Welcome to Litsy!

I'm pretty sure I've bought this from charity shops more than once, having loved (of course) Fingersmith and The Night Watch. This is an early one centred around the women in Millbank women's prison in the 19th century. Is one of the prisoners talking to the spirits?

A bit too miserable for a very wet week!

They are lighting lamps there now at four o'clock, and with their high, narrow windows black against the sky, their sanded flags lit by pools of flaring gas-light, their cells dim, the women in them hunched, like goblins, over their sewing or their coir, the wards seem more terrible and more antique.

/Image via Museum of London

#10beforetheend

My back is not cooperating this weekend so painkillers, blanket and book it is.

August 2024 Book #3

The month of August was not a good reading month for me in terms of how many books I enjoyed. Another unpopular opinion. I just couldn‘t with this book. It was interesting at the beginning but I found it so boring. I really struggled, some parts I care but most of the time not. Sorry for fans of this book. I have two other books by this author that I will try. 2.5⭐️⬇️

About 1/3 of the way in, nothing has happened & I‘m not finding myself hoping for anything to happen. Might be a slow burn (but too slow for me).
On to the next! maybe whoever is next on the Libby hold list will find it a better fit! #authoramonth

After a long look at my shelves I found that I was in a crime/thriller sort of mood, so do you fancy any of these @Cupcake12 @charl08 ? You don't have to match my mood with your picks & I'll tag the other books in comments so you can read more about them.

Have got plenty of others to chose from if you don't fancy any of these (or my mood - have got other genres to choose!)

#lmpbc @suvata

Jumping into the #alphabetgame !! Some much fun!!
Letter A
Affinity by Sara Waters. She‘s an amazing author that manages to capture the atmosphere & feelings of the characters to perfection.
Most of her works are horrors/thrillers/gothic. She also tends to include lesbian representation & romance, which I appreciate.
Have you read it?
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
#sarahwaters #affinity #lettera #littens

1/5⭐ Over 50% in basically nothing has happened and there's no trajectory or sense of where it's going. #bookspinbingo

I wanted to like this more then I did. It dragged a lot.
But do love the cover and the ending.

Has anyone else read this book? I am having a hard time getting into it.

I didn't feel too entranced by this... I was really hoping to enjoy it but felt it dragged at times.
However, I did like the climax towards the end- very good 😊

Sticking with theme of previous book...
Gothic melodrama set in a female prison.
I've only read Tipping the Velvet by her before.

In between a pick and so-so. Affinity has a Victorian gothic voice, but it drags. For most of the book nothing really happens. I did love the settling in of an oppressive atmosphere that helped majorly with the themes.

Vacation read with vacation drink

Still waiting to get into this vacation read. I‘m around 25% now. I can tell the story‘s building, but I wish it would build faster.

Watermelon wine, sunset, and the start of a new book. It‘s a good way to end the day.

I‘ve loved everything Sarah Waters has written but I didn‘t love this as much as I wanted to, although it was my mood that influenced that rather than the book itself. A Victorian gothic psychological thriller set largely in a women‘s prison this slowly, slowly creeps towards its sinister ending. I did love the final third, possibly because the weather turned cloudy and stormy at the perfect time! This would be a great read for a winter afternoon

Today on the blog Haley is recommending #horrornovels for the #womeninhorrormonth challenge hosted by @ladiesofhorrorfiction during the month of February.

https://stuckinthestacks.com/2020/02/10/make-it-happen-monday-women-of-horror-ch...

Check out her recommendations and share your own in the comments!

#horrornerd #horrorstories #bookrecommendations #readingchallenge #makeithappenmonday #bookishalgorithm #bookishalgor #bookblogger

Affinity is a slow paced book but an excellent read none the less. The author transports you right into the creepy labyrinth that is Millbank prison throughout the book. You want to learn more about women in prison during the Victorian era. The characters are well written and the book explores many subjects. I was able to figure out the majority of the ending, but not all of it.

#HistoricalFiction #Gothic #VictorianEra

I have been trying to complete this book by end of month, but with a new baby in the house it doesn't look like that is going to happen. I'm about two thirds through this book and I'm really enjoying it so far. Even though it is fiction, it is very interesting to learn about women in prison and the prison itself during the end of the Victorian Era.

#CurrentlyReading #HistoricalFiction #VictorianEra

A day perfectly overcast to start this Victorian Gothic. 🖤🥀

Sarah Waters is the greatest.
Victorian Gothic - Margaret visits the ladies incarcerated in Millbank prison and becomes inamored with Selina Dawes who is locked up after a seance she conducted resulted in death.
Margaret is lured into dangerous territory and things just get creepier and creepier.
This one is a slow burn, but it‘s worth your patience to stick with it.

Another extraordinary novel from Sarah Waters. I can't believe I'm only just now discovering these books. I'm amazed by her range and her ability to conjure another era in such an all-absorbing, spellbinding way. This one is an absolutely perfect Gothic mystery/tragedy/ghost story, set in a Victorian-era women's prison. If you read Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca and felt like you'd never read anything as good again--THIS!!!!

Like Gothic horror? Then this is the book for you. Very creepy and atmospheric. Set in a Victorian prison, it is a perfect read for a dark, rainy night. Five out of five stars. These flowers reminded me of the ones in the book!

I was having a dreary day, but look what arrived in the post! Thank you @BookNAround for an epic parcel! #justabookswap #justabookswap2

Cc @TheBookKeepers

I looked forward to reading this book for a long time, but I was so disappointed. While Sarah Waters will always earn an extra star from me for the way she constructs her novels, the pace was almost unbearably slow.

Also, I seem to have developed an aversion to stories in which women make assumptions for which they are ultimately humiliated. It‘s why I didn‘t finish The House of Mirth earlier this year. 😕 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was my first Sarah Waters book and it was great! 4/5⭐️And with this one, I‘m signing off on my #24in48 challenge. I read 3 books and started one audiobook. Today‘s hourly total added to yesterday‘s approximately 8 hours brings me to just shy of 17 hours of reading time. Yay! What a productive weekend. 😉

Getting a late start on my #24in48 reading today. It‘s pouring rain so it‘s the perfect day to snuggle up and read. I‘m going to get stuck in this one and see if I can finish it!

Rainy day outside of DC. Still working on Affinity with lots of snuggles from Allan. 🐹

#24in48 #bookishferrets

Starting @24in48 off right with a gothic novel and a bubble bath. 🛁

#24in48

Wanted to open my #JBSurprise when I had time to properly appreciate it. Thank you so much @Mitch you seem to have a knack for thoughtful book gifts and great cards! Will be writing back ASAP! 💖💖💖 @Kaye #jb #justbecause

If I had seen a description of this book that described it as gothic, historial fiction, I'd never have picked it up. Learning it was paranormal would have put me off too, yet Waters' style is something different and I read every word with care. Some parts didn't sit quite right with me, dragging a little at times, but this was certainly an enjoyable read - it's 4 stars for "Affinity".

See my blog for my full review! The link is on my profile ?

Got up early today to help my brother-in-law clean and surprise his wife for mother's day, then towed my reading shed home and managed to get the trailer it's on into the yard without scraping any trees or overhead wires. #whew
Now I'm spending the rest of my day alternating between these...Alias Grace (Netflix mini series based on Margaret Atwood novel) and Affinity #bookishheaven

I'll read anything Sarah Waters writes. Twice.

Finally Affinity is making its way back to its owner! I finally shipped your packages off, guys @FantasyChick @Jabberwocky @BookishTrish
#LMPBC #seatosea
Also @Bookishaf I've posted my letter #litsypenpals 😄😄

#LMPBC #seatosea @Jabberwocky @BookishTrish @FantasyChick I finished!
This book was definitely a sloooooow build, so slow that had it not been a bookclub pick, I would have bailed from boredom.
Also, I thought it fairly predictable in its own way but not entirely guessable, if you know what I mean.

Oh, with all the #librarything news I almost forgot about this! I sent out packages today for my dear #seatosea ladies! Jut a small little gift for each of you! I‘m so excited to see what you all thought of my book! I‘ve really enjoyed the last four ish months with you all! @BookishTrish (40 rooms is enclosed in your package) @FantasyChick @Andrea4 Also I forgot to write notes so I just wrote on the back of your packages 😅

Sorry #seatosea #LMPBC I'm not even half way!
@Jabberwocky @FantasyChick @BookishTrish
Is it ok to finish when i can and send it back then? I will also have other things to send to the rest!

1. Originally Mississippi, currently live in Colorado 2. Literary fiction/southern gothic fiction. 3. Affinity by Sarah Waters 4. Dark chocolate 5. Dachshund named Maui, fat cat named Jabberwocky. 6. So many (none relevant) #litsywelcomewagon

Oooooh- more #bookmail 😄 #LMPBC #seatosea

@FantasyChick are the lovely journal and pens for me?!
Can't wait to dig into this one!! @Jabberwocky
I have a question for all- do you guys have any food allergies/sensitivities? Anything you really don't like to eat/drink? @BookishTrish

Look at me doing things on time for a change. 😂 @Andrea4 it's on its way! Tracking says 4 days.
#seatosea #lmpbc

Guess what I (finally) finished last night!! It was rough to get started and I read some messed up books, but this is just...strange. I've had more WTF did I just read moments through this than probably any other book I've read. Also...totally pegged the ending! Not all of it, but the basic idea of it. All in all, not a bad read!
It will be on its way to you tomorrow @Andrea4
#seatosea #lmpbc
@BookishTrish @Jabberwocky

It's a slow process but I'm getting through it. Definitely starting to get a bit intriguing so hopefully I will get it finished by Wednesday 👍
#lmpbc #seatosea
@Jabberwocky @Andrea4 @BookishTrish

Well...no time like the present. Finally getting a start on this one.
Also, dill pickle dip is everything 😊
#seatosea #LMPBC #bookandsnack
@Jabberwocky @BookishTrish @Andrea4

These are all the books I'm #currentlyreading. Hoping I can get these finished during #24in48 before I start on something new...OR...I do none of that and reread the Fever series....too early to decide 😂😂 #bookishproblems #tbr #commitmentissues

I liked Affinity on audio. My hubby bought me Fingersmith which is part of my never ending TBR 🤓. I admire Sarah Waters and she is my #FavLGBTQAuthor

https://www.sarahwaters.com/books/affinity/

#NewYearReads @bookloo @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

@BookishTrish It's here!!!! It was actually here the other day but I didn't have time to open it 😶
I'm excited to read this book so I'll hopefully start it this weekend. Also, those bookmarks are adorable!!!!! (I promise I'll share, lol) #HPLove And I did not know this chocolate bar existed....I have hidden it. (Not sharing a piece) I'm excited! Thanks so much 😁😁🤗🤗
#seatosea #LPMBC #bookandsnack
@Andrea4 @Jaberwocky

“The cells are still as cold as larders. I asked Miss Ridley, as she led me between the wards, how could it help the women to be kept so cold and hopeless?-to be made ill? She said: ‘We are not here to help them ma‘am. We are here to punish them.”