Welcome to Litsy!

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https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/books/best-books-21st-century.html

For anyone that hasn't played yet....
Tagged my all time fav. And to be fair I actively hated at least 2 of these.

My pick for skeleton/bones

This book was fiction but I still worry about that family.

#Scarathlon #PhotoChallenge Team #BOOkLovers

Pic for prompt 2 for the #scarathlon photo challenge, “skeleton/bones.”

Neither are spooky season reads for me (though I suppose Hamlet could qualify with its murders and ghost), but they were the best in my home library for visually fitting the prompt.

#hhc #HalloweenHexesCoven

@dabbe
@BookmarkTavern @Liatrek @JessClark78 @Chrissyreadit @TheDaysGoBy @vonnie862 @Sresendez12 @Nessavamusic @kelli7990 @JessieKB

Character felt really realistic but oh boy how miserable this book was. This family's life was miserable, ugly things happened and overall this was really unpleasant book to read.

I think this was well written, I think the atmosphere was what it was wanted to be. But it felt like nothing was happening. I waited for something big to happen all the time and after the last page I realized there was never meant to happen more.

#SeriesLove23

Thank you so much for this beautiful package Misty and Renee. I borrowed this from the library years ago and have wanted a copy for myself. @sharread had good taste.

2023 is off to a good start!
5 🌟
Salvage the Bones: Jesmyn Ward 📖
4🌟
Tresspasses: Louise Kennedy 📖
3.5 🌟
Violin Conspiracy: Brendon Slocumb 🎧
The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida: Shehan Karunatilaka 🎧
3🌟
Bibliophile: Jane Mount 📖
Tread of Angles: Rebecca Roanhorse 🎧
Best of Friends: Kamila Shamsie 📖
DNF
Notes On Your SUdden Disappearance: Alison Espoch 🎧
#bookspin @TheAromaofBooks

Thank you to everyone who participated in our #Sharreadathon! We appreciate you taking time in your reading to remember our sweet friend Sharon ❤️ we will be giving away 2 copies of the tagged book which was on her list that she “picked.” I‘ve entered everyone‘s name in the name generator wheel! If you have already read it just regift it in her name!!

I will post the winners shortly!

#LitsyLove
❤️❤️❤️

I know I am late to reading this book...but Wow. What a masterpiece. Loved how she used the story of Medea as a framework to tell about this family surviving hurricane Katrina and life. One of the best books I have ever read. Jesmyn Ward is a must read if you love Toni Morrison or Alice Walker. 5+ 🌟
#52bookclub23 #survivalstory @MicheleinPhilly @jlhammar @batsy @Deblovestoread @ravenlee @BarbaraBB @squirrelbrain @Bluebird @Read4life

#Bones #OminousOctober

@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

I thought this was an extremely well-written book that told a realistic story about hope & family. I loved the writing & read it in one sitting. The descriptive language made the scenes come to life. The story was tender & painful but full of glimmers of hope. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I can see what this book gets a lot of hype. It is very raw, like Jack London. Abrupt prose like Hemingway. Lots of trigger warnings and some scenes are extremely disturbing and hard to stomach. But it is masterfully done.

#12booksof2021 #12booksof21

My best read of April. I am still worried about this fictional family!

#WondrousWednesday @Eggs

1. I'm not even sure what genre is my actual favorite. But... In general fiction Jesmyn Ward is a definite favorite. I will read anything she decides to write. Tagging my fav.
2. OMG Harlem Shuffle. It's like he took all of the boring parts of Nickel Boys and made a new book.
3. I'm grateful for @Eggs and this reminder to pause and reflect.

Ward‘s story moves quickly with bloody dog fights, candid (even upsetting) sexuality, & a Black family‘s struggles with poverty. The honesty of the author‘s insights propels the story as powerfully as the threatening hurricane surging towards the gulf coast. Ward is an author with a strong voice and loads of potential. The protagonist Esch lingers in the mind when the story ends. This is a fast and worthwhile read.

#Disaster Hurricane Katrina
#ConflictedWorlds

I missed yesterday 😩

#disaster #conflictedworlds @Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

#Siblings
#ConflictedWorlds

#conflictedworlds #hurricane

The incomparable Jesmyn Ward.

@Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Just getting around to reading this novel, first published in 2011.
It‘s raw, relentless, tender, terrible. Raw, relentless, tender, terrible. Raw, relentless, tender, terrible. #jesmynward #hurricanekatrina #sauvageMS

This books follows the Batiste family for twelve days surrounding Hurricane Katrina as it hits Bois Sauvage, a fictional town in southern Mississippi. We see the events through the eyes of Esch, fourteen years old and the lone daughter in a motherless family. Her father isn't much of a nurturer or bread-winner, so it's up to Esch and her brothers Randall, Skeetah, and Junior to care for each other with the little they have. The book starts out⬇️

Brilliant writing, beautiful and heartbreaking story. I loved how she added details to each and everything in the story. So when we read those vivid description we can actually picture ourself the scene and we start to build bond with the characters, we feel sorry for them. At places it was difficult to go through the details ( dog fights 😔) I should read more from this author. 5🌟

Thanks for the recommendation @Soubhiville 😅😀 #authoramonth

Committed to reading this for TOB favorites but am still hesitantly getting into it. Plus a friend sent it to me, so I *MUST* finish! Oh - I did encounter a pie reference so 👍
#PieinLiterature #LitPie #NatlBookAward #TOBFavoritesLongList

Wow! This intimate look at rural poverty and pain, violence and grace is infused with Greek tragedy and southern perspectives. With Hurricane Katrina as the backdrop, I will remember the power and poetry of this book for a long time. It ywas harrowingly perfect. Thanks for encouraging me to read more Jesmyn Ward, @Soubhiville , her books are always stunners! #authoramonth

This was a Christmas gift from @pigeonsandcrows ❤️ set in Bois Sauvage, Mississippi just before Katrina hits. It centres on a family already rocked by poverty and loss, 4 very different siblings on separate paths. It‘s such a powerful story. I think it would be an amazing book to tackle in high school English

This book is a masterpiece. Thanks to #authoramonth, I finally got around to reading it! It‘s been on my shelf since 2018 when I was fortunate to here Jesmyn Ward speak. I loved the how the siblings cared for one another. I was wondering if my 11th and 12th graders might be as captivated as I was; this book won an Alex Award in 2012, given each year to “ten books written for adults that have special appeal to young adults.”

This was heartbreakingly beautiful. I loved it.

I don‘t know if I‘ll get to Men we Reaped and Sing, Unburied, Sing in April but I own both and will definitely be bumping them up the TBR.
#authoramonth
#readathon

Thanks for the "tag" @IuliaC ?

1. I was the mouthy best friend growing up & a common question from the victims of my smart mouth was, "What are you? His/Her sidekick?" Yes as a matter of fact, I was. I had to get my book love in there, too.

2. My couch - it allows for a variety of positions and gets great sunlight.

3. Tagged

4. Just three - me, my guy, and Watson the ?

Play if you want!!

#wondrouswednesday @eggs

So many things need to happen before a hurricane arrives and no one describes the preparation and the aftermath like Ward. A family of unique personalities and needs: teen pregnancy, basketball dreamer, drunk father, and a survivor who loves his dog, but trains her to kill. They all love each other in an unforgiving place. This is one of those books that the place is also a character - hard, hot, unrelenting.

#AuthorAMonth @Soubhiville

What a powerful story of family and survival. Ward does such a great job showing how families deal with tragedy and adversity, how they carry on together, annoying each other while supporting each other and she does it with such a lyrical use of words they even the tragedies are beautiful to read. I will add a trigger warning for dog fighting... but it was integral to the story, about what we take pride in and love.

Well, I completed three of my four goals, plus I‘m almost halfway through the tagged book for #AuthorAMonth. Not bad!

Thanks for the reading encouragement, @Andrew65 !

Oh no! I was just about to start this because it was on the longlist for the Goodreads Tournament of Favorites; but the shortlist was announced yesterday. This is not on it. DO I READ it anyway? (I do want to read it someday but right now I want to read “something else”. ) #ToFavorites #ToB2021Faves #EstherFest #EstherAssisting #DogsofLitsy
It‘s

A slow build-up until about two-thirds through, this book picks up tempo as Hurricane Katrina comes stalking as a category 5 in the gulf, threatening and then devastating everything. Ward has a gift in the way she describes everything: a person, a house, the woods, a truck. I wasn‘t immediately impressed with this book, feeling more description than action but her tempo mirrored the weather, which was like a character itself. Beautifully done.

New-to-me author Jesmyn Ward‘s “Salvage the Bones” is quite enjoyable so far as my pick for #authoramonth. Anyone else reading this one?

@Soubhiville

I just finished this one but I believe I need to digest it before reviewing it. I was not a big fan until the tempo picked up, and when I finished it, I realized why the author used the tempo she did and it may have been genius. So to avoid rushing to criticize, or praise, I just need to think on it. Wow. #authoramonth @Soubhiville

Everything is starting to bloom

Devastating. TW for animal abuse, death.

The last part when Katrina actually arrives slammed me hard. I don‘t know how I could deal in Skeeter‘s situation. Heartbreaking.

I love Jesmyn Ward. I‘m going to read all of her books. Soon. Thanks #AuthorAMonth folks for voting for her, I‘m so glad to have met her works.

What a brilliant and beautiful book! Ward‘s prose is jaw-droppingly gorgeous. She is a master of show, don‘t tell and can reveal so much in a single sentence. Not an easy read at times, particularly the scenes of animal cruelty, but there‘s nothing gratuitous here. Not a word is wasted. So glad this #AuthorAMonth read was my April #bookspin .

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks #AuthorAMonth2021 @Soubhiville

Oh, Jesmyn Ward how you break my heart with your beautiful words. 💚💔

Although the dog fighting scenes were difficult for me, this is still an amazing piece of literature. Her descriptions of Katrina were so accurate that it put me right back there.

If you haven't read this author yet, do yourself a favor and add all her books to your TBR. 😀

The content of this book was heartbreaking and hard to read, but that doesn‘t stop it from being a masterpiece. Wow. I will hold this family in my heart for a long time. #AuthorAMonth2021

Finally reading something for #AuthorAMonth!! - cuz it‘s my #Bookspin, lol! Started this last night and the first chapter knocked my socks off! It could stand alone as a beautiful little short story. The prose is stunning and communicates so much. Each sentence speaks volumes.

Just completed my first read for April‘s #authoramonth @Soubhiville

Up next for #authoramonth. @Soubhiville

It‘s April, time to bring out our Jesmin Ward books for #AuthorAMonth. What are you planning to read?

#AuthorAMonth is a no-pressure challenge, read as many or as few as you like. The authors were voted on by Litsy, see list for the year above.

At the end of the year there will be one prize box going to the person who read the most books. To qualify the books must be finished during the author‘s month. ⬇️

My April #BookspinBingo list! I did well in March, finishing up my #doublespin book today. April is super busy for me work wise but O hope to finish a few books at least. @TheAromaofBooks

Jermyn Ward writes with such a human and unpretentious love for her characters. Read this book! #litsyAtoZ

More from book shopping yesterday: #authoramonth for April. @Soubhiville