Eleven Hours | 
pickA life-affirming character-based novel about Lore, a pregnant woman who has been living alone, and Franckline, the pregnant Haitian nurse who is assigned to care for Lore when she arrives at a NYC hospital in labour. The pacing is good, with just enough urgency to keep it compelling without feeling overwrought. Peripheral characters add richness & depth, widening the scope beyond the 11-hour time frame. #Audiobook narrated by Cassandra Campbell.
I can already tell that this isn‘t a novel I would recommend to someone who doesn‘t like reading about childbirth. (I‘m looking at you, Jenny @ReadingEnvy .) Looks like what I‘ve got ahead of me in this audiobook is eleven hours of labour (condensed into a 5-hour novel). Meanwhile, I‘m knitting as I listen.
I lost the #fight again. Went to the library for ONE book-the tagged book-but came out with all of these. I guess it‘s ok since they‘re not all for me. . . 😂😊🤓
pickNow if you're pregnant (especially w your 1st), don't read this. And as someone who's already had two, it was still a very emotional read. Lore arrives at the hospital, all alone, feeling like she's going to give birth at any second but she's just 3cm along. Her nurse Franckline is herself pregnant, something she wasn't expecting and something she worries about. Such lyrical writing as we follow these 2 women through labor, through their past
The 4yo is staying home today as he has an upset stomach. So while he's watching Toy Story, I'm trying to finish this book and I've got some rice porridge simmering away for lunch (I'll add fish later).
Today's swim class read
My life involves a lot of waiting around for kids' things to happen and books help take me away for a bit. In this case into a hospital room where a young woman is in labour.
Picked up some books for myself this week!
Of course I had just this morning borrowed plenty of ebooks but who's counting
Have you guys heard of Postepic? It's an app that lets you take a picture of a book quote and then it'll turn it into text that you can edit and then you pick a background and turn it into a fun photo! Kinda fun if you don't want to type or write out quotes you like or have a bunch of photos of quotes on your phones. Just found it! No endorsement from them, just sharing :)
pickThis is a short read that I ended up liking in the end. At first I was a little bored, but soon I was thinking, "ooh, who is this mysterious woman?"
I really enjoyed it once the back story drama got going and then before I knew it the L&D drama got going!
If you're pregnant, do yourself a favor and hold off on this one for a while
pickThat's my baby bump. I can't take a picture of the book, as it's the middle of the night, so this is the only picture I had on my phone that would work for this book.
So good. So riveting and also unsettling, this book. Even though I read reviews that warned against reading Eleven Hours if you're currently pregnant, I feel good about my choice to read it anyway. It wasn't TOO intense. The tone is melancholic and yet hopeful, an absorbing read.
So, I'm pregnant and not taking others' advice and going to read this anyway. Hopefully I don't regret this decision! 🤞🏻
The ebook is already on my phone and so far so good!
My current bingo stats. Trying to catch up with my challenges. This month is a whirlwind with the #24in48 readathon. #lrc #LitsyReadingChallenge
Today's #bookmail!! The top two are for the #LitsyReadingChallenge! #indiepublisher #startswithZ #LRC20 #LRC4
pickI read this in one sitting. A beautifully raw story centered around a woman in labor and the nurse who tends to her. I thought I could handle the subject matter despite being pregnant myself, as this is not my first child but I was mistaken. The medicine is very accurate and Erens made me feel like I was in the delivery room. This is a 100% recommend, but hold off if you're pregnant. 🙃
pickWhoa. And I mean whoa. I don't think this is a great book if you are pregnant. But for those of us who have gone through it and are done or are choosing not to go there, give it a go. This was all it was hyped up to be and more. I LOVED how the two women's stories bumped up to each other. I could go on but my greatest endorsement is this: it's been months since I've read the book and can recall the plot, the characters, and all the feels.
"No, the girl says, she will not wear the fetal monitoring belt. The birth plan says no to fetal monitoring."
Those are the first sentences of ELEVEN HOURS--which we're thrilled is an NPR Best Book and one of the New Yorker's "Books We Loved in 2016."
pickFigures that this would be my first book back after having the baby! I love the way Erens weaves this story together. Intense and captivating!
pickWow! I meant to take a short break to read some of this but I couldn't stop and now I'm a blubbering mess. So good!
Book 2 for #Deweysreadathon I haven't actually been able to read more than usual. Oh well, that's life with a baby. It's been fun seeing everyone else's posts though!
A little late for #septemberphotochallenge day 1, but here was my August list (top row) and my fave of the month! 💜💜💜
A milestone hit! Thanks, Litsy family, for being the amazing, kind, and supportive people that you are! This is my happy internet place and it makes me smile every day! Read on, explorers! ❤️🍊💛💚💙💜💗
pickPhoto cred: nephcure.org (via Google search)
This book is a beautifully written story about a woman as she undergoes the final stage of her pregnancy - labor. I started this while on my OB rotation, working mostly on the labor and delivery floor, and I was impressed by the accuracy of the medicine here. I really enjoyed this and it gave me a small measure of understanding for what my patients are experiencing. 💙💙💙
I'm not going to be able to stop thinking about this as I'm on call for Labor and Delivery tonight. I may not know from personal experience what labor feels like, but I have been experiencing it vicariously all month and this just makes me giggle 😂 I hope this is what goes through everyone's head during the event.
pickBeautifully written. Shows two sides of birthing. The mothers and the nurses, with both point of views. I only wish this book was longer and told me more of the people's stories. Didn't get enough of the book, literally.
Not even to the first page and I already feel wonderful about this book! #wereinthistogether #womenarepowerful
pickWhat an incredible book about relationships. The whole thing takes place during a delivery, but stories are told about Lore (our preg. protagonist) and her heartbreaking relationships and her nurse Franckline who is hiding her pregnancy and her relationships. I love @Tin_House
TBR stack ALL inspired by you fine new friends at Litsy. Started Eleven Hours this morning and wow. Wowowow
Literary nutrition at the the Tin House Summer Workshop, which is in full swing! We're over the moon to have these fine authors (and more) on faculty this year.
pickThis book is intense & visceral and lovely. It is more than a must read & certainly an emotional read. I was caught off by the end but loved every moment of this fluid tale. The two protagonists are both inspirational & this is definitely a book that embraces the truth of growing & birthing life.
pickWhat an emotional impact this books makes in just 165 pages. The two leading women in this book are so different, yet in the end they were more similar than you can imagine. I liked how the the characters back story was woven through the book.
Heard a great review on NPR. Hope this short book makes a powerful impact.
pickA pregnant woman mysteriously walks into a hospital, totally alone, awaiting labor. Her Haitian nurse cares for her & both women must come to terms w/their pasts. A visceral, feminist & intimately raw look at motherhood, memory, interconnectedness, independence, & agency over one's life & body. 🏥 #ReadWomen
Beautiful dedication at the beginning of Eleven Hours, a story about two soon-to-be mothers in the midst of labor who must now reconcile their pasts. I love wonderful dedications like these. 🌸 #ReadWomen #BookQuotes #Dedications
Pamela Erens is a national treasure. Every one of her books will break your heart but in the best way possible.
pickOne of my favorite passages. The exploration of friendship between women in this novel is a glorious subplot
Tote bag and book purchases today at the wonderful Laurel Book Store in Oakland. The nicest booksellers I've ever met work here. And it had a play area for my little boy in the children's book area.
An intense pleasure to read. Sharing the characters' intimate longings and fears about becoming a parent,and the painful transition of labor/delivery was a privilege. The change from being a non-parent to being a parent is a radical and dramatic event, impressively depicted in this book. Wonderful.
pickThere's been a bit of a hype surrounding this book because of its portrayal of actual childbirth. I read it into 2 sittings but ended up puzzled by the story's climax and ennui. Also one of the character's backstory was held back and never fully explained. I still recommend it.
Welp. If nothing else, this book makes it impossible to forget the horrors of childbirth.
Book mail is the best mail. I am really curious about reading this one.
Recently acquired books.
