Welcome to Litsy!

I‘m posting one book a day from my massive collection. No description, no reason for why I want to read it.

#ABookADay2025

Martyn Waites‘s novel (the first in a series) marries thriller and folk horror but because there‘s so much going on it‘s less than the sum of its parts. It has good pacing and there are some creepy moments, but the plot is heavily contrived at times and neither Tom nor Lila quite convince as characters while the antagonist is similarly underdeveloped. It‘s not a bad book, I kept turning the pages, but it wasn‘t as satisfying a read as I‘d hoped.

I love Brendan Slocumb‘s not the norm heroes. In this book a cello prodigy takes on the bad guys and kicks butt. Make sure you read the afterword.

A dark and spooky wait at the bus stop this morning. Luckily I have the Dark Maestro to protect me.

Middle school me would have enjoyed this even more than adult me. I found the main character a little whiney, but I still read this in one day.

I wish my copy had been an original from 1989. I understand they want to get today‘s kids to pick it up, but I would have preferred to read the original version.

Finished July 4, 2025

This novel was weird, but in a good way. It was coming from a unique place with a musician/ superhero angle. Curtis comes of age as a talented cellist in the midst of gang territory with well-meaning guardians who are in a losing situation. I was attached to these characters and cared very much about their outcomes. The author's afterward was quite interesting and put some of the ideas into context.

As a longtime Brendan Slocumb fan, The Dark Maestro exceeded expectations. Curtis‘s journey—a story of choices, consequences, and redemption—deeply resonated with me, especially as someone impacted by parental decisions. Hip‑hop references and a North Carolina setting made it feel personal and authentic. A captivating, emotional read.
Full review: https://www.instagram.com/p/DMTi5Sqhjpm/?igsh=MTJhM3JrbTIwd3c4Yw==

Great read! Propulsive story with interesting characters.

Thank you, @Liz_M for bringing back #14books14weeks! It turns out, I have a couple of authors with more than one of their books on my TBR so I‘ve got 2 books each from 7 authors for my list. Looking forward to so many of these titles!

Low pick. This started out so strong before the half way point I had this as the best of Slocumb, but then it took a turn and became a bit too ridiculous. If you are super into Superheroes you might be lored in, but it felt like I was reading 2 separate books. And unfortunately I wanted to stay in the beginning half.
As always I love his focus on Black classic musicians and family. I just wish his editor had resigned in the 2nd half.