Welcome to Litsy!

Fun story. The characters felt pretty flat and, well, cartoonish—especially the villain. I thought everything came too easily to the main character. The idea of body paints that confer superpowers is very cool.

The art is incredibly fluid and vibrant. I felt like I was watching a really well-animated movie (Lilo and Stitch came to mind) instead of reading a book at times!

@Ellie_H #AuldLangSpine @monalyisha

Whew, what an emotional experience! When 6 year old Alex Selky goes missing on his walk to school one day, police are baffled - no one just disappears without ANY trace. As time goes by and leads dwindle, we follow his mother Susan as her determination to find him alive never falters, despite the changing attitudes of those around her.

Cont'd in comments

#AuldLangSpine @CarolynM @monalyisha

I have been curious about this book for a while and am glad I had an impetus to finally read this. What a great little book exploring the life of a neurodivergent person. A lot of great ideas were explored including what it means to live your best life in the space of societal expectations. I was surprised to find myself often tense, wanting the best for Keiko. Another great one for #AuldLangSpine. I continue to read the list as promised!

I finished this at the end of January completing 5 books from my #AuldLangSpine list. This was as great as expected and really interesting to explore loneliness through different lenses with art that complimented the text. I hope Radtke keeps her graphic novels coming.

My ILLO on this one finally came in, so I'm returning to @CarolynM 's #AuldLangSpine list and preparing to be devastated.

@monalyisha

I liked this first Poirot novel enough that #christiescapers made my final #weeklyfavorite for January but I didn't love it. Red herrings everywhere, and so much talking it almost felt like a play, but an impressive 1st novel! My favorite reads this month are all from the #tob2025 longlist (one from the shortlist) so I'm happy to see it is still capable of introducing me to new authors to watch.
Lots of books in January! And a #bookspinbingo! 🔽

#AuldLangSpine @JamieArc @monalyisha
I devoured most of this book on a plane ride from Newark to San Diego and wondered when I was passing over the Mississippi, where the action of this excellent novel plays out. I've been reading Huckleberry Finn at the same time, and what a complicated relationship there is between the two novels. I like how Everett didn't feel constrained to follow the original step by step, as a lot of retellings do. 👇

Last one tonight. Another #auldlangspine - I listened to this one, and Griffin Dunne did an excellent job narrating this memoir of his extraordinary family. He begins with his mother‘s grandparents (I think) and touches on his father‘s difficult early life to set the stage for the family dynamics that infuse his life story, mostly his early years. Hilarious and wrenching. The climactic event is the 1983 trial of his sister Dominique‘s killer.

Also #auldlangspine! I really lucked out with my partner this year. What I love about your list @CBee is the variety of styles you chose, and yet they are all so enjoyable. This was a fun, hilarious and cozy caper that was perfect for unwinding at the end of the evening. I loved that it had a truly all-ages cast of characters ranging in age from 8 months to 90 years. (Ok, he wasn‘t *actually* 90, but what happened was … )

Another #auldlangspine pick from @CBee

This was so unexpected and intense. I loved it and definitely see myself revisiting it in the future. A haunting story of an odd little family in post-WWII Scotland, and a bright and sensitive young girl who is deeply unconventional and frequently misunderstood. Richly drawn and evocative portrait of a unique time and place. The writing is spare yet poetic. 4.5⭐️