Welcome to Litsy!

A little too hopeful and happy for me. A fairy tale basically, but for the subject matter I would have liked it to be more realistic. I can see why people love it, especially in this climate of awful news every day. *photo from hike up Mt Helena where I was listening to the audio.

Easily the best novel to come out of 2021! A mesmerising, swoon-worthy & winsome tale of life and death & everything in between. Heart-warming & heart breaking in equal measure. Such a tender, romantic & profound prose, leaving one questioning the meaning of life. Unforgettable characters and a beautiful love story, full of ghosts, reapers and peppermint tea. My imagination ran wild with the most exquisite descriptions. I ♡ Charon's Crossing!

"The first time you share tea, you are a stranger. The second time you share tea, you are an honored guest. The third time you share tea, you become family."

~ Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune.

I will carry this book with me always ♡ Xx

Under the Whispering Door is wonderful. It didn‘t give me the same happy vibes as The House in the Cerulean Sea, but it was beautifully written and brought out lots of feels.

Question: Is "Under the Whispering Door" as child friendly as The House in the Cerulean Sea? My pre-teen just finished the latter and liked it so much he was upset that it ended. He was even grudgingly ok with the kissing (minimal as it was).? It was like that kid in The Princess Bride when he decides they might have earned it.
And yes, I can read it before him, or with him, but he'll pounce on it the moment I buy it so I'd like to be forewarned.

*Google image from a search of the title. ~ I‘ve just started and the audio book is about 15 hours. Entertaining so far, but not absolutely hooked.

I just love TJ Klune so much, his writing is so beautiful. I, like many, am terrified of death & I was a little apprehensive about reading this book. I‘ve experienced a lot of death in my life. During my undergrad degree I did a clinical internship in Child Life. I spent about 9-10 months at Duke Children‘s Hospital for my training. I loved my experience but oh it was so hard too knowing when you go back in kids you saw the day before might have

My June #bookspinbingo board. Happy that summer is almost here & lots of good things to read. We leave for Boston in 2 weeks & I‘m still sorting through which books I can bring with me. Packing has made me realize that I have a lot of books to read (although have discovered ones I forgot I had). Excited to hopefully make it through more books now that grad school is done.

Never finished this so decided to start over and give it a re-listen #fridayreads #ya #summerreads

There are no words besides this was beautiful and I highly recommend it!!!

Such a busy time. So much travel. 5 college visits for my daughter, a volleyball tournament and Easter. I don‘t know if I‘ll get through them all, but these are the reads I‘m hoping to complete during the #AwesomeApril #Readathon.

Rating: 3.75 🌟
Book: 13 of 2022

Finally. I have FINALLY finished Under the Whispering Door and it was okay. I know - unpopular opinion here. The ending was amazing, but the middle of the books was just too slow for me to feel interested. If I hadn‘t already read Cerulean Sea, I don‘t know if I would have had the desire to keep reading 🤷🏻‍♀️

I can‘t say I loved this book (mostly bc I did love Cerulean Sea), but I was intrigued by it. Liked the characters, though their development could have occurred in a shorter book. It was more like a stroll through the personal reflection of Wallace, who has died. Even though it‘s fantasy, the ending didn‘t match with the entire story. While it‘s handled respectfully, there are issues of suicide, death, depression, murder, illness & grief.

Two bookstores later...

Audio crocheting with TJ Klune. Perfect for this snowy day in the Northeast. #crochet

3 STARS - This was a cute, whimsical read. I don't think Klune and I mesh well but this will be a hit with many readers. I found it superficial with a heavy-handed message. Cute but not really to my tastes.

Review: https://bit.ly/UnderTheWhisperingDoorReview

I‘ve loved all of this author‘s books, and was nervous about this one. Especially when it really started to feel a little too long, with a little too much silly tossed in. But in the end, it really seemed to find the right balance. Lovely story about a jerk of a man who figures out how to be a decent person, but only after he dies.

The sun is shining and the daffodils are blooming. Such a welcome sight. Thought the yellow flowers looked pretty with this cover.

This book was good, but did not live up to The House in the Cerulean Sea, which I absolutely loved. At times, I found the plot a little plodding and repetitive. I also am not sure that I liked the ending, but I did find the epilogue very touching and even shed a few tears. 3.75/5 stars

High marks for creativity! The characters were fun and Wallace was the perfect asshat employer in the beginning! 😳 The “manager” was intriguing, especially playing with the idea of free will & order.

The twee aspects weren‘t for me though and got to be repetitive.

A beautifully written book.

4.25/5

Read for #NerdDaily2022ReadingChallenge
#TheStorygraphOnboardingChallenge2022
#PopSugarReadingChallenge2022
#Buzzwordathon
#52BookClubReadingChallenge2022

Characters were likable, and I loved Apollo & Nelson. Atmosphere was a bit sorrowful but also beautiful.

I felt like some things were a bit overexplained, like readers weren't trusted to understand otherwise. Thinking about how this should be a book for adults this was a bit repetitive & cliché.

Story was predictable and not really unique - but it was still touching. Overall I really enjoyed this, really cozy read.

#20in4 #KickTheSlump

TJ Klune does it again. So very different from Cerulean Sea but no less fantastic. It is so clever but heart breaking but wonderful. I stayed up way too late to finish it and cried at the end but absolutely loved it.

“We don‘t always see what‘s right in front of us, much less appreciate it. It‘s not until we look back that we find what we should have known all along.“

“Not knowing is better than pretending to know.“

“If we worry about the little things all the time, we run the risk of missing the bigger things.”

5/5

This is a lovely, reflective book that begins with Wallace Price's death. Wallace Price is not a good man, but as he has to come to terms with the ene of his life he finds that his ability to change didn't end with his death.

This is shaping up to be a fun listen. I‘ve just started and am loving it! These characters are fantastic.

Just as good as Cerulean Sea, but in a totally different way. I adored the characters, but especially Mei and Nelson. Such a lovely book about so many things, but especially the power of change, love, and acceptance ♥️♥️
#sharreadathon

I‘m continuing with Under the Whispering Door today and dedicating it to Sharon, our dear #litsylove friend who was taken too soon. I may start Malibu Rising and/or Blacktop Wasteland next as those are both on her TBR.
#sharreadathon @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Professional_Book_Dragon

Patricia was crying. Wallace Price hated it when people cried.

#FirstLineFridays @ShyBookOwl

I started this a few months ago and just wasn't in the right headspace for it. Recently a friend loved it, and loaned me her copy to read. Apparently now was the right time to read it, because I could not put it down this weekend! While I didn't love it quite as much as Cerulean Sea, it was still excellent and made me cry all the tears. Klune writes the most loveable characters...

Anyone else have a book ready for the Super Bowl?! 🤓🏈

Currently reading my February #BookSpin and have a feeling it is going to be a great one!!

Wallace Price is a Scrooge-like lawyer who cares more about his firm's bottom line than its employees. When Walter dies from a sudden heart attack he's given a second chance at life. 5⭐️

February #BookSpin and #DoubleSpin 🖤

Two books I have been dying to read!! Looks like February will be another good reading month ☺️

First path complete through the #promptmaze by @TheAromaofBooks !
Nonfiction >> Multiple POV >> Title Starts with a Vowel!
Such a fun idea and now I‘m excited to go back to the start and go a different route. Thank you for creating this!!

This is it. This is what you have all been waiting for.

Unusual, this book only one in this category. Usually the Best Fiction Winner, will pop up elsewhere on the list.

But not this Time. Congrats T. J. Clune!

I really need to get to reading this.

#LitsyAwards2021

This book ❤️ It was funny and gentle and big-hearted and had lots to say about loneliness and second chances. Thanks for the rec @ozma.of.oz This was a fab pick for #NYWD @monalyisha

Good, we‘ll written, all the feels type of book. This was so sad. Even the happy, funny bits were crushingly sad to me. It made me gloomy and thoughtful, not in a bad way, but not in a great way either. I don‘t think I was in the perfect state of mind for a book like this, but I still enjoyed it. Would read/listen again (but it‘ll be hard to pick it back up bc I‘m sure that when I think of this story, I‘ll mainly remember the sad sad vibes.)

Just yes with this one. I love how TJ makes you fall in deep love with the characters. I love how beautiful he writes. I love how I become a part of his books and don‘t want to leave. I literally cried reading this one. I was SO happy it was on my #NewYearWhoDis list, thank you @DGRachel

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

T.J. Klune is a talented and gentle storyteller, creating distinctive characters and imaginative premises with compassion and wit. Wallace‘s transformation seemed a bit abrupt and the lessons are a tad heavy-handed, but I still found it touching. This is a tale to savor like a good cup of tea while pondering what a gift life is, how easily it can be taken away, and hope for what comes afterwards. 🎧

Listening to the latest #tjklunebooks

I read “House In the Cerulean Sea” and it was one of my favorite books that I read last year.

So excited to start this one 🙂

What an absolutely beautiful book about loss and life and what comes after life. It was at times laugh-out-loud funny, sweet, sad, bittersweet. The found family aspect was wonderful, the grandpa especially. Highly recommend! All of the stars.

@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
@Eggs
#Beginswith Door

Day 12

I knew I wanted to read fantasy next, but I went back and forth on whether I felt like a contemporary or an historical feel. Looks like contemporary won.

Wallace whispered, "It's easy to let yourself spiral and fall." "It is," Nelson agreed. "But it's what you do to pull yourself out of it that matters most."

Thrilled to score this deal on Kindle today!!! 🎉🎉🎉 😁

Thanks for the tag @Eggs

I am hoping to make some progress on both of these this weekend. #weekendreading