Welcome to Litsy!

There are many things I like about this book including the questions about human nature, religion, and monstrosity that it addresses. At first I was annoyed by the fact that Ruth bases her whole idea of a wonderful romance on Twilight, but her world has been severely limited and it was a miracle she found that. The ending was derivative, but it fits the characters. #audiowalk. I started To Say Nothing of the Dog as my next walking book.

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A gruesome ghost story with something very real to say. Gripping from the first chapter, the horror aspects sincerely scared me at times, but the sharp social commentary, infusion of Chinese culture, and layers of emotion are what made it the most impactful. #Aardvark #AardvarkBookClub

I only have three hours left, and I‘m still not positive who is responsible for some deaths yet. It‘s starting to get warmer again, but I‘m still okay in the low 80s with a breeze. #audiowalk

I do not think this burgeoning subgenre is for me: too much cross over with "literary horror", too slow a burn. A single nightmare is the first 60 pages of a horror novel (while the rest is a basically straightforward family drama) just... isn't enough for me.

Well that‘s a proposal to melt a woman‘s heart: “You were always a good girl growing up and didn‘t become a slut. Marry me.” I‘d accept that in a heartbeat. 🙄. I can‘t stand most of the people in this town. Ruth and Everett keep making some pretty questionable choices. It started raining while I was walking; luckily, I‘d brought my rain jacket. #audiowalk

I really liked This Book Will Bury Me, so I thought I‘d try another Winstead book. This one was appealing to me for more than just the title (which is still a good one). I like the setting— south Louisiana — too. I used to live in Central LA, and I went to LSU. So far, I‘m liking this book a lot, although I dislike a lot of the power figures in the town. #audiowalk

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Want your next favorite rom com? This is your girl! It has an amazing Alaskan setting, sizzling chemistry, and allllll the feels! I‘ll admit Margot‘s attitude was a little off-putting at first, but of course she has soft layers under her prickly armor. The lightheartedness was balanced out by real emotion, and I was just as moved by the familial storylines as the romantic love. #Aardvark #AardvarkBookClub

This is a tough one for me to review. It's a speculative science fiction with a lot to say about AI and AI evolution/development in a futuristic setting.

I really liked the contrast between the AI and the human characters and their growth as the story unfolds. At times, the pace of this book is rather slow, and a few times, I wanted to put it aside. However, the ending was worth sticking with this one, and why this is a pick for me.

This exceeded my expectations. Although, I think claiming that it is loosely based on the Hades/Persephone myth takes away from what it actually is. Ododo is a fascinating character to watch as she slowly tries to reclaim her agency. I listened to the audio and it was fantastic.

Picture books, People and Poetry are in my latest episode of Friday Reads… along with seaweed and literary prize shortlists:

https://youtu.be/aDmpBqd1CxI