Welcome to Litsy!

Born on #StKitts, Vanier details his time growing up there. I‘m not usually a fan of childhood memoirs, but he‘s quite a character, which made this entertaining. It‘s a bit slow in places, but I really enjoyed it.

I took it right up to the buzzer, but that‘s a completion for me of #ReadingAmericas2023! 🥳

This is an autobiographical novel by a woman from #Curaçao whose mother brought her to the US at 13. Certainly a lot of what happens for her is affecting, but the writing is young YA, which really didn‘t work for me, and some of the naivety of the characters stretches credulity. I struggled a bit to get through this and it frankly would‘ve been a bail if I had another option for #DutchAntilles.

#ReadingAmericas2023

In this book, the narrator tells what she knows of the story of her grandmother, Victoire, who lived most of her life on #Guadeloupe. Parts are really compelling, but as a whole I found it quite uneven. This is my second read from this author and I would read her again.

#ReadingAmericas2023

In the mid 1980s, Salman Rushdie went to #Nicaragua and talked to people about the Sandinista/Contra conflict. He chronicles the trip here. It‘s always fascinating to see the different between how real people on the ground experience something and what is reported in the news. Plus, this book has been in circulation at my library for over 35 years. So cool!

#ReadingAmericas2023

My initial book for #Belize didn‘t work out and, quite frankly, I‘m so glad, because I loved this one! It starts as a history of jaguars and humans and how they influenced one another then evolves into the modern science of jaguar study, Rabinowitz‘s area of expertise. Riveting book; he did wonderful work.

#ReadingAmericas2023

Starting in 1982, Simon Winchester traveled to the remaining parts of the UK outside the British Isles, from Tristan da Cunha to #Bermuda to the Falkland Islands (arriving there at a very interesting time). Aspects of this book are super interesting, but the book is ultimately flawed by relying so heavily on the British viewpoint and ignoring that of the locals.

#ReadingAmericas2023

This was a disappointment. A misogynistic philanderer is the only cop on Anegada and someone has been killed, kicking off an investigation in which he does just about everything wrong and the killer reveals themselves to him rather than him solving it. And the who doesn‘t make any sense. It did give me a good sense of place, at least.

#BritishVirginIslands #ReadingAmericas2023

Kurt‘s family has brought Rachel along on their trip to #Aruba, when the teen group seems something mysterious come from the sky. When they go to investigate, Kurt vanishes. They spend the rest of the book trying to figure out how to get him back. This is self-published and it shows, but I was entertained by this little sci-fi YA. A low pick (for books 1&2).

#ReadingAmericas2023

Living in Paris among the elite, Ella Lynch meets a handsome stranger and ends up going to his home country, #Paraguay, with him. Never marrying, she is effectively his wife, as they have multiple children together, he secedes his father as president, and the country devolves into war. I quite liked this—the perspective is unique and the extreme violence is balanced by a thread of wry humor.

#ReadingAmericas2023

This book looks first at the explorations across the land mass of #Greenland, then at the scientific studies of the ice, which have led to some major understandings and more questions about climate change. Really interesting, sobering read. (Bindi doesn‘t want to talk about it.)

#ReadingAmericas2023