Welcome to Litsy!

Ugh, BookTok has failed me again. This one was just too slow-paced and shallow for my liking. The idea is great, just not executed well at all. Why am I getting the perspective of a 12 year old who understands nothing when there are hundreds of thousands of women who literally transformed into mythical beasts?? They just disappeared and I don't get to know more about them?? It read more like chick lit than fantasy. 😬

Alternating between giving belly rubs and holding my book. Every time I remove my hand to turn the page, I'm met with little grumbles of protest.

Mars Bars turns 3 years old today! I can't imagine life without her, and sometimes I'm sure the reason we moved to Nebraska was to be in the right place at the right time when she needed adopting. She's just been the most perfect addition to the family you could imagine.

I found it hard to get into at the beginning, but as the story unfolded, I found myself admiring the tenacity of Alex and how fast she had to grow up. Yes, the book was somewhat repetitive and lagged a bit, but my overall take was that sometimes people are dealt a hard hand, and it‘s what they make of it, and who they surround themselves with for support that count most in this world. Also, let‘s be less judgmental to people we don‘t understand.

I honestly don't know what to think about this book. I loved it, then hated it. I think this book and “The Power“ would make for a nice novel study in highschool. I enjoyed the concept of the book and kepted reading because it was so strange. I wanted more fire breathing 🐲, less 🐲 doing yard work and contributing to society (weird). The pacing I found to be very slow and repetitive in the regard to the family and schooling. Prom scene was good.

Took the nibling to the Legendarium today! Books and dice for them, books for me, and a book for @kourtlynrose !

#BookHaul

Undecided

Not for me. I found it repetitive and not interesting. I couldn‘t get lost in the fantasy. It just felt flat the whole way.

This book made me so angry I almost quit reading. But then I continued. The gaslighting & propaganda were infuriating. The dad…just no words. Essentially the essence of the book is rage. Women get enraged & transform. But, of course, there is so much more to it than that. It was good, but also made me mad, especially at the patriarchy.

Another soft pick for my final match #roll100 read. Really reminded me of The Power in style(with the academic excerpts littered throughout the book). The whole metaphor was a bit heavy handed, I enjoyed the back third or so a lot more than the rest. And my #bookspin #doublespjn #bookspinbingo list for May!

Fiercely feminist and riveting!
(Expand Your Horizons Dragon task)

Current Read. I love the cover on this one!

Our latest book club pick. I enjoyed it. Feminist, quirky and well written. The idea of this book kind of made me hesitant, but I am glad I read it; I ended up liking it.

If I hadn‘t used an Audible credit, I would‘ve DNF‘d this, but I felt obligated to finish. The premise sounded pretty interesting (alternate history in which women have the power to turn into dragons) in theory, but the execution did not live up to expectations. Sort of a coming of age story, but the overall theme is just Patriarchy = BAD. The level of suspension of disbelief needed to accept the society-level ignorance/amnesia is laughable.

This isn‘t a subtle novel…but I loved it. I was a bit wary because dragons typically aren‘t my thing; Barnhill‘s writing won me over completely. I think the way she intersperses the narrative with “scientific text” about the phenomenon of Dragoning was inspired & well-done. Reading it felt cathartic. The last third of the book fell short for me (particularly the end). While comforting, it got a bit goofy. Still, I‘m wholly willing to overlook it.

I thought I would remember what I wanted to write about this, but it was too much of an emotional roller-coaster to have held onto such things. It was sorrow, it was rage, it was inspiration, it was love and beauty.

@CuriousG I love it all. Thanks for the bonus book! I can‘t wait to read all of these. So much fun. The caramels will not last long. Thanks you so much!

#hauntedhallowsswap @wanderinglynn thanks for hosting

This lit my feminist fire. A wonderful coming of age story.

I wanted to like this more, it is so well intentioned. However, it was a bit dull and slow, to the point I almost DNF‘d it. Also every plot choice and message is so obvious and heavy handed. Not terrible, but not as strong a message as it could have been. 3⭐️

#Roll100 read done! #Scarathlon #HHC 7 Hours
58 words
@bookmarktavern @dabbe @liatrek @jessclark78 @chrissyreadit @thedaysgoby @vonnie862 @ladyCait84 @sresendez12 @kelli7990 @JessieKB ⬇️

There is a lot to like in this book; the concept, for example. It reminded me of “The Power”, but different and interesting. However, the characters seemed too saccharine, at times, and I found that frustrating.

I just…what a beautiful book, what a FULL book. A wonderful richness of language, character, and story. There‘s a strong undercurrent of anger — a warning of what can happen when we ignore our past, and turn a blind eye to the present. But also, a story of family, and the strength of the bonds of love that we form not just by obligation, but by choice. And the choice we can make, to live a life bigger than ourselves. Really remarkable.

I have a super busy weekend. Two softball games, one football game in Iowa on Saturday and the Minnesota State Fair on Sunday, but I have book group on Monday night so I must finish this book. That‘s my modest goal for this readathon.

Came off Libby hold when I wasn‘t expecting it! I always end up loving magical realism, and the reviews are amazing, so I‘m looking forward to it! 🐉

This was a recent #AudibleDailyDeal - I‘m still trying to decide why I‘m feeling ambivalent about this book. Some pacing issues for me and maybe some less than subtle messages from the author felt too heavy handed. It did give me Lessons in Chemistry vibes, so that‘s a plus! Between a pick and so-so. How crazy is my book cover - flower match?!? 💜 #CoverCrush

Last book of July. I enjoyed this story even though I had to suspend belief a bit. I especially appreciated her observations regarding time. #14books14weeks

#WeeklyForecast

Loving the tagged book on audio. Really liking Close to Home although the cover is awful. Just started A Big Ship and will be starting these August buddy reads.

This is a very interesting book. I didn‘t love it, but I liked it enough to be happy to race through it in time for my book club discussion—and I definitely think it will make a good discussion. What happens when women, apparently as part of a normal but unpredictable and far from universal biological process, turn into dragons? The book was slow paced and short on “why,” but that‘s OK. Wonderful characters.

Hope the pic with flowers loads 🤞🏻

This book was well written and covered a variety of topics regarding our society and how it views differences in gender, race, sexual orientation and even variances in family units. It was nice to read about such serious topics and have a bit of levity added to them (insert dragons), while still maintaining the severity of the situations that many people face on a daily basis. This one will definitely be a re-read!
4.5⭐️

My least favorite read of the year. In my view, this could have been a fun and interesting short story, maybe novella. A fun premise but it couldn‘t carry a 400 page book. I sped read the last 150 pages just because it was a for a book club. Only reason it wasn‘t a DNF for me.

Memory is a strange thing. It reorganizes and connects. It provides context and clarity; it reveals patterns and divergences. It finds the holes in the universe and stitches them closed, tying the threads together in a tight, unbreakable knot. I learned this from my mother. And now I will teach it to you.

They were beautiful, these girls. They were so, so beautiful. And maybe so was I. I lifted my arms and began to twirl. It felt so good, just for second, to let go. Completely.

Was I the immovable object, or was I the unstoppable force? Perhaps I was both. Perhaps this is what we learn from our mothers.

I don‘t think Kelly Barnhill can write a bad book. I‘ve thoroughly enjoyed everything I‘ve read of hers, and this is another win. Fascinating premise: hundreds of thousands of women became dragons in the “Mass Dragoning” of 1955. Now no-one talks about it, and doing so is considered obscene and anti-American. (Continued ⬇️)

I‘ve had a fantastic reading week, I gave all of these 4 ⭐️ and thoroughly enjoyed them all. I think my favourite was The ghost woods, a creepy gothic horror which was right up my street and such a page turner although I can‘t stop thinking how great it would be if spontaneous dragoning was actually a thing!

Doing some calligraphy while listening to the tagged book which I‘m loving!

Today #bookhaul

“…maybe this is the same with all of us—our best selves and our worst selves and our myriad iterations of mediocre selves are all extant simultaneously within a soul containing multitudes.”

“Embarrassment, as it turns out, is more powerful than information. And shame is the enemy of truth.”

This was a beautiful book. It was sweet and loving and the characters felt real, but it was written as a memoir so there were parts that were unresolved. I picked it up initially to review it for our Winter Read for next year, and I‘m so glad that I did. When Women Were Dragons will stick with me. #pop23 #bookaboutafamily (pictured are ducks from the hardware store for cute tax)

This has been a busy week full of emotional hangovers. I have so many things that I should be doing, but all I want to do is get back to this story. I‘m going to take me, my book, and my snack to bed.

After a very long day yesterday, I decided to start this. I am so happy that this is as long as it is. I am absolutely loving it.

"Sometimes, I feel that we are all tricked by love, and its rigid requirement of pain. We find the love of our lives and cleave to our beloved when we are still quite young and do not yet understand that we must, by our nature, die someday. In any successful marriage, one partner must face the reality of being very old, and very alone. What is grief, but love that‘s lost its object?"

Liked this one quite a bit — though admittedly loved the premise so much I perhaps expected to like it even more?

⭐️⭐️⭐️

This novel has some great quotable passages and timely commentary on the weight of silence and forgetting as well as the power in remembrance and knowledge. I wished certain things had been developed differently - a wider lens with more diversity, more nuance, more dragoning. I do love the luscious cover! 🎧

I just finished a reread for bookclub and loved it just as much the second time. The author has such a way with words, I found myself jotting down quote after quote. Looking forward to the discussion!

Or maybe they just all preferred the company of girls. And really. Why wouldn't they?

DNF'd
I bought this book because Barnhill did the MFA I'm looking into. A disappointment, to say the least. What is so frustrating to me is that her writing is captivating - but the story/characters are PAINFULLY bad. The women are completely flat and boring as characters - so static, and such a poor representation. And the metaphoric aspect? Well, it'd be like if Lewis wrote Aslan with an asterisk saying “By the way, he's supposed to be Jesus“.

Even though it took me a while to finish this book I ended up loving it. To frame a feminist novel as a fantasy read complete with dragons was genius.

This would make an excellent book club read. I highly recommend this one even if you don't typically read fantasy.