I don‘t know if I wanted the author to give me answers (like she herself wants at the start of the book) but I found this unsatisfying. It looks at all sorts of ways that artists are monsters as are we the audience. But in the end it feels a little like she equates child rape to mild neglect as being equally bad…
I wish it had explored the idea more - what our options/approaches might be.

Kuang is absolutely brilliant.

I am so uncomfortable and I keep cringing and want to shout “stop making bad choices!!” even though the inciting incident is stealing her dead acquaintance‘s manuscript so really what do I expect.

Sorry #CampLitsy23 I‘m definitely going to read ahead. I tried to wait!

This story was so brutal. I really had to gear myself up to pick it back up again each time, but wanted to see where the story went. It felt very disjointed at the start with multiple POV, but all wound together by the end. Good metaphor but very violent.

Traveling by myself for the first time in 4 years…🥰

Just started this for #CampLitsy23 and it‘s already coming with the zingers! If you can‘t laugh at this, then you aren‘t parenting right.

Yup, loving this misadventure story

Nominations for #CampLitsy23
Maybe if I get the timing just right I can join 1 or 2 of these this year!

Liked, didn‘t love. On to the next!

To me the perfect balance of smart, thoughtful person does a thing and tells you about it, and memoir/reflection on life, family, the world, etc. With good history bits mixed it. And a good length.

Normally I end a good thriller feeling exhilarated, but I just feel very, very sad. I‘m sure I‘m relating too much to the mum-of-a-new-baby aspect but I‘m excessively sad for Kim.
Whole book a pick for me though! Just need a fluffy thriller to pick me up.

Hold finally came in and it‘s goooood!

Thank you for the lovely cards a Litsy friends!!!
@youneverarrived @RaeLovesToRead @rockpools @squirrelbrain @kaysworld1

Probably my last read of the year. Happy end of reading year to you all!

Travel day(s) completed. Back from the US into a very foggy and atmospheric Leeds. Not as much reading as I would have liked because baby likes to grab wires and kindles. Oh well, one day…

Finally getting to this one, in snatched moments of grandparent-childcare. Not sure what I was expecting, but interesting so far.

Loving this book so much! It gets right to the heart of what it feels like to get interested in vegetable gardening. And the writing is lovely.

My partner just called me from the indie bookshop in our neighborhood to ask if I needed the new Richard Osman book. He was chatting to the owner and was worried they‘d sell out before I got a copy. So sweet 🥰 but I‘m happily waiting on the audio from the library because the audio is sooo good.

Help fellow Littens! I‘m reading this for book club and I really need to know if Poppy dies. If so, I need to be forewarned.

The benefits of waking up early to feed the baby

My Dad and I are having an inadvertent book club at the beach. Every time we talk about what we‘ve read so far we say “me too!!!” It‘s delightful.

It was OK. I flip-flopped between enjoying the ridiculous, exaggerated elements and being annoyed with them. I mostly found the story fun, but then I would get tired of her “sciencey” talk.
Ultimately, I didn‘t really care what happened next. *shrug*

In the US for the first time in years. I‘m loving the heat!

Enjoying this so far. I‘m learning more details of the British in India, which I‘m largely unfamiliar with. I‘m especially enjoying the chapter I‘m reading right now about how the empire has influenced both the number of immigrants to GB from the former empire, but also Britons‘ propensity for travel and living abroad themselves.

Nope! I‘m out!

I can‘t be reading about dying kids right now. I don‘t need to be crying into my breakfast cereal.

I‘ll try to catch #camplitsy later if any of my other holds come in on time.

Starting this for #camplitsy !!!

I‘m terrible at scheduled reading, so we‘ll see how I get on. But if I do manage to read a few of the books this summer it will be great to have folks to discuss them with!

Both kids still asleep!

The tone of this is more fun than I was expecting. Exactly what I need after Sarah Moss.

Soaking up the baby cuddles because one day soon he‘s not going to nap on me anymore.

Sarah Moss as always creates a sense of dread. I‘m enjoying this one and a lot of the commentary on different reactions to the pandemic/lockdowns, but it may be just a bit too soon. I‘m not sure if I might have enjoyed it more with a little more distance.

I liked but didn‘t love this book. I was interested as I read, but there wasn‘t really much of a point.

I loved the setting of this book and would love more books from this author in the publishing world.
For me, the global conspiracy bit didn‘t work. I would rather it had been just Nella competing with Hazel who is potentially malicious.
This is the second book this year that I think is trying to do too much, especially to be thriller-y. I don‘t know if that‘s just me, but I just want more of these characters living their lives not more “plot”.

I really enjoyed that this was a story about women in their thirties with grownup problems, but a close friendship. I also loved learning more about Nigerian culture and food.
I think the manipulative Isobel angle was unnecessary and that believing her over their oldest friends was out of character. Would have much preferred a story about women making bad choices but their solid friendship getting them through.

My partner invented Cafe Puzzles, where our dining table turns into a cafe on Saturday mornings and everyone reads. The toddler loves it. Genius!

I‘m such a sucker for book suggestions from my local bookshop. I‘ve bought half a dozen books after seeing them on their Instagram in the last year. Looking forward to this one!

Really enjoyed this. Nice balance of literary description and thrilling plot. Read in 2 days, which is very rare for me.

Thank you @squirrelbrain !
I‘m going to spend all day debating what to use the notebook for 😂

Celebrating Jolabokaflod. But my father-in-law doesn‘t really understand the silent component of family reading time. 🙄

Finally on holiday! And I have a minute to get on Litsy!
Thank you for the lovely cards @jenniferw88 @kaysworld1 @youneverarrived @Cathythoughts @kathedron @squirrelbrain @TrishB
They brighten up the hall so much!

Bit of family reading time this morning

Thank you for the lovely Christmas cards Emma @Oryx and Rachel @rockpools
First ones to our house and they‘ve really brightened up the hall!

Thank you for the lovely gifts and cards @rockpools @Caroline2 @squirrelbrain and @kaysworld1 !
It‘s especially thoughtful considering how absent I have been from Litsy lately. It‘s wonderful to know that this lovely community is still thriving.
My husband was being sweet and opened all my Amazon stuff so he could hide anything birthday related. Unfortunately that means I have no idea who The Housekeeper is from! Come forward so I can thank you!

I‘m finding the “how to parent without exacerbating gender stereotypes” parts of this book good, but lots of the rest of it is crap. And it‘s not at all trans-inclusive.
I am very good at math! I love math. And spreadsheets. And engineering.
Let‘s bet Dr Spears Brown. I‘ll take all your money!

I read this on my kindle during a lot of insomnia spells.

I generally liked this book, but it ran way too long for me. Between a pick and a so-so.

First physical book I‘ve bought myself all year. So excited to dive in!

Reading Den!!!
All my childhood dreams come true 😁

Really enjoying this so far. Especially at the beach!

A funny foodie cozy mystery.
I liked the characters and LOVED the food. I did, however, find the dialogue stilted and the characters‘ reactions to the murders a bit bizarre. I‘m hoping it‘s just the author finding her stride, because I plan to read the next one!

Probably my favorite book of the year so far.

I really enjoyed this as a slow burn romance between best friends (my favorite kind!) but then in the last 10% it did that stupid thing of creating drama just to have a grand romantic gesture afterward - I really could have done without that. Still lovely though ❤️

Hilarious hijinks, but way too unbelievable!
It was fun, but not a favorite

Went an unexpected direction, although you as the reader know this 50 pages before the main character.
I liked this and some parts were really fun, but I hated the ending.
I wouldn‘t put someone off reading this, but I‘m not sure I‘d recommend it. That said, I had fun.

Also, so sorry I‘ve been MIA. I haven‘t been reading or had a lot of energy for Litsy recently. I do miss you all.