Litsy

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What an amazing collection of weird fairy tales! Dinesen sets stories in the Danish past to explore themes of power, love, wealth, sacrifice, and dignity. Only one includes a supernatural element but they all feel somewhat uncanny and idealized. Some of them left me bemused.
The fact they were written while Copenhagen was occupied by the Nazis adds a layer of fascination.
Off to a great start 2026!

ferskner Yesssssssssssssssssssssssssss! I'm in Copenhagen right now visiting family and thought I could fit in a visit to Isak Dinesen's museum north of the city but it looks like it will have to wait for another trip. She's just the best! 2d

merelybookish @ferskner That's so cool you have family in Denmark! Lucky you! And yes, I'm somewhat amazed by her writing. Will definitely read more! 2d

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Andrea313

The Employees: A workplace novel of the 22nd century | Olga Ravn

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Sneaking in one last read to end 2025, and holy shit, is it a banger. Inspired by artwork from Lea Gulditte Hestelund and by conversations with the artist, this novella is ostensibly a sci-fi story about a crew on board a ship millions of miles from earth. Of course, it's really about so much more - humanity and technology; the nature of art; memory and nostalgia; the passage of time and mortality; and the insidious nature of corporations. 👇👇👇

Andrea313 Though it was written more than five years ago, I couldn't help but read it through the lens of what AI is doing, unchecked, to our own humanity, to art and artists, to creativity, connection, and our general perception of reality, and it was both fascinating and downright fucking chilling. Kudos to Ravn for what she's created in a short but powerful work. 6d

sarahbarnes Agreed - I loved this one. 5d

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sarahbarnes

On the Calculation of Volume (Book I) | Solvej Balle

In no particular order, post 4 of my #Top25of2025 reads.

BarbaraBB 🤩🤩🤩 5d

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merelybookish

Winter's Tales | Isak Dinesen

Book ☑️
Blanket ☑️
Cat ☑️
All I need now is for someone to bring me a coffee. 😆

But seriously, I am loving these lazy days between Xmas and New Year!

LeahBergen Perfect! 1w

ferskner She's the perfect writer for this time (or any time). 1w

merelybookish @LeahBergen Yes! 1w

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merelybookish @ferskner Cool! It's my first time reading her. I bought this book after Anais Nin praised it in her diary. 1w

Suet624 Me too! 1w

Leftcoastzen 😻love that old cover ! 1w

ShelleyBooksie Happy Holidays! 1w

ferskner Oh my gosh you have so much greatness ahead of you! Seven Gothic Tales is my favorite. 1w

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NovelNancyM

On the Calculation of Volume (Book I) | Solvej Balle

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Time is a social construct and for Tara, she remains repeatedly living in the 18th of November. A fascinating read of a well-written novel. I look forward to reading all seven sequels.

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Oryx

On the Calculation of Volume (Book I) | Solvej Balle

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I picked this up as I needed a break from the 900-page chunkster I'm reading (the deluge). I kind of expected it might be too "literary" for me, but that wasn't the case at all. I found it really engaging, and I'm ordering the next two.

TrishB Good to hear! I have both on my kindle (99p ofc) and have been studiously avoiding for the same reason! 3w

squirrelbrain Definitely not too literary and they get better too. I‘ve just read number III and it amazes me how the author comes up with her ideas. @TrishB 3w

TrishB @squirrelbrain funny how you just get an idea in your head! 3w

Lesliereadsalot Volume II is excellent. Still waiting for Volume III from my library. 3w

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mcctrish

One of Us Is Sleeping | Josefine Klougart

pan

#finishwhatyoustarted I started this in the summer of 2023, it was a gift from friends who live in Denmark. The author was/is a celebrated new author. This is a slow moving, reflective, poetically written reflection of life and grief and the endings we live through in a long life. It is not really my jam

38 likes

perfectlywinged

On the Calculation of Volume (Book I) | Solvej Balle

Like a literary and philosophical Groundhog‘s Day about a woman stuck reliving November 18.

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mcctrish

One of Us Is Sleeping | Josefine Klougart

#finishwhatyoustarted here we go - I was halfway through and now I‘m going to get her done. It is so poetically written, you have to slow down and savour the words which I‘m not good at. I‘m an inhaler of words. And biscuits

Booksblanketsandahotbeverage Lol. Your mug is amazing ❣️ 1mo

mcctrish @Booksblanketsandahotbeverage it brings a lot of joy 😆 1mo

janeycanuck You got this! 1mo

mcctrish @janeycanuck 🤞🏻 1mo

55 likes4 comments