The Salt Line | 
pickThis was a pretty good dystopian tale. I was surprised how political it got, I was expecting a little more horror. Not that the idea of an extreme pandemic of ticks isn‘t scary enough, it definitely gives me the heeby-jeebies!
Still, if you like dystopian political stories and can stomach creepy crawlies, this was a good read!
It's Monday, which means its time for another #makeithappenmonday where we offer book recs for reading challenges. Today Haley is recommending a handful of of books for the #popsugarreadingchallenge2020
Check out her picks and let us know yours in the comments.
https://stuckinthestacks.com/2020/04/06/make-it-happen-monday-popsugar-2020-reco...
#bookrecommendations #readingchallenges #bookishalgor
pickAmazing! The world is divided into walled zones after a tick infestation and the wealthy live dangerously through excursions past the Salt Line, which is a chemically treated expanse beyond the zones. One particular trip goes awry and you see best and worst of human nature and the complexities that drive it. I didn't know what to expect with this but sometimes you take the plunge and it's all worth it!
Less than 15 minutes in and I've gagged twice... LOL, this will be interesting!!! Anyone who's had a tick pulled out of their skin should think twice about this book. 😖 I even had Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever as a kid so I am understandably skeeved handed a world where ticks are the enemy!!!
pickAmerica has been divided by a killer tick infestation. Rich people live tick free behind the salt line and spend huge amounts of money to vacation on the infested side. Of course things go wrong! I really enjoyed this one! Though the ticks brought on some body horror, it wasn‘t over done. Great suspense/creepy read.
pickMY RATING⇢ 4 STARS | GRADE B+
FEATURING⇢
Apocalypse/Dystopian
Character Driven
Burrowing Ticks W/ A Killer Virus
Light Horror
Suspense Thriller
Survival
See my review here: https://leahsbookishobsession2.blogspot.com/2019/10/the-salt-line-by-holly-godda...
This summer I‘m hosting a Speculative Fiction book club. Our first read was The Salt Line, a literary, dystopian future, suspenseful thriller not quite like anything else I‘ve read. The characters are vivid and true. Even the “villains” are well-rounded enough that they feel real: they love their children and that makes them empathetic even while their actions are despicable.
For more info on our summer book club reads, visit www.thebookloft.com
pickThis one was super fun. Good little dystopian tale that still felt fresh (even though I seem to read this genre a whole lot.)
#OctoberPutASpellOnYou @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @vkois88
Has anyone read The Salt Line? Thoughts?
so-soI love the idea of people needing, so much, to be back in the wilds that they will pay and risk everything. However - the story never really materialised. There are lots of flashbacks to go deeper into each characters motivations. but this really effects the pace and thread of the story being told. There's a array of characters - none really to champion or deeply care for. So whilst I loved the idea - I didn't become invested in how it played out.
Love it! I‘m reading this dystopian novel and two of the characters have rediscovered books! Jane Austen‘s Persuasion has survived the apocalypse and copies circulate in a small off grid community! #booksinbooks
Enjoying a #staycation this week. Waking each morning & making a decision about the days plan. I‘m usually super planned - so this feels lovely / freaky! Today was a ‘don‘t move much, read & snack on mint Oreos‘ kind of a day! How was your day?
Early morning - great first chapter ... I‘ve got high hopes for this dystopian, near future, ‘Station Eleven‘ like book!
The joy of bookshop browsing - you find an unexpected gem and all of a sudden you‘ve made a purchase! Looks good and the blurb compares it to Station Eleven - so it was a no brainer!
pick#2018Book63
This novel is set in a futuristic dystopia where your options are to live "in-zone" where life is perfect (if you're rich), or to live outside the Salt Line where you're likely to die from a disease spread through the ticks that are impossible to avoid. Those who are willing to pay for the trip can venture past the Salt Line for a guided adventure. But what happens when things don't go as planned and the adventure takes a dark turn?
pickThis was a solid #borrownotbuy pick for me. In the future there are killer ticks outside the salt line. Most of the people live within the safe areas but people looking for adventure can “tour” the areas that are considered unsafe, for a hefty price. This is the story of one of the tours that goes horribly wrong. Lots of background on the characters and a little slow at times BUT I did keep thinking about the story when I wasn‘t reading it.
Also just started and am #currentlyreading I was in the mood for some dystopia! 😎
#4MoreDaysUntilSpringBreak #ICanDoIt
“There was no way to know what would happen tomorrow, where she‘d finish the day, how much living she had left to do. But she‘d like, if possible, to finish ‘Persuasion‘ before her time was up.”
A wildly original dystopian nightmare of a book. But beautifully written with true depth of character and emotion.
pickI enjoyed the heck out of this novel. It surprised me—in a good way—by subverting any expectations I had about a post-apocalyptic survival narrative. The characters aren‘t particularly original, per se, but I thought they were wonderfully rendered, and I cared deeply about them and what they were going through. Jones is a great writer: the plot is riveting, and the pacing zips at a great clip. Definitely recommended.
Tfw a book on the unclaimed ARC shelf in the Bookshop break room grabs your eye and hooks you from the first line even while you're already reading two other books... Already digging this one. Solid characterization from the get-go and I love me some post-apocalyptic fiction.
so-soI liked this book. I‘m glad I read it, but it wasn‘t what I was expecting. From the jacket, I thought it was going to be a plot-driven novel full of survival and grit. It wasn‘t. In fact, it wasn‘t even the ticks the characters had to worry about – it was other humans. What?? The female characters were strong, but needed more development . The book has a TON of potential, but it‘s just not developed well enough. It left me wanting more.
Today's reading.
71% excited. 29% percent disappointed that it's not slugs and a literal salt line.
pickI wrote about some sci-fi mysteries for the LA Times! http://www.latimes.com/books/jacketcopy/la-ca-jc-science-fiction-20170921-story....
pickLuckily the descriptions of infected tick nastiness were kept to a minimum! This is definitely character driven, there's strong tension in that you hope there's NO action because action means gross things. I disagree w/the "adrenaline junkies" description, it's more that everyone is bringing secrets and hidden motivations on the trip outside the safe zone. No heroes here, everyone has a least one layer of fault, whether active or passive.
#TBRtemptation post 5! In a dystopian future, America's borders have receded behind a salt line--a ring of scorched earth protecting people from deadly disease-carrying ticks. The only ones who venture out are adrenaline junkies on tours. One group has a pop star, a tech guru, & a housewife. They become part of a murderous plot, held captive in Ruby City, a hardscrabble settlement. How far will they go to get back home? #blameLitsy #blameMrBook 😎
Imma let you kill me, but first I just gotta finish "Persuasion."
If Edie were real, she'd be a Litten.
#currentreads featuring depressing scenery and people with lots of secretive secrets!
pickReasons for it being a pick: ticks! Super topical, I love anything plague related, original concept, great characters.
Reasons for a not completely enthusiastic pick: for me, the motivations of a couple of characters at the end were a bit muddled, not enough tick related misery.
Overall a super fun read, it was engaging, and well though out. I would love another book set in the same environment.
pickImagine a future where a tick infestation has driven humanity to live in a series of safe zones. A group of wealthy individuals take an extreme adventure trip that ends poorly. In chapters written from their viewpoints, the reader comes to learn the motivations of these people. A story involving hostages, drug smuggling & the search for a solution to the bug problem, the novel raises the question of what we are willing to sacrifice for safety.
pickJust finished this and there is action, adventure, kidnapping, and murder. I loved Holly Goddard Jones' first book, and although this is completely different, her writing style shines through and the story is riveting. It's long, but so easy to fly through.
