Welcome to Litsy!

Book 1 of a new year is always fun and I finished this much loved persephone yesterday. The gentle tale of the Stevens family who set out on their much anticipated annual holiday to Bognor. The issues for each member are timeless as we learn of lost ambition , a marriage that has changed over time, and the changes in nearly adult children. There is so much in this book about pre ww1 society and it was a lovely start to the year.

A seemingly simple story of a family‘s annual holiday to the seaside, wrapped in a melancholy blanket. A novel of expectations - for ourselves and others, & what happens when they aren‘t met. Do we become disillusioned and bitter, or do we resolve to carry on and make the most of it? Highly recommended. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Are you a Seasonal Reader?

I am, but Sep is always a bit of a conundrum. Usually have several Summer Reads I'm trying to finish over LDWknd.

Technically today is the start of #meteorologicalautumn the Autumnal Equinox isn't until Sep 22nd. Still feels like Summer here in Oklahoma.

Do I continue w/ Summer Reading or swap to Spooky Stories?

#MountTBR says I should continue w/ Summer Reading & wait for Oct to start fall reads 🍂🍁🎃🧛‍♀️👻

What a treat. I enjoyed spending my time with the Stevens family for a relaxing seaside holiday in Bognor Regis. It‘s refreshing to read about this close-knit, lower middle class family‘s enjoyment of simple pleasures; their emotions and thoughts; and quiet struggles. It may lack in plot, but there‘s beauty in the writing which is subtle, leisurely, and perceptive. And this cover! 😍Wish I own a physical copy.

I feel irrationally guilty for giving this a so-so rating. I listened to the audiobook and while I can say that I liked it, not much happens and it was hard for me to stay completely focused while listening. I think it would probably be better to read the physical book. But the narrator was good and it‘s a lovely little book about a family going for their annual seaside vacation in England shortly after WWI. I actually really started to like ⬇️

Reading this was like sifting through the contents of a time capsule. I was fascinated by the timeless human emotions and experiences (almost 100 yr old book), but how other parts felt very dated. But then I wondered if the female characters were based on outdated stereotypes, or just the result of being written by a male author who assumed that‘s how women would process experiences. Or maybe both. 🤷🏼‍♀️

📖 2/8/22 || Uncomplicated | Nostalgic | Charming
I‘m so glad I didn‘t wait until September to read this! Written in 1931, this is gentle read about a family who goes to the sea for their annual holiday. It is intentionally a slower-paced story of an uncomplicated family. “Toward sunset they strolled quietly back, their shadows stretching out before them, a long way over the sands.”

Don‘t you just love book mail?! I had a book buying binge last week and three of five are here. Can‘t wait to dive in!

This novel is about the freedom of mind & spirit that blooms when one is not working. In this case it‘s a family in what is probably their last family vacay in 1931 England. It‘s not for everyone, but it has earned space on my shelf. This novel shows that the person next to you isn‘t processing the “same” scene the same way you are. For ex, the mother thinks the daughter has found a new boyfriend, but she‘s actually discovered a new way of life.

I'm so enjoying this. It's such a simple story, a family goes to the seaside for their annual holiday. But you also get to see all their little worries and small satisfactions and joys. It's quite charming and a perfect Sunday night read

Well, I didn't quite manage it in September, as intended, but y'all were so right about this one. Very charming.

4⭐️ I really appreciate this novel for giving me the chance to go for a holiday with the Stevenses. I like how we are not just being presented with a typical holiday story; we get to know each member of the family, too. The anxiety, the unhappiness (and happiness), the solitude, the loneliness, etc — pretty much all the familiar emotions. This makes the novel very relatable to those with mundane, normal lives

I saw a post of this book on Litsy a couple weeks back and was drawn to close out my September reading with this story. I couldn‘t resist a book republished for its 90th Anniversary - and originally published exactly as it was written.
I‘m not sure I‘ve ever described a book as lovely, but that‘s what this is. It celebrates an ordinary, uncomplicated, and undramatic family in such a charming manner.

This quote was one of my favorites from the tagged book, and has been rattling around in my mind after a week out of town, straight back to a business trip and then a 12-hour Saturday spent at a work event. Home is the very best place, and I'm so lucky to love mine. It's definitely been calling me during this busy period! #home #PersephonePick

Really a quietly insightful novel about what it means to anticipate, be on, and return from “holiday.” I will definitely reread which makes it a 5⭐️ book for me. Loved it!

I couldn‘t help but think of Mr. Stevens from Remains of the Day throughout! Not only because of the family name, but it has a similar reflective vibe, period English manners & seaside, blurb by Ishiguro, etc. 😊

Just an absolutely lovely book! Filled with lots of joy and a little bittersweet melancholy, this story of a family's yearly visit to the seaside is going to be a yearly re-read for me. There is so much delightful specificity in the descriptions (of people, emotions, relationships), and so much everyday beauty. This should be your next read! #PersephonePick #Persephone

A little audiobook baking on this Sunday afternoon. Ripe bananas🍌called for a quick and simple old fashioned banana bread - (the smell as it baked was heavenly)! ✨ I‘m listening to a wonderful production of the tagged book on BBC Radio 4. I always love reading seasonal books, and a book set in September, neatly ticks this box. If you‘d like a listen, I‘ve included a link to the programme below:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/series/m000zcb8

Apropos to the calendar. 😊

Strong black tea is called for this morning for lack of restful sleep. Husband gone overnight for a gig (jazz bassist), which hasn‘t happened since the pandemic. I see a nap in my future. 😴

Really enjoying this book 🥰 With just a fortnight left in September, I urge you to read this lovely novel, spending quality time with the Stevenses

Just arrived! I waited for this edition because of the cover 😍 Simply gorgeous!

I'm already looking forward to my September#PersephonePick about a family taking a #seashore holiday. Can't wait! #JulyJourneys
📸: whatmeread
@Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

“They had often talked of a change-of Brighton, Bexhill-even Lowestoft-but Bognor always won in the end. If anything it held them stronger every year “

#LitsySpringBreak 🏖 Beach

I‘m only choosing books that make me happy for these prompts! It‘s a vacation, after all!

Head over to my bookstagram @amythebookdragon to join in on the 1st November!

#thoughtfulthursday

🍉 Strawberries are my favorite summer fruit.

📚 The tagged The Fortnight in September- lovely story about a last family vacation in 1930s England.

🐳 From afar, yes to both dolphin and whale sightings.

Thanks for the tag @Klou and @EadieB 😀

#withmylittlestickofblackpoolrock was the most difficult prompt! Since Blackpool is a coastal resort town my mind did go to the first Persephone I read which was the tagged book about a family holiday to Bognor in the 1920s. This is a lovely, gentle and melancholic story about a happy family who know this will be the last summer together as the children are now reaching adulthood. Highly recommended!😍

#RedroseSeptember

“Unused face”. 😂😂😂

Up next (just because it had September in the title 😆).

#PersephoneBooks