Welcome to Litsy!

My reading partner today, Midge. 💚

Set in a future of environmental destruction & pollution so pervasive that people in cities are dying. A mother decides the only way to save her ill young daughter is to join a “study“ with 20 people to go survive on wild land that has been made off-limits to people, living off the land. It explores what people will do to survive under difficult conditions, hard choices they make to protect loved ones. It's dark.

Thanks for the tag @The_Penniless_Author. In a reading slump this month. 1. Best reads (neither of which I'm done with yet) are The New Wilderness. And absolutely loving my #LMPBC poetry book Postcolonial Love Poem by Natalie Diaz. 2. Hmm. I'm looking forward to the Hulu Adaptation of Mexican Gothic--if they dial up the camp, have fun with it. 3. My border collie pal Action Jackson. #wondrouswednesday @eggs. Tagging @LitStephanie,

I wanted to read this as I was really intrigued by the concept of people starting anew and to see how this group evolved. My interest in books like Where the Crawdad‘s Sing, Educated, The Silent Alone & Prodigal Summer led me to this title — if enjoyed any of those titles, you might like this one too

Starting this tonight. Just one June bug hanging with me tonight. #Doublespin @TheAromaofBooks

Finished this one in a blur last weekend for book club, and I‘m still thinking about how terrifying it was. Beautifully written and distinct, despite fitting into the admittedly crowded genre of dystopian literature...but still harsh and hard and terrifying. I was left asking a lot of tough-if-not-impossible questions, of myself and of the world we all share. So, you know, I gave it five stars.

I‘ve sometimes thought it would be nice to escape the modern world and live off the grid. This book is about a world with unbearable pollution and a group of 20 people who go into the last remaining wilderness area to live off the land as nomads, hunter gatherer style.

I liked Agnes, and could relate to most of her feelings. While I found the ending melancholy, I still enjoyed the book quite a lot.

I have been hesitant about picking this up, because I expected it to be high brow and very literary. So when this came up as my #bookspin pick, I felt a bit annoyed. But I shouldn‘t have been so worried, because this was great! In a not so distant future where our world has been ravaged by man‘s greed and polution, a group of people goes to live in the Wilderness State as an experience. It could be a book about survival, but at its core it is a 👇

The library re-opened for walk-in service today (with time restrictions and limited capacity), and even though I just had a few minutes to visit on my lunch break, I couldn‘t resist swinging by. It felt amazing to be surrounded by available books again.

I loved this book! The setting is in a wilderness area of the future but it is about the many intricacies of love between a mother and a daughter. This story had me yearning for my daughter.

I hope there is a sequel. Bea and Agnes are characters that will stay will me for a long time.

Another Booker long list book. I was intrigued, then bored, then I think I liked it, but also it‘s not really memorable.

This book does an odd, maybe accidental, thing of promising a lot of fun it‘s not going to offer. Dystopian urbanites play nomads in Oregon-ish wilderness, under strict park enforcement, dying in the natural dangers. But all that really comes out is a slow, somewhat moving, if certainly unusual, exploration of motherhood. Ok.

I finished this book a few days ago and I usually post reviews right away, but I wasn‘t sure what to say about this one. I found most of it absorbing while listening to it, but now I really have to think to remember it. It was…fine. Not terribly special. And I found the ending a bit silly.

It‘s been a while since I‘ve read a book that made me lose track of time and completely immerse me into the story. This book is just so good!

Been plodding through this almost a month now, but a life kept me from Litsy so just now finally posting. It‘s ok so far. Intriguing start, but then it kind of sits there. Anyway still a bunch more to go.

I've just got this through via our library app 😊😍😍 after thinking itd never arrive!! I start a night shift tonight so perfect timing!

What did I just read? This book was different, but not different in a bad way. It‘s based on something that I feel can actually happen in the not so far future. I found it to be a difficult read due to the layout. There were no chapters, just several very long “parts”.I have a hard time when there are not many breaks in a book.Other than that, it was very interesting. It reminded me of a modern day Animal Farm. Thanks good reads for the giveaway!

As part of a study, Young Agnes, Bea ( her mum ) and Glen go into the new Wilderness, because the city is no longer safe & is affecting Agnes‘ health ( sound familiar?).
This story felt very close to the bone , and I often thought of them in the wild & wondered what I‘d find when I next came back to the story. The words ‘primal scream ‘ came to me sometimes. A powerful , edgy , important book. A great read.

I‘m about half way on audio .... and I‘m blown away by this book. It‘s relevant, it‘s life on the edge , it‘s new territory , it‘s personal, it‘s riveting. I‘m so glad I‘m reading it .... its a book about movement, perfect for audio. Although I‘d like to be reading the book too !
I did read Burnt Sugar too & loved it
And looking forward to Shuggie ... not a bad year for the big prize ( they are usually beyond me )

It‘s turning out to be a good book day. Started this one on audio on my walk ( beautiful morning here ) ... I could have walked forever listening to this book ✨

Interesting premise but it did go on a little long. However, the ending left me curious still.

Something about this novel felt haunting, visceral, & real. Now that we live in what seems like the end times, the "wilderness" or state of nature haunts us, but not in a utopian, idyllic way. I think what I found compelling about this book is the utterly raw & primal facets of a mother-daughter relationship, but also the group dynamics & what happens to the essence of what is "human" when survival is at stake. I just felt a constant dread. ⬇️

This one is €3.82 On kindle ! Just purchased 👍🏻

It‘s fitting that Emily St John is the author chosen for the cover blurb on this compelling near-future survivalist tale, since both authors explore group dynamics under extenuating conditions. The mother-daughter relationship at the core of Cook‘s novel is practically visceral in its depiction. I was completely swept up in the #audiobook read by Stacey Glemboski.

What made it one of the most popular magazines in circulation were the vintage spreads it printed every month. Scenes from the archives of the old days: old estates, sprawling penthouses, rustic sheep farms, front porches, lawns, and even sky blue pools. Views of landscapes that were nice to look at, of attics, of homes in all sorts of weather. These were astonishing to look at now.

I've been unable to stop thinking about this.

Great interview with the Booker Prize chair - talking about each of the shortlisted books. I‘ve not read any of these and I must remedy that!

https://fivebooks.com/best-books/the-best-fiction-of-2020-the-booker-prize-short...

Yes, cliched characters and inconsistencies abound and the narrative seems to be plodding in a circle, (much like the characters) but the mother/daughter dynamic here kept me interested. The idea of resenting the selflessness that is often expected of motherhood, and having a primal love for someone you don‘t like all that much, kept me engaged in a story I would have otherwise lost interest in early on.

This book was unsettling. It felt not very far into the future at all. The relationships among the characters in the Wilderness are so transactional and based in survival, like animals. And the mother-daughter relationship between Bea and Agnes left me a little haunted. The setting of the story amplified a tension between love and selfishness in their relationship that I know all too well.

Happy weekend, Littens! The past two weeks have been... A lot. The hubs & I took a backpacking trip which was lovely. Then we came home to a week long nightmare of smoke & toxic air thanks to wildfires. We are safe & healthy & the smoke has moved on for now. I have never been more grateful to go outside & just breathe.

I read this one on our trip & loved it! Being in the wilderness definitely enhanced the reading experience!

It's always exciting when the notification for a Libby hold pops up but even more so on Read an Ebook day! @OverDrive #ebooklove

A qualified pick. This was a slog which is fitting since for much of the book, the characters are slogging around the wilderness. I did find it long. I found the group dynamics tedious. The ominous odds for survival hanging over it all made me anxious. There is skill here but not in a way I enjoy. What kept me from bailing was the complicated mother/daughter relationship at its center. The knot of Bea and Agnes ultimately made it worthwhile.

Brought my plants inside last night to protect them from the snow. Not much accumulation, but there is definitely snow on the ground and some big fat wet flakes coming down. 🌨️❄️🌨️❄️My son started online school today and his teacher had lost power. Crazy times!
In unrelated news, still listening to the tagged book.

I‘m not a huge fan of dystopian fiction, although I have loved some of it, but this just didn‘t do it for me.

As we don‘t find out much about the world outside the ‘Wilderness‘ we are unable to connect with any of the characters and their reasons for being there. The narrative also seemed very plodding, and with no real story arc.

I‘m not sure why it was chosen for the #bookerlonglist2020 - it‘s neither groundbreaking, well-written or unusual.

Started this Booker nominee on audio. Dystopian books aren't usually my jam so hoping it isn't *really* dystopian.

Never easy reading with a cat 🐈

There‘s scope here for great stories about survival at both a micro and macro level. Cook did have a lot of individually interesting things to say about what people are willing to do to survive and there are the bones of some interesting characters here. Unfortunately, the realisation of this was hampered by what ended up being an unwieldy narrative. Cook didn‘t seem to know where the story was going, or how long it was going to take to get there.

Next Booker longlist read... I‘ve seen some very mixed reviews so I‘m interested to see where this goes #indiebuddyreads

🎉IT‘S NEW BOOK DAY!🎉 I spent the whole day driving around in the White Mountains playing heavy metal at an unreasonable volume, but I am home now and it‘s time for books! There are a bunch of great books out today, including many that I am excited about but don‘t have physical copies, such as A House Is a Body, Sia Martinez, Veritas, Iron Empires, The Unreality of Memory, A Place at the Table, and Zo. What are you excited to read? 📚❤️📚

A book about mother daughter relationships a world ravaged by climate change & overpopulation a debut novel getting rave reviews.

Do you ever feel like you go into a specific genre burnout? I‘ve been feeling this way with thrillers, as none of them seem to be exciting me much lately, so I‘m glad to have some other genres to consider. This dystopian fiction novel‘s premise looks like it will be a breath of fresh air.