Welcome to Litsy!

I *nearly* bailed on this ‘hardboiled detective‘ novel from the #ToBlonglist but persevered and, about 30% in, found myself caring for one of the MCs which turned the book around.

It could also be called speculative fiction as it‘s set in an alternative 1920s USA, where First Nations people live side by side with Blacks and whites, but still with the KKK on the rise and a ritualistic murder on a rooftop setting the whole town on edge.

4 ⭐️s
I really love this time travel/alternate history series! Chomping at the bit for the third one so I‘ll need to track that down asap. A LOT happens in this globe spanning epic w/ a large cast of characters, but it doesn‘t feel bogged down. I adore many of the characters (especially the Hollard siblings and their royal love interests 😉) and I think the author does a great job of not making the ancients stupid or inferior to the Nantucketers.

Wow. Starts slow, and I don't know enough about Oppie to know how true the first part of the book is, but it was certainly interesting. The second half is where the sci fi comes in. Surprising ending! When all looks lost, science steps up.

In an effort to speed this one along, we're on the train rn. It vibrates. The train. Not the book. That would be quite unexpected.

☀️🌙

This was just okay. I did the audio and every time I listened I felt like I was watching a Disney educational reel from back in the day. This is an alt history but all of the characters were morally gray so it was hard to actually root for any of them. It also felt more like three novellas tied together by genealogy. There were definitely a lot of -isms that definitely left a bad taste.

#BookReport
I failed at all my reading goals this week but I mean it happens so I'm trying not to dwell on that. I've gotten to about 71% of the tagged and 48% in Grass. I also realized I'm never going to catch up with the ReadingWesteros read a long so I've put that book to the side and maybe I'll read it later or maybe not.

#WeeklyForecast
Goal this week is pretty much the same as last week: Finish both of my current reads.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - (Feeling a bit generous)

What might the US look like if the Civil War never happened and slavery remained legal in select states? Here, we get a glimpse at one imagining.

Victor is an escaped slave turned bounty hunter. He helps the gov't catch and return slaves to the Hard Four states. A case in Indianapolis threatens to undo both the lies he has been telling himself and the lies the US has been telling the world.