Welcome to Litsy!

None of McMurtry‘s characters feel typical or cliche. They‘re too real, glinting faulted. Call is a leader, rugged and resolute. To others, he is a coward. Gus with all his charm and bravery fills the role of a gentleman, yet forever remains a rambler without much direction.

I started to say that McMurtry writes women well but really, he writes people well. He treats the women characters the same as the men, full and human.

Every star ever available goes to this book! “Conquering this classic” with From the Front Porch podcast has been one of the best reading experiences of my whole life. I‘m practically a cowgirl now. Who knew I belong on the range?! 🤠

“…an undertaker in a black hat and blue bow tie…had even waxed his mustache and was altogether too shiny for Call‘s taste.”

Didn't expect to enjoy a western so much. At the end of it, I was so invested in the characters that my heart was in my mouth at some points during the book.

First time read for me. Loving it. Steinbeck vibes.

It took me 4.5 weeks but golly I finished the biggest western in the library collection. 20 chapters in it feels like a soap opera and it continues on for the next 80+ chapters. Wow!

Still really loving the “From the Front Porch” podcast‘s readalong. I look forward to it every month and enjoy hearing Annie and Hunter‘s thoughtful commentary. 10/10 recommend 🙌

“I miss (him),” Pea Eye said. “I get to expecting to hear him talk and he ain‘t here. My ears sort of get empty.” 🖤😭

A little over halfway through this chunkster. I‘m so glad I joined Annie and Hunter of ‘From the Front Porch‘ for this read-along. Loving it!!

I‘m am so happy I lived long enough to read this book. It would‘ve been a shame to die without this experience. This book gets 10 hugs and kisses out of 10. Epic saga and adventure. McMurtry does not disappoint. #Texas, #Arkansas, #Kansas, #Nebraska #Wyoming, #Montana
Captain Augustus McCrea may be my favorite literary character of all time, but I love Captain Call too. #BigBookSummerChallenge

I‘m only 1/2 way through this gorgeous book and I already have cowboy swagger….lol….Good God, I can‘t believe I didn‘t read this in the 90s when I was cowboy obsessed. This has been a wonderful experience thus far and I expect this to be one of my favorite books of all time. This is definitely the year of McMurtry for me! Gus McCrea and Captain Call❤️

“I‘ll die someplace and so will you—it might not be no better place than Lonesome Dove.”

“It ain‘t dying I‘m talking about, it‘s living,”
Augustus said. “I doubt it matters where you die, but it matters where you live.” ✊🫶

1. No
2. Sidney Sheldon, Stephen King
3. Lonesome Dove 🤠

#WonderousWednesday
@Eggs

Part 1 of the Conquer a Classic readalong has me wondering why I haven‘t been reading Westerns all this time?! I‘m loving this big chunker of a novel and looking forward to hearing Annie and Hunter‘s discussion for January. 🤓❤️🙌

Yeehaw 🤠 Starting my read-along to “conquer a classic” with From the Front Porch podcast. My copy of the book should be into my Indie bookstore on Monday. It‘s a good thing because the library said I can‘t keep this one forever, but I sure do love how worn in it is… 🤗

Just swung by the bookstore today and found these two gems. Steinbeck I love already, but never heard of this obscure piece, I also thought I would dabble in Western novels and thought this would be a good one to test the genre.

I wasn't sure this would be for me, but I realised already at the first sentence, that it absolutely would be. It's a mammoth of a book, and it isn't a page too long. This will definitely be one of my top reads of the year, and I predict that years from now I'll still consider it a favourite.
And since pictures aren't working, the first sentence goes: When Augustus came out on the porch the blue pigs were eating a rattlesnake - not a very big one.

I knew in advance that there would be brutal events and character death, but I just finished chapter 58 and I am not alright. 😢

Starting the weekend off right with a book about cowboys! I have high hopes for this since I‘ve heard so many good things about it.

A hundred+ pages in and I am starting to understand why this is such a mega chunkster. Nothing has actually happened yet except that I have been (masterfully) introduced to a dozen oddball characters. And I wouldn't cut a single paragraph.

#ChunksterSummer

Looks like Lonesome Dove is still the one to beat. #2023ReadingBracket

1. Garth Brooks
2. Tagged book as a singing cowboy 🤠
#two4tuesday

Still working my way through Lonesome Dove. I have to finish by Tuesday and still have 315 of 935 to go. The characterizations are so well-done.
Strawberry-rhubarb crisp made with homegrown rhubarb.

@NataliePatalie

"When Augustus came out on the porch the blue pigs were eating a rattlesnake - not a very big one."

#FirstLineFridays
@ShyBookOwl

Well, IF there is a good side to this maybe I'll get extra reading done.

@NataliePatalie

Finished this chunkster during #BacklistReadathon. It was by far one of my favorite reads in a long time and quite possibly of all time. I am soooo glad I finally picked this one up. I was captivated from beginning to end. I am looking forward to reading my next McMurtry next month. #LitsyLoveReads
@Clwojick @TheAromaofBooks

Making great progress on Lonesome Dove & loving it! This is my first Larry McMurtry, but I will be reading more during #BacklistReadathon this year!
#JoyousJanuary @Andrew65
@Clwojick @TheAromaofBooks

This book was so expensive. It sat on my Amazon list for ages! Thank you Amazon for the 3-for-2 sale!! Ed from The Brothers Gwynne BookTube channel has recommended this book multiple times & unbelievably I‘ve heard Stephen King recommends it also. I look forward to pouring over the pages!! A slow read.

#weremember #larrymcmurtry @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs

I‘ve never read this author before but he seemed to be pretty popular ☺️

#LarryMcMurtry #WeRemember 🌹💔

#BookNerd 🤓💙📚

#LarryMcMurtry #WeRemember

@Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Larry Jeff McMurtry (June 3, 1936 – March 25, 2021) was an American novelist, essayist, bookseller, and screenwriter whose work was predominantly set in either the Old West or contemporary Texas. His novels included Horseman, Pass By (1962), The Last Picture Show (1966), Terms of Endearment (1975), and the tagged-which were adapted into films.
#weremember #LarryMcMurtry @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

#twofortuesday Thanks @TheSpineView for the tag!

1) This is my modus operandi. I‘m a very slow reader so very rarely do I immediately read a book I‘ve just bought or received as a gift

2) Tagged. I‘ve had it since high school, because most books I read then were chunksters. The print date was 1986, the year I graduated. It‘s moved with me a few times. So glad I finally read it because it leaped into my top 10 favorites!

Winner of Best Character in the 2021 There Will be Books Book Oscars.

https://anchor.fm/peter-murphy8

To celebrate the 2021 year in reading we recorded a special Book Oscars episode!
With categories ranging from Best Character, Most Competent, Best Writer, and Best Book we discuss the merits and qualities of all the books we read last year. It was very fun to record and I hope you enjoy listening to it! #bookoscars

https://anchor.fm/peter-murphy8/episodes/Episode-79-2021-Book-Oscars-e1chau1

#chunksterchallenge2021 Quarter 4 book is complete. I loved this one...The characters will stay with me for a long, long time. I laughed, I cried, I was angry, and I was scared, and I can‘t wait for @Kelly326 to finish so we can watch the movie.

Thank you so much for hosting, @Amiable I can‘t wait to participate in the Chunkster Challenge in 2022!

1️⃣ Stephen King, Robert McCammon & Clive Barker.
2️⃣ Katniss. 🥰
3️⃣ Tagged.

Thanks for the tag @DarkMina and sorry for taking so long, I've not been on.

Don't know who played along but if you want to play along, I tag you! 👉

@Eggs #wondrouswednesday

My November #bookspin was 300 pages of Lonesome Dove. I love this book so much...I‘m in the home-stretch!
#chunksterchallenge2021 #bookspinbingo @TheAromaofBooks @Amiable

Finished this #ChunksterChallenge2021 read. It‘s a pick with reservations. Needs editing, IMO. It took nearly 450 pages before I was fully invested. That‘s way too much time. I get that McMurtry was aiming for a sweeping epic, but the scope was too wide for him to properly wrap his arms around because some of the storylines petered out or felt unnecessary to the whole. Favorite characters: Gus and Clara.
Glad to have finally read this, though!

I finally made it to Part III (page 619 in my copy). Where‘re y‘all at now, @GinaKButler @Kelly326 @CoverToCoverGirl ?

#chunksterchallenge2021

I just finished listening to an episode on the @Therewillbebooks podcast about one of my favorite books ever. It was great hearing them love on it as much as I did.

#89
This was a delight to listen to. I got so attached to the characters, that when they died I cried.
Traveling with them across the country, you have great vision as to what or where they were.
I have to highly recommend this book ❤❤❤

My November #bookspin and #doublespin

I‘m trying to finish out my challenges, so I added “300 pages” of Lonesome Dove, my Q4 #chunksterchallenge2021 , to my list and it was picked!

Looking forward to a great month. As always, thank you for hosting, @TheAromaofBooks 😘

A long, 15-hour day of volunteering at the polls for the municipal election in my town just begs for a chunkster on hand. Good thing I‘m already in the middle of one. 😀

This is what love looks like: My husband, reading the chapter in “Lonesome Dove” that details an apparently graphic snake-related scene in order to summarize it for me so I don‘t have to read it myself and trigger my reptile phobia. ❤️❤️❤️
(Thanks again for the advance warning, @Graywacke ! 🙂)

Hanging out with my best friend. We visited a used book store . I got 14 books for under $60. Lonesome Dove is for my mom for Christmas. Memoirs is a better edition than my mass market paperback copy. The Winter People is autographed.
#bookhaul

Got up early this morning so I could net an hour of reading time in honor of @TheAromaofBooks before logging onto work. Happy birthday, Sarah! I‘m working a full day today too so my contributions toward your #BirthdayBash will be sporadic throughout the day.

Chunkster check in: I‘m plugging along—made it to page 210 (chpt. 23 in my edition). I‘m still not in love with it, but I‘m invested enough that I‘ll keep the momentum going (slowly). How are you doing, @GinaKButler @Kelly326 @CoverToCoverGirl ?

Just released our Lonesome Dove episode! We review the classic Pulitzer winner and discuss the old west, time travel scenarios, and dish on our favorite (and not so favorite) characters. I love Gus and Clara and hated July Johnson. Tune in to hear more of our thoughts and if you've read the book (or seen the series) let me know your thoughts/favorite characters.

https://anchor.fm/peter-murphy8/episodes/Episode-70-Lonesome-Dove-e18rkaa