in 2022, and it was a wonderful way to start off my reading year. Piranesi is mysterious and a bit melancholy, its twists and turns mirrored by the fantastical labyrinth of the House and its ebb and flow of tides. I loved piecing together Piranesi‘s past and the mystery of the House. Such a lovely read.
The long list is up! 💕 #iwd #womensprizeforfiction
A tea cup to match each dress by accident. Op shop scores from a few weeks back. Plenty of books & scrapbooking supplies, beauty products from my fav brands eg L‘Occitane & Frank body, a soap that smells like honey, my fav mag (It always comes with beautiful paper that I use to wrap Litsy Swap parcels), a new version of Flowers in the Attic to watch with the kids & a Bolshoi ballet DVD! This op shop gives away free kids books. Great for school.
pickWith 2 more books finished late this month, I finally got a #BookSpinBingo:
- Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson: a beautiful novel-in-poems, about a 11 year-old boy trying to make sense of life through poetry;
- Piranesi by Susanna Clarke: a great book about a man living in a House which is a labyrinth full of rooms, with an ocean trapped in the basement and a lot of life-like statues. Loved her writing!
Both picks!
@TheAromaOfBooks
pick♥ A perfect union of mystery and fantasy. I have made many, in this story with great simplicity despite the fact that the writing is no longer simple. The setting is spectacular. I would also like to visit The Other World and I would have liked to have lots of company with Piranesi during his adventures. A plot that is not at all trivial, original, interesting, with a few twists but just right and an unexpected ending.♥ ︎
pickI honestly had no idea what this was about when I decided to read it. I had been seeing it around and hearing good things. I didn't really enjoy her debut novel, but this was way better. Where Jonathan Strange... seemed way too long, this was a quick paced read. Sometimes you would be able to guess the larger story, but then other times there would be a surprise. Piranesi was an interesting character and I enjoyed his story. Great read!
pickI think it shouldn‘t come as a shock that I really enjoyed this book. In both of her novels, Clarke does such a great job of creating atmosphere, whether menacing or reverent. Here, what stands out to me as particularly skillful is how Clarke layers the narrator‘s perspective and the reader‘s, allowing us to see past what he says toward the central mystery of the book, without ever undermining the narrator‘s dignity.
pickPiranesi lives in the House where Sea Water laps at the Lower Halls, Tides sometimes flood entire Vestibules, where Clouds form in the Upper Halls and Statues cover every Wall. He is the Beloved Child of the House until strange occurrences start to happen and he has to consider the possibility that things weren't always as they are now and that he might not remember crucial details as to how he came to be where he is. ⬇️
pick5/5
This is such a fascinating read. I loved how mysterious the story is and how the reader is putting Piranesi's background into place as he is also beginning to figure out his past.
I was never able to finish Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, so I probably wouldn't have picked up Piranesi if not for the #newyearwhodis rec from @Johanna414 so I'm very glad this was on your list. #nywd22 @monalyisha
1. Piranesi by Susanna Clarke, The Witch's Heart by Genevieve Gornichec, and Good Enough by Kate Bowler
2. The Wedding Setup by Sonali Dev
3. Running Wild by K. A. Tucker
#weekendreads @rachelsbrittain
pickI think this book takes the award for all of the things. It‘s perplexing for about the first fifth you really do not know what you‘re reading or what is going on. Stay with it, because when things change they change quickly and it becomes something else entirely. I don‘t want to spoil anything but as soon as I‘d finished I started again and reread the entire thing with a whole new level of understanding. The less you know, the better. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
so-soI might not be smart enough for this book! I appreciated the religious and perhaps even mythological symbolism but I'm sure there were metaphors and themes I didn't pick up on. It's a quick read, and a thought-provoking one, but not for every reader. Certainly not an escapism read.
pickFinished this fantasy novel that won the Woman‘s Prize last year. The story centers around a character named Piranesi, who inhabits a strange world filled with many rooms, each filled with statues. Only one other person inhabits this world, which is all Piranesi has ever known. The world has more to it than meets the eye, and Piranesi starts to piece together the secrets of the place through clues from the other inhabitant and from his own journal
pickIt‘s a curious little book, with an unreliable narrator cataloguing a mysterious world. A portal fantasy? A philosophical treatise? A warning against trusting academic magicians? Yes, kind of. I really enjoyed this as an audiobook - I could let Piranesi‘s lists and observations wash over me like his tides until they receded enough for a plot to sweep me under.
so-soWell this is a strange little book. I read it because I saw it on several lists for “If you loved Starless Sea.” I absolutely love Starless Sea. Piranesi… well….
It‘s not something I‘d recommend really. But I have seen tons of rave reviews, so maybe don‘t take my word for it.
Igor doesn‘t care too much what we‘re reading as long as there are cozy blankets.
pickAfter some reading some somber books, this was a nice break. It was a bit unexpected at parts; Clarke kept me turning the pages.
Thank you so so much @Magpiegem I love the books - I‘ve thought about Piranesi a lot so I‘m so glad to have your high recommendation 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
I love baths - so all those indulgent bubbles and sprays are perfect. And my garden - like you - is my sanctuary so I can‘t wait to plant my seed card and watch the flowers herald in spring.
Thank you so much. Happy New Year ! #bestof2021swap
Continuing into the near year with this book and this sleepy 🐈⬛. Miss Luna.
Once upon a time, many weeks ago (at least 2!), I was tagged by @youneverarrived & @Centique to do a #top21of21 post. (Thank you 😘)Yer ‘tis, at last - I just needed forever to think about it.
It‘s been a seriously weird year (there‘s news!) and apparently I‘ve read a LOT of nonfiction. My absolute favourite though was Piranesi (tagged).
If anyone else hasn‘t got round to this yet, now would be a great time to do it 😁 - count yourself tagged!
Perhaps even people you like and admire immensely can make you see the World in ways you would rather not. - Susanna Clarke, Piranesi
pickMost of this fantastical novel made me awfully melancholy. The protagonist is sensitive, and I related to how well he did in his own world, and how easily his equilibrium was dismantled by the outside. But by the book‘s ending I felt healed, one of my favorite reading feelings.
Reflecting on the author‘s long illness gave this work many shades of meaning. How vivid was the House, the mystical, marble setting - its ins and outs, tides and seasons!
so-soI‘m in the minority here. I think my brain is just too taxed right now to appreciate it. Definitely imaginative writing though!
I shouldn‘t be surprised because I thought Jonathan Strange was so-so as well.
pickAmazing book! I‘m so glad it was lent to me. I literally wouldn‘t put it down.
