Welcome to Litsy!

A tough read on the 5th of November. A masterful tale in a contemporary apocalypse of neglect, abandonment, industrial consumption, and narcotic. Devastating at points of course, but stepping up to be the definition of optimism and resilience.

The rough names, stamped on everyone, are fixed in Lee County: Maggot, Angus (for Agnes), Coach, Woody, and, of course, our title character. The nicknames are given by others, done to them, like a light curse. Like “hillbilly” and other dishonorifics, heavy with history, the labels never completely disappear. People truly grow when they move toward life‘s greater efforts like love and art and decide: I am not who you say I am.

Maybe it was the fact that several people talked this book up to me that it fell somewhat flat…it just didn‘t live up to the hype! It‘s well written but I didn‘t connect with (or remember) many of the characters other than Demon. Who is Martha? Who is Ruby? Who is Swap-Out? By the end of the 500+ page book, I truly couldn‘t remember. (46)
⭐️: 3/5

I think I‘m one of the few people on the planet that is not a big Kingsolver fan. I enjoyed “The Bean Trees” and loved “The Laguna” but beyond that, her voice just doesn‘t speak to me. Hope springs eternal, so: Demon Copperhead. After trudging through the first, grim 75 pages or so, I bailed. Maybe after the fraught election season I‘ll try again. The caricatures she draws of Appalachians cut too close to a J.D.-like bone to be readable.

Dammit, Barbara Kingsolver. Why are you so good?? I loved this contemporary reimagining of David Copperfield, set in 1990s/2000s Appalachia. I was so impressed by how Kingsolver took the issues Dickens was concerned about in the 1800s and transferred them to a contemporary setting, constructing a compelling story around grief and loss, foster care, and the opiod epidemic—revealing how little has changed, and how a completely different system ⤵️

@kspenmoll I‘ve had this for a few days and kept forgetting to post. Tonight Gandalf helped me get a photo to share. I‘m really looking forward to this one from our #Book2Book swap, especially as I‘m currently listening to David Copperfield.

#CatsOfLitsy

#giftedtoyou #aboutabook @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs

I am blown away by the brilliance of this David Copperfield retelling set in Appalachia.

Yes, it is difficult and sad, and not many happy things happen for Demon, but there is hope.

That hope brought me to tears in the last pages of this masterpiece.

This one will stick with me.

I bought this book as soon as it came out last year, and purposely held onto it for a while. I fully expected it to be my favorite read of 2023 and I didn‘t want to overshadow other good books with its magnificence. So I started reading it in October 2023.

I just finished it today.

Ten months. That‘s how long it took me to drag myself through this book. I was tempted to bail so many times, but I persevered. ⬇️

Just as Charles Dickens used his stories to shed light on the societal ills of his time, so Kingsolver uses this revamped tale to emphasize the pervasiveness of the opioid crisis. I feel that it‘s a little like cheating—she never had to work out which characters get together, die, etc. Dickens did that! I loved figuring out each character‘s mirror in David Copperfield, though. It also lacks the humor Dickens weaves throughout. Still loved it!! ❤️

61/100

NYTs Books has put out a readers choice 100 for those who spoke loudly about hating the first list!

I have read more on this list 61 to the 48 of the official list. There are a lot of overlapping books

I am out of free articles but you can find the full list on Instagram - NYTBooks

Enjoying the beach with Demon Copperhead!

Yes it s july 6th and I am under a blanket, but it is raining and I am peopled-out but need to get out again for dinner with friends so ... A little quiet time (and the piano player in the back is using headphones)

I dunno. I was all in for the first half and then something happened. We‘ll be discussing this book at book club later this month, so perhaps I will have a better handle on my feelings after that discussion. I will say this: it was easy to read.

Absolutely brilliant. Demon‘s voice was wonderfully written. What a character.

At page 47 I DNF this one. I loved the voce of the character and how well the story was being told. Page 47 caused me to have a panic attack so for my well being I have to stop reading this one.

Oh my goodness!!! What a beautiful package- thank you so much Misty! I feel so undeserving, but I love it nonetheless. I‘ve wanted to read this for the longest time. I‘ve checked the ebook out twice but I keep returning it because I want to read a hard copy! Your thoughtfulness is simply beautiful. Thank you for all the goodies, as well as your patience with me, my friend. 🩷
#litsylove

I cannot lie. I had a hard time getting through this, because the story is so painful in many ways. I understand why it was chosen for the Pulitzer Prize, however, because the writing is absolutely phenomenal. I‘m glad I read it—and especially glad that I made it to the end, as it took some wild turns in the last 100 pages.

“A ten-year-old getting high on pills. Foolish children. This is what we're meant to say: Look at their choices, leading to a life of ruin. But lives are getting lived right now, this hour, down in the dirty cracks between the toothbrushed nighty-nights and the full grocery carts, where those words don't pertain. Children, choices. *Ruin,* that was the labor and materials we were given to work with.“

cont.

“I'd started to see how being big for your age is a trap. They send you to wherever they need a grown-up body that can't fight back.“

A lot of meat and potatoes in this story to digest but still a good read. It reminded me in a sense of the Goldfinch with the coming of age story of a boy where you get to voyeuristically follow their life through hell and back. Just a warning, it‘s a long book but definitely a story that will stick with me for a bit.

Demon ♥️ #readingbracket2024 @CSeydel
*Edited to add Sally as a bonus book, it was excellent!

This was amazing! She captured his voice so well! This was political, insightful, powerful. I learned a lot.

#litsylovereads
Set in southern Appalachia, a heart wrenching story of a young boy born to a single mum in a trailer park. Told in Damon‘s words he lives through child labour, foster care, high school and crushing losses.
This book is full of anger, hate and compassion, yet tells the story of the need to be loved. It features drug use and how its effects can wreck lives of loved ones. It is a depressing read but there is beauty within it too.

This loose retelling of David Copperfield explores life in Lee County through the eyes of a young boy nicknamed Demon. From his addict mother to the cruel injustices of the foster care system & drug addiction, the book will break your heart. But it's also so beautifully written & the voice feels so authentic, that you don't care. I wish I‘d read it sooner instead of dragging my feet.

“As a kid, you just accept different worlds w/different rules.”

I can‘t decide if Barbera Kingsolver is a literary genius or a whack that scored a book deal. This is the first book by her that I‘ve managed to get through and it was a ride for sure. Not a roller coaster per se, more of a train without tracks or speed control that occasionally punches you in the face and also can put you to sleep. But it took me over two weeks to get through it. Maybe it‘s a metaphor for the long journey of addiction?

At one point I almost bailed on this, but I decided to keep going. I‘m glad I did, because I ended up loving it.

#motivationalmonday
1. A nice quiet week with a bit of uni work.
2. My back garden which is sodden due to the amount of rain we‘ve had 😢
3. Worcester, UK 🇬🇧. It‘s 9c and wet & windy
4. Tagged

Listening to this and working in the yard. Does anything good happen in this book?

Finally made it into the garden to read! #litsylovereads

Somebody felt neglected 🙄🐈
I don‘t know how I feel finishing this monster of a book. In terms of size and being a sort of memoir. Children born into a drug family and how that influenced his every decision in life. How that kept building up on everything going on in his life. Made me feel angry at the foster program, as it failed this kid over and over again. Book to make you think about a system that is said to be amazing, but actually fails.

Starting this tonight for #litsylovereads
I‘ve heard many things about this book, both good and bad, only one way to find out….

Just checking to see who is joining me for this buddy read this month?!?! Please let me know!

#LitsyLoveReads
#LitsyLove

What are your favorite audiobooks? 📚 🎧

#LitsyLove

I loved my second book of 2024, and I'm still thinking about it! The main character has such a distinct and compelling voice, and the setting comes alive as a character in its own right. It was fantastic on audio! I read David Copperfield in 2023, and I'm glad I did, because I absolutely loved how Kingsolver engaged with it and added depth and nuance to it while bringing it into a modern context. A tough read, but not without tenderness and hope.

I‘m currently listening to this one for our #LitsyLoveReads buddy read! Please let me know if you‘re planning to join me so that I can tag you on discussion day!!

🎧 📚

#LitsyLove

Went for a walk in town, ended up in a tea room but that‘s after visiting the english bookshop... book haul !

Day 1 of the Greater Charlotte book crawl. The tagged book didn‘t quite fit in the pic

This is our #bkclubread this month for #LitsyLoveReads!! Please let me know if you are going to join so that I can tag you!

Everyone is welcome 🤗

#SpringSkies
#LitsyLove

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March favorite, without a doubt! #readingbracket2024 @CSeydel

What a gut punching, heartbreaking, mind boggling, beautiful, intense, and POWERFUL read. Thankful that I finally read this - it‘ll stay with me for a long time 💔

“The wonder is that you could start life with nothing, end with nothing, and lose so much in between.”

5 AM vibes… trying audio again 🫤

This is so sad 😞

#LitsyLoveReads

Next up for #LitsyLoveReads!! Please let me know if you would like to join and be tagged! 📚📚📚

Everyone is welcome!!

#LitsyLove

Next up for our #LitsyLoveReads buddy read! Please let me know if you would like to be tagged for our April discussion!

#LitsyLove

📖📚📖📚📖

A bit of a wild ride through this one. I enjoyed it. It did feel heavy for me at times—as I have experienced abused and addiction in my own life. It led me to reminiscing some and got personally dreary for a little bit. Thankful for the whole storyline and how things wrapped up in the end.

What a great book. As per the book “a good story doesn‘t just copy life, it pushes back on it”