Welcome to Litsy!

First book of 2025. 1/40.

Strange book, and I thoroughly enjoyed it! #audiobook

Bright and funny from the outside, cynical and dark humored from the inside. A good (yet not great) contemporary and very American read. Thanks @ClairesReads for letting me stumble upon it.

Vaginas that feel like castles; killing bees; adultery; a dark compact between mother and daughter; stalking; sexual obsession. If that does not intrigue you, then skip this. All of the above happens in a quaint New York hamlet that people move to to become the better version of themselves. But what happens if there isn‘t a better version of you? Darkly madcap. So startling, it disgusts; so hyper real, it excites. Will be better as a film.

Not my favorite book but a lot of people are loving it.

“It was a voice you could snag your sweater on, or perhaps chip one of your teeth, but it was also sweet enough to suck on, to sleep with in your mouth.”

Just finished this one! Read it for book club. It‘s not something I would‘ve read on my own. It was a little slow to start but eventually picks up. Greta is an interesting character. Overall I liked it but it‘s definitely quirky & may not be for some people. I‘m eager to see what people at book club have to say about it!

The ending didn't quite do it for me (endings rarely do), but I enjoyed the rest of this novel quite a bit. It's uncomfortable in a lot of ways, with people acting badly and keeping secrets and generally doing things that aren't in their own best interest, but it's also hilarious, and the characters grow in realistic, incremental ways.

I hate the cover, though, so here's a hawk at the park the other day.

This is a very strange book!

Big Swiss is a read for fans of Mosfegh or Melissa Broder, without being exactly the same as their vibes. It‘s quirky without being irritating, chaotic without being unruly or impenetrable, it‘s insightful in its examination of the human experience of chasing the feeling of being at home in your life and your body without being didactic. It‘s fun and funny. It won‘t be for everyone, but if it‘s for you, you‘ll love it.

Everything in this book is so crazy and hilarious that I had a hard time putting it down and when I did I kept thinking about it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Getting ready for a long hair appointment today and this will be my read…So intrigued already!

I listened to this one over audio. It‘s definitely a different book. Weird, wild, cringy & interesting all in one. Greta takes up transcribing for a local sex therapist in her town. When she‘s around town she can hear people that she‘s heard in therapy but knows she‘s not supposed to really engage with them. Greta becomes obsessed with someone she‘s nicknamed Big Swiss because her story is so unusual. She then runs into Big Swiss & finds a way to

I am on a roll with the "messy life" books recently and I cannot get enough, especially when they have lots of humor like this one! I love flawed characters like Greta and Big Swiss, but I truly enjoyed getting to know why these characters are battling so many demons. Quirky, witty, honest, and raw, "Big Swiss" is the ultimate fly on the wall story.

Reading the description of this one, I was not expecting to like it. I didn't plan on reading it, until a coworker handed it to me saying “Mike (his husband) says you HAVE to read this one.“ So I tried it. And loved it. It is a messy, cringy, can't look away from the train wreck type of a book. Definitely not one that will work for every reader, but totally worked for me!

Adored this book.

I‘m really not sure what I think of this book. Not one of the characters are likeable but it‘s refreshing to read about such fucked up women. The sex scenes grossed me out. The animals being described like humans were the real stars of this book. This book was sometimes funny, sometimes sad, sometimes gross and sometimes appalling! Yep, I enjoyed it…….I think! 🤣

At times this book was hilarious and at times heartbreaking. I loved the method of using the transcripts throughout the book to tell parts of the story. I thought the story ended just as it should. I will say the insect situation in the house terrified me. But I really liked this!

Jen Beagin is one of my favorite new voices in fiction. She writes “ugly beautiful” novels with raw verve. She takes her usual theme of suicidal depression and adds some fresh elements that surprise and delight. I just dig her style 😎

This was a wild ride. Bizarre character driven borderline nonsense that reminded me of Gilmore Girls almost? But also I‘ve never actually seen Gilmore Girls I just know there‘s some pretentious flat talking.

But hell if it wasn‘t enjoyable!

I‘m thinking this book fits the #titlesandtunes #dramaqueen theme? I chose this book for my bookclub based on @batsy review and all the comments. The animals in the story have me intrigued.
I love Blondie and this song ‘Rip her to shreads‘ was an easy pick.
@Cinfhen @BarbaraBB

Well, I am a fan so far and am loving the wry comic tone. While exploring the Crystal Bridges Art Museum In Bentonville AR today, I found a postcard of a flower featured in Big Swiss:

Are you familiar with jimsonweed?
Is that a singer?
It‘s a plant.

Um, I can‘t wait to find out if this is a pick or not - am loving the pro/con reactions this is getting. I have too many books checked out from the library but this one is grabbing my attention the most. Esther wanted in on the photo action.

3⭐
I had high hopes for this but found I wasn't reaching for it as much as a pick rating.
The characters were interesting, and I liked how her house seemed to be its own character. Great's job as a transcriptionist makes this story work, I could see myself getting obsessed with patients in this job. There was just something missing in the story that led to lack of engagement on my end and I am not sure what that was.

Low pick. Storygraph‘s description says this a a funny novel, if so, I didn‘t get it. Greta transcribes therapy sessions and becomes transfixed by one of the clients. The concept was interesting but it lacked emotion. I felt removed from everything that was happening on the page. 3 🌟 On the official Camp TOB list for June.

I expected to LOVE this and . . . I didn't. Beagin is a phenomenal writer. There were passages that took my breath away. And exploring if we are our trauma is right up my alley.
And yet...something about the tone grated. It felt smug, cynical or too clever for its own good. It got to me, like an infestation, like the bees, the maggots & the stink bugs. Eventually I just wanted the story equivalent of a bug-free heated room in a regular house.

This was uproariously funny, though painful. I had so much fun reading this book! Greta, our MC, transcribes sex therapy sessions. The therapist is a total quack and the clients are just as nutty. Greta lives in a crumbling, ancient home, infested with bees. Big Swiss is a singular character, who readers get to know along with Greta during transcription. There‘s donkeys, cheaters, so much sex, edibles, dogs, but also violence and trauma. 📷-🐌

Squeaking in my #titlesandtunes for July. Focusing on the sex in #sexdrugsandrocknroll. A book about a sex therapy transcriptionist and a classic song about holding out for a partner with a 'slow hand.'
@BarbaraBB @Cinfhen

6-30-23: My June Book Wrap Up! 11 books most of which were 4 stars⭐️ but Guncle was my favorite and was definitely 5 stars ⭐️ for me. I will say that Big Swiss will probably stay with me for awhile. I‘m doing my wrap up a day early because I‘m sure I won‘t be reading much in the next 3 days. It‘s my youngest daughter‘s birthday, 17, and my oldest daughter is visiting us for the weekend. They will never leave me alone long enough to finish another.

6-30-23: My 72nd finished book of 2023! This one actually made me laugh out loud. Greta is a transcriptionist for a sex therapist named Om. She lives in a small town where everyone knows one another. She has a good ear and is able to recognize the voices of Om‘s patients. She becomes fixated on one woman she calls Big Swiss, a 28 year old Swiss gynecologist. She turns her world upside down & finally feels like living when Big Swiss enters her life

.

Quirky, funny, bizarre. . I laughed out loud at times. I really enjoyed this book and especially loved that I could read it in two days because it rained most of the weekend. I really enjoyed Greta and, unlike some of the reviews I've read, I thought it wrapped up nicely at the end. . . explaining some of the characters (such as Greta's roommate) that I wondered about.

“It‘s gong, honey, not dong.”

Ok, this book is funny! I voted for it for #camplitsy and it‘s on the #tob summer list, so I grabbed it when my library holds thwarted my participation in the Birnam Wood readalong.

(Pic from the hotel where I‘m staying during a work trip 👀 It is also funny, but perhaps unintentionally? It is also quite nice, so maybe i shouldn‘t mock!)

Big Swiss was weirder, and more traumatic, than I expected. The literary merit can‘t be questioned, but take care if you have any sensitivity around dog-related trauma, suicide, or graphic violence against women. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/big-swiss-jen-beagin/

I was pleasantly surprised at how enjoyable this book was considering the characters are dealing with their traumas. It could have been a dark book and instead the characters were complex and humorous, making it an enjoyable read. #aardvark
I‘m picking the UK cover because I just like it better 🐕

My #guiltypleasure is that I keep buying pretty books that I don‘t need…! So I‘m going to read one of them (at least!) this month for #titlesandtunes.

Whilst driving home last night I had my own #guiltypleasure playlist on LOUD and thought I‘d choose a tune from there. They might have a great baseline, be good for caterwauling along to when you‘ve had a bad day, or just a complete👂🐛. Altogether now…‘I said-a hip, hop, the hippie, the hippie‘

I may have accidentally walked into the bookshop today, when really I didn‘t mean to!

I‘ve been umming and aahing about this one for ages. I applied for it on NG but didn‘t get it, the library hasn‘t got it in yet but when I saw those edges I just had to have it. 😍

Bonus - didn‘t even know it was signed until I got it home!

Definitely not what I expected (I feel like I‘ve been saying that a lot recently but maybe that‘s bc I‘ve been reading new books instead of rereading). I honestly have trouble understanding my feelings about this one. I really liked the beginning and I blew through the first hundred pages. Then the narrator became HORRIBLE and I think that‘s the point but still hard to read at some points. I would still recommend it tho I think

I‘m pretty hyped about this year‘s #CampToB23 reads 💃💃 after last year‘s choices. I‘ve read Big Swiss, I have a copy of #InternationalBooker longlisted The Birthday Party and I‘ve been wanting to read the LaValle and the Urrea anyhow! The other two books I haven‘t heard of but I can‘t wait to find out.

It‘s almost as good as #CampLitsy23 🤪

Huh. I‘m not entirely sure what the point of this was. It‘s a strange obsessive relationship story, with lots of hiding the truth and some bizarre personalities. I almost bailed on it several times and I don‘t feel like I would have missed out if I had. If bananapants is your genre, you‘ll like it, but look up content warnings if you need them. There‘s graphic violence and bad things happen to animals.

This is a mostly fun book about the lovely & lonely Greta who falls for Big Swiss, a woman she at first only knows by voice but meets later on. The conversations in the book are often hilarious (esp the transcripts of Big Swiss‘s walks with sex therapist Om), the relationship between the women is so well written, as are the circumstances under which Greta lives in an old house infested by insects. The only drawback were the (too) many storylines

Oh, man. I'm so JEALOUS of how Jen Beagin writes such clever lines that are consistently snort-out-loud funny without it becoming a flippant kind of farce. This is deranged, sexy, weird, & tender. I love Greta so much; I've never related more to a character. I saw someone describe Beagin as having a soft spot for the wayward soul. And oh my god, the dog & the mini donkeys were so beautifully brought to life. Top-notch #spinsterlit , I must say.

Just what I needed. A book I could not put down. A transcriptionist (which I have done a lot of) for a sex therapist (I can only imagine!!) falls for one of the therapist‘s clients. The MC is an older woman (me too), her lifestyle is a bit messy (me too!). My heart went out to her and I laughed a lot, especially the first 1/4 of the book. I enjoyed another book of hers (Vacuum in the Dark). Clearly her characters and I are simpatico.

If you‘re from the Boston area you‘ll love the way Beagin writes about a particular character. Her description of a Boston accent is perfect.

It‘s a bail at the 60% mark. This book started out entertaining but it quickly became gimmicky and a bit too much for me. A woman who transcribes a therapist‘s sessions becomes obsessed with one of his patients. When they meet by chance, Greta the transcriber,initiates an affair with the woman she‘s named “Big Swiss”

What a weird book. But in a really really good way. It's kind a refreshing reading a character my age (40s) who is a mess. And even though I didn't really like her, which has never stopped me from enjoying a book, I couldn't wait to read what she would do or say next. #aardvark

This was truly hilarious and a joy to read! Sometimes funny fiction falls flat for me, but Greta was a character you can root for and laugh at.

Greta transcribes the audio recordings from a local sex therapist. She becomes intrigued by a patient she calls Big Swiss. When they meet at the dog park, an attraction and affair develops. But Greta doesn‘t stop listening to Swiss‘ appointments…🫣

Great pick @AardvarkBookClub 🤩🧀