You Know When the Men Are Gone | 
pickA collection of short stories surrounding the soldiers and their families stationed at Ft Hood, written by a woman who lived there while her husband was deployed. The stories focus on what life is like for families while their soldiers are deployed and what it‘s like when they return, or don‘t return. Solid collection.
pickI read You Know When the Men Are Gone because I understood it. I didn't have the same experiences, but Fallon's stories are not unusual (except perhaps "Leave”), and I know a lot of people who lived these stories. There are lots of books about war, but it's rare to find a book that accurately conveys the situations and emotions of United States Military family life. If someone asked me what it was like, this would be the first book I'd hand them.
I felt like I wasn‘t reading much yesterday, but I got a fair amount of time in bits and pieces over multiple books. This audiobook I started last night, and the first two stories were so good. I‘m a former military wife, and while I didn‘t have the same experiences as the woman in the first story, I could relate to her loneliness, as well as Fallon‘s image of the FRG and how they do and do not support their members.
15 hrs toward #25inFive
I'm not generally a fan of short stories, but I'm loving this book so far .
pickI feel I know so much more about the military and what soldiers and their families go through before, during, and after deployment. This short story collection was written by the wife of a Fort Hood soldier.
Cassandra Campbell's narration was as on-point and amazing as always. Highly recommend the book and the audio.
#audiobook #shortstories #audible #tbrbingo
pickThis is a book of short stories, all related to military life at Fort Hood. I have never been in the military so I wasn't sure if I could relate. But, they were so beautifully written that they sucked me right in. The story titled REMISSION had me sobbing like a schoolgirl at the end.
Probably a little too early for this, but I know I won't be finishing any other books before the 31st. I leave for Hawaii on Monday...our belated honeymoon (7 months married)!
Favorite reads this month by far were YOU KNOW WHEN THE MEN ARE GONE and A CONSTELLATION OF VITAL PHENOMENA, both books that had been in my Kindle TBR pile for a long time! Great month! #MayReads #Bestofmay
pick"In my stories...I wanted to capture the moments that lead up to a deployment as well as those that follow a return. And I wanted to focus not only on the soldiers fighting on the front lines but also on the families that wait at home and try their best to stay intact, try their best to find everything they need within those guarded gates."
–Siobhan Fallon
A ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ read! A delightful collection of stories! So immersive. #mayreads
pickI read this ages ago when I heard an interview with the author on NPR. It remains one of the best short story collections I've read....and it's on sale today!!
pickI liked this collection of interconnected short stories about military life (mostly about wives but some [male] servicemembers' perspectives). I think the author did a good job of portraying the emotional complexity of what can be a rewarding but rough lifestyle. (Not sure that audiobooking while sorting through huge piles of unfiled paperwork counts as #litsypartyofone, but I am hoping to sit down and relax with a paper book later!!)
Loving this rec from @LitHousewife ! Cassandra Campbell is one of the best narrators out there. I highly recommend anything she does!
It's 11:15 here, and I'm not sleepy. Gotta get up at 6:15 to make my sessions tomorrow. 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻 I fall asleep soon. Goodnight @Litsy 💛💚❤️💜💙
A perfect wording of the weird liminal feel of life at home during deployment.
