Welcome to Litsy!

117/150 It took me awhile to get into this book, I thought it dragged terribly in the beginning, but once Kiven was able to talk and interact with the people in the past, the story got much more interesting. Usually with dual storyline books, I find one part more interesting than the other, but Willis kept both the past and present stories gripping, so I didn't mind when it flipped from one to the other. 4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

Happy Holidays to all who celebrate!

A couple of questions for any who have finished this month‘s #ClassicLSFBC pick. If anyone would like to be added or removed from the tag list, let me know.

2. Kivren comes from her experience in the 14th century very different from when she started. Do you think she will recover and risk time travel again?

#ClassicLSFBC

Happy Holidays to all who celebrate!

A couple of questions for any who have finished this month‘s #ClassicLSFBC pick. If anyone would like to be added or removed from the tag list, let me know.

1. In writing about the Black Death, Willis had the advantage of hindsight, but much of the 2056 attitudes towards the present day epidemic was recognizable. Did present day Oxford in the novel seem realistic to you?

#ClassicLSFBC

(1992) Oxford historians send a time traveler to the 14th century, just as a viral pandemic breaks out in their own time, complicating every aspect of the project. Much to admire here: author Willis's style, her 14th-C. worldbuilding, her narrative structure that parallels medieval and modern pandemics. For me there are tonal inconsistencies that complicate my response, but I found the story engaging and, in the final act, gripping.

Well, that was one depressing and thought-provoking Christmas-adjacent book! I did like it though. It got a little repetitive and long-winded in some places; at a couple of places, I actually said out loud, “Will you just get to the point?!” Willis‘ take on pandemic behavior is absolutely right. #ClassicLSFBC #audiowalk

I‘ve got about 3 hours left in this book, and I‘m holding out for a happyish ending. Probably not realistic, but I sure wouldn‘t mind one. It got up to 79° here today, so I was walking in shorts again. #ClassicLSFBC #audiowalk

Well, something happened in this book that I wasn‘t expecting, but when I look back, it‘s not surprising. A friend and I went on a historic homes and churches tour, and it was such a beautiful day, I went for another walk when we were done. #audiowalk #ClassicLSFBC

It was such a beautiful day for walking today — sunny, not too hot, not too cold, and a nice breeze. #audiowalk

I‘m predicting that someone Kivrin meets in the past is not who we and Kivrin are lead to think he is. I‘m not that great with figuring things out, so we‘ll see if my prediction is right. #ClassicLSFBC #audiowalk

In a time travel accident Kivrin Engle ends up just before Christmas 1348, when the Black Death arrived in Oxford and the surrounding countryside. Can she survive until rescue comes from 2055 Oxford? ⬇

#ClassicLSFBC @RamsFan1963

I‘m glad this is the December book for #ClassicLSFBC because I‘m not sure I would‘ve picked it up again after multiple attempts to read it. I‘m about half way through and really like it. I got home before the rain started. It was 75° today; tomorrow, it‘s supposed to be in the 40s. #audiowalk

#coffeeandabook #ClassicLSFBC

@RamsFan1963

William Gadsden‘s mother would drive me up a wall! I wonder if she‘s more than just comic relief. I have a feeling she is, but we‘ll see. #audiowalk

The Doomsday Book was published in 1992, and, boy, did Willis get the American reaction to a pandemic spot on! I thought she had one scene that dragged on far too long, but now I know why that scene was so detailed. I had a couple of nice and cool walks today. #audiowalk

I‘ve tried to read this book multiple times and never got past the first chapter. I don‘t know why — it‘s totally in my wheelhouse. So I‘m listening to it for #ClassicLSFBC and as my new #audiowalk book. I‘ve already gotten past the first chapter. Yay!

repost for @RamsFan1963:

For those who don't know, December's selection for #ClassicLSFBC is Connie Willis' Doomsday Book. Originally published in 1992, it should be available in most libraries. The audiobook, which is a staggering 26 hours long, is available free on Spotify & Audible, if you have premium accounts. Good luck and happy reading.

#BuddyRead

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ (5/5)
I had no idea what to expect going into this book, but wow was it a fantastic read. I laughed. I cried. I read on the edge of my seat. I'm definitely going to read more Connie Willis.

“Mr. Dunworthy opened the door to the laboratory and his spectacles promptly steamed up.“ Doomsday Book by Connie Willis

I have 4 chapters left and I can't wait to get home and finish! This book is intense, but so good.

#firstlinefriday #doomsdaybook #conniewillis

It's factually wrong about too many things. For over 400 pages nothing much happens. The UK of 2055 looks like someone from 1955 dreamed it up. The Middle Ages part is displayed so stereotypically; it hurts.

#Booked2023 @alisiakae @BarbaraTheBibliophage @Cinfhen
#ProperNounInTitle

⬇️

What a great novel! There were a few times I lost patience with the suspense and the repetitive stating of the characters‘ goals, but I am able to overlook these points because in the end there was so much more to love. The characters were all so great and the attention to historical and medical detail painted such a vivid picture in my head. ⬇️

I have come across a few weird words in the tagged book so far. There‘s the futuristic “terrorist jacket” (an adaptation from “bomber jacket”?)and the character Colin‘s favorite adjective, “necrotic.” But I chose this because of how prominent the bell ringers are and how everyone seems annoyed by them. Sample sentence from the tagged: “Perhaps I should send Colin up Carfax Tower to vandalize the carillon.”
#weirdwords @CBee #weirdwordswednesday

“Mr. Dunworthy opened the door to the laboratory and his spectacles promptly steamed up.”

I‘m only five chapters in but really enjoying my second Willis novel which is retro feeling, yet oddly timely as well.
#firstlinefridays @ShyBookOwl

Love it

I'd first read this 1992 years ago. Rereading it now makes me realize how well Willis described how governments and people respond to pandemics and measures put in place to contain them.

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks
#SuperSeptember @Andrew65

I've wanted to read this book for many years. Just something about the title that piqued my interest. I did not realize it was a book set during a pandemic. Published in the 90's it was really interesting to see how well the author captured the pandemic mentality. I'm not sure if it was supposed to have a twist, if so, there was a lot of obvious foreshadowing that didn't make the reveal very surprising. Still a very interesting read. Recommend.

My #LetterD pick is a recent discovery and fav of mine!

#AlphabetGame

@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

©1992

The beginning was interesting and I liked the characters. Reading about the plague and a future “post pandemic” that was written in 2005 was also interesting on its own. But it was too long and just slugged through the second half, particularly the Oxford in the future dealing with a brief viral outbreak.

Up next.... Time travel, academics and The Black Death....sounds ideal #nextup

A little late, but better than never!
1. Backwards! But never to stay for long 😂 I like the comforts of the present
2. Tagged! A historian gets accidentally trapped in plague-ridden England as a futuristic (ish) Oxford deals with an epidemic of its own. A chunky book but worth the read!
@TheSpineView

Kivrin is an Oxford historian who travels back in time to the middle ages. Things don't go as planned. By the time I realized this was about the plague, it was too late, I was invested. I needed to know what happened to Kivrin. There's a parallel story of Kivrin's mentor in modern times, combating a virus outbreak and trying to figure out how to help Kivrin get back to the present. The story gets bogged down in the middle, becoming repetitive ⬇️

#BookCoverChallenge
Day 117.
Here I will note 365 books (or as many as I will have before I get tired) that have shaped my taste in literature. No explanations, no reviews. Just the cover of the book.
I do not challenge anyone. You are all welcome to take part.

A pandemic book with time travel! Set in future England, a university sends a historian back in time to research and accidentally sends her into the Black Death. However, the future has difficulty rescuing her due to their own outbreak. The past storyline was tragic and heartbreaking. My issue with the future story - communication problems were a huge plot device. They invented time travel, but not voicemail or texting or email? #pandemic

I loved this book so much! It‘s absolutely apocalyptic 😉

When a sci-fi book written 30 years ago accurately predicts today.

#audioknitting a baby blanket for my niece. Almost done. Really enjoying this book so far 👍🏼

I almost hit my monthly average this month so I'll still call it productive. I managed to finish all my RNG picks this month including the one holdover from last month. I enjoyed all that I read this month which was nice.
3 eBook
5 physical
I'm sitting at 4250 points for my #BuriedAliveChallenge with 108 points average per qualifying book
#MayWrapUp

#BookReport
I managed to finish Doomsday Book this week and enjoyed it more than I thought I would considering what a downer it is dealing with viral outbreaks. I'm also about 50% of the way into Cold Magic which is interesting so far.

#WeeklyForecast
My goal is to finish Cold Magic and finally finish out my library stack with Wizard's First Rule. After that is anyone's guess but I'll probably work on finishing up trilogies I've started.

Well I knew going in this would probably be a downer and not the best to read with the whole pandemic thing irl but I still enjoyed my time reading about Kivrin in the Middle Ages and her team in the future. I liked the way the two timelines sort of balanced each other out. Colin and Agnes were probably my favorites though.

Decided to do a bit of porch reading today. The natural light helps with the small print.

Cals and I are headed into Doomsday Book today which has the tiniest print I‘ve ever seen in a hardback edition.
#CatsOfLitsy

I am posting one book per day from my extensive to-be-read collection. No description or reason for wanting to read the book. Some are old and some will be new. Don't judge me - I have a lot of books.
Day 271

#tbrmountain #bookbuyingdiet

I‘ve read this book twice and I was just as blown away with it as the first time I read it. It goes down as one of my absolute favourite reads.

Kivrin, a young historian, travels back in time to the 1300s and gets caught up in the Black Death. As she desperately tries to help and save the people around her, we see how absolutely horrific this disease actually was.

Profoundly sad but also very moving, this novel is amazing.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Just finished this book. I mostly enjoyed it. The characters evoked my affection and empathy and the description of the harsh environment in the 1300‘s was palpable. The present day parts were a little tedious at times. All in all it was a good but ultimately sad read. Especially in the current pandemic!

Borrowed this from Moosmoo .... On chapter three

Vacation 2020 read/listen. I loved it ❤ Connie Willis is a quirky writer and you have to be patient because things seem repetitive and unimportant, but pay attention and it all pays off in the end.

From Chapter 6 of The Doomsday Book written in 1992. 🤦‍♀️

Help, I am drowning! Books to read soon, including Red and the Black on my Kindle and Redefining Realness on audio (available for free on Hoopla). Seven of these are some form of book club/ buddy read... and I am backburnering two more... aaaah

#tbr #mounttbr #shakespearereadalong #ookbookclub #cleopatrabuddyread

Time-travel fiction is tricky but Connie Willis is at the top of her game here. Haunting, memorable and richly detailed, the research is meticulous and the historical recreation impeccable. An all-round great read with a stunning ending, this fine novel established its writer as a major force within an increasingly crowded genre. I loved it when I first read it umpteen years ago and it haunts me still.