Welcome to Litsy!

2⭐️ With the exception of a few, thin NYRBs usually disappoint 😕

The New Directions Storybook editions are a great way to sample authors that you have been meaning to try. This was the case for me with Ginzburg's Road to the City ( a 90 page novella in this edition). I was a bit sceptical at first as Ginzburg tends to move from character to character frequently. One aspect I was sold on immediately was the atmosphere, perfect for the warm evening in which I enjoyed it. Despite the grim atmosphere of the (CONT)

Memoir? Fiction? Auto-fiction? Not sure what to make of this but it is enjoyable. ✍🏽

#ItTakesAllKinds Day 30: This one is #WithVacation - bought during my book hunting expeditions in Bologna a few weeks ago. Will be sharing my book haul by tomorrow! 💕

I haven‘t posted a #BookOutlet haul in a while. 😁 The top few are (mainly) for my 12 year-old, although I may read some of them before she gets around to it.

An old man appears in a small town in Abruzzo after WW2.The older locals identify him as Luca who has returned after serving a life sentence in prison for a murder he didn‘t commit.Andrea,a young communist & son of Luca‘s friend, is determined to find out why Luca held on to a secret although revealing it could‘ve set him free.I loved the writing & the way the story is told but found the overall theme - power of love- a bit cheesy.

10/10! I loved this book. Quiet marriage and quiet rage. No wonder women are angry. 🔫

#ItTakesAllKinds Day 11: First #Love featured prominently in this coming-of-age novel. Paired today with this oro verde (or pistacchio di bronte caffé | panna montata granella di pistacchio) which is sorcery of a different kind. To be taken with the shot of sparkling water ostensibly “to clean the mouth” as the waitress explained. Palate cleanser. Manna for the gods. When in Bologna. ? Husband had a spritz campari. ?

#ItTakesAllKinds Day 10: Difficult to talk #AboutMarriage when one is deep into the vagaries of summer romance and lost innocence and first loves. My Italian read while in Bologna and munching on cold cuts and tigelle.

The book is a gem. The reader, who waited years to read this, was not so great. Arturo roams an island in the Bay of Naples freely with his dog. He never knew his mother, and imagines his largely absent father off on important adventures. Then his father brings home a wife from Naples two years older than Arturo. And Arturo‘s romantic thoughts and puberty clash, bringing an end to his Eden. Language is gorgeous. Too bad I couldn‘t settle in.