Love this 💙

#summersantagoespostal
@nelehelen
1. Chips/crisps
2. Earings
3. Sherlock (British)
4. Classic 80‘s films - way too many
5. Yellow
6. Sparkling flavoured water/ chai tea
7. Roller skating EVERYWHERE in Hong Kong listening to Blondie on my Sony Walkman
8. @Crazeedi @LaraReads @Andrew65

1. If it makes me feel something and I‘m still thinking about it days, weeks and months later.
2. Teaspoons
3. Nope, I hate cooking.
4. Not really, poetry hasn‘t really been my thing but I think it is something I should maybe explore more.
5. @MrsMalaprop @Jeg

#Ozfiction
I loved this book. I listened to the first third and read the rest. I was so invested in it that I couldn‘t go to sleep last night until I finished it. Laguna does an amazing job at narrating as a 9 to 14 yr old. This book is devastating and yes I had an ugly cry. I will definitely read her other book ‘The eye of the sheep‘.

Mahatma Gandhi once said that the weak could never forgive. That forgiveness was an attribute of the strong. (pg 301)
This quote sums up the overall theme of this book written by both the rapist and the victim. It is a raw and powerful story which I found very moving and so relevant and so remarkable. Thanks for the recommendation @MrsMalaprop I know this book is going to sit with me for quite a while.

#Ozfiction
‘What have you brought me, Hester? What have you brought me from the shop?‘
‘I‘ve brought Katherine, Father,‘ Miss Harper said. ‘I‘ve brought Katherine, but she‘s for me.‘
This book is a creepy physiological drama. It‘s about an obsessive unconventional relationship between 2 women. The story is quite ambiguous in parts and requires you to decide what‘s real and what‘s insanity.

#24B4Monday
@Andrew65 @TheReadingMermaid Thanks for hosting and the encouragement.
Not a bad effort, I‘m happy with it seeing as I had an action packed weekend.

Wow, wow, wow! This book was so f*•king awesome. My favourite of the year. It‘s a book about depression and anxiety that everyone should read as these conditions touch us all either personally or through someone you know. It is very well written and researched. This book has changed my life and I will re read it every year. This book has made me look at the way I live my life and has filled me with knowledge and hope. Sooooooooo good! 😊

#24B4Monday #PopJarGame

@TheReadingMermaid @Andrew65

So far I have read for 9hrs and 35 minutes and finished reading 2 books.
The tbr ‘jar‘ has spoken and the next book I will start tomorrow is..........
The Well by Elizabeth Jolley #Ozfiction
#LitsyAtoZ book letter ‘J‘
What fun! 😆

A travelling memoir.
What a fantastic philosophy ‘Turn a mishap into an adventure!‘ This was the kind of book that you can read a bit here and read a bit there. Each chapter starts with a postcard that the author has written and mailed to herself describing events or emotions of her travels in Europe. How I wish I could just take a year off and travel like she does.

#LitzyAtoZ letter ‘V‘
Nope, this book just didn‘t do it for me. What a let down. I did like some characters and their stories but not others. This is the second Pulitzer Prize book I‘ve read this year and they have both left me scratching my head. What am I missing?
I have 2 more on my tbr shelf but I am a bit reluctant to pick them up. It‘s strange as I find I generally love the books that win the Man Booker prize.

#ozfiction #LitsyAtoZ #buddyread @Abailliekaras

This book was mad but so refreshing and wonderful. Once I accepted the magic realism, I was hooked! It‘s beautifully written and has made me yearn to revisit Tasmania. It explores family, grief, nature and spirituality. Each chapter is from the perspective of a different character, which works. Some parts of the book are extremely difficult to stomach (animals deaths) but others made me laugh.

#Litsylove
Thankyou, thankyou, thankyou for the birthday wishes and cards! @nelehelen @JoyBlue @Soubhiville @Crazeedi @LokiDokey @litenthusiast @CoffeeNBooks @tracey38 @Slajaunie
Especially the book @LaraReads and bookmarks @Bklover @UwannaPublishme @BookwormAHN
I am writing back as fast as life allows!
❤️💙💜🧡💚💛
@TheBookHippie
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

What if the world were run by women? Another book that totally enthralled me from start to finish. I loved the play on power and gender. It shines a light on so many issues that are relevant today. Powerful, smart, brutal and shocking! I finished this book a few days ago and I am still thinking about it. Always a good thing!

#20thingsaboutme
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

@Jeg @MrsMalaprop I would love to read your list 💛

Well I must have liked this book because I felt for the main character and cared about what she was doing to herself. I found myself yelling at her ‘Nooooooo! Stop!‘ quiet often. This book was a trip and so funny in places, especially the ‘so called‘ psychiatrist who was bat shit crazy! 🤣
It references Whoopi Goldberg a lot and I kept wondering if she has read it.
As my Mum always says “Money doesn‘t make you happy.” I‘m glad it ended with hope.

This book is hilarious one minute, 🤣🤣🤣 The main characters dreams (Pg 60-62) and her conversations with her parents! (Pg 67/68)
And then the next page it‘s so devastatingly sad! 😩😩😩

@MrsMalaprop
@LapReader
#buddyread

Hmmmm, I am a bit miffed about how this book won the Pulitzer Prize last year. I really struggled with the first half and I think I would have bailed except it is my book club book pick. I warmed slightly to the story in the second half especially some of the observations about growing old.
I did like some of the writing though:
‘Bougainvillea bloomed on their porch like a discarded prom dress.‘

It‘s my birthday! 🎂
Thank you all you beautiful people who have sent me cards, I feel very special! Thanks especially to @robinb for the bookmark and @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @TheBookHippie for the book ‘Mexico‘.
I had a lovely time just browsing the shelves of a book store today and I came home with the tagged book, lucky me!❤️
#Litsylove
@whatsthEStorey @throwmeabook @Stacypatrice @Kerrioke @LaurensLibrary @aroc @CoffeeNBooks @Bookwormjillk

Wow! This book blew my mind! It was refreshing to read such an original murder mystery. I both listened and read this book and I loved every minute of it! I was mesmerised from the first page to the last. It‘s definitely one of my favourites for this year. It was just so bloody clever! 🤩

#Fridaynightbookclub is actually #Saturdaymorningbookclub in Australia.
Our book club is meeting tonight so I‘m excited for that as it means a new book to read!
❤️💛💜💙🧡💚

#litsyLove
Thankyou @bookish_wookish for this absolutely gorgeous card! Yellow flowers are my favourite. 💛
You have put a little bit of sunshine in my life.

New book! I think I‘m going to like this one......🤞

It‘s been awhile since a book has made me cry, and I am an ugly crier! Such a powerful book that stays with you. This book rips your heart out of your chest. ❤️
My 15yr old son is reading it for school so I thought I would read it again so he has someone to talk to about it. I can‘t wait to see what he thinks of it.

#LitsyLove
First letters have just gone in the mail! All 4 of them to the USA. Happy birthday March LitsyLove members. 💙💛💜💚
And the package is on its way to @CoffeeNBooks who is my first letter received. 🧡
What fun I am having!!!!!!!❤️

My first #Litsylove letter! Thanks to my beautiful cat Lola for being my model!
I was so excited to find this card in my letterbox. This is such a wonderful idea and I feel so blessed to have found Litsy.
Thanks @CoffeeNBooks for your card, you have truly made my week! 💙💛🧡❤️💚💜 I shall write back tonight! Xxxxxxxxx

This book taught me a lot about Japan and Korea that I didn‘t know. I really enjoyed the first half of the book and the characters but I lost some interest as the book went along. I think a lot of this was because of the straightforward writing style, it annoyed me at times.
#LitsyAtoZ letter ‘P‘

‘I think you have to have faith in people before they earn it. Otherwise it‘s not faith, right?‘
Great book, about a rock band, although I did find the story a bit predictable. I could see in my head the movie of this as I was reading it.
What I loved most were the strong female characters and their relationships and support for each other. 💪🏻💜

This was better than I hoped. It‘s great to finally know the original story.

#Litsylove 🧡💜🖤💛💙💚❤️

1. Reading (duh!), playing board games, theatre/movies, walking
2. Apocalyptic/dystopian, contemporary fiction, memoir,
3. 1 dog, kelpie cross ‘Rocky‘. 2 cats ‘Crookshanks‘ and ‘Lola‘.
4. Yep!
5. Teaspoons, crazy socks (and books 🤣)
6. Nope!

Well what the hell did I just read? I usually love dystopian novels but This book was so vague. It was such hard work. I kept reading always hoping that all the questions would be answered, but when I got to the end I still had no answers. I still don‘t know if the world outside was full of real dangers or if it was all fabricated in their heads! I wish I had read it with other smarter people to explain it to me!

Beautiful spot to sit and read......

Another great passage in this book! I really enjoyed this story and how it has made me feel sad and mad. It is so relevant in so many ways. How women are held accountable for men behaving badly. Jokes that go too far. Aggressive and over the top parents at children‘s sports games. I could go on and on......
Letter ‘B‘ book, #LitsyAtoZ

I‘m really liking this book and this quote.

Well I didn‘t love this book and I didn‘t hate it either. I do appreciate the research that must have gone into it.

I‘ve been a bit naughty.......🤣
New books! ❤️💜🧡💙💚🖤💛

I hated ‘Eat pray love‘ so I‘m giving the author another go. This book came highly recommended by some bookclub members. Fingers crossed I love it!

I didn‘t love this book but didn‘t hate it either and I did read until the end so that I would know what happened. But I just wanted it to end fast so I could move on and start to read something else. The story was ok but I just didn‘t connect with the characters at all, the writer didn‘t develop them enough.
#ozfiction

Another fantastic book I‘ve read this year! It‘s been awhile since a books twist has really surprised me, and there is more than 1! I found myself thinking of this book whilst at work, wanting to be home reading it!
#LitsyAtoZ letter ‘F‘

This is the story of a deeply wounded family of 5 boys. The characters are created beautifully and with such depth, I don‘t want to let them go just yet.
It is a complex story that takes a bit to get into and understand what‘s going on as it jumps around timelines, but it‘s so worth it.
#LitsyAtoZ letter ‘Z‘
#ozfiction
And really who wouldn‘t want a mule for a pet?

Why did I wait so long to read this?
I sobbed like a baby at the end of this book! Such a devastating read but also so uplifting! 💜
I love the empowerment of the women in the story. That they didn‘t give up on themselves or each other and that they were responsible for the change in their lives. I just loved it!!!!! 💜
#LitsyAtoZ letter ‘C‘

Wow! This book was so hard to put down, so basically all day I kept sneaking back to it, abandoning everything else! (Sorry kids!)
I am a sucker for post - apocalyptic fiction and this book didn‘t disappoint! I loved it! ❤️🧡💙💜💛💚
Now I can watch the Netflix film tomorrow and ignore my life some more! 🤣

What an amazing dedication at the start of this book.........

Overall this was a great read but I was hoping it would affect me more deeply than it did. I found the coincidences in the plot annoying but It did make me laugh a lot though. 🤣
#LitsyAtoZ letter ‘H‘

I am soooooo excited to start this brick 🧱!
I have 2 more weeks on holiday so I thought I would read the longest book on my #LitsyAtoZ list: the letter ‘H‘.

I LOVED THIS BOOK! I wish we had books like this when I was a teenager. What makes this book sad is how honest and relatable it is to the injustices going on in many parts of the world today. We need to listen, learn and we need to do better. Such a powerful book 💪🏻

This book was funny, sad, very, very strange but also rather lovely.
I love the basic message: F*•k everyone else and just be true to yourself. The world does not need everyone to be the same!

Finally read this book. It is the first from my #LitsyAtoZ 2019 for the letter ‘i‘. I loved the way it told the story from the viewpoint of the victims, the criminals and the investigators. I have always been fascinated with why people behave a certain way and do the things they do.

Another fantastic book from feminist Clementine Ford.
Quote: ‘Why is the measure of a mans worth meant to be the size of his integrity while the measure of a woman‘s is the size of her waist?‘
Yep, so much to be angry and sad about!

Our latest bookclub pick and What a fantastic story it was!
It got me thinking about all the places this escaped convict ended up and at all times he was shown such kindness and generosity from strangers who knew of his status but were willing to give him a chance because he had done nothing to wrong them. They believed that he deserved a chance to redeem himself and make something of his life. Perhaps we could all learn from this?