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#Movie2BookRecs @klou
Prompt: Lights Out

This was really good. But not overly earth shattering. Maybe it was the audio. Maybe I'm in a mood. I got it off Roxane Gay's book club list.

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

I‘m struggling between a pick and a so-so here because I was so close to liking this so much more than I did. I just couldn‘t find the center. We didn‘t know enough about 15 year deceased Ray-Ray for him to be the MC, and it flipped between surviving family members too quickly. My wish was that all the characters would have been supporting to Maria‘s (the mom) story- including the Cherokee dreams and stories.

My #BookSpin pick for December had so much potential to be an amazing read but Hobson kept changing the POV and I felt like I never got a true sense of any of the characters. This family drama about grief and addiction had a lot that I appreciated, and also some beautiful writing. However, I kept having to force myself to pick it up and read because I couldn't seem to become fully invested.

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

I think this book may have suffered from trying to squeeze in too many ideas. It‘s about a family that‘s been through a lot, and highlights each of their struggles. It gets weird in a lot of places. 🍌👖

The thing that will stick with me the most is the idea of addiction taking a physical manifestation that follows the addict around and attacks them. I can‘t say I enjoyed those parts, but I think they were highly effective.

#curiouscovers #littenlisten #audioathon

I don‘t think my hold on this one will come up in time for me to listen to it this month, but it does fit today‘s Abstract Art prompt.

This is a good book but I can‘t necessarily say I enjoyed it. The characters are wading through the aftermath of significant and life altering trauma - unless you are a heartless bastard reading that sort of thing is always tough. Overall, I see why it‘s got low marks. It certainly isn‘t everyone‘s thing. I am glad I read it and will probably look for more from this author.

The author liked and commented on my Instagram post about "The Removed!"

Oh, happy day ?

Things I didn't like:

Edgar's story (drug stories are not my thing)

The stories from Tsala

Sonja's annoying bad choices

What I did like:

The spirit of Ray Ray appearing in various ways to his grieving family

Maria's strength

Ernest's improvement throughout the book

Wyatt - the foster boy

I didn't choose this as my #botm, but it made it into my hands anyway as a giveaway on independent bookstore day. It was meant to be 🙂

I have mixed feelings on this one. I didn‘t connect with the stories or the characters, but I absolutely loved the audiobook narration.

Multiple narrators tell the story of a family still reeling from the shooting death of a teenage son/brother by a police officer ~10 yrs previously, interspersed with portions of Cherokee history from the Trail of Tears and supernatural elements from Cherokee tradition. Very moving if a bit scattered. #indigenousauthor

You'll note that my bingo card is filling up... But I've not been able to get myself to read my bookspin/doublespin picks 🤣 doh

This just didn‘t work for me. It felt disjointed and aimless. I did like the 2 female characters but I did not care for Edgar‘s storyline nor that of the mystical spirit. I‘m disappointed that this was the inaugural choice for Roxane Gay‘s bookclub. It seemed to be a lot of stories that were just thrown into the pot. #MoreMehThanYeah #BorrowNotBuy Between a pan & so/so but total #CoverCrush #pop21 #AdvancedPrompt

Halfway through and not sure how I feel about this book, but I am curious about Colette ( a French author) who is repeatedly referenced.

I didn‘t love this story. When the book begins with the violent death of Ray Ray Echota at the hands of police, I kinda thought this was headed in a very different direction than where it went. There are a lot of blurred lines between current world struggles for the characters and a mythological element that seems to be tied to their Native culture. It didn‘t blend as well as i would hope and there aren‘t many plot resolves.

This is about a Native American family who lost their son when he was in high school when he was shot by a police officer who judged the situation based on race rather than what actually happened. I think this book serves a powerful message, but there was just so much crammed into each chapter and it felt like it lacked a sense of unity. I just felt like in the end, I felt a little underwhelmed by how it all came together.

So I love #Scribd / I think it‘s a good value & service but I HATE when they randomly remove audios from my queue. They removed THE REMOVED (literally) just as I started listening to the audio😩Apparently it will return next month but that‘s not helpful right now. Guess I‘ll try my print copy again. #SmallRant #BookNerdProblems

An eery story of how grief effects members of the Echota family as each journies the road of forgiveness for themselves and each other with the help of their ancestors.

“Little brother” Ray-Ray said, “there are enough monsters in this world.”
This is a story of destruction. The power that monsters found in this world to destroy an ancestral people, and the power that grief finds to destroy a family. It is also a story of attempted recovery. Overall, I loved the themes of the book, even if I didn‘t completely love the magical realism of the spiritual journey that most of the characters were on.

#bookspin

Emotionally connected stories of one Cherokee family and their ancestors. Beautifully told, and as with Where the Dead Sit Talking, it is written in chapters from different characters perspectives in a consistent order.

“At sunset the locusts flew, a whole swarm of them, disappearing into the darkening sky“

Set in Oklahoma, a family is still morning one of their members, fifteen years later. This story follows each surviving member and how they are coping with their loss. The story is an interesting look into the Native American culture and traditions.

I really enjoyed Hobson's attention to detail in his characters, their surroundings, and feelings.

This was good, but not an easy read. Very simple writing for such an atmospheric novel. #marvellousmarch

This one was a bit disappointing for me. I love the concept of following family members years after a tragedy to see how they were all impacted. But it‘s so uneven. One storyline is heaped in metaphor and myth, another has just a touch, and the third has none at all. I feel like the myth and metaphor should have either been more liberally applied or more subtle, but it didn‘t quite work for me this way.

This book blew me away. It took a little bit for me to really become invested in the story, but by the end I literally delayed finishing it because it was just so beautiful and I didn‘t want it to end. It‘s a narration from several family members showing how they cope with the complexity of life with decades long grief always in the background. This book tackles racism, addiction, police violence, assault, and abuse and it is so powerful

Well, that‘s weird. The back cover is noticeably longer than the front! I‘ve never seen that before. 🤨

I really loved this book, and I‘m still thinking about it days later.

Full review on my much-neglected blog: https://sprainedbrain.blog/2021/03/13/review-the-removed-by-brandon-hobson/

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

This is only for people who are into magical realism. I feel like many people reviewing the book went in with different expectations, and came out disappointed.

The cadence of the story is well done. I enjoyed the general writing. I do think the stories could have been flushed out more, the ending was rushed.

A case of like and not love for this one. Ray Ray is a young boy tragically killed and his family members must cope with the loss. Each are impacted in different ways but all lead pretty tragic lives years after his death. I failed to really connect with it. There‘s myths and American Indian culture which I enjoyed. A bit of “Sharks in the Time of Saviors” vibes.

Ray-Ray was shot 15 years ago in an altercation. This splintered his parents, older sister, and younger brother. They‘ve each dealt with their pain differently, but now, as the anniversary approaches, each person will have to face their feelings and get some resolution.

Written with layers of Cherokee mythology, I liked but didn‘t love this book. I certainly learned a lot, though.

#pop21 #indigenousauthor #botm

I'm posting one book per day from the ever growing unread stacks in my personal library. No description or explanation, just books I own and plan to read. #tbr

Day 6

This book was...strange. Not all in a bad way. I enjoyed the story telling & thought the themes of mental illness & intergenerational trauma were handled respectfully. There was a lot of tenderness in discussing loss & love. There were odd sub-stories that seemed unnecessary & didn't, in my opinion, contribute to the overall message of the book. Like Sarah and her missing dog... What was that about? Not bad, I just feel like I missed something.

It arrived! 🎉 Thank you so much for your generosity, Emaleigh! I love the matching note.

This story had it's ups and downs for me. I think my sadness for the family is what kept me wanting to read to the end but I struggled to stay engaged. I think the story itself is incredibly important to tell but there was just something missing in the writing...for me.

I read this book in one sitting. It was a page turner and the POVs of the family who lost a loved one to a police shooting was heartbreaking. But it was, unfortunately, forgettable. I needed more.

I hate to bail on books, but I slogged halfway through this before taking a break to read something else, and now it's time to face the fact that I have absolutely no desire to pick it back up. The cover sure is pretty though! #BOTM

What a book! This book looks at historical trauma and loss of a loved one in a spiritual way with our ancestors and the love of those gone too soon to guide us through.
Comment

Looking forward to starting this tonight!

Over in FB land, Magic City Books in Tulsa had a virtual launch party for the Removed. Rilla Askew interviewed author Brandon Hobson. Great conversation- I‘m even more excited for my order to get here now. Check it out if you are interested in the book or like to hear authors talk about their process.

Really enjoyed the unique story telling and magical realism. A great first choice from #BOTM!

I PMSed hard this week and had no motivation to read. Hopefully I can finish this tonight.

This book centers around a family dealing with the collective grief over the death of one of the sons. Alternating chapters are narrated by either the mother, sister, or brother of the dead son. Also included are chapters narrated by a spirit. With the exception of the spirit narrator, there is no distinct voice for the individual characters. Great cover though.

Very much enjoying this story so far. The connections of family and grief are really striking. It‘s also quite a quick read.

Finished up my first ever #BOTM on this rainy Tuesday! I especially enjoyed the different narrators and overall atmosphere, in a book mostly propelled by small moments rather than large, overarching plots.

I caved and signed up for #BOTM

A beautiful novel about love and loss. Filled with magic and wonder, myth and life.
#theremoved #brandonhobson #2021books

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New Post Today!
https://heartandsoulbooks.blogspot.com/2021/01/the-removed.html

This book reminded me of Leslie Marmon Silko ‘s writing and is the contemporary Native American writing I‘ve been waiting for. I‘ve read reviews in which people seemed confused by it. But I loved the integration of myth, family and ancestral history, and their present reality. It is a hell of a book about healing and the layers of healing humans must go through.

Gonna give this #botm pick a try for #booked2021 (Author‘s first name starts with A, B, or C). I‘ve seen mixed reviews. But seriously in love with this cover! 💕

I started reading the tagged book and am loving it. But sometimes you gotta stop and watch My Little Ponies with your toddler 🥰 and in case you were wondering, yes that‘s market on her face 🤦🏻‍♀️. Clearly I needed to get my nose out of my book.

Even though this book is short, it takes time to process and think about to fully get everything from it. There is so much to offer. A contemporary setting mixed with Cherokee folklore, this story tackles intergenerational trauma as well as immediate trauma and how those things come together. Highly recommend you check out some own voices reviews as I have certainly missed some of the nuances in my IG and GR reviews.

Just got my #BOTM pick for January today! Excited!

Nope, nope, nope. 30 pages in and I can‘t deal with this robotic writing style. Like, imagine an eight year old‘s writing. Now picture it taking up a whole book. Yeah, that‘s what this is like. There‘s no emotion or character voice, and I can‘t do it.