Welcome to Litsy!

Welcome to our first #KLBR discussion, on Kristin Lavransdatter Book One—“The Wreath.” I‘ll tag everyone here, but not in subsequent posts (because long tag lists on Litsy are difficult these days). Questions will be posted separately under spoiler tags. You can find the questions via the #KLBR and #DoorstopKristin tags, on my page, or on the book‘s page.

Also, I‘ll post a couple of resources I found helpful in the comments below.

I'm so close to the end of Book 1 and I need to stop for the night, but I'm so hooked and can't wait to see it close out! I'm loving this book, the characters, the story, this translation, and pretty much everything except Erlend Nikulaussøn because holy red flag, Batman...! Here's me thinking Willoughby is a toxic fuckboy but then comes Sigrid Undset like, "Hold my mead." ??? #KLBR #DoorstopKristin

Hello to my fellow #DoorstopKristin #KLBR readers! Next week, we‘ll be discussing book one: The Wreath. I finished it over the weekend and—ooof! It‘s SO good but emotionally rough! I hope your reading is going well, and I look forward to hearing everyone‘s thoughts next week.

#DoorstopKristin check-in! How‘s your reading going? I‘m moving along steadily—I finished part 2 this week and am finding it so readable. I have to admit that although I feel for her, I‘ve been a little frustrated with Kristin. And I‘m not a fan of Erlend! What are your thoughts on Kristin and Erlend? And Simon? #KLBR

I've read roughly a third of The Wreath and am absolutely loving it. It was admittedly a little slow to start, but then it grabbed me all at once and I flew through several chapters in a row. I love the descriptions of the landscape and the colorful, vivid characters. I'm DYING to know more about Kristin's mother and I can't get enough of Åashild Gautesdatter. I've made myself put it aside for now so that I stay eager to pick it up again tomorrow.

"It's good when you don't dare do something that doesn't seem right," said Fru Aashild with a little laugh. "But it's not so good if you think something isn't right because you don't dare do it."
—from Kristin Lavransdatter, The Wreath

#KLBR #DoorstopKristin

#whereareyoumonday

I am going to be in medieval Norway for the next couple months for #KLBR #DoorstopKristen. Enjoying it a lot, though I know it‘s also at times going to make me sad.

Quick check-in for #KLBR! How is your reading going? What do you think of the story so far?

I've read up through the end of Part 1. I found the first two chapters slow going (though I loved Kristin's interactions with Brother Edvin), but when I got to Chapter 3, I had a hard time putting it down!

And this is indeed #DoorstopKristin--I've been using my reading pillow to prop the huge thing up as I read 😆

#BookSpinBingo has spoken! From the fiction half of my list, my #BookSpin is Kristin Lavransdatter: The Wreath, and from the nonfiction half of my list, my #DoubleSpin is The Risk It Takes to Bloom: On Life and Liberation. Really looking forward to both of these! 😊
@TheAromaofBooks

June reading is gonna keep me busy this time around! In addition to keeping up with the #PemberLittens, I'm really excited to start The Summer Book for #MidsummerSolace and to finally be kicking off the tagged chunkster with the #KLBR. I've never read Undset's classic series but have been eyeing it for years. So LFG!

I‘m starting this audiobook tonight. I‘ve read it before and loved i! And I‘ve even been to the author‘s hometown Lillehammer, Norway and took photos of her statue. So I‘m excited about the #LavransdatterBuddyRead #BuddyRead with @BarbaraJean

This was an insert that the Book of the Month Club included when they published their special printing of this book (I‘m still trying to figure out when they published it.) I think it‘s helpful to read this if you‘re struggling at the beginning of the novel.

@BarbaraJean #KLBR

June is almost here, so I‘ve pulled out #DoorstopKristin and am gearing up to dive in on Sunday for #KLBR. I‘ve got my emotional support dumpster fire on hand just in case. Looking forward to reading along with all of you! What editions are you all reading? Single volume or individual books?

deracinate: (verb) uproot someone from their natural geographical, social, or cultural environment

An interesting word found as I was reading the introduction to the tagged book.

#WeirdWords #WeirdWordWednesday #KLBR

I‘m getting a head start on this book while I‘ve got some time this week, and this line from the introduction caught my attention.

#KLBR #DoorstopKristin #1001books #KindleQuotes

6 out of 100. I think I did even worse this time. And I thought I read a lot of classics.

@Dabbe
#ThreeListThursday

I‘ve read this trilogy every twenty years. I give my copies away and then randomly over the years find them at secondhand bookstores and purchase them again. I can‘t wait to start reading this again with the #KLBR group beginning in June.

Just an FYI: Willa Cather and Sigrid Undset were friends. My mother was Cather‘s niece and she talked about Undset‘s writing and this trilogy in particular.

repost for @BarbaraJean:

Hi friends! I can‘t believe we‘re already over a week into May, and I‘m looking at my summer reading! I‘m still planning to read the Kristin Lavransdatter series in June, July, and August. I‘m tagging those who were interested in a #buddyread, but all are welcome—please comment if you‘re not tagged and you‘d like to be (or vice versa if you‘re not interested anymore 😁) Also I suppose we need a hashtag—any suggestions?!

Hi friends! I can‘t believe we‘re already over a week into May, and I‘m looking at my summer reading! I‘m still planning to read the Kristin Lavransdatter series in June, July, and August. I‘m tagging those who were interested in a buddy read, but all are welcome—please comment if you‘re not tagged and you‘d like to be (or vice versa if you‘re not interested anymore 😁) Also I suppose we need a hashtag—any suggestions?!

This is the best study in the interior life va exterior life I have ever encountered. The history of Norway in the Middle Ages was interesting.

Repost for @BarbaraJean

I‘ve had this on my shelf for a long time & I‘d really like to tackle it this year! Is anyone interested in a buddy read?

It‘s a trilogy of historical novels set in 14th-c Norway, originally published in 1920, 1921 & 1922. These would work well for anyone finishing the #192025 challenge this year. I‘m planning to use the first 2 books for 1920 &1921.

Let @BarbaraJean know if you would like to join.

I‘ve had this on my shelf for a long time & I‘d really love to tackle it this year! Is anyone interested in a buddy read?

It‘s a trilogy of historical novels set in 14th-c. Norway, originally published in 1920, 1921, & 1922. These would work well for anyone finishing the #192025 challenge this year! I‘m planning to use the first 2 books for 1920 & 1921.

I was thinking May—July or June—August, one book per month. Comment if you‘re interested!

Just started #KristinLavransdatter 🏰

Female protagonist, medieval historical fiction set in 14th century Norway. The author won the Nobel Prize in Literature!

And pictured with the book is my reading buddy, Sylphrena. She‘s 5 months old and loves the tassel on my bookmark.

#historicalfiction #medieval #epicnovels #classicliterature

Epic!

Another favorite! Ebook on sale

The Stowe Public Library in VT has a huge annual sale this time of year. I kept to only one small table because Lord knows I don‘t need more books. I‘m fairly certain I have the Undset trilogy packed in all those boxes of books I haven‘t unpacked yet but these were nice and clean so I grabbed them. I was so happy to find a Pym! I‘ve wanted to read her forever.

Thanks for the tag @Ddzmini
🪴 Read and loved the tagged trilogy in spring a few years ago.
🪴 Can‘t wait to see the tulip bulbs I planted bloom. We also have a large vegetable garden. Seedlings indoors at the moment.
🪴 I always look forward to my first gin and tonic of the season. Best enjoyed on the front porch or back garden while reading. Not quite there yet though. This has been one cold spring!

#ThoughtfulThursday
@MoonWitch94

Every year I pick a book that is @ 1,000 pages and begin on Jan. 1. My goal is 100 pgs/week, done by mid-March! I alternate fiction and nonfiction. 2022 is a fiction year for me; I've chosen the tagged book (1,144 pgs). Do you have your own chunkster you want to tackle? Do you want encouragement on your journey? Join me in the #chunksterchallenge2022 ! There's no time limit, no requirements, no specific book to read. Just cheers to the finish!

#JulyJourneys Day 19: Back when I was chasing #Waterfalls in Norway with my childhood friend (from first grade to senior year in high school) and her Viking husband, my hosts. circa 2016. Pre-pandemic beauties.

And another chunkster conquered! Way to go, Tammy!

@butterfinger
#ChunksterChallenge2021

I loved Kristin. I fell in love with all the characters. This heroine was real. The desire, the pride that resulted in true remorse. I became lost in the story at times and forgot where I was. I enjoyed the struggle of the old beliefs with the new Christianity. I needed this book. I also thought of Gone with the Wind. Scarlett and Kristin were both dedicated mothers and there was unrequited love from Kristin's brother-in-law. #FoodandLit

From 1968 Jerusalem to Medieval Norway -1200 pages - I don't know if I will get it finished by June, but I don't mind carrying over to the next month. I'm really looking forward to it.

#FoodandLit #Norway @Texreader @Catsandbooks

Welcome to Lillehammer! Home of Nobel Prize in Literature winner Sigrid Undset and the 1994 Winter Olympics. Bottom right is the Lillehammer bridge, which plays a prominent role with a moose in one episode of Netflix‘s Lilyhammer. We most enjoyed the open air museum in Lillehammer, the Maihaugen. We didn‘t go to Olympic Park but it‘s open to tourists. #foodandlit #Norway

Here‘s an eclectic mix of books about #Norway and by Norwegians for #foodandlit in May. The tagged book is a #chunkster that I read back in the 1990s. I‘m very fond of it and hope to reread it someday. (We will visit the author‘s hometown during our tour of Norway in May.) Giants in the Earth is about Norwegian immigrants to America and it is very very grim. The Monsters book is gruesome. I‘ll post more books as the month progresses.

Nevertheless, she persisted-- and completed a chunkster that's still on my own TBR!
Way to go, Sally!

#chunksterchallenge2021