Welcome to Litsy!

I'm trying hard to read multiple books a month this year and hopefully I'll be able to follow through so I can complete a book bracket. It will be a small amount of books to pick from a month but still fun none the less. West with Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge was my favourite read in January. I will never forget the characters from this book.

Note: Not my template - off pintrest.

#ReadingBracket #ReadingBracket2025 #BookBracket2025 #BookBracket

This was a nice coming of age story about a boy who has no one and nowhere to go. It was a lighter, quick read and I felt connected to the characters. Mostly fiction, as the only real historical fiction is the giraffes being driven across the country. But it was nice to see that story become a story. Giraffes humming is probably my favourite fact I learned.

#JumpStart2025 #DoubleSpin @Lizpixie @TheAromaofBooks

I plan to spend a cozy evening for #hyggehourreadathon by starting West With Giraffes with a hot tea while the cold stays outside. Starting my #DoubleSpin before my BookSpin since it's a library book and I'll have to return it in a couple of weeks. This is a perfect way to end the weekend and reset for the week after the kids are in bed!

@TheBookHippie @Chrissyreadit @AllDebooks

My #AuldLangSpine match is @Loanne
📕I've only read one off the list.
I'll have a tough time choosing which to read. 🤔
This Litsy event is among my favorites - glad I made the cut this year!
Now that I live in NC, the winter weather provides a great reason to stay indoors & read. ❄
In particular, I like beginning & ending each day with a book - if only a few pages.
☕My reading is usually accompanied by a cup of tea.

The historical aspects of the story were interesting, but the writing wasn‘t for me. Too many repetitive descriptors and unbelievable dialogue. It was so much like Water for Elephants but without the compelling characters. Books like this that are loosely based on a real historical event, but add in dramatic back stories for the fictional characters tend to lose my interest. I‘d usually rather read a nonfiction account of whatever happened.

Sweet, coming of age story about escorting two giraffes across the country during the Great Depression. Based on a true event, this book provides a small glimpse of life at that time and is a nice read for animal lovers.

Such a sweet book! Inspired by news clipping from the 1930s, this is the fictional story of a 17 year old dust bowl refugee who ends up driving 2 giraffes from the east coast to the San Diego zoo. It‘s a little light in some aspects, with a lot of very convenient plot points, but super enjoyable and great characters.

Picked this for 30s dust bowl for #bookedintime and whilst starting and finishing late I LOVED this book. It‘s a story of an orphan on the bridge of adulthood who finds himself talking his way into driving 2 African giraffes across the states from New York to San Diego. A road trip in the best tradition of both adventures en route alongside a deeper story of growing self awareness and acceptance. and giraffes! ⬇️ @Cuilin

#BookedInTime 1930s Dust bowl June 2024
@cuilin @dabbe

I love all the different covers I found for this book.
#CoverLove
Based on true events...
1930s road trip with a couple of giraffes, a teenage boy (Woody) and a curmudgeon. (old man) I flew through this one.

Loved this! Beautiful story. 🦒🦒

A delightful story about 1930‘s America and a cross country trip with two giraffes. The vision of America in the 30‘s is quite depressing. But good story.

Coffee and a new book!

My friend chose this for our book club this month. I had never heard of it and didn‘t know what to expect. I loved it so much! The story was beautiful and just made me feel good to read it. I am an animal lover, so the references in the book about the beauty and majesty of the giraffes really spoke to me. I enjoyed reading the transformation of the main character, Woody, and The Old Man and Red too. The Darlings were the real stars, though.

I absolutely loved, loved, loved this book

I've been wanting to read this book for quite some time 😁😁😁

My best book of April was West with Giraffes, which I read with my IRL book club. 🙂

#12Booksof2023 @Andrew65

3 out of 5

When you forget your commute book at home so have to pick up a new book

Giraffes are my favorite animal, so I couldn‘t WAIT to read this book. Look how pretty it is underneath the cover! What a great story; strong-willed, damaged characters coming together to triumph over a 3,200 mile journey. This was a fascinating piece of historical fiction.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Road trippin giraffes meets Grapes of Wrath only more joyful.

A wonderful coming of age story about the long road trip from New York to San Diego carrying 2 giraffes to the zoo during the dust bowl era

Meet young Woody NIckel and his adventures across the states hitching a ride with to get 2 giraffes to the San Diego zoo. Such colorful characters and lovely life lessons and a fierce love of animals can get you through anything. 🦒🦒

This was really quite good, but was way too long. I had to skim often. The ending had me in tears, though!
⭐️: 3/5

I‘m a sucker for a Depression era coming-of-age story, throw in a couple giraffes traveling ocean-to-ocean across the Lee Highway riddled with history and I‘m a goner! I stacked of this book after piles of well-deserved Litsy love so it seemed a great choice for my May #BookSpin category: Litsy Stacked. I purchased the ebook on sale but as I walked by a LFL last week this physical copy was telling me to choose the giraffes for my BS read!

A well written story about an orphaned teenage boy who accompanies two giraffes on a cross country road trip during the 1930s. Based on true events. A strong sense of time and place, and an insightful look at depression-era culture and society.
#NoBuyReadingChallenge @PuddleJumper
#ReadYourTBR @melissajayne

I felt like I did a fair amount of reading in February, but I didn‘t finish a lot. I have better books still in process, but tagged title was the best of the ones I finished this month. It was a library book group discussion in Feb and is my neighborhood bookgroup title for March, so I guess that‘s fair.

Go on a great adventure transporting giraffes across the country and you won‘t regret it. Wonderful story I highly recommend.

Hoping to read this over the weekend so I can tag along with hubby to his library bookgroup on Thursday. Our neighborhood bookgroup just selected this for the March discussion, so it will be worth the push (while doing laundry and packing!) #weekendgoals

Number 83 for #roll100 got this book off my kindle TBR pile. I read the first 50 pages and just didn‘t find it worth my reading time. Cute premise and I know a lot of people liked it, but too many other books out there!

My mom‘s best friend (affectionately known as Mom2) has been on me to read this since probably last summer. 😂 I‘m finally listening. It‘s sweet so far, I love Woodrow. 🥹🥰 #westwithgiraffes #lyndarutledge #historicalfiction

Today‘s book on the couch with Gatsby.

I‘m reading & listening to this book for my IRL bookclub, and I realized my chairs look like giraffes!!! 🦒 🪑 🦒
#FriendsWithBooks

A story told by a 100 year old man about his depression era adventure druving giraffes across the United States. Sweet coming of age story with memorable characters. 5 🌟

Miracle Giraffes Ride Hurricane at Sea
#firstlinefridays @ShyBookOwl

Starting today…..

I enjoyed this story of a young Depression era kid, Woody, who falls into a job driving giraffes from New York to California. Woody‘s relationship with those giraffes was sweet and touching. Riley Jones and Augusta Red were also good characters. At first I was a little puzzled as to why the narrator of the audiobook sounded so old; then I realized that Woody was over 100 when he was telling this story, so the narrator was perfect. #audiobook

I‘ve got about 3 hours left in this book, so I should be finished soon. I love the characters. #audiowalk

Whenever I have to take my husband or daughter to the doctor, it exhausts me. I don‘t know why. Sometimes I‘ll go to bed right when we get home. Today, though, I went for a couple of walks instead. I‘m glad I did. #audiowalk

West with Giraffes is my new walking book. So far, I really like it. The basketball statue by the fountain was actually not on my walk; it‘s right in front of the building where I swim. #audiowalk

I couldn't decide between these so I have 2 #LetterW books today #Alphabetgame @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Enjoying a new book at a sweet little Airbnb in the Upper Pennisula.

This book was such a unique piece of history I am glad I was able to experience. The store she wove using this crazy story is beautiful, tragic and heartwarming. Reminds me of a Disney movie, truly. Will say it took a bit to pick up and start really going but definitely glad I read!

Thank you so much! I can‘t wait to dig in to the book and start using the stationery! I made an excited squeal when I saw the washi tape. #litsylovesummerswap #litsylove
@Kdgordon88
@rsteve388

5 star book for me! I loved the storytelling and the characters!

Starting this novel while waiting for my MIL to get finished up with a procedure in the hospital.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ Started slow, but kept me interested about halfway through. I like historical fiction and this was filled with it. Ended up being a nice read.

“I could spend what I feel in my bones is my life‘s last clear hours to tell you of the dust bowl. Or the war. Or the French peonies. Or my wives, so many wives. Or the graves so many graves. Or the goodbyes. So many goodbyes”
-3

This book is about the resilience of beings, the power of stories, and how relationships with humans and animals impact our journey. If you enjoy historical fiction, animals, and are looking for a quirky escape, you‘ll likely find enjoyment in this book. Overall, it is a cute and charming tale. I appreciated that it provided a look into a historical moment that was previously unknown. Full review: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56449476

@kellyann28 I‘ll finish the book this weekend and send it back to you beginning of next week. I haven‘t forgotten!

“For a mile, the Old Man and I rode in blessed silence, the giraffes looking back like they‘d acquired a taste for gospel singing, with the windshield wipers slapping time.”