Welcome to Litsy!

In the twilight of her career, an aging assassin makes a connection with someone (a definite no-no in her world) while she simultaneously confronts a threat that might derail the successful end of her long career. Yes, it‘s about the reasons, from banal to more personal, people think a killing is warranted but it‘s also about aging, finding purpose in life, connection in a world that doesn‘t welcome it. A fascinating, intriguing thriller.

Next up, a book from South Korea. This one is a story about a sixty-five-year-old assassin who runs into new and unexpected trouble in the twilight of her career. The opening chapter is fantastic so I have high hopes for this one.

Today‘s book mail feeds my current interest in translated fiction—both were originally published in South Korea. The Investigation—a signed first edition—was a super lucky find. Needless to say, I‘m looking forward to reading both of them.

Sunday Reads ⛅️

I really liked this commentary on how society views and treats older people. The writing style may not suit everyone - it‘s quite sparse, the book coming in at less than 200 pages, and but in a strange way, I found the story uplifting. The final fight scene brought to mind Kill Bill, it having the same almost cartoonish quality.

#BookReport #WeeklyForecast

Finished Death Comes to Marlow, and started The Old Woman With The Knife. Hoping to finish the latter this week, not sure what I will read next, I‘m not really sure what I‘m in the mood for!

18% through Ulysses
15% through Mason & Dixon
8% through Clarissa

Aiming for an additional 2% on each of these chunksters this week (yes, I am taking them very slowly!)

69% through Not A Diet Book, mat finish it this week.

#Scarathlon22 #TeamMonsterMash

#ScarathlonDailyPrompt #29 knife

5 points
Post- 1 point
Total= 6 points

@Staycurious

I'm glad I decided to give this story a try.

Our MC is a 65 yr old woman & assassin.
very unique take on how the world views elderly or aging persons & how they cope with their life and bodies changing in ways they‘ve never known. But still a semi-thriller, revolving door plot with her current life and her past. And also someone coming after her for revenge after a lifetime of assassinating people. As if aging isn‘t hard enough on it‘s own. Not as quick paced as I thought but still enjoyed

I liked elements of this Korean crime novel but didn‘t get on with it overall. I love the premise of Hornclaw the 65 yr old female assassin, the smart writing & sense of place, the subways & apartments of Seoul. But the style is oblique, I was unclear what her error was or how she was under threat. The villain was circling, to be revealed slowly. But the slow pace meant it lacked tension & was too subtle to grip me. I didn‘t feel the conflict.

I was drawn to this as translated from the S Korean in a genre I don‘t typically read in translation. It was an interesting glimpse into how a 65-year old woman without family (okay, so she‘s a paid assassin) considers her future in S Korea. However, the thriller aspect was a little strange for me. I‘m giving it a so-so, but I‘m curious what Littens with more discriminating thriller tastes will have to say in their reviews. ↓

Kids get indoor playgrounds and arcades, Mom gets her book. This is how we rainy day!

Thanks @kspenmoll for the tag!

1. Tagged! Borrowed straight away from Libby, sounds right up my alley!

2. The Colony by Audrey McGee. Beautifully written, wonderful sense of place, will stay with me for a long time.

3. NYC, Australia, London

#WondrousWednesday @Eggs

@Cupcake12 wanna play?

Getting old is hard, and the changes in your body sometimes impact the way you‘re able to do your job. Especially if you‘re an assassin. And that‘s not the only difficulty our titular character has to deal with. I LOVED this one! Great main character, terrific story, good pacing. Books like this are why I‘ve been enjoying translated literature so much lately.

The title, the cover art, and the premise all seem great. But this book doesn‘t quite deliver its promise. My biggest complaint is the author‘s tendency to tell rather than show. If a story requires a lot of explanation, you kinda failed as a writer. It could be an issue of cultural differences, but this book fell flat for me. At best it‘s a story about aging and what is meaningful in life. It could have been more.

This book had such a cool concept-a senior female Korean assassin-but fell flat for me. It was interesting enough that I wanted to see it through the end, but I wasn‘t wowed by it. Some of the timeline was confusing and I wanted more from the ending.

Check out my first ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star read at LaceyDoesLit.com! @harperbooks

#books #bookworm #booknerd #reading #reader #bookblog #bookblogger #bookreview #bookish #newbook #currentlyreading #bookmail #read #bookshelf #bookphotography

#LibraryHaul

When it rains, it pours!!! 🌦☔️📚

Super fun story about an aging female assassin in South Korea.

#ARC U.S. pub date 3/8