Welcome to Litsy!

Born and raised in California, Blair Braverman was drawn to the north. She ended up spending time and Norway and eventually learning to be a musher. About half this coming of age memoir is about that learning process and the other half is her settling into a small town in northern Norway and it‘s unique residents. This wasn‘t exactly what I was expecting, but I really liked it.

I'm going to start this by saying I liked this book, but it's hard to explain. I wanted to read it because I've been following her on Twitter for her sled dog stories and pictures. Blair was drawn to Norway as a high school exchange student. There she finds a life she loves, but also experiences sexual harassment. The story jumps around in time and is sometimes hard to follow.

It‘s HOT 🥵, so trying some literary escapism... 🧊❄️🌨

#bookspin #bookspinbingo
We are entering a winter storm warning and are expecting almost a foot of snow by mid-morning tomorrow. I am in the middle of two of these on the list, so I may have some last minute changes by the weekend! @TheAromaofBooks

Hey #LitsyATXReadersSociety! Sound off- who‘s going to make it to this Saturday‘s meeting about Travel books?

Central Library Room 471, 2-4pm, 1pm snacks/ hang out at the Cookbook Cafe.
I hope to see you there!

(Image from Pinterest: my kind of travel books. Alone with Nature)

Reminder for next month: Oct 19, Something Spooky!

Blair went through some tough, awful crap, but this was just a fascinating account of dog sleding and the artic in both Alaska and Norway. It made me sad thinking of this girl younger than me setting out to do these things and when I was the same age, doing nothing of the sort, despite wanting to, out of fear. So now I'm a little depressed and need a happier read. 😞

Not at all what I was expecting but very good nonetheless.

11/? A little disjointing to jump between the narratives but overall a great story about perseverance, finding yourself and turning yourself over to what you love.

I am a big Blair fan and I‘m loving this audiobook. Such an honest story of searching for yourself.

Ordered a copy of this book the second I learned of Ms. Braverman‘s epic Iditarod win. Complete amazement at the grit and determination she had to pull out of herself to get it done. Should be a fascinating read!

My #February lineup! I‘m finishing Welcome to the Goddamn Ice Cube from January and I have no rereads this month. The Wishtree is for a summer program at the library. The Bookish Life of Nina Hill is an #arc from #netgalley

I'm addicted to Blair Braverman's Twitter, and somehow her book is even better than that.

Catching up with my 2018 Reading Challenges #BuJo to see that I have read 28 books in June! You can tell I‘m on vacation. Actually, most are audiobooks. I‘ve been listening nonstop as I pack up our belongings before our upcoming move to FL.

I highly recommend this memoir! Blair Braverman reads the audiobook herself, lending immediacy both to the tragic moments of her experiences in the north and to the new understandings that mark her adventures. Beautiful, poignant book.

😍 So far this is very interesting

TBR February. Traveling in Canada (WTH!!) as a Florida resident will be challenging. Been saving Ice Cube just for this trip. Add some book club reads and this is probably my list.

Mixed feelings about this book. It's not what I expected, but whose fault is that? When I read about the author's skill at conditioning a sled dog to be a chicken shepherd, I started following her tale on Twitter. I was expecting this to be a book about her life with dogs, but it was actually about her life with men, finding her way past her fear, and making peace with herself. Jumbling the chronology of her stories added a layer of frustration.

Ridley had a great time at the @OneMorePageBooks nonfiction book club tonight! He's eager to start reading this haul.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Next up on the TBR stack.

Also picking this one up today as it's a frequent bookriot podcast recommendation. I always giggle at the name and I was so excited to see it on sale!

Hoping to counteract the summer heat with this one!

Switching things up with some nonfiction.

Heidi is very excited about participating in today's photo challenge. #catsoflitsy #ashapeinthetitle #junebookbugs

Went to a program at my library tonight. Blair is a dogsledder who is training for the Iditarod and she wrote a book about her time in Norway and Alaska. She brought her dog Flame with her who got lots of pets from people (including me 😁). Also bought her book and got it signed. 📚

I enjoyed this memoir about the author's journey to follow her dream and feel at home in the Arctic. I admired her initiative, putting herself outside her comfort zone repeatedly, and the writing was great.

There is something really gratifying about reading this memoir of life in the Arctic while sitting on a beach in Bali 💅🏽

This book jumped unexpectedly off the shelf at the library and landed in my hands. I knew nothing about it but the title and subtitle were enough for me. Tales of Norway, of Alaska, of cold, of men, of dogs, of tourists stuck on a glacier, of the community that she grows to be an integral part of, of Arild: her adopted Norwegian father, of her internal compass always pointing north, and of fear. Being scared and doing it anyway.

Finding some time to read with my pal Skipper before leaving Maine.

I'm in Maine for 4 days and it's rainy and cold. I can't warm up even with the fire ablaze. And, coincidentally, I've started reading this book

Such a wonderful book. I live in ND, and it has a reputation for cold. This book had parts that made our winters sound balmy and lovely.

Sunburn in your nostrils, a nostril tan, and armpit sunburn. No thanks. That is not at all what I'm interested in!

I really liked this but it needed a firmer editorial hand to blend some themes and excise others. Much more a memoir about sexual abuse than dogsledding...following the thread of abusive men in a young women's life was heartbreaking and illuminating. Not that the sum of her experience is relative to men but how long lasting these damages are and how much of your life they can overtake and inform...that seemed to be more of the book's theme...

Missed yesterday's #readjanuary because I wanted to post #dreamingofawarmerclimate but all of the covers made me even colder. Living in one of the few states where 9 inches of snow and -30 degree temps don't equal a snow day, so I got real with my selection. #brrr #winterreading ❄❄❄

I'm starting the book listed and Rocket enjoys a snack of my Nook case. #funfridayphoto

First 2017 library haul, with cute bunny.

First incoming book of 2017! A library book. Recommended by @kalenski

Recommended to me by Luis Alberto Urea. Can't put it down.

Bookclub! Mixed reviews. I still loved it!

I'm just starting this memoir and so far I'm enjoying it. Love the themes of fear and courage. Not a fan of cold weather. :) Yes, I know I live in Canada.

A Friday afternoon tradition I've dubbed #fridaycoffee . Needed to get away from my desk and power up for this afternoon and this evenings projects!

This is good! This is really really good!

October book club pick. Hoping the local author will come visit us. #bookmail

It's been a productive day of reading at my house (not a productive day of housework). I've just started my second book of the day. Wishing I loved the cold weather as much as Braverman does.

It's been a productive day of reading at my house (not a productive day of housework). I've just started my second book of the day. Wishing I loved the cold weather as much as Braverman does.

Can't stop reading. So good!

I finally finished this one that I started during the readathon. It was an interesting concept but never quite held my interest. Some parts were fascinating and others just left me skimming pages without realizing it.

And just like that, #24in48 is over for me. I'm such a sucker for books about cool women doing adventurous things. This was a great book to finish off my challenge. All together I finished 2 graphic novels, 2 memoirs, 3 novels, & 2 hours of an audio book. What a delightful weekend!

Starting another book! (I didn't finish the last but it's really more of a read-and-reflect that I'll need to come back to.) As it's summer in Florida, I'm hoping this book with help me shed my current urge to leave my life and the oppressive heat here and go find my future up north. (Somehow, I think it's only going to make the urge stronger.) #24in48 #readathon

Super excited about this one...