Welcome to Litsy!

I definitely needed something far lighter in content after reading Catch and Kill so chose this one that‘s been sitting on my shelf since 2016. Already it‘s quite funny.

In Precious Cargo, Craig Davidson (also known by his pseudonym, Nick Cutter) recounts the year he spent driving a bus for a group of children and teens with disabilities. Down on his luck and strapped for cash, Davidson takes the first job he can get, not knowing how impactful his experience will be and how much he will learn about disability and how disabled folks are treated in an able-bodied world. ⬇️

I‘m heading straight into my third #NFNov audiobook for the day while I get all comfy and ready for bed. Another book that‘s been on my personal shelf for far too long. I‘ll be jumping between the audiobook and the physical book for this one.

Sweet dreams, my fellow Littens! ♥️

It had struck me that most people‘s lives unfolded through a constant process of recalibration. Things happen, often unexpectedly, and a person‘s life adjusts to account for them. (P116)

Fortunately after the first 30 or so slightly boring pages the book picked up, once the author started his bus driver training and then began interacting with the extraordinary kids he drove to and from school. Quite enjoyable from that point on.

Sounded interesting but 30 pages in and I‘m slightly bored. Hopefully it gets better.

I asked my library to purchase this book last year for #CanadaReads 2018. It just came in today. I guess better late than never. Sigh.
#CanadaReads2019

I made a little puzzle progress while I finished PRECIOUS CARGO. Honestly, I just did the yellow map edges and the border. The big chunk is all down to the person who owned the puzzle before me and kindly left one corner intact. #audiopuzzling

In a desperate attempt to get more audio time, I took a half-hour treadmill walk (SO BORING. Winter needs to piss off already) and made a pitiful start on the largest puzzle I've ever done. #litsywalkers #audiopuzzling

I've had trouble finding time for audiobooks since the cold set in. #audiolaundry isn't normally my thing because it goes by so quick, but I gave it a go today.

Then I checked the temperature, saw it was only -11°C, and headed out for an #audiowalk! I tried to take a photo for #LitsyWalkers, too, but my ancient phone died when I opened the camera. I'm praying it just got too cold and hasn't met the True Death. It's doing something rebootish now.

A bus driver writes about the disabled students he gets to school and home every day. Besides being funny, Craig exposes the feeling of going from ‘normal‘ to ‘disabled‘ in a new way. The yearning for a normal life and realizing it‘s been right in front of you all along was a lesson I‘ll relearn over and over. This was a surprise and will renew your love for can-lit. 5/5.

“Isn‘t that the toll of growing up? I told myself this...you‘re not always capable of changing the world - and sometimes it‘s hard to protect even your little patch of it, the garden where the most beautiful flowers grow. But you have to trust the resiliency of those flowers. They have made a life in that inhospitable soil, and somehow they manage to thrive. “

This was so-so for me. I was expecting lore of a story and I found the author quite repetitiive with details. This book could've moved faster.

Started this book today. I have high hopes for a good story.

Yesterday, Precious Cargo was the second book eliminated from #CanadaReads 2018. I had some mixed feelings about this one. The characters were unevenly developed, and I thought the author somewhat centered himself over the kids that the story was about. You can find a more in depth review and a recap of the debate on my blog: https://goo.gl/K44PkC

Up next in the #CanadaReads lineup

My first book finished for #CanadaReads & it's a good one!

This is a memoir about connection, & the way the people you meet can have a deep impact on who you are as a person. As Jake says, "You meet people and your life gets its shape by the things that happen when you meet." Craig had been at a low point when he signed on to be a special-needs bus driver, but that decision would ultimately give him not only a year filled with joy, but much more.

A beautiful account of a year that changed one man‘s life. Craig Davidson (you may know him as Nick Cutter), is respectful and candid in his story about his year as a bus driver. Unexpectedly fantastic.

Full review: https://reneereadsbooks.wordpress.com/2018/02/15/book-review-precious-cargo-my-y...

The five finalists for Canada Reads 2018 released today. The battle of the books will take place in late March on CBC in Canada or on your internet.

Dropping my little guy off at his school this week has been an absolute nightmare of screaming and crying and clawing and "no mommy don't leave me!!!!" heartbreaker moments. I don't know how people do this. ? I am in need this morning of some beautiful lightness. #starbucks #chailatte #craigdavidson #preciouscargo #LitsyFeature

I now have three hours to myself on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings. Whatever shall I do with them?? 🤓📚☕️ #Starbucks #CraigDavidson #PreciousCargo #canlit #canadianauthor #EarlGrey #tea #relax #momtime #booklove #read #bookstagram #LitsyFeature

Recommended by my local independent bookstore (Westminster Books), this I am going to like. I'm already ALL IN after just a few pages. #CanLit

I think this is a book that other writers will enjoy. It shows what it is like to be a struggling author and how unlikely things can influence your craft. This book felt like it went on longer than it needed to, which is not a good sign for a relatively short book, but overall I liked it.

"It was your textbook case of mutual desperation: A company eager enough to solicit applicants through leaflet bombings meets a man in dire enough straits to make life-altering decisions based on random papers shoved in his mailbox." - Craig Davidson, Precious Cargo

Man,can Craig Davidson write!

We all feel it -- that witching hour thought: isn't there more than this?

The realization dawned on me... I was driving a bus full of nerds.