Thanks to all who participated in the poll! We‘ve tallied the votes and our summer reads are all set!

We‘ll read and discuss half of a book each week, starting in June. At the end of the month Camp decides which of the two books we read in that month heads to the end-of-summer finale. There, you‘ll cast a final vote to decide which book will be our #camplitsy summer champion!

We‘ll get back to you with the schedule soon!

At the National Trust second-hand bookshop, Henry found a book that he would like to read… or eat!

This gets mixed reviews on here, but I really liked it. Yes, the characters are all awful, but that‘s the whole point. I could quite easily see how the need to ‘fit in‘ could lead to some of the actions of these girls.

I‘m using this for #darkacademia for #booked2022.

Side-eye from Henry as it‘s raining today, so a day in the campervan reading…. He doesn‘t mind though, as he sits with his face pressed up to the heater!

Do you want to spend the summer discussing amazing books?! Join @Megabooks @BarbaraBB and @squirrelbrain for #camplitsy, a Camp ToB-style summer read along. More info in Google doc.

Everyone is welcome!

There‘s a longlist of books nominated last weekend: https://bit.ly/3w5SSIN

Once you‘ve chosen your top 6 from the longlist, vote here: https://forms.gle/ZTL8pH1rUWB9EvCG7

We look forward to seeing you there! Voting ends, Monday 16th May! 🏕📚

First book of holiday finished! This is definitely more of a psychological thriller than a murder mystery, as the characters‘ slowly start to melt down. They were all very unlikeable, but that‘s what makes the book so good; that you still want to read about horrid people.

I had hoped to use this for #pop22 as well as #authoramonth but, as I suspected, only the very first part is on a train so back to the drawing board for that!

#aam

Not only am I excited to be hosting #CampToB with @BarbaraBB and @Megabooks I‘m also packing for a real life camping trip of my own.

Well, I think that‘s all my packing done, shouldn‘t need anything else! 🤣

Hmmm, maybe hubby and puppy?!

Hi friends, we are excited to announce #CampLitsy, a Camp ToB-style summer read along run by @BarbaraBB @Megabooks and @squirrelbrain

📚🏕
Everyone is welcome to join!

We‘ve made a longlist from last weekend‘s nominees. Link to the list: https://bit.ly/3w5SSIN

Once you‘ve decided on your top 6, we‘ve opened up voting in this Google Doc:
https://forms.gle/ZTL8pH1rUWB9EvCG7

We hope you‘ll join, vote and share! Poll closes on Monday 16th May!

This was a fun listen, even though I could see the plot ‘twists‘ coming a mile off. (Actually there was one I didn‘t see)? It was light and fluffy, great for audio but I think it may have annoyed me a bit had I read the physical book.

I had to fast-forward the sex scenes though as they were just eeewwww!

#pop22
#characterontheacespectrum

This book is Huma‘s story about working with Hillary Clinton for many years, throughout Bill‘s presidency and Hillary‘s presidential campaign. It‘s also about her life with her (ex) husband, Anthony Weiner, who was caught in many sexting scandals.

Huma writes engagingly and honestly and I found the political side just as interesting as her early family life - a fascinating book!

I wanted to read this as it‘s on the Big Jubilee Read list, and will also feature on the new series of Between The Covers on the BBC.

I didn‘t know the story, having never seen the film either. It was simultaneously quite a calming, soporific read, but also very dark and disturbing, if a book can be all of those things at once!

I‘m glad I read it but can‘t say it would ever make my personal ‘best of‘ lists.

I started to read this article but almost gave up when they said ‘keep your TBR pile somewhere you can see it, like your bedside table‘…

Bless them, they have no clue what a *real* TBR pile is, do they?! The naivety! 🤣

And then to suggest we stop buying books…. Well! 🤦‍♀️

https://www.penguin.co.uk/articles/2020/october/How-to-tackle-your-to-be-read-pi...

So…this is exciting! 😆

Loved, loved, loved these short stories - thanks for sending it to me for Christmas @BarbaraBB ! ?

It‘s difficult to pick a favourite but I think I liked ‘Peach Cobbler‘.

It must be only just be being published or (re-published) in the UK as it was reviewed in The Times last weekend - they loved it too!

I ❤️ the original cover, but the new one is fun too - perhaps a bit suggestive / risqué?! ?

I read this in advance of our #gladstonerds #bookclub read of Sea of Tranquility. It was a good pick, but nothing like as good as Station Eleven.

When it first came out I read reviews that said the Ponzi scheme storyline was rather impenetrable but I didn‘t find that at all. It was more the characters; they were all unlikeable, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but there was no real back story to make you care about them.

#camptob2022 #summercampsuggestions2022

So difficult to choose, as many of the ‘best of‘ lists only include well-known authors. Instead, I looked on #netgalley, which wasn‘t good for my TBRor my %!

I already have the Straub on #netgalley and the Kukafka has been on my radar for a while, and is also on Barbara‘s list. The others were all influenced by #covercrush and there is a bit of a theme of dysfunctional families…. Must be my thing! 🤣

??????????

I think I need a Penguin bookshelf…!

But maybe not for 6c0.

https://www.penguin.co.uk/articles/children/2022/apr/penguin-bookshelf-history-1...

I love the way that Lahiri explores the ‘everyday‘, the mundane, the minutiae of life.

We meet the protagonist, named Gogol almost by mistake, as he is born and follow him through to his married life, getting to know his friends, family and lovers along the way.

I think I liked this one more than Whereabouts so thank you for recommending it @JillR

I listened to this on audio and at first I loved it; it was funny and sarcastic, and really quite clever. After a while, though, things started to grate on me; typical YA angst, but with added magic. So instead of who is friends with who, it was about who was in which magic enclave, repeated ad infinitum.

Still a pick though, but not sure I‘ll read any more by this author, even though she‘s the #aam later in the year.

#pop22 #abookaboutwitches

Lovely article from today‘s Observer newspaper… full article here. ⬇️

https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2022/may/01/shakespeares-tragic-twins-memori...

#weeklyforecast

Suddenly things have got rather busy on the book front! I‘m already reading The Namesake and the Prince Philip book; both are great. Just started The Love Hypothesis on audio this morning, for #pop22.

My library has just changed from Libby to BorrowBox and has pushed both my Abedin and Guncle holds at me this morning; there doesn‘t appear to be a postpone option like on Libby?

The Glass Hotel is a #buddyread starting today.

This book is told in 4 parts, bringing together a tiger with three different humans. I felt that the first part was the strongest though, which was a little disappointing when it changed to a new perspective.

Still a fascinating, unusual read though, and much better than I expected from the blurb.

CW for animals in zoos and some hunting.

Cindy, would you like me to send this to you?

#pop22 #tigerinthetitle

#netgalley #arc

Publication date 5/5 (UK)

I decided to start this last night, after you mentioned it, Emma @Oryx and I couldn‘t put it down, so finished it already!

This was my first book by this author so can‘t compare it to her others, but this was certainly compelling and suspenseful; I felt almost breathless at times.

Sam is a wellness guru who posts about a teenage relationship, that the other person remembers differently. ⬇️

Oops - forgot to include this on my #bookreport. I only finished it last night so maybe that shows how memorable it was. 😬 Actually, I quite liked it. Never having read this author before I was unsure what to expect. It started off quite fluffy and then turned very dark, very quickly. (TW - child cruelty)

I don‘t do social media so no TikTok but the author‘s name appeared when I did a search so I‘m using this for #pop22 #abooktokrecommendation

#bookreport

These are in order of enjoyment. Loved Dear Reader, and surprisingly enjoyed the Boyne after a slow start. Memorial Drive was though but a fascinating read, and Herland was OK.

The Novik is my only ongoing book at the moment,on audio.

One very tired puppy!

As for the book…I thought I might have to bail in the first 20% or so; just didn‘t want to pick it up. Then it suddenly grabbed me and I couldn‘t put it down! I‘m in awe that Boyne could come up with such an unusual structure.

I can see why some don‘t like it though, as it‘s definitely not the usual tear-jerking Boyne book.

Thanks for sending me this last year Katie! @youneverarrived

#authoramonth #aam

A soft pick for me. I find it amazing that this book was written over 100 years ago but, while some ideas are revolutionary, other themes are troubling; very much of their time.

I found it a little dry in places and the sudden ending was a let down but I‘m still glad I read it, hence the soft pick.

#pop22
#aboutorsetinanonpatriarchalsociety

Here are my picks for the #womensprize shortlist, in (approx) favourite order, from S&B to Salt Lick.

Whilst I loved Flamingo I‘m just not sure it‘s different / challenging enough to make the shortlist, so I‘m replacing that with the Kupersmith, which certainly was a challenge!

I was surprised how much I enjoyed all of the books (with the exception of Creatures of Passage, which was a bail) as initially I wasn‘t overly inspired by the list.

Soon we‘ll be celebrating all of these lovely Littens born in May!

If you‘d like to get some #birthdaylove and fairy dust from the #BirthdayFairies sprinkled over your special day, send your birthday and Litsy handle to litsybirthdays@gmail.com. Please remember you can only sign up for yourself.

🥳❤️🥳❤️🥳❤️🥳❤️🥳❤️🥳❤️🥳❤️🥳❤️🥳❤️🥳❤️🥳❤️🥳❤️🥳❤️🥳❤️

Another book from the #womensprize long list that I probably wouldn‘t have read otherwise, but I‘m glad I did as it turned out to be one of my favourites.

Greta‘s husband is a senior officer at Buchenwald in WWII so the family live just outside the camp. Greta becomes ill and one of the prisoners is called upon to treat her with an unusual machine he had invented.

Told from 4 different POV, this is an interesting and unusual perspective of WWII

Oh, I just adored this book! The author is only a few months older than me, and grew up reading EXACTLY the same books as me. (Malory Towers, Chalet School, then onto Agatha Christie, Catherine Cookson and, of course, Riders! ☺️)

Like her, I don‘t recall learning to read; it was just always there. And like her I have the Yorkshire pronunciation of glass and bath. It‘s not spelt barth is it?!

⬇️

#weeklyforecast

Started the Novik on audio this morning while batch-cooking a spaghetti bolognaise. It‘s for the witches prompt for #pop22and isn‘t my usual thing but I‘m loving it so far.

The other three are all to start. The Boyne is for #aam, and Dance Prone is for another #pop22 prompt ( about a band). Dear Reader sounds like a good book to read in the sunshine this afternoon!

Hope everyone has a good week!

#bookreport

Loved all my finished books this week, with the exception of Ariadne, which was just OK. 😬

Remote Sympathy is the only ongoing book at the moment (only reading one book?! - better remedy that ASAP!) and I‘m also loving that. I‘m sure it will make my shortlist for the #womensprize, unless anything drastically changes, as I‘ve nearly finished it.

This was a truly shocking book, and I‘m embarrassed at my naivety at the situation for women in Saudi Arabia. Sure, I knew that they were considered second class citizens, had to cover up, weren‘t allowed to go out unaccompanied etc etc but I had no idea it was this bad.

You may recall Rahaf‘s story from early 2019 when she was detained in Bangkok when trying to flee SA and her plight made headlines around the world.

This book made me angry,⬇️

Wow, wow, wow! Just inhaled this book in about 2 hours. It‘s up there on a par with Dying Truth (Book 8) which has always been my favourite of the series.

In this book, Detective Kim Stone is called to a suspected murder-suicide, where a whole family has died. At the same time she faces a deathly threat from a terrifying figure from her past. (Me, trying desperately not to be all spoilery! )

Just read it! (Published 12th May)

#netgalley

Went to Waterstones earlier to pick up my signed copy of Young Mungo, and Henry came too! He behaved himself very well…

I ordered the book a few weeks ago and it was only when I got 2 dispatch emails from Waterstones that I realised I had also ordered a copy way back in July last year, when it was first announced. 🤦‍♀️

This is a soft pick for me; I liked it but it didn‘t wow me. Like you Caroline, I think there have been a few too many mythology retellings recently and this one does suffer from (my) comparisons with Madeline Miller and Pat Barker.

This one tells the women‘s perspective on the more famous stories of the Minotaur, Icarus (in passing) and Dionysus. It just felt a little bit simplistic and almost YA.

#booked2022 #mythologyretelling

Took some books back to the library and *fully intended* to come away with nothing, due to groaning TBR shelves at home…. and all of these are #blameitonlitsy!

The Glass Hotel was discussed by @Megabooks and @Cinfhen , amongst other Littens, in reviews of the author‘s latest.

Thanks to @JillR for the Lahiri recommendation.

The Highsmith is for next month‘s #authoramonth @Soubhiville and Dear Reader is ‘just because‘!

What a weird, dark, unsettling, sinister novel but I liked it. this is Yanagihara‘s debut but you can already see the style, complexity and themes of her 2 later books.

There is an intricate structure; this time, the book is like a scientific article, with footnotes by someone else and there are the themes of power, sex and control.

I‘m going to say something scandalous… I think I liked this more than To Paradise! 😱

Very strong TW though ⬇️

Yay - I finally got an Angela Marsons on #netgalley! This must be the 4th or 5th I‘ve applied for, but no luck until now…

Thanks for the prompt @Tove_Reads - have you started it yet? Not that long for you to wait either! @TrishB

Interesting interview with Emily St John Mandel in today‘s Guardian newspaper. I really need to read The Glass Hotel so that I can then read her latest when it comes out in the UK.

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/apr/09/emily-st-john-mandel-readers-have-...

@Cinfhen @Megabooks @Oryx - thought you might like this!

#bookreport

I finished 4 really good books this week. My favourite was probably The Bread the Devil Knead, even though it was a tough read.

The Yanagihara is really enjoyable so far (about a third), and only just started Ariadne last night. Hardly any time for #audiowalking this week so not much further on through Rebel, but I‘m learning some shocking things about the treatment of women in Saudi Arabia.

This was a wild read, and I didn‘t understand some of it (probably my fault for being a speed-reader) but I still enjoyed it for the most part.

It‘s a strange mix of mystery, fantasy and horror that jumps around in time, and to many different locations, including a zoo, the jungle, a language school and a nightclub. Whilst it‘s not one of my favourite reads from the #womensprize long list, I can see it making the shortlist.

https://www.penguin.co.uk/series/litlcloth/little-clothbound-classics.html

Just spotted on Penguin‘s LinkedIn page - new ‘Little Clothbound Classics‘.

12 to be published this August, total collection will be 48 books…. 😋

Finished this book last week but knew I was visiting Harewood today with a friend so thought I‘d wait to get some pictures. The author, and owner, of Harewood House in Yorkshire had long had a fascination with Buddhism when, in 2004, he invited a group of Bhutanese monks to build a stupa in the grounds of the House.

Probably more fascinating for me as I worked at an office on the estate at the time and recall seeing the monks ⬇️

A fascinating account of the author‘s time on a somewhat barren Greek Island in the 1950s. It‘s just the kind of memoir I like, with lots of detail about people, places and the seeming mundanities of daily life.

This first book doesn‘t include their life with Leonard Cohen et al, which is in Peel Me a Lotus. Nevertheless I‘m really looking forward to seeing how the novel A Theatre for Dreamers compares in our #buddyread @CarolynM

Look at this lovely tea-towel I just received from #penguinrandomhouse and #waterstones for reviewing the tagged book.

The book is published today (in the UK - it‘s already a BOTM in the US) and is definitely worth a read…one of my favourites this year!

#weeklyforecast

I‘m listening to Rebel on audio, fascinating so far. I‘ve just started Build Your House ( from the #womensprize long list) and Mermaid Singing. (I decided to read this first before our #buddyread @CarolynM to get an idea of the background).

Haven‘t started the Yanagihara yet and thought it looked like a smaller book than her other two but the writing is *tiny*….!

Hope everyone has a good week!

In this #womensprize nominated book, Trinidadian Alethea is about to turn 40 and is in an abusive relationship with her boyfriend.

The author doesn‘t flinch away from brutality (the book also includes rape and child abuse) but it is beautifully written and there is hope there too, but please heed the TWs before reading. 🙁

Written in Trinidadian dialect, I would have liked to listen to this but I couldn‘t find it on audio.

#bookreport

Loved The Exhibitionist but Will is just an all-round disappointment, isn‘t he?!

Couldn‘t get into Creatures of Passage at all, so bailed.

All my ongoing books are great, but couldn‘t me more different! The Bread the Devil Knead is on the #womensprize long list, I saw a review of Rebel in the paper and the stupa is at Harewood House not far from me at all.

Totally stealing Cindy‘s layout idea for #pop22. And hi 👋, yes, I wasn‘t going to do it this year but here I am! When I looked I‘d already done 19 of the prompts (with a bit of jiggling around) so though I‘d join in.

I have ideas for most of the rest but struggling on some….there seems to be several SF and fantasy prompts, which aren‘t genres that I love.

Looking forward to the rest of the year though! 😁