Not my typical genre of reading, but it was dark and beautiful. One of my favorites this year.

Obsessed! Yes, this book is about two very different sisters, but it‘s also intricate and layered with many more themes. I feel that many people can relate to Sigrid with today‘s current events. I teared up so much during the second half and felt empty yet hopeful after finishing it. That may not be selling the novel, but it really is a great read if you‘re open to facing hard subjects. I‘m a huge fan of dark and dry humor so this was great.

This was an interesting read. Neva Craven is a 15 yo who gets pregnant. Her family can‘t fathom it, so they send her to the Home which is a place for unwed pregnant teens. There we meet an array of girls that have sad backstories, and they‘re all fed up with people telling them what to do. They get their hands on a book about witchcraft, and start casting spells for life to work in their favor. This was just an okay read for me.

Hmm.. fast read but everyone in this novel was terrible. Hated the ending, and I don‘t understand the hype around this one.

Three girls and their mother live in a cabin nestled in the woods with no one else for miles. Told from the eldest daughter‘s perspective, we see how she somehow needs to find a way to save her family from harm. We also meet Nicolette. She seems to be living a perfect life until she suspects her husband is cheating and hiding something major. Overall, it was easy to piece everything together. Not my favorite

This was body horror, magic realism, and a love story all mixed in to create a quirky read! Taking place in a little Scottish town, Muriel (an 84 yo, widowed woman) and the few other elderly folk left in her community are fighting the destruction of their homes by a greedy American company. When all of their efforts have failed and all hope seems lost, Muriel finds a creature laid out on a rocky beach, and things start to get interesting!

This has been the best book I‘ve read this year. Margot lives in a tiny cottage in the middle of the woods with her forlorn mother, Ruth. Her father abandoned them years ago, and Ruth does what she can to keep their hunger at bay… including picking up strays. An unlikely woman finds the duo nestled in their little home, and their life quickly changes.

Super grotesque book. I liked the concept of the story and I couldn‘t put it down. Beware because there are a lot of themes that are disgusting yet sensitive. The Author‘s note at the end summed up her ideas beautifully. This is definitely a novel that will have you saying “WTF?!”

On a Quiet Street, was exciting and fast. Cora has a husband that she suspects is cheating, Paige and her husband Grant lose their grown child during a car accident, but Paige suspects it was murder and is doing what she can after her local police refuse to put anymore effort into the case. The neighbor next door recently got married to a very quiet, anxious woman. They seem strange. This book had so many turns and I enjoyed it a bunch.

Not at all what I was expecting. There were instances that were deep and poignant, followed by what felt like a surface level YA novel. This one was not for me.

I feel like I‘ve been reading this book for so long! Life has been busy. I was hoping to wrap this one up today during my lunch break, but then we had to shelter in place due to a tornado warning. Let‘s try this again.

Hmm, I enjoyed this one in the beginning, but it felt like it wasn‘t going anywhere for a long time. Piglet is a successful book editor that has just bought her first home with her finance. Her fiancé later reveals a secret that derails their perfect life.I enjoyed all the talk of food, but the story fell flat at the end.

Okay, I somewhat enjoyed this one. The stories were creepy, but a little far fetched. It felt like a giant riddle which I wasn‘t too crazy about. The ending felt like too many explanations

From what I got, Emira is a babysitter and is enamored with the toddler she works with, but feels uncomfortable around her employer (mother of said toddler), Alix. One night, while babysitting, she gets accused of kidnapping her because she is black and the toddler is white. This opens up a conversation of stereotypes, microaggressions, and prejudice, and fetishization.

The first half was hard to get through. There wasn‘t too much going on, and everything had to be figured out with little to no context. Once the story started picking up (and by that I mean the characters started interacting) I began to enjoy it more. It‘s a very short story, so I wish it would have moved quicker and had more of a developed back story. It was a bit predictable, but otherwise still enjoyed the ending.

Interesting book of living a life vicariously after a sibling‘s death. This exploration of feelings & reflections is taken even further when adding thoughts/ideas only related to the color white. Loved it‘s uniqueness.

Okay, picked this one back up after abandoning it twice! As the story got more interesting, you figure out why Joan is as unlikable as she is. I don‘t know if the reader is supposed to be sympathetic, but I did not feel anything along those lines. Also, this novel is classified as a thriller, but I did not feel like it was at all. This was just a story of a little girl that was traumatized at an early age that should have seeked therapy/treatment.

Loved the idea of this book, but didn‘t pull me in as much as I had hoped. Reminded me of The Bell Jar in some ways. A woman‘s story of losing her grip on reality.

Loved it! Have always been a fan of the movie, and had no idea the author of the book also wrote the screenplay. The book dives deeper into the psychiatry of possible conditions ailing Regan, and then proof/evidence to be granted an exorcism. As the book went on, it was more thrilling and “unputdownable” 😅 Kinderman (the detective) was far more annoying in the book, and father Merrin had thoughtful insights as to why people experience exorcisms.

I tried reading this book TWICE. I made it to page 76 this time, but the writing is messy and sidetracks every other page. Nothing really interesting has happened, and all the characters are weird and not in an appealing way. Couldn‘t connect to anything.

A teenager from Hanoi, Vietnam studies abroad to escape her relationship with her mother. The story takes place while she‘s in college in North Carolina. She‘s in a funk and depressed and deals with her feelings through napping. I liked this novel a lot more than expected. It‘s a short and fast read. There were a handful of typos throughout the book, but didn‘t take away from the reading experience. Wasn‘t crazy about the ending.

Really difficult subject matter, but I enjoyed the writing so much. Vanessa gets tangled up in a relationship with her much older professor. This story was devastating but important to understand. Some chapters were very sexually explicit and the age gap between Vanessa and Strane (15 and 42) make it even more uncomfortable. Still incredibly thought provoking. Gives insight to psychological warfare victims experience.

Hmm 🤔 wasn‘t a fan of this one. Ji-Won is an 18 year old college student struggling through lost friendships, her parents divorce, and her mother‘s new, creepy bf. She feels responsible for protecting her mother and younger sister all while her mental health is deteriorating. The chapters were extremely short and i really didn‘t like any of the characters. There was a lot (towards the end) that was questionable. First half was extremely slow.

This story is about an unbreakable friendship that stands the test of time through several decades. Marjan Kamali does a beautiful job highlighting the history and women‘s activism in Iran while simultaneously linking it to the political unrest still happening. Much like The Stationary Shop, this book will also have you salivating over the delicious Iranian dishes described throughout the chapters. Loved it to pieces.

Able God is our MC. He is struggling to succeed within his family and society. He‘s working a menial job at hotel where he meets a sex worker by the name of Akudo. Fascinated by her, he gets involved with her without giving it a second thought. Unspeakable things happen, and he has no other option but to flee his country. This novel takes you through the vicious migration through Africa and across the Mediterranean Sea in hopes of a better life.

This was a story collection from Ruben Reyes Jr 😊 many of the stories have themes of immigration, family separation, and queerness. Loved the approach of magic realism/sci-fi for such serious themes. Really loved this one, and can honestly say I enjoyed every single story.

Happy Holidays to everyone out there in Litsy World. Hope you all get to spend quality time with the people you love the most. I just had dinner with my family, ate a slice of cake, and am settling down on the couch with a book! Hope you all have a lovely night.

Okay, I LOVED this book. I initially bought it because it‘s an interesting concept. Romeo and Juliet aren‘t really dead?!?! Whaaa?!? It had all the elements I love in a story. Sarcasm, badass female protagonist, mystery, and a teeny tiny bit of gore. I found myself reading it slowly because I never wanted it to end. I can‘t wait for the follow up novel (it won‘t come out til June 😭). It was a fun read!

Thoroughly enjoyed this.

Another great read. Heavy on Civil Rights and the resilience of black people through everything they‘ve been forced to endure. Also major on Christianity and the affect it‘s had on society and it‘s racial bias- along with heavily rethinking the way America was built.

Great graphic novel about a young boy named Ebo, looking for his older brother Kwame, as he makes the treacherous journey from Ghana to Italy.

James Baldwin writes about his early childhood, involvement and work during the civil rights movement, his time in Paris, relationships with MLK, Malcom X, Huey Newton (and several others), the inequality in the social justice system, AND SO MUCH MORE. Definitely a must read for anyone and everyone. He wrote this over 50 years ago, and not much has changed.

This was a nice but odd little read... Nothing was in chronological order, and a lot of characters were introduced for such a short novel, but it was still very pleasant. A tiny close knit community in a small Armenian mountain village go through ups and downs and lean on each other for the good and bad. I feel like I can‘t explain much more without giving too much 🥲😂

A story of a thirteen year old boy that gets bullied at school and develops an eating disorder. It becomes so severe he gets sent to an inpatient facility . He struggles with opening up to his doctors & peers, trying different foods ,and dealing with his beloved but sick grandmother.

Such a great book! A story that follows 5 survivors of Indian residential schools. I was tearing up so much as their individual stories unraveled. Such a dark part of history.

Really LOVED this novel more than expected. Although it was absolutely gruesome, it was crafted so beautifully it was easy to read. Usually with crime/mystery/horror genres, it often feels like the author adds so many twists and turns that it‘s almost overwhelming and takes away from the writing. This novel was so fluid and well thought out, but still managed to keep me on my toes. I have to say, i think it‘s my favorite Japanese novel 😱

Beautiful yet devastating story of solidarity within a reservation in northern Minnesota. Quill is a courageous wife, mother, friend, and woman. As she‘s out one day on her daily run, she hears a bone chilling scream from a nearby woman. This is a heavy story that focuses on missing and murdered indigenous women. Quill is tired of her community constantly being under attack of heinous crimes, and will stop at nothing to get to the truth.

This was my first James Baldwin book, and I haven‘t been able to stop thinking about it. It was complex and poignant. I hung on to every word.

From my goodreads!

This book was entertaining, I‘ll give it that. I‘m not really into romance, but I just felt the urge to read something out of my norm. Anyway, the story was extremely predictable, but it still had me laughing here and there. The further the story went on the more I disliked Emma, but still hoped she would grow on me. I‘m not really sure what to expect from this genre, but it just seemed overly cheesy for my taste.

Was duped by Junji Ito‘s artwork! I was drawn to the graphics immediately, but read 3 stories and had to bail. They all kind of ended the same… “and then she was alright.” Or “ The girl never appeared again.” There was no explanation or substance to the few stories I read. The blurb said these were based off true stories, but they lacked any details. It felt like something I would make up on the spot to scare a group of kids around a bonfire 😭

This book was almost 900 pages, but quite frankly I couldn‘t put it down. The story is that of 3 generations and the hardships, secrets, and love they share. There was a morbid touch to the novel (with it‘s medical aspects), but that part of it really had me hooked. Loved all the women and their tenacious personalities.

I‘ve been actively walking during my lunch breaks, when I get home, and on the weekends. I do about 6-7 miles a day. I find this paragraph to be very true .. I‘m a native Californian and moved to Minnesota 6 years ago. When I walk in the winter I feel more invigorated than any other time of the year! I also feel I do better at work (focused more), and can accomplish more. I‘m almost 40 and feel like this is the most energized I‘ve ever been.

First book I‘ve read that takes place in Nigeria (I think 🤔). Great storytelling, and loved the historical facts sprinkled throughout the novel. Adunni is a 14 year old girl from the village of Ikati. Her mother unexpectedly passes, and her life starts to spiral in the darkest of ways. This story is about this girl‘s love for her mother, her education, and hope for her future.

This book has 147 pages. I read 50 and bailed because I couldn‘t imagine it getting better, and I could not get into it whatsoever. I loved the novel that came before, so I was excited to continue where the story left off.. but it ended up being a dud for me.

This book has so many interesting themes and ideas. For the most part it was pretty easy to follow considering all the different centuries, countries, and colonies. Thoroughly was engaged with all the characters, and curious to reread it as I know how it ends, and would love to analyze the subtle hints for first time readers.

This short novel is a different take on Frankenstein. Agnes Tulloch is a housewife with four children living on a small island off Scotland. Not much happens on this reclusive island until a foreigner comes and rents a croft for his scientific work. This book made me laugh and tear up. I was literally giggling the first quarter and getting glassy eyed by the end.. was very much repulsed as well (which you would expect from this classic horror).

Okay, I really enjoyed this novel! Loretta, a 50‘s housewife who pretty much has little freedom due to a religious and overbearing husband starts to experience paranormal gifts. Her husband suspects she‘s been possessed by the Devil. The story itself was pretty predictable, but I didn‘t mind because I enjoyed several of the characters and the writing was great! There are very graphic themes, but is also very empowering and kept me hooked 😁

Great collection of short stories. One of my favorite books read this year.