Welcome to Litsy!

A book mainly about a life of solitude but with small glimpses of people being people. “The first kiss plummeted him down a hole and popped him out into a world he thought he could get along in—as if he‘d been pulling hard the wrong way and was now turned around headed downstream. They spent the whole afternoon among the daisies kissing. He felt glorious and full of more blood than he was supposed to have in him.”

I have been reading my way through the character Tookie‘s list of “short perfect novels” listed in Louise Erdrich The Sentence. This has the same ethos. A simple hard life well lived against an ethical standard with human imperfection. Glad I read it. The prose is effective in creating the mood. #192025

Heading into travel status for work this week armed with an enjoyable audiobook and two great kindle books in progress. I got halfway through Lessons in Chemistry this weekend but leaving that hardcover at home so hubby can catch up before we see the author speak next weekend.

I picked this one up in anticipation of our upcoming trip to Idaho. The slim novella is set there but I wasn‘t sure what to expect. I was surprised by the heartbreaking picture of grief and loneliness that I found. Robert Grainier, a railroad worker in the early 1900s, loses his wife and daughter in a fire and the rest of the book paints a picture of his quiet life through the decades. It reminded me a bit of The Searcher and The Dog Stars.

The white daisies dabbed the field so profusely that it seemed to foam.

(Right before Granier proposes to Gladys)

The Librarian Is In podcast recommendation for May 2020

A slow-burn novella about life in the American Southwest during beginning in 1917. As with most stories about the people who built this country, you can expect tragedy as well as triumph.

Denis Johnson‘s writing reminded me of Flannery O‘Connor.

"The dark cloud over the Northwest, boiling like an upside-down ocean, blocked out the sun and moon and stars."

I'm reading this one because Nick Cave told me to. I rarely take recommendations sight unseen, so, you know. I'm a dumb ho fangirl/boy/thing for sure.

I‘ve just finished Train Dreams, which I really liked. It‘s a short book: an account of a man‘s life, a man who is on few people‘s minds except when they have everyday dealings with him. Throughout you are always aware of the beautiful and unpredictable natural environment.
The wonderful writing reminded me at times of Cormac Mccarthy‘s All the Pretty Horses.

Just about to start Train Dreams... 🌲🌲⛰🚂🌲🌲

A melancholy little book about a man's life on the Canadian border in the early to mid 1900's. He works for a lumber company and suffers a family tragedy that changes his life. The prose in it was quite lovely. This was read on the Literary Disco podcast years and years ago, and I've had it on my TBR ever since. Glad I finally got to it. 4⭐

#AnglophileApril #Dreams
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Yam5uK6e-bQ

Dreaming about a new life out west, where the railroad 🛤 was heading, full of possibilities!

March reading wrap up with Goodreads ratings. Train Dreams and The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry were my favorite with The End of Days right up there as well. #Marchwrapup #dogsoflitsy

I heard Jenny and Thomas discuss this book on the last Reading Envy podcast. I ordered on Audible right away. Will Patton's narration was absolutely perfect for this book. It was mesmerizing and added so much to the experience!

The writing is fantastic and not a word is wasted.

When you are done listening you'll be surprised that the author crammed this much story in to two hours and twenty minutes. This is an absolute classic.

#readingenvy

I just love the writing in this book.

Us soft Minnesota fellers! I love Arn.

This novella is chock full of great lines.

I fell asleep early last night, but I‘m up and ready for a long and cozy first day of #24in48! ☕️☕️☕️

Johnson has written a novella that longs for meaning in the wake of loss and routine and finds it in the pit of discipline and the defiant dream.

#denisjohnson #traindreams #robertgrainier #western #west #labor #americanwest #america #nature #desire #change #modern #westerncivilization #civilization #society #complacency #dependency #disillusionment #train #dream #memory #loss #defiant #novella #discipline #20thcentury #review #bookreview #book

Bus home....audio book.
This is my first Denis Johnson. #readharder2018
#western

I loved Jesus‘ Son, Johnson‘s short story collection, so I was eager to read this novella. He evokes the history of the American West in all its beauty and brutality.

I‘m planning to dip in and out of Mrs. Dalloway throughout the day. (I don‘t want to rush through it.) Almost finished with Train Dreams - perfect one sitting book! #readathon

I‘m planning to dip in and out of Mrs. Dalloway throughout the day. (I don‘t want to rush through it.) Almost finished with Train Dreams - perfect one sitting book! #readathon

I know this was a novella, but it still felt like it was missing something. Like, so what? What was the point of this story? It read the way a historical novel is written but it wasn't an historical account. Also there was supposed to be some big thing at the end, but I must have missed it. I'm not liking the incomplete feeling. That being said, it was written really well and I devoured it so it wasn't a total bust.

A spare and wrenching novella about one man's life, spent largely in a solitary cabin in Montana. The story of Robert Grainier seems both small and also very large, which is quite a feat. There's also a strange voyeristic feel, when other characters tell Grainier facts about themselves (including a few WTF NOPE stories). This is the first Denis Johnson book I've read and it won't be the last.

Ben, Jerry and I are going to spend a little time with Denis Johnson this evening.

Will Patton was the perfect narrator for this novella, old-timey to a T. Again, the chapters listened like short stories (is this typical for audio?) and a few of them were poignant or humorous, and captured a time & place.

This was between a pan and so-so for me. The so-so because for its genre, it is really well written and has a ring of truth no one can deny, but a pan because it is not my usual cup of tea. It has very WTF moments, but it also kind of needs to be read because of those moments. "Simple life" is never really simple, and I have to say that I guess I am glad I read it, but will probably not read any more by him. This one spent me with so few pages

"By most Januaries, when the snow had deepened, the valley seemed stopped with the perpetual silence, but as a matter of fact it was often filled with the rumble of trains and the choirs of distant wolves and the nearer mad jibbering of coyotes."

Quiet morning here while I try to put a dent in this small but mighty book. I made myself some vanilla almond tea and an English muffin with butter, strawberry jam, and a sprinkle of maldon 💕.

A side note - I received this book stand for Christmas. I am wondering if I am using it correctly!? Do people like book stands? I am feeling like it's more work than just holding the book myself. It does make for an easy picture though ☺️📖.

Good morning! One of my 2017 goals is to spend more time on our roof deck. I love being up here, but rarely make it a priority. It is an undeniably stunning 360 degree view featuring some of my favorite landmarks of San Francisco, and it's the reason I couldn't sleep the night before we found out if we got the apartment or not! The competition to rent here is fierce 😣.

This is my morning view 🌤. Can't wait to start my next read for #LGP!

😔

He liked the grand size of things in the woods, the feeling of being lost and far away, and the sense he had that with so many trees as wardens, no danger could find him.

Know how you know a book is good? You last read it 3 years ago and still find yourself thinking about it. I read this as a brand new father and it haunted me - for some reason I woke up this morning with a single, clear thought: you must buy this book