Welcome to Litsy!

I have no idea how to talk about this most unusual story…. On one hand, it‘s about a new mom who gave up her career in art to stay home with her little boy and now thinks she‘s turning into a dog. On the other, it‘s commentary on gender roles and finding fulfillment in life. It‘s horrifying and very out there, but yet I could relate to many of her feelings when I was a young SAHM. #bookspinbingo #doublespin

I really tried to love this book. But 1/3rd into the book, I had the same knowledge as I had 5 pages in. Although real, it was mundane reading the same thing over and over again for 70 pages.

OMG… @Mynameisacolour you did too much! I love everything…but ESPECIALLY the peachy dish towel and the spatula with measurements conversions that I will definitely be using all the time. I can‘t wait to read the book! Thank you, Thank You, THANK YOU!!!

And thank you @BennettBookworm for organizing the #recipeswap. This was such a fun swap!

Two books that were fun to read in succession, as stories of women finding their power and wielding it in unexpected, at times uncomfortable, ways. Both were picks for me. 💪🏼

I liked the first half of this - really interesting exploration of "the mother" and her experience of motherhood. But as it got more bizarre I just lost interest, and it became quite unpleasant in parts. Ended up skimming the last third. Feels like it was a short story that was expanded, and might have been better as something short.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I weirdly enjoyed this book about a mother who believes she‘s turning into dog. I‘m not a mother but found a lot of this relatable and/or echoing my anxieties over becoming a mother. I liked that it wasn‘t all focused on drudgery but had times of complete joy too. This was definitely surrealist and became more absurd as the book went on. I do recommend for people who like this sort of book!

Bought entirely for its slightly disturbing cover (but it does sound interesting as well).

Daisy: 'what did you call me?'

I didn‘t know anything about #Nightbitch at time of buying except that everything about it looked & sounded extremely cool. It‘s about an exhausted and frustrated mother/wife who slowly turns into a wild dog.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️,5/5

Am I about to call a book about a mother transforming into a dog “relatable”?! It‘s a testament to Yoder‘s ability to say that I was totally on board with this outrageous story, as I‘m not often a fan of these types.
How is it that motherhood is simultaneously the most insane, impossible concept, but also the very basic and most primal relationship of all human existence? I‘m glad I finally gave this a chance. Excellent.

March #DoubleSpin

I came home tonight to a lot of book mail!

I earned enough Readers‘ Rewards points to claim a free book. Technically, I earned enough to claim two books, but I didn‘t claim them both at once. I chose Nightbitch with my first redemption code.

I wanted to replace my damaged paperback of Room so I bought a reasonably priced secondhand hardcover on eBay.

And I won All Girls from St. Martin‘s Griffin in a Goodreads giveaway.

You ever hate a man so much that it kills your enthusiasm for a book? I sure have, and recently!

I feel like this book should read fast, but I am continually getting bogged down by HOW MUCH I hate this husband

January Read Books
5 🌟
Nightbitch: Rachel Yoder 🎧
4.5 🌟
These Precious Days: Ann Patchett 🎧
Intimacies: Katie Kitmura 📖
Salt Slow: Julia Armfield 📖
The Island of Missing Trees: Elif Shavak 📖
3 🌟
Love After Love: Ingrid Persaud 🎧
When The Sky Fell Apart: Caroline Lea 📖
The Ocean at the End of the Lane: Neil Gaiman 📖
2.5 🌟
Catherine House: Elisabeth Thomas🎧
2 🌟
A Spell of Winter: Helen Dunmore

A weird, unique satire on womanhood and motherhood.

At times funny, often gross, always offbeat.

I have never read another book like it and almost bailed early on, but it earned a 'pick' for it's one-of-a-kind-ness and the ending that somehow made it all okay in a squeamish way.

Unpopular opinion but this REALLY didn‘t work for me. It started off promisingly enough but then just seemed to devolve into an interminable bitch fest about motherhood. Even though it‘s only around 250 pages, it just felt endless. I started skimming when she started killing and mutilating small animals and laughed my way through her ridiculous “art piece.” I give it an extra star for reinforcing my desire to never have kids 100-fold. 👎🏼

First 5 🌟 read of the year. Loved this surreal look at new motherhood. It captured the self doubt, boredom, nad anger of being a stay at home Mom. It also captured the love and caring as well. So suprised I loved this book so much. 😍

I love that this is (I think) a metaphor for female rage, intuition & power. The commentary on motherhood isn‘t subtle - she depicts loneliness, the feeling of her work as a mother not being valued, giving up work etc but it‘s mixed in with some crazy, weird stuff which I loved. It got stranger as it went on and I gave up trying to analyse it 😂 I know a few that would relate to Nightbitch. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The unnamed MC of Yoder's novel, referred to throughout by Nightbitch, is a wife & a stay at home mother. Forced to quit her satisfying job in an art gallery due to the demands of her infant, she is left alone with her son as her husband travels for work during the week. Riffing on Kafka, Yoder informs us of the changes that our MC starts to notice in the opening paragraph. I was hooked on Yoder's novel from the strange & humorous opening & it👇

Really enjoying the tagged book so far. From the brilliant opening paragraph riffing on Kafka's famous first sentence of Metamorphosis to the unexpected echos with Cultish. Feminist, imaginative, humorous. #NewYearWhoDis @Megabooks @monalyisha

I have been looking forward to starting this one all week. I often bring my current read to work & my supervisor & colleagues will occasionally comment on it if they spot it on my desk. I figured it might be best to not take this one to work 😂
#NewYearWhoDis @Megabooks @monalyisha

This book started as fun and unique. I appreciate the commentary on the difficulties & power of motherhood & womanhood. However, it was feeling slow & a little repetitive toward the end. Still, it is unique enough (& a short enough read) that I would recommend it.

Dark and surreal but absolutely wonderful, this was a shocking but pretty perfect novel. I worried I wouldn‘t be able to relate to it as a novel about motherhood when I‘m not a parent, but the writing was so evocative and the perfect mix of relatable and twistedly odd that I empathised enough but never felt bored. So so original and strange.

Tw animal cruelty and death just fyi

First Christmas after the death of a close family member was never gonna be an easy one, and it‘s felt a lot more ‘grown up‘ and less festive than I‘d have originally expected or hoped, particularly with the funeral on the 22nd. Everyone in the house is feeling quite down atm but looking back on Christmas now I‘m proud of having helped and looked after people and bought good presents that brought people joy.

Continued in comment

Waterstones have all hardbacks at half price so bought myself these two I‘ve been wanting to read 🤍

Thank you SO much Abi for my #jolabokaflodswap gift! The chocolate is gorgeous and this book is so perfect - I literally went to a shop to look for it yesterday but they didn‘t have it. I‘m afraid I didn‘t see your username in my card (sorry if I just missed it!) so I can‘t tag you but I‘m so grateful and hope you see this!

Reading with candles lit, rain outside and a roast in the oven - magnificently aesthetic. @MaleficentBookDragon

So weird, yet relatable and wonderful.

I really don't have the words to explain this book properly in a review. The author explores the dark, exhausting, and often lonely areas of being a mother, and being a woman.

I'm really surprised at how much I loved this one.

Popped into The Bookshop in East Nashville and came home with these beauties + a gorgeous new puzzle!

#bookhaul

This novel speaks to me. As a stay-at-home mom, the twin pulls of external acceptance and the magic of child-rearing eat at me, and Yoder does a great job parsing these two. I love that nothing's either/or here, but all both/and, a recognition of the magic of reproduction without the corny lip service.

In a bit of a pickle as I haven‘t been able to find anything that piques my interest, sent a few books back to the library. Giving this one a go. Also feeling the pressure cause I‘ve got five books left in my challenge this year 😬

I had no idea what to expect going into this. Nightbitch was entirely relatable when it comes to her insight on motherhood and womanhood. The meaning behind the feral half of this book is also valid for many of us.

I won't lie, I was definitely uncomfortable at different times. I understand why the author deemed them necessary too. I couldn't have accepted another ending for this book. Nightbitch full circled her woman vs. mommy.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

So dark and weird and hilarious. And the commentary is spot on.

Fantastic book that captures both the joy and extra burden of motherhood in today‘s society.

My friend @laurenispmad just got a litsy! Go follow her and give her a warm litsy welcome!

P.s. she has an adorable cat names Oates so I'm hoping for lots of cute book and cat pics 😁

PROBABLY THE BEST BOOK I HAVE EVER READ. That's it, that's the review (for now).

5 / 5 ⭐️

Too much power makes a woman dangerous, and that was her project: creation and power.

#currentlyreading #bookblurbs

THIS ⬇️

How many generations of women had delayed their greatness only to have time extinguish it completely? How many women had run out of time while the men didn't know what to do with theirs?

#currentlyreading #bookblurbs

This was super weird. Some good observations on motherhood, but really really weird. I liked it, I guess? Three and a half stars.

A wonderfully strange speculative novel about a mother struggling with anger, exhaustion, and feelings of inadequacy after giving up work as an artist to stay at home with her young son. Her increasingly feral and dog-like urges begin to take over, transforming into something between magic and performance art as she pushes to reclaim her power.

TW for graphic depictions of animals being killed (including a pet cat, which was fairly disturbing)

Trying to finish writing 2 articles and reading 2 books by tomorrow. Let's go!

There are some fantastic novels out this year about motherhood and this one is right up there at the top. I put off picking this one up because the blurb seemed over the top. Do not be dissuaded, this is fantastic. #ARC

A little afternoon reading to take a break from my 101 deadlines this week

Me & my Son ⬆️

"She surged with mommy adrenaline, the knowledge she was doing what was best for her child and focusing on his needs. How can I be a more perfect mother? she wanted to know. She was nearly foaming at the mouth with the question, with projecting the most mommyishness she could. Of course, there would be some dog in there, too, but she could just tuck that in behind everything, behind her most excellent motherhood."

#bookblurbs

Rachel Yoder (now on my autobuy author list) is pretty close to Ottessa Moshfegh level for me. Five big ole stars for this witty romp into motherhood and the sacrifices mothers are expected to make for the family. So much underlying humor, and truly, any book that includes this many references to dogs and dog behavior is an absolute, tremendous sized WIN in my book. I loved every bit of it! 💯✊🐕🦮🐺

#BookReport 38/21

Though I feel as if I am hardly reading I did manage to finish these three. Both #1001books were good, Nightbitch didn‘t really work for me!

“Yes, she would go to Jen‘s herb party. And, yes, she would invest in herbs. She needed all she could get at this point. Was there a Rage-Be-Gone variety?” 😂💯💯

“All Nightbitch wanted was never to do night-nights again for the rest of her life.” Yall, this book 😆💯

I loved the premise of a stay at home mom who hates being at home and despises the perfect moms in the park who seem completely happy with their lives. This mother was an artist, having a dream job, she was meant to DO things and now it‘s just her and her son. At home. She is bored and angry, and one day all that anger expresses itself in becoming Nightbitch.
So far so good. But in the end I lost it. Performance art and bunnies 🐰?!

I‘m calling this Mona Awad light. I loved the concept and the writing, but wish Yoder had leaned in harder to the strange and resisted the urge to tie up the ending so neatly. I‘m keen to see what she does next. #netgalley

“Now the mother did not want another thing needing her, needing to be cuddled, fed, washed, cooed at, and doted over. Now she wanted only silence and not to be touched.”

Pretty sure I‘ve said those exact same words ✊😬

3⭐ | NARRATION 😁 = Very Good
What made me listen to this when I know I don‘t really care for Magical Realism; most of the time...this time included? Nightbitch. It beckoned to me...I had to know what Nightbitch was all about. I get what the author was trying to accomplish here, or I mostly do and I can appreciate that for what it is...but damn...this went off the rails a little bit. The thing with the cat...that was a little much for me.