Welcome to Litsy!

You know how some books just shock & delight you? I picked this book up because it‘s written by a Vermonter who teaches at Dartmouth. I knew nothing else about him. These are very short essays that alternate between stories of his life & stories of famous authors. I was googling while reading to discover more about some of the authors. I‘ve moved on to another book now but I keep going back to this one to read it again. I need more of his books.

My #OffTheShelf reads for this #DecemberReCap - I did a lot of audio this month, and will probably do a lot of audio in 2026 (with my new, better work commute, where I can just relax without the stop-and-go of my previous commute).

I really enjoyed this one. I won‘t forget Colette anytime soon. #offtheshelf

The best thing I can say about this book is that it‘s been on my shelf for 7 years and now it‘s leaving the house.

A woman who has grown up with wealth has an affair, retreats to her family home to stay with her mother who she finds annoying &unloving. She drinks a lot, expresses her self-loathing constantly, finds wealth to be a burden, and generally is exceedingly unpleasant. I like Stegner‘s writing but I did not like this book. #offtheshelf

I really didn‘t think I‘d make it but I finally bullied my way through the somewhat disappointing Stegner novel to finish my 10th book of the challenge. Thanks for the push to get these off my piles/shelves and to focus on books I own rather than picking up the shiny pennies at the library. (If you know, you know.) #offtheshelf. #10BeforetheEnd

This is a low pick for me. Which makes me kind of sad. Not sure what I was hoping for. He says he had a different book in mind to write, already formulating in his mind, but he knew he had to write about this experience before getting to the next book. And that‘s what it felt like. #offtheshelf. #10BeforetheEnd

Everett tells the story of a black rancher/horse trainer and his uncle in Wyoming. A gay man is murdered in the town and the main characters become involved in unexpected ways. Everett‘s story is so detailed about ranch life, training horses, and brutal weather that I had to research if Everett had worked on a ranch and, yes, he did. This is a quick read and engrossing as all of his books are and it ended too quickly. #10BeforetheEnd #offtheshelf

Much to like about this novel about three sisters dealing with the grief over the death of a fourth sister. Good character development and I appreciated all of the many issues brought up in the story. (Surprisingly this was the second book in a row that I‘ve read with boxing being a plot point.) Unfortunately I have a book hangover from my previous read so this book was a low pick for me.

#10BeforeTheEnd #offtheshelf

Enright is a mystery to me. I always want to enjoy her books but they always end up being a muddle in my mind. This story revolves around a single mother and her daughter and the legacy left behind by the mother‘s father, a famous poet who has callously left all of them behind. Some of the writing was wonderful and yet I always feel removed from the emotion Enright is trying to elicit from me. It‘s a low pick. #offtheshelf #10BeforetheEnd

This book was a relief after just finishing a long and tedious novel. A murder victim is found in the restaurant that is run by the main character and her siblings. One of the brothers is blamed. I enjoyed the characters and the pacing and brown bread is so often remarked upon that I really wish I could have some.#10beforetheend #offtheshelf