Welcome to Litsy!

Described as a horror novel, I think it is fair to say that Victor Lavalle defies genre with this book. It‘s western, gothic, horror, historical fiction and social commentary all wrapped into one work of art. Good horror asks “Is the monster the one you cannot see, or the one standing right in front of you?” and Lavalle pulls the reader in as his characters grapple with this question.

Another I‘m in the minority on. This felt like a bunch of puzzle pieces that didn‘t quite fit together. I‘d love to read a good book about lone women homesteaders in Montana. For me, this wasn‘t it.

I can‘t really explain why I loved this story so much; I just did. I haven‘t read a book this fast in a while.
And I read it for book club tomorrow, forgetting that I‘m going to see Green Day in DC. so I‘ll miss the conversation. Let me know if you‘ve read this one and how you felt about it.
There is one thing I didn‘t care for or understand (spoiler in comments for those that have finished the book).

And PB cups. ❤️ those too.

Okay, if every summer day in Virginia was like today I‘d be very happy. I can sit outside and read.
Next up is a read for book club in 3 days. Hopefully I can power through (with the help of mini donuts).

So good!

I‘m not new to the horror genre, and I‘ve enjoyed LaValle‘s work in the past, but unfortunately I decided to bail on this. I read well over half, but found that my anxiety was increasing, and I‘m not in a place where that‘s OK. That said, this had an interesting plot relating the eerie story of women pioneers in Montana who have brought their curses along as they strive to build new lives.

Oh man, I loved this! It reminded me A LOT of Alma Katsu‘s The Hunger which I LOVED. Rather than horror, I would call it a historical western supernatural thriller. Loved the MC Adelaide with her mysterious trunk, loved wondering what was in it. Loved the found family and camaraderie Adelaide built with other lone women out in MT. These women all seemed bogged down with identities-I don‘t think the story needed that. BUT the slow burn across-

I grabbed the LP edition from the library to give it a try and MY GOSH it‘s just like reading used to be for me. I‘ve had a tough time reading regular print for a while, even with strong reading glasses. I‘ve always felt bad even considering LP because I feel like some readers need those books more than I do.

But, friends, I think I‘ve now arrived at the place where LP is what I will check for first at the library. My eyes feel so appreciative.

This was a quick and fun read, but not quite sure about the sci-fi sister in the trunk. I enjoyed it but wouldn‘t pass it on.

#ReadAway2024

A pick overall for my first #Roll100 (# 79) of March. I loved the first half, felt the second half got bogged down with more tangents than it needed, but I did like the way it all resolved. (Not giving much detail on plot as I think it‘s best to just jump in.) I loved all the “lone women” characters & the representation. While I‘m not normally a western fan, add a horror element & guess I‘m in.🤷🏻‍♀️ A quick & nail-biting read.

Out running errands all morning so I decided to try a new neighborhood coffee shop for an iced latte with oatmilk . The barista made their Kai Breakfast Turnover sound so good I ended up having one for brunch/lunch. Scrambled eggs, cheese & Portuguese sausage inside a flaky turnover crust. Really ono. Also really good (so far) is the tagged book, one of my March #Roll100 picks. ☕️🥞 📖 💚

Welp. This just didn‘t hit. There was *so* much going on but the pace was so fast, each mini reveal didn‘t have the impact they could have. Also so much relied on coincidence & half-explanations. I think I would have enjoyed more if it wasn‘t well under 300 pages - this was more like a lengthy novella. It needed more time to cook to really flourish. 🐴

Cue Beyoncé‘s “Texas Hold ‘Em”. ?? (This is mostly set in Montana but you get the vibe, right?)

In need of a palate cleanse so it‘s time to try this one out. Got the chance to meet the author and get this signed in person at Brooklyn Book Festival.

I may have gone a little overboard at B&N this evening.
And apparently I was in a mood. #horrorbooks

Unpopular opinion: this was my 1st disappointment of 2024. I struggled mightily to get all the way through, & was tempted to bail multiple times. It seemed to lose momentum about halfway in, when POV zooms out from MC. I guess the point is that life‘s hard enough on the frontier, all the harder for racial, gender, & sexual minorities who don‘t conform to utterly arbitrary group norms. And that unlikely people can be allies/adversaries. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Book 3 of #24in24. Sooooo there was a lot of nyuhhh nyuhhh grinding teeth chewing the side of my check thinking about this book because I loved the first half. But then he has identity after identity after identity show up. Just give them a little bit more than “I‘m this identity.” lol idk. I felt some of the characters were shortchanged. Adelaide, a Black woman, flees to Montana in the early 1900s to homestead and hide. Little does she know👇🏼

I have mixed feelings about this book. I felt like it was super slow to really get into anything and it was so short for such a slow burn book. I did love the strong women and the ending and the overall idea of the book, but it just felt like it took forever to get into anything. Definitely creepy in some parts, but super mild for a book that is labeled horror, in my opinion. Overall, very good writing and a good story.

I liked this one, but not quite as much as I was expecting to. I love the relationships and the setting, but the action is too segmented for me to really get into the flow of the story for much of the novel. I think maybe I prefer when books don't have a whole bunch of tiny chapters. LaValle is still one of my automatic-read authors, I just don't think this one will be a favorite for me.

Mrs. Bailey has left the building!! I‘m exhausted and the next two weeks will be spent sleeping, reading, and sipping tea. I will finally get to tie up loose ends as a few books have gone untouched as well as binge watch a few shows. The biggest flex will be going to the bathroom whenever I want versus two times a day. 😩

Exactly what I wanted. Bursting with relatable themes despite the historical setting. If I were to pick what stood out to me it would be female rage, the nature of family and forgiveness vs the danger of power/influence and the need to be accepted/approved of. A sly kind of quiet in tone, but not slow. I highly recommend the audio book, because it's the type of story you can picture being told over a few nights around a campfire. 1/2

Embrace the complications.

LaValle doing a quality job of making me more and more unsettled about this trunk! 🧰🫣

#TBRTarot choice is also on my TBR for #TOB24. Love a double play!

@CBee

What an odd book! Was I supposed to be scared by it?

I started this when it was in #campToB earlier this year, but it didn‘t seem to be going anywhere so I hibernated it.

I actually really liked the storyline *without* the ‘monster‘ - hence why I‘m giving it a (soft) pick. For me, it would have worked a lot better had it just been Adelaide vs. Mrs Mudge and her brood. (And Adelaide vs. the privations of life alone as a homesteader)

Loved the beginning! Things fell apart for me when the many characters were introduced that felt like cardboard cutouts to me. It‘s a shame because I loved the MC and her mysterious trunk. Take this with a grain of salt though; I historically don‘t do well with supernatural elements and horror. A feminist western with horror, I mean, wow! Just didn‘t work for me unfortunately. I should have bailed.

Atmospheric, devastating, hopeful, surprising, tense, and insightful historical fiction with horror elements. Memorable characters and setting. A great read from start to finish. All the stars for this book.

Supernatural horror, with a western twist. I had no idea where it was going for parts of it, but I enjoyed the ride.

It‘s fun to read a book that crosses genres and entices you to keep reading if only to find out how in the big skies of 1917 North East Montana this will end. It‘s gothic and horror with a monster, it‘s historical fiction in part, its a western, it‘s feminism and friendship, its prejudice and assumptions, it‘s scoundrels, it‘s redemption. It‘s a great story!

Mom stop taking pics of me with books😂 Wow!!! I was totally engrossed and on edge worrying about these characters from start to finish. I loved learning something new historically about women of color in American history. This was truly unique storytelling and can‘t wait to read more from this author.

Audiobook for dog walking. Lavalle is a favorite of mine, and has added some extra dimensions to the horror genre, imo, by dealing with the double consciousness that POC have to deal with to the initial doubtful disquiet that supernatural evil sparks.
Anyway, 1915, Adelaide moves to homestead in Montana, dragging her heavy padlocked whispering trunk behind her. Weird and scary things ensue.

“History is simple, but the past is complicated.” This well-researched supernatural Western expands the picture of the Wild West we‘re used to—redrawing the boundaries to include the Black, queer, and mixed-race settlers that lived and labored on the frontier while exploring assimilation and inclusion, complicity and community-building. To be honest, I appreciated this book more than enjoyed it. Recommended for fans of Rivers Solomon‘s Sorrowland.

My #Scarathlon TBR — fingers crossed I can make it through them all!!

#hhc #HalloweenHexesCoven @dabbe

“A woman is a mule”…my goodness! This stuck to me like gas to a fire and saying out loud, where‘s the lie! I‘m back reading Lone Women and I‘m not quite sure what to think of it but I do know I‘m enjoying it thus far. The character is riding with my soul and I‘m curious to see where she‘ll take me.

An interesting book that is a Western but has a supernatural spin to it. A homesteader looking to make a fresh start in Montana has an usual secret. It's a good read with satisfying ending.

This is an excellent horror story that features a black lone woman staking a claim in 1915 Montana. She carries with her a mysterious burden. The characters, setting, and writing is riveting. It has much to say about women, racism, and relationships. I read most of this book on an airplane, and absolutely enjoyed the ride!

This was good, although not quite my kind of book. The historical part interested me more than the horror.

This was fine. Solid 3⭐
I think I was looking for something different or more. This really would have worked for me as a short story. I unfortunately got a bit lost a couple of times on who was who and the timeline didn't feel real somehow - there were times it felt we had been at the homestead for months and months but then later it turns out to be just weeks, if I was more engaged it might have come together differently.

My next read! Starting this today while at work. Hoping to get a good way through it before the day is over since it has such short chapters.

“On Tuesday, Adelaide Henry had been a farmer. On Wednesday, she became a fugitive.”

Adelaide Henry sets out to escape her past in rural Montana in 1915. But she's not traveling alone.

Victor LaValle has written another page turner with this Lovecraftian female driven tale that grabs you from page one and doesn't let go.

Great day at the library!

A tense and excellent horror-Western hybrid. Addie moves to Montana in the 1910s with few belongings except a well-locked steamer trunk that seems to result in mysterious deaths whenever it‘s opened.

I read The Changeling by LaValle and thought it was fantastic- so chose this talk with LaValle and Kevin Wilson. This was hysterical! They are brilliant, funny and unbelievably humble. I will have read Kevin Wilson now- and if you like either of them see if the talk was taped- it‘s worth it if you enjoy their writing or are curious about their books.

Yes, this is considered horror but I would say it is more of a western. I‘m not into westerns via any media but this one was an exception. This book is about women, mostly women of color. They are the hero‘s of this tale. This link is a great insight. https://www.tor.com/2023/04/03/book-reviews-lone-women-by-victor-lavalle/

Thanks for the tag @TheSpineView 😺

My favorite book this summer was Lone Women by Victor LaValle. I tag @AmyG @Sleepswithbooks @dabbe repost with this pick and tell @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks your favorite summer book for a chance to win She Started It by Sian Gilbert.

#BookReport 31/23

I bailed on the travelogue but still had a good read with two super weird, gory and scary ones. This week‘s favorite is Fantasticland because it‘s especially scary because the plot is so plausible.

Not sure about this book. Adelaide leaves for Montana to become a so called Lone Woman, a woman tending her own land. Life in Montana in 1915 is harsh and desolate.
An interesting setting and group of characters but an additional ghost didn‘t work for me. Not sure what it added to a story that would have been good enough without it. #CampToB

(Photo: Louisiana Museum, Denmark)

(2023) It's weird west set in an underrepresented corner of American history (centering single women homesteaders), with themes of family, justice, and monsters-but-who-is-the-monster-really.

I now have an inaugural favorite book of 2023.

This was my #DoubleSpin read for July.

Somewhere between a pick and a so-so for me. At times I couldn‘t put it down, and at times it felt too plotty and the events a bit too orchestrated. But thumbs up for creativity and a very surprising reading experience! So, overall a soft pick. #campTOB

What the hell did I just read? I love a novel where I don‘t know where the hell it‘s taking me. All the love for this western themed story with elements of horror. About family secrets, acceptance, being different, surviving. For readers who loved Percival Everett‘s The Trees, this might be your jam. OOf. I will be thinking about this one for awhile.

It feels appropriate to be starting this new novel while driving through Montana landscape. Looking forward to this one! You know where I‘m headed @marleed !! 🎶🎤🎸🎺🎻🥁🎹