Welcome to Litsy!

OK, the story is weird. BUT…it‘s worth reading for the brilliant wordplay throughout which, keep in mind is TRANSLATED into English. 😮
#ToB2022

This is a novel made up almost entirely of wordplay, leaving no room, really, for a plot of any kind. And because the original wordplay was in French and the translated wordplay is in English, I suspect that the original and the translation are perhaps two very different books. I also suspect that there's some commentary here about rural France and, as indicated by the translator's note, about feminism that I'm just not catching. My loss? #ToB2022

I really hate to pan a book but I just dreaded reading this. It was repetitive and gimmicky. At the beginning it was sort of clever but I quickly grew bored of this plotless and bizarre book. I can appreciate the use of language and how difficult it must have been to translate, but I didn‘t care to actually read it. Kudos to the translator! Though I didn‘t enjoy this, I love being exposed to such a variety of works. #ToB22

Fun and clever wordplay in this #ToB22 novel, but not much of a plot, and some of the jokes got tiresome quickly. Fortunately, it was a short book, or else I would have bailed. The part I liked best was the translator's notes at the end which I found especially interesting.

Fourth book finished for the #FabulousFebruary readathon! @Andrew65

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

I finished In Concrete this morning, and although I admire the skill of the translator it was not the book for me. It reminded me of an intricately planned crossword that must have been very interesting to construct but is not at all fun to solve.

So I am trying to keep an open mind here, but I don't know, you guys, I disliked the chapter about spitting so much I'm not sure there's any coming back.

My FINAL TOB shortlisted book! 🥳 I‘m now officially a completist. Told largely in puns and word play, the book was clever and the translator from the original French deserves all the applause for making it work in English. That said, this was kind of a gimmicky book whose gimmick wore thin for me early on. It reminded me of Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn which is based on a different gimmick which I enjoyed more.

#ToB #Tob2022

Such a strange little book. I can respect all the wordplay, and occasionally was really enjoying it, but the story doesn‘t seem to matter at all, which makes me wonder what the point is. Plus, my major thought while reading was, “how on earth was this translated?!?” So, not for me. And I‘m surprised this made the shortlist for TOB. I would not have expected it to appeal to enough people to do so.

And I forgot this is also my pick for #pantone2022 #northerndroplet!

#tob2022

I actually finished this one in the waiting room of the Urgent Care veterinarian. #HelloKitty was limping, so we took her in for an evaluation. She‘s doing okay, but still high as a kite from the pain meds 🙀.

This was a fun book that really made me think and pay close attention to the wordplay. If you need a strong plot, this won‘t be the book for you, but I like the experimental nature of the story.

The word play in this short book is absolutely brilliant. I found myself laughing several times and overall just amused by how the author used language to deliver a book about so much more than just concrete.

Although I enjoyed the wordplay, I did find the story to be a bit lacking in areas, but it's still a pick for me. #ToB2022 #ToB22

Faux pas of the day: When I read this line, I had a big loud laugh. The problem? I was with a former client whom I help as a mentor, allowing him to use my laptop and WiFi hotspot for a virtual therapy appt. He was in the middle of his session and I was trying to be as unobtrusive as possible. 😬 Bad timing!

This book is a feat of translation with the wordplay. As a novel, though, it was less successful for me. There wasn‘t enough plot or character development to hold my interest. But, at times, the individual scenes of the casual neglect of the child narrator were compelling.

Add “basketball mom” to my soccer mom resume. My kindergartner is playing basketball and it‘s pretty adorable. Tonight I read a bit on my phone while they practiced. This book is bonkers. But it‘s broadening my horizons so I appreciate it, but wow 😯 so much concrete and bodily functions/fluids.

#ToB22 readers — this is on hoopla in ebook format.
I started it last night on my phone (which I don‘t like to read on 😬) and read the afterward from the translator. Quite an undertaking for her!

What a weird, zany little book that pushes the limits of what words can do in fiction. I thought the story was a little thin and it lost me at times, but I‘m glad I read it. The translator‘s note at the end is absolutely fascinating - what a feat that must have been! Book 10 done for #tob22.

Hope all are enjoying the weekend as much as I‘m enjoying this cheese plate, which features smoked Gouda on smoked Gouda triscuits 😁🧀

01. In Concrete; The Power of Fun
02. A tie: When We Cease to Understand the World; The Sentence
03. Several People are Typing

#weekendreads @rachelsbrittain

Thank you, @BkClubCare!! This arrived yesterday, and I‘ve already started reading. Thanks for the postcard too! I love being #tob buddies. 💙

Read this if you LOVE puns, wordplay, translations, and precocious children! I think I am going to be thinking about this one for a long time. Chockfull of creative inventiveness and will appeal to a particular reader. I thought this impressively clever. If I was the judge for this round, Rooney would get my admiration but not advancement. #tob2022
(So tempted to write a review as if a judgement to advance this over BWWAY)

The word play! I am astounded that this is a translated work (and thrilled that I know the bookstore that is owned by translator Emma Ramadan.) I would love to hear more about the entire project to create this. #tob2022
#PieinLiterature #PieLit “easy as pie”
(I am reading this on western KS getaway trip)

I found this book amusing and original, and actually more interesting after I read the translator‘s note at the end about how complicated the wordplay was to get right in translation. Fascinating. #ToB2022

#BookReport 51/21

Three books this week of which I liked Infinite Country best!

I admire the word games in this book, it‘s quite eloquent and I‘m in awe of the translator. However the story was very thin and couldn‘t keep my attention. #ToB22

(Picture: Lake Geneva, Switzerland)

What fun wordplay and humor in this book! The translator did an amazing job of keeping the spirit of the French book through puns, alliteration, and jokes. I‘m sorry I read it so soon after Fight Night, which has me tired of precocious child narrators because this is MUCH more enjoyable. While it‘s not my fav on the #ToBshortlist, it‘s why I enjoy following this contest: it makes me read books I‘d never dreamed of!

So excited for this #bookmail, especially after @squirrelbrain ‘s positive review of In Concrete (tagged ⬆️). #ToBshortlist

I‘m also looking forward to True Deceiver (tagged ⬇️) for #NewYearWhoDis in January. @vivastory

I loved all the puns and wordplay in this weird, funny little book. The translator did an amazing job to make it work in English and I found her commentary at the end the most fascinating part of the book.

The story itself was a little slight, two young girls who have an accident while playing with concrete, but this is more about language, communication, and their quirks; I really enjoyed it.