Welcome to Litsy!

Went to the Strand Bookstore while in NY. Lots'O books...18 miles of books. The stacks were so tall they have ladders in the aisles in case the book you want is on the upper shelves. Fortunately I didn‘t need to climb for any if these books.

I think I will become a Whitehead completist. I don‘t think there‘s any genre he can‘t write. This was a melancholy and nostalgic coming of age story from a perspective not well represented in novels on my experience: the Black middle class. At 15, Benji is finally one of the cool kids in the NY community where his family has been vacationing for generations. This was beautifully evocative of the awkward transition of adolescence.

#12BooksOf2022

Taking a break with some chocolate from Belize and one of my favorite authors 💚

This one is taking me forever to get through but I‘m determined to persevere with it! Have been reading a lot alongside it so going to get through my uni TBR and then focus on it when I have a little more time!

Not very far into this but I am struggling with the style of narration so far. Hopefully the plot will start to pick up soon! Enjoying reading it nonetheless thanks to the glorious weather here☀️

Somewhere between a pick and a so-so. This semi-autobiographical novel focuses on Benji and the 1985 summer that he sorbet at Sag Harbor with his friends. I enjoyed the writing and the descriptions, often smiling if not outright laughing. But at times I could not connect with the characters at all. Yet, the larger themes of race, family, friendship, and growing up were well-explored. Last one for #AuthorAMonth

This is a book all about atmosphere. Normally I am all for this, I love Remains of The Day and Mrs Dalloway, but this just didn't hit the mark for me.
I did like the representation of rich Black families in the Hamptons, and how the community felt and changed through the years. In the end I was just too bored and was really glad to be done. Definitely not his best work.

#AuthorAMonth

I liked this fine, and laughed at some references I recognized from my own adolescence, but I worry that Whitehead has been too hyped up for me. Much like The Underground Railroad, I found myself wishing I loved Sag Harbor.

Now, to finish The Nickel Boys.

I wanted to like this better than I did. We‘re it not for the cat I listened to it on audio, I probably would‘ve bailed on it. I found that I didn‘t care about the story, Benji or any of the other characters. Well, you win some you lose some. #AuthorAMonth

One feels the semi-autobiographical essence of this one, but not surprisingly so: others of his novels are too. Summers in Sag Harbor for the adolescents are full of swagger, hi-jinx, and teen angst. It is simultaneously hilarious and poignant. The descriptive prose is elaborate and vivid, reminiscent of Tom Wolfe‘s “Radical Chic”.

#authoramonth2020
@Soubhiville

I didn‘t go to a private school and my parents didn‘t have a summer home, but I still found Whitehead‘s semi autobiographical story relatable. We were both D&D playing, Fangoria-reading dorks with bad haircuts who yearned to be cool. There‘s no deep plot, just an amusing look at growing up in the 80‘s and a character trying to figure out who he is.
#AuthorAMonth

This week‘s #bookreport - I forecasted wrong this week but I‘m okay with that! What can I sneak in before the Oscars tomorrow? 🤔

Has anyone read this? It's a Kindle deal today! I absolutely loved The Underground Railroad. Definitely gonna pick this up!

Colson Whitehead‘s got a new one coming this year, which makes this a perfect time to dig into the backlist. This story of a summer in Sag Harbor is told simply, but includes such vibrant minutia and hilariously honest observations, that the book is so much more than a snapshot of summer

This was my July Summer Readalong 2018! It was an almost perfect book. I‘d definitely recommend it to those of you are interested in reading a coming-of-age novel told from the point of view of an African-American boy. Colson Whitehead‘s writing is superb, full of allegory, and beautifully lyrical.

This book has some fun ‘80‘s references but didn‘t hold my attention as I expected it would. 🌟🌟 #sagharbor

A firefly blinked into existence, drew half a word in the air. Then gone. A black bug secret in the night. #sagharbor #colsonwhitehead

A comedian once said that minimum wage is your boss‘s way of telling you, If I could pay you less, I would.

So far, so good

Can‘t wait to read this 4th book by Colson Whitehead for my July Summer Readalong! Come join us over on Goodreads. Go to groups and click on July Summer Readalong.... #readsoullit

The perfect novel to start reading over Memorial Day.

I recognized so much of my own teenage summers in this. It was such a wonderfully nostalgic gift. And the writing was just impeccable.

I‘m so glad I popped my Colson Whitehead cherry!

4⭐️

My first Whitehead. 😬 I‘m going in!

All right, I'm finally making my longtime secret public. If you're ever in Scottsboro, Ala., you're going to strike gold with used books. For years I've been buying at Unclaimed Baggage. Each of these was $1.99 today.

Working on my Level Up Your Reading displays at the #library.

I found a copy of Sag Harbor while out shopping in Sag Harbor!

When I opened the book to Benji's personalized map (pictured), I suspected this book would appeal to me. It exceeded expectations. I LOVE the narration of this book. I think it is so smart and funny. Don't expect a traditional plot: it reads more like a series of connected short stories, but these tales perfectly encapsulate life in 1985. Practically every sentence is a wonderment of construction.

Finished this wonderful novel today. This is Whitehead at his most intimate, finding a moment of lingering childhood amidst adolescent pressures and celebrating it in the glory of summer. The mix of nostalgia, angst, and hope will resonate deeply with anyone who has watched embers die in a summer bonfire or coasted lazily down the cracked pavement of a small town #signedsundays

Whitehead's succinct encapsulation of all that is adolescent social life. #truth

A comfy couch, a long dog, and a warm blanket. #whereiread #riotgrams

#Booktober #Day14 #mancrush -- Colson Whitehead has been a huge lit crush of mine for years. He's so smart and talented. (Huge respect for CW, not intended as objectification!!!)

My copy of The Underground Railroad was already signed.

#bookmail #bookmail Everybody loves book mail! I did jump a bit because the first book I pulled was The White Devil 😳😖😫😈👹. It also qualifies for #uglybookcovers #uglycover Kill it! Kill it with fires!

Currently reading

Currently reading

"It was getting dark earlier, the endless summer days no longer so patient with our attempts to cram it all in."

Dag. ?

First (and possibly the only?) book finished in the #24in48 readathon. And it's...ok? Whitehead can write, for sure, and he really, really wants you to know it. There's great humor and insight throughout and it's a fascinating glimpse at a community I don't read enough about, but it was just too meandering to ever really engage me.

Quick #24in48 question! Is it kosher to start at midnight in a time zone that is not my own?!

I love a good coming-of-age type of story, and this one was great.

Only 30 pages in, but every one of them so far has offered some hilarious small truth.

The dangers of secondhand bookshops! This is about 7 more books than I intended to buy