Welcome to Litsy!

I have pondered how to rate this. 3, 4, 5, stars? I finally settled on 5 stars because any book that can make me feel a spectrum of emotions while being cleverly written deserves all the stars. Just be prepared for the dark cloud to hang above your head for a bit after you finish it.

8:15 pm 83°F feels like 94° F. I am sitting in the dark, trying to cool off, after a change of plans required a quick cleaning of a space for a house guest. Yes, I have the air on but hot flashes in the summer are the devil! I know nothing of this book, chose it solely based on the cover.

A great book. I was hooked from the beginning.

In the wake of a fever that decimated the earth‘s population—killing women and children and making childbirth deadly for the mother and infant—the midwife must pick her way through the bones of the world she once knew to find her place in this dangerous new world. A story of survival in impossible circumstances, raw and grim-also reinforces the importance of oral traditions. #bookspinbingo @TheAromaofBooks
4/5 ⭐️

Day 30 of #BiblioMAYnia is #Cursive

And this book had PLENTY!

@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @OriginalCyn620

If you're looking for a survivalist based story with a twist of feminism, this is the book for you. It reminded me of some of my first chapter books as a young girl (The Box Car Children) with and adult twist. Kept me engaged and sometimes at the edge of my seat!

I liked this, but I didn‘t love it.

I found some of the diary entries difficult to follow and the font made it even harder to read.
I also found it very difficult to like most of the people the unnamed midwife comes across, and to like the midwife herself.

Despite this I enjoyed the premise, liked the plot, and it is overall a pick :)

#TBR

My goals for #JumpStart2020 were to read for 1 hour a day, and to complete two books (River Marked and Influential Magic) that I had already started.

I managed to stick to my 1 hour per day (except for today) and surpassed my goal of finishing the original 2 books, by finishing 4 books, getting 50% of the way through The Book of the Unnamed Midwife, and about a third of the way through The Good, the Bad, and the Undead.

Thanks for the kick! :)

A pretty good apocalyptic/post-apocalyptic novel that does well with the horrors of the event that causes the apocalypse as well as the immediate years following. 2019 no. 18

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟⠀
What I Loved: It is written as a diary. I loved that the author wrapped up loose ends.
How I Felt: This book was gritty and raw and so GREAT!⠀
To Read or Not To Read: Everyone should read unless any of this bothers you:
offensive language/sexual scenes warning.
An epidemic wipes out most humans. Birth rate survival is 0%. The Unnamed Midwife awakens from her fever in the aftermath tries to survive. She documents in her diary.

I couldn‘t finish this. Not my type of writing and couldn‘t get into it.

I‘m out so enjoy the stock image I took a screenshot of 🤷‍♀️ loved it, loved it, loved it. It reminded me of The Road but in all good ways. It‘s completely different but that lovely type of post apocalyptic fiction that makes you think “Shit, that‘s probably not far off. We‘re all going to die.” Beware, this was an uncomfortable and haunting read. Upside, there is way less cannibalism in this than in The Road.

Hmmm, this is really feel good so far... just kidding. Yikes, dystopian fiction in which a plague mostly wipes out women. Guess what happens to the ones who survive 😳 actually, don‘t.

I am enjoying it, but I had nightmares when I read The Road and this is bringing back memories of that book. Definitely ⚠️ for rape (first chapter).

This book is described as a feminist dystopian novel.
I loved it!
Some kind of illness wipes out society, of the survivors there is 1 woman to every 10 men. Because of this it becomes a very dangerous place for women and they are often taken as sex slaves. This book covers very dark themes.
It is the first book of three and I will definitely read the others.

What does it take to live in a post apocalyptic world? In this #debut novel, the characters Meg Elison creates seem to survive not through sheer force of will, but instead by embracing and utilizing human weakness...particularly one‘s own. Engaging and often bizarre, this is not normally a genre I enjoy, so I‘m glad I took a chance with this #BlameItOnLitsy pick. Surprisingly, I quite liked it! 3.5/5 ⭐️

(Image from video game: Rage)

Where to start with this book..the plot and concept are unique and intriguing really makes you think about “what if only a few women were left on earth.. how would men handle it?”. My issue with this book is the writing style, a bit disjointed. made the story line erratic in parts. I did finish the book feeling like a bunch of questions were unanswered. I guess can‘t like them all, but read for yourself and make your own opinion!

Why oh why do publishers do this? It makes me grumpy. 😡

Now get off my lawn.

#Iamoldandneedclearfonts

One of the better dystopian novels I‘ve read... yes it‘s another life-after-the-apocalyptic-pandemic story, but I thought it was a unique take on it with excellent writing and a complex and believable main character. The illness wiped out nearly everyone, but hit women, babies, and kids the hardest, leaving very few women in an increasingly violent, dangerous world. This is really, really dark... but I couldn‘t stop listening.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

#wanderingjune @Cinfhen @BarbaraBB #roadtonowhere This is a dystopian sci-fi series that I recently added to my TBR. It looks really interesting!

This was an ok book for me. Nothing fantastic.
There were some elements of the story I loved and some I just found boring to read about.
I liked the ending concerning the protagonist...the part of the ending that sets up for the next novel in the series didn't catch my interest and I don't think I'll read it.

This book was soooo good!! I didn‘t realize it was a part of a series. I originally read it bc it is our June book club pick but I flew thru it in 3 days and already have the next two on hold at the library. It is a dystopian sci-fi book. It is partially told thru a series of journal entries which I always enjoy. It tells the story of a midwifes survival journey when most of the world is killed and only few women are left. 5⭐️ #SeriesRead

This is our book club pick for July!! @Sarz I am looking forward to reading this! This is a story of woman who survives a plague that wipes out mankind in a matter of weeks. There are 10 men for every woman that survives so this story is about how this woman survives in a world which can be evil and unfair. I‘m looking forward to this read! How many of you have already read this one?

This isn't usually the type of book that I would choose. I actually picked up the sequel first, the book of Etta, and was about 20 pages in before I realized that there was a prior book. Something about Etta drew me to her so I decided to go that same afternoon to the library to pick up the first book. all I have to say is I don't normally like dystopian style fiction, but this was exceptional. The original unnamed character is so well developed.

A formulaic post apocalyptic novel, but I loved the queer representation of characters and lifestyles. I was quite surprised by how into the book I got, but I‘m not sure I‘ll pick up the other books in this series. Trigger warnings for everything you‘d expect in a post apocalyptic novel where women and children were the largest casualties of a plague and the population becomes stunted. #catsoflitsy

😳

I found it quite unique amongst the swathes of dystopian novels I‘ve read. Queer characters, after the apocalypse! A rare and treasured find.

I offer my recommendation wholeheartedly but with a very clear caveat: this book describes graphic violence, sexual and otherwise, against women and children. It is meaningful, not included for shock value, and is integral to the telling of this story. But be careful with your hearts and your triggers.

Just finished The Book of the Unnamed Midwife. So good. Must read book two of The Road to Nowhere series!

I won this from a Goodreads Giveaway a year or two ago, and it‘s been languishing on my Kindle Bookshelf ever since. I think it‘s time to give it a shot 📖

HUGE TIP!!! This book and the next are just $1.99 for a few days, AND if you buy it on Kindle, you can THEN pick up the AUDIOBOOK for just $1.99! So less than $4 for each audiobook!!! Like, what???

(The sample is AWESOME! Hints of The Postman and The Handmaid's Tale. And a bit The Walking Dead, but no zombies. 😂)

https://dragonauthors.com/bookwyrms/2018/09/21/book-of-the-unnamed-midwife/

#dystopian #dystopia #scifi #sciencefiction #thrillers

Kindle deals 🎉 3.99 US for this and the sequel. I was amazed by this; I like dystopian work but not very violent depictions. Despite some extremely dark and violent scenes, I kept going and was fascinated. Highly recommended if the grimness doesn‘t put you off.

I‘m finding this harrowing reading, but so much better than I expected!! #dystopianhell

This was a grim tale about a post apocalyptic earth that‘s lost most of the population. Men outnumbered women and there were no children. The unnamed midwife documents stories as she journeys through this new world. Diverse, authentic, and touching. I listened on audio and loved it. All the trigger warnings apply to this one. You‘ve been warned but I highly recommend this if you can stomach the violence and ruthlessness of this tale.

Congrats @keys_on_fire on your Litsy milestone 📚🎉😀what a fun idea for a giveaway #L2Kgiveaway

Dec 31, 1999 was spent at a low key New Years Eve Party...most of us were new parents and just thrilled to be out of the house 😜

Tagged book was the first book that made me appreciate the apocalyptic genre. It‘s book one of trilogy. Still waiting for book 3.

A definite feel good read was The One in a Million Boy which I discovered through Litsy!!

Not my favorite, but definitely an engaging listen while exercising and knitting.

Thankful for an audiobook to accompany me on the treadmill today! 🏃🏻‍♀️

This dystopian novel was a 3 ⭐️ read for me. It was interesting and the author did a good job building the world. An issue with the book was that practically everyone but the midwife was portrayed as evil or stupid (IMO). The format alternated journal entries and 3rd person narration. The journal entry font was extremely difficult to read (maybe my kindle?). 😝The story was brutal, not much hope given, but I will remember it for a long time.

I actually forgot to review this book! I liked it a lot, and this is definitely a series I‘ll continue with. Dark and gritty!

As always, my goal each year is to read more widely and diversely, so these two are off the TBR stack. I started reading both last night and was struck by the gripping stories and the beautiful prose...I can't decide which to focus on!

This isn‘t an easy book to read, but as I said in an earlier comment, the author‘s protagonist carries you through it. She‘s a futuristic Margaret-Sanger-turned-cowboy-avenger; she‘s a total badass. But, she‘s human, too. She makes mistakes, she has needs and hungers, and she gets terribly lonely and suffers a great deal of heartache.

Also, I‘ve gotta say: Planned Parenthood is my real life hero.
#dystopia #womenauthors #scifi #feminist

I‘m one third of the way through.

If rape or traumatic childbirth is difficult for you to handle, than this may not be the read for you. I‘m currently pregnant, and one scene had me repeating the mantra, “I‘m okay, and the baby is okay, I‘m okay, and the baby is okay...”
But here‘s the thing: the protagonist is so wonderful that she carries you through it. You get through it.

The unnamed midwife is my motherf-ing hero. #womenauthors

More from my 2018 TBR list. I actually won a copy of the Book of the Unnamed Midwife in a Goodreads giveaway. 🎉

The Book of the Unnamed Midwife Discussion #6: Would you recommend this book? If so, to whom would you recommend it to and why?

The Book of the Unnamed Midwife Discussion #5: Elison eventually introduces a religious sect into the storyline. How do you feel the introduction of a religion helped propel or add depth to the plot? Do you think it was necessary to add religious undertones to the story?

The Book of the Unnamed Midwife Discussion #4:
This novel is told in both a 3rd person narrative and entries into the Book of the Unnamed Midwife. Did you enjoy Elison‘s choice to have the 1st person entries as well as the separate narrative?

We started our discussion of Book of the Unnamed Midwife over on @LitsyFeministBookClub ! Three questions posted today, three tomorrow. Come join in if you've read this great book!

The Book of the Unnamed Midwife by Meg Elison
Discussion #3: Sexual violence against women and the enslavement of women become a common theme in dystopia. How do you feel Elison‘s handling of women‘s rights after societal collapse compares to other dystopian novels?

The Book of the Unnamed Midwife by Meg Elison
Discussion #2: The midwife made a decision early in the novel to live her life as a man, believing it safer. Do you agree with her decision? How do you feel the unnamed midwife portrays masculinity?

The Book of the Unnamed Midwife by Meg Elison
Discussion #1: Readers never learn the true identity of the midwife. How do you feel Elison dealt with identity and conforming in order to survive?

Spending Christmas Eve reading this amazing feminist dystopia, cross stitching, and making cookies. 🎄

We‘re discussing this book in a couple days with @LitsyFeministBookClub! If you‘ve read it I hope you‘ll join us! So far it‘s a really fast, thought-provoking read about a world decimated by a virus.

We hope everyone has had a chance to pick up The Book of the Unnamed Midwife for this month‘s discussion! Meg Elison was gracious enough to answer some questions for us and we would love to share that interview with all of you!!! Enjoy!
https://booksthatshookus.com/2017/12/19/elison-interview/