Welcome to Litsy!

This dark listen covers a lot— from the tail end of the whaling era, violent men, the violence of whaling and sealing, plus the harsh conditions of survival in the Arctic Circle. The characters are hard to connect with, but even in their worst moments, still feel authentic. The audio is well-performed and while I never felt eager to keep listening (definitely don‘t eat while listening!!), I was still intrigued to see where it would all go.

#MayMontage
#Water & #Dark

@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs
#spring #readinginspring #water

A tense and fast-paced historical thriller set on a 19th century whaling ship in the Arctic waters. I really liked this novel but also found some parts quite disturbing, so I'm not sure if I'm up to watching the miniseries based on the book.

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks
#192025 #2016 @Librarybelle
#BookCrossing

I finished my spring books for #Booked2022 in June!

▪️About a real royal: Katherine of Aragon
▪️Written by a journalist: The Future is History
▪️Author born in Africa: Who Fears Death
▪️Make my own prompt: Hearts & Farthings
▪️Nautical novel: The North Water
▪️A murder mystery: The Whisper Man

Jesus H. Roosevelt Christ, that was brutal.

Really great writing and an intriguing story, but I am not a squeamish reader and I spent a lot of time reading this book like 😖😟😫

Not a chance I will be watching the adaptation of this one.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I just needed a #NauticalNovel for #Booked2022, and wow.

Brutal, chilling, and thrilling. This icy thriller succeeds largely because of its precise character work, its impressive pacing, and the overall power of its story.

#12Daysof2020 Day 8

This was great, but I don‘t think I can recommend it for everyone. It‘s dark but also quite gruesome. It reminded me of Cormac McCarthy. I tried to interest my husband in it as he likes McCarthy, but he passed after I shared a couple of gruesome bits. 🤷🏼‍♀️

Also, there aren‘t any dinosaurs in it. I just liked the background.

Great book, brutal read. Cormac McCarthy meets Moby Dick.

This is an enjoyable adventure book set on a whaling ship in Arctic Greenland. All goes wrong of course and the horrible crew is stuck with each other, their stench and horrible habits. There is of course a good guy and a bad guy and both are quite unique. I had a good time reading about the unscrupulous villain, despite all violence and gory details. It reminded me a bit of Lord of the Flies in that it shows what can become of men under pressure.

What a book! ⚓The North Water packs a powerful punch. In this mixture between historical fiction and thriller, Irishman Patrick Sumner joins the crew of a whaling ship in the year 1859. After having been involved in a mission gone wrong as in India, he has no other option but to become the crew's surgeon on a misconducted journey. It isn't long before things start to go terribly wrong... ⬇

This was a dark, twisted novel of danger, despair and the dark secrets people carry unseen. I bought it because I liked the cover and the story sounded good enough, but I was blown away with the writing. It's not for the faint hearted, but I would definitely recommend it!

#TBRChallenge #AudioBook #ABookThats

I knew from the description of this book that it would be quite a dark story... but oh lord it's so much darker than I expected😦😱. Not for the faint hearted, but exceedingly well written and gripping so far! 🌊❄🛶

GUYS!!!!! This is being turned into a series for BBC!!!

This was on a recommended 2019 book list to expand a reader‘s typical genres. It was definitely a book I never would have chosen myself. It was slow and a bit of a tough read (both materiel & minutiae of detail) at times, but I was glad I stuck with it.

Merry xmas to me from me 😍

I have yet to read this book but I know it entails an ill-fated whaler, some gruesome scenes (are whale guts involved, or did I make that up?! @Reviewsbylola ), and #freezing weather 🥶 sounds like a recipe for disaster!!
#movember

I enjoyed this book and really glad I read it but was honestly craving a lot more of that crazy bastard Henry Drax‘s story/point of view!

One from my tbr. A tale of murder, vengeance and endurance on an Arctic whaling expedition. 🐋 🛳

#LetsTravelAugust #ship

Was quite disappointed in this. I was expecting a sort Moby Dick but with Drax replacing the whale. I wanted more between Sumner and Drax but felt a little cheated. The writing is good but the pace is too quick and, too shallow.

I wanted more from the ship owner, Baxter, but the relationship between Sumner, Drax and Baxter is just too simple for all the murder and plotting that seems to be happening and the ending feels too simple and rushed.

BOOK HAUL! Found these gems today at thrift store!! So excited The tag book I heard is similar to Dan Simmons The Terror , it's a dark cold story told on board a ship in middle of the arctic winter and pure evil is with them. 😨

#horror
#bookhaul

Ok wow, this is not for the easily queasy, easily offended or faint of heart. Harrowing, violent and brutally descriptive tale of a whaling ship, a cast of flawed characters and survival. Great writing, though I had to look up so many words that I fear my book club is going to hate me for choosing it. I liked it, liked the way it wrapped up and recommend it for those with a steely constitution. #litsyAtoZ challenge @BookishMarginalia

My choice for our Book Club read. A Christmas gift my my kiddo in The Netherlands! This is for the #litsyatoz challenge, @BookishMarginalia !

Thank you @Simona for this book. It's taken me quite some time to pick it up and read it, but it was very good.

A whaling ship in the Arctic, in the 19th century. There's a child abuser and murderer on board, a ship's surgeon who does not look away, a strange plot to make more money out of this journey, icebergs, lots of foul language, cruelty towards animals and humans, and shitting in Arctic conditions.

#MountTBR

This is tough reading when you have a son of 13 years, like animals far too much than to go round butchering them, and know who the baddy is from the start. But, now that I'm eventually halfway in, I can't stop.

Also, I've always wondered what goes on in an author's head when they write stuff like this.

#MountTBR

I don‘t know what it is about arctic/Antarctic sea voyages gone bad but I am drawn to these narratives of disaster and survival. If you feel the same but are wary of indulging in all 900 pages of The Terror, I recommend this fine piece of writing that was long listed for the Man Booker. I enjoyed (does that make me a monster?) both novels immensely. Any recommendations to feed my arctic fever? Both fiction and non-fiction welcome 🥶

“A later of ice forms on the inside of the tent and the very air itself feels viscous and gelid. All night, triple-layered in wool, flannel, and oil skin, clustered together like the victims of a sudden massacre, men shutter and spasm and joke themselves awake.”

Sumner feels the pain growing behind his eyeballs, a sour sickness curdling in his stomach. Talking to Drax is like shouting into the blackness and expecting the blackness to answer back in kind.

“There‘s no reasoning with a man like you,” he says.

~~~

I couldn‘t find a picture to suit my mind‘s image of Drax so caulker‘s mate Hickey will have to stand in as the resident arctic sociopath 😰

Kids, where's my book? (I carry it around with me, forgetting where I left it.)

We've played this several times today. I'd forget my head in bed if it wasn't connected to my neck.

Apparently Belle watched over it. It's a Disney princesses blanket on my great-grandfather's favourite chair - strange heirloom.

Anyway, I'm determined to finish this book.

Do you misplace your books, too?

#blownorthernwind #winterwonderland
I loved this book set on a whaling ship in the north sea, setting off from hull they end up in the Arctic wastes with a particularly nasty villain and you can feel the northern wind as the hair stands up on the back of your neck. Feel cold just thinking about it.

This one is somewhere between pick and so-so but I‘m feeling generous. A disgraced doctor finds his way into a whaling boat with a psychopath. Shenanigans and bad stuff happen. The book wants to be deeper than it is. There are occasional chunks of beautiful text surrounded by subpar pages. If you‘re dying for a story about boats in the Arctic, I‘d recommend The Terror instead but...I mean, this one is fine.

It‘s really hard to focus on such a dark book when Biscuit is lying on the chaise and holding her doggy toy. ❤️ My heart melts for this smelly beagle.

Thank you so much for the great package! @Savedbygrace 😁 I was very excited to find it in my mailbox this morning! I've already broken into the pomegranate cashews and look forward to reading the books! The wooden bookmark is awesome and I can never get my fill of gorgeous notebooks and delicious teas!
@Avanders #sss #stuffedstockingswap

Just took a picture of the two books next to me and noticed, both have a ship as their main stage. One sailing north, the other south.

Also, current stats. I might not make 24 hours, then again, it's only shortly past noon here and hence I can still catch up.

Some #audioknitting happened earlier today.

#24B4Monday #readathon @TheReadingMermaid @Andrew65

#HumpDayPost @MinDea

1⃣ Snow - hard to see. Shadow stealing freezer bags before I can fill them.
2⃣ No. No holiday here.
3⃣ #24B4Monday Readathon and getting the Christmas decorations done.
4⃣ My phone. Also, #ShadowCat.
5⃣ One of my current reads: Gruesome murder on a ship that's sailing north into the Arctic waters.

All those Morning Coffee pictures from across the big water made me crave a cuppa. Hence I'm making afternoon coffee.

Yes, I know, I'm a weirdo when it comes to making coffee or tea. In my defense, I studied chemistry and I miss playing in the lab.

I'll pair my Rwandan coffee with the #MakeMeReadIt #Book2.

@TheReadingMermaid

Went for a swim - 400m/8 laps (I'm so proud of myself). Came out of the water to warm up in the sun. Hurt my toe - darn foot drop. Nearly got sunburned because my eyes were glued to the book.

Good early afternoon.

This is 3rd #MakeMeReadIt book. I haven't finished the second yet, didn't want to take the hardcover to the pool.

@TheReadingMermaid

@Simona - you are right, it's dark, but good. I understand why it was one of your favorite reads.

Starting this while watching The Birds re-enacted in my yard. Goldfinches, cardinals and chickadees (maybe? some little numerous brown birds) duke it out over the feeders. #alfredhitchcock

How do you recommend a book like this to someone, despite loving it yourself? It is so brutal to read but such a fabulous adventure story! This one isn‘t for the squeamish but if you are a little tougher and love a rollicking good adventure, you really should pick this up.

#HumpDayPost

🌧 The camera is actually pointed right at the sun! It‘s raining here and snowing 11 miles away. (N.b. Added rain filter to photo)

🌧 My least favorite genre is expository NF, especially if it‘s numbers heavy.

🌧 On vacations, I like to go to art museums & galleries, visit castles & cathedrals, eat at nice restaurants...

🌧 The exterior of our house is red brick & brown

🌧 Tagged Book is most recent favorite book #maritimenoir

The deep sea as the backdrop. A horrific crime on board. Brutal Artic weather. A ‘monster‘ in their midst. Everyone seems to be in #deepwater .
#marchintooz

This book is a book that I still #mustread. I've wanted to ever since the wonderful @Simona sent it to me at my last birthday.
I intend to read it before my next birthday.

#readingresolutions @Jess7

I very nearly put this down after the first chapter, but the book was so short that I kept going. It's dark and visceral, and contains WAY more 💩 (and other bodily fluids) than I really wanted. Also, holy wince-inducing sexual encounters. The story is tightly plotted and told, and I don't regret reading it, but I also don't regret borrowing rather than buying.

Reading this immediately after reading Mary Beard's "Women & Power: A Manifesto" really heightened my horror. The hyper-masculine disgustingness of Drax in particular was hard to stomach. I think I will follow this up with Naomi Alderman's "The Power" as a palate cleanser ?

Listened to this as an audible download. The narration was superb. Great book gripped until the end.

"For the first time in days he feels the words gathering inside him, dividing, accumulating, taking on strength and form. Soon, he knows, they will begin to rise up his throat and then they will spill out onto his bruised and ulcerated tongue, and then, whether he likes it or not, whether he wants it or not, he will speak."

I want time to sit & read, take a nap & snack. Basically I want to be in Kindergarten - but with coffee.
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Day 7 of #melandprireadathon is #comfortreads Adventure & wanderlust is where it's at for me!
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Would you rather go somewhere
👙sunny & warm ☀️
or
❄️cold & snowy? ☃️