Welcome to Litsy!

#readingoceania2024 #vanuatu I am getting a bit tired of the “my year in ….” (Name of South Pacific island) format but he keeps things light and moving and you do catch a bit of history and culture although much of what you catch is being a foreigner there. I learned a bit about cannibalism. I am slowly getting a glimpse of the differences between all the countries in Oceania. Just wish I could locate some better literature along the way

Both excellent books.

#SetonIsland. #AboutaBook
@Eggs
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

#ReadingOceania2024 #Fiji I‘ve been reading A.S. Byatt so almost any book would seem slight in comparison but this was a nice mystery with a very unhard boiled protagonist detective. The book is set in an island paradise where British colonials have decided to import indentured servants from India to slave in the sugar plantations rather than disrupt the natives way of life. Racial, gender and class struggles illuminated without a heavy hand.

This is a collection of over 50 short stories and poems, by women from various #readingoceania24 countries, including #newzealand, #fiji, #tonga, #papuanewguinea and, the one I‘m going for, #samoa.

Thank you so much for sending this to me Holly @Hooked_on_books - I really enjoyed it and also felt like I‘d learned a lot about the different cultures. I did prefer the more ‘modern‘ storytelling rather than the fables but there was a great mix.

Decent debut historical mystery set in colonial Fiji dealing with the complicated and corrupted indentured servant system where European land owners used Indian indentured servants in their plantations in Fiji. The investigation is lead by an Indian Sikh and explores (maybe not enough) of his feelings in this environment and the inherent racism. Not perfect, but series has promise. #bookspinbingo #bookspin 😊

Troost had lived in Kiribati for quite some time and after moving back to Washington DC, he and his wife decided they needed to be back on the islands of the Pacific: #Vanuatu and #Fiji. While truly hilarious, the book is also informative about the islands. Nothing is funnier than his getting stoned on mudwater, otherwise known as the Kava drink—so long as you‘re listening to it at least. I enjoyed this book immensely and have embarked on ⬇️

My first book for #readingoceania24 and it‘s a great one! I learned a lot about the people and culture of Oceanic islands.

My favourite quote: we are a ‘Sea of Islands rather than islands in a far sea‘.

I‘m using this for #tonga, and it would also work for #papuanewguinea or #fiji.

Thank you so much for sending it to me, Holly, and I enjoyed reading along with you. I‘m so lucky that you sent me two books that I would never otherwise have read.

Low pick. I liked The Sex Lives of Cannibals better. This one was interesting, and I did learn a lot, but it wasn‘t as fun as the other one. I preferred the part where he lived in Vanuatu; it‘s less interesting after they move to Fiji. Also — “savages”? I started The Fairytale Life of Dorothy Gale as my new #audiowalk book.

The author does not always make the world‘s best decisions, but it‘s fun to hear him talk about the results of those bad decisions. It‘s a little weird to hear the narrator pronounce “mosquito” with the first syllable sounding like “moss.” I only have 2 hours left though, so I need to be thinking about my next #audiowalk book.

This book was mentioned in a group I‘m in. I‘d loved The Sex Lives of Cannibals but didn‘t know about this one. Since I needed a change of pace from my last book, I picked it for my new #audiowalk book. So far, I‘m liking it. It‘s a lot of fun.