Welcome to Litsy!

#12Booksof2025 @TheEllieMo

Another perfect summer read that takes me back to long nights on my porch in July. This book was written in the 90‘s but sadly it talks about a lot of the things we still struggle with now. I‘d like to listen to it on audio someday because I could hear the voices very strongly as I read.

My son read this for his freshman English class and I‘ve been meaning to read it since. (He‘s a senior now 🤷‍♀️)

I loved it. It touches on a lot of sad topics, but with a lot of hope.

#192025 @Librarybelle (1988)

“What I‘m saying is nobody feels sorry for anybody anymore, nobody even pretends they do. Not even the President. It‘s like it‘s become unpatriotic.” The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver (1988)

Scored a line in #bookspinbingo for the first time in months with this one! Really enjoyed it, great character development, and managed to be uplifting even though the subject matter at times was super dark

This is just a really nice read - well written, easy and heart warming . It made me smile ! A tale of friendships motherhood and love .

BK's first novel? It's safe to say she hit the ground running!
I love how she writes her characters and shows how interdependent they all are on each other.
Others of hers I've read (and loved) do tend towards the didactic: here, the surprise was humour.
Despite the horrible, horrible things that happen off the page, it's a book that restores my faith in people (which is no mean feat!) My book of the month, for sure.

🔆

#HumbleHarvest #Trees

Thanks for the tag, @The_Penniless_Author !

1. Probably The Bean Trees (tagged).
2. As usual with Kingsolver, I like how she portrays both the ugliness and the beauty of her characters side by side. They're frail and full of faults and kind and generous and strong and selfish and fallible, and all of that makes them seem real and helps me feel more like a human being myself.

#Two4Tuesday @TheSpineView

I read this one because it's the first book my son is reading for his 9th-grade honors English class and the only book on the list I hadn't read. I really enjoyed it. I love Taylor and the way Kingsolver portrays her. Actually, all of the characters in this novel are excellent. Kingsolver's handling of the complex relationship we often have with "home" is always something I admire.

I‘m posting one book a day from my massive collection. No description, no reason for why I want to read it (some I‘ve had so long I don‘t even remember why!) Feel free to join in!

#ABookADay2023

i wouldn‘t say i‘m Kingsolver-pilled but this was kinda fire… May or may not pick up another 👁️👁️

#TemptingTitles #WithaVeggie

One of these days I will get to Kingsolver‘s backlog.

This is probably the fourth time I‘ve read this and I still love it. It was good to spend time with Taylor, Turtle, Lou Ann and Mattie again.

This was my #bookspin for October @TheAromaofBooks

The Bean Trees is my #bookspin for October and The Rapture of Canaan is my #doublespin. I‘ve read The Bean Trees (and the sequel, Pigs in Heaven) several times and love it. The Rapture of Canaan I read once many years ago. Looking forward to rereading both of these!

@TheAromaofBooks

"As clear as air. It is the Southern novel taken west, it's colors as translucent and polished as one of those slices of rose agate from a desert shop. Barbara Kingslover can write." -From the NYT book review
? This is my first book by the author and I loved it! Thank you for choosing this one for me @slategreyskies
#trappedinanisland
@aperfectmjk

Working the weekend away but started this one on lunch break for #trappedonanisland It even matches my drink 😆
@slategreyskies @aperfectmjk

#MostReadAuthors @Clwojick

Fun game! Mine are mostly AuthorAMonth and other buddy reads and book club picks. But I'm all over the place so no surprise I'm topping out at 3.

sick

I enjoyed this book.

After reading Barbara Kingsolver‘s Unsheltered, I decided that I want to read more books by her, so now I am reading The Bean Trees. If you would like to recommend other books from Kingsolver‘s body of work, I thank you in advance! 🌸 #readingandknitting #readingandcrafting

Enjoyed a cozy day of reading yesterday and was able to finish my first Kingsolver book. Let me tell ya, it won‘t be my last! Loved the themes of finding your own family, strong women making a life with the help of each other, & mother/daughter relationships. There was a lot going on, but at its heart, this was a very tender story. 4/5⭐️
#AAMIA #AuthorAMonth
(January 23, 2022)

Taylor has left her Kentucky hometown in a ‘55 VW on her way to Arizona. Her car was in bad shape before, and by the time she arrives in Arizona, it just about gives up. And she has acquired the company of a Cherokee baby. She stops at Jesus is God Tire Company and finds much more than tires. Themes: friendship, mother/child relationships, poverty, immigration, Native American life and child abuse. Powerful.#authoramonth

Very enjoyable read which demonstrates Kingsolver‘s great skills and commitment to social justice from the very beginnings of her writing career. The photo is homage to Turtle‘s love of vegetables!

Having read enthusiastic reports on Litsy I thought I would try kingsolver‘s debut novel. Her commitment to social justice the environment and great storytelling are immediately clear.

This was a great and engaging story filled wit a unique and diverse set of characters. I loved how close they all came to be with one another through their shared relationship with Turtle. #AuthorAMonth

This was my second #AuthorAMonth pick for January. A young woman travels across the country (KY to AZ) and changes her name (Marietta to Taylor) to feel free of her small hometown. Along the way, a woman leaves a young child with her near an Indian reservation, begging Taylor to take care of the little girl, whom Taylor names Turtle. She must rely on others for help as she starts over as an unexpected mother.

Not my favorite Kingsolver, but that has to be taken with a grain of salt as I feel Barb is a genius and The Bean Trees is still so very good.

This was her debut in 1989, and while it does show its age, it‘s full of gorgeous imagery, humor, and fantastic characters. Pain and hardship tempered with joy and love.

My #AuthorAMonth book for January, and I might just go ahead and read Pigs in Heaven for the heck of it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I loved this. It's an excellent story. The #audiobook is well done. I will warn you that it's from the 1980s and there are things in this book that feel dated and inappropriate to current ears (or eyes I suppose if you're reading the traditional way). But it does sort of give a snapshot of the way people thought and talked then. And it doesn't detract from the story. Which is great.

#AuthorAMonth @Soubhiville
#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

Current audiobook. #authoramonth

I was thinking of skipping #AuthorAMonth this month because I worried I‘d overcommitted. But when I found this 250 page novel, I decided to squeeze it in. I‘m glad I did because this novel was a delight. A true picture of what it means to create a family, women helping women, & kindness toward your fellow man. I chose Arizona for #RoadTripUSA2022 as the majority of the book is spent there but there are also beautiful descriptions of Oklahoma.

If not for #AuthorAMonth I might not have picked this book up. I‘m really glad I did!

Taylor is off on a cross country adventure when a distressed woman suddenly gives her a child in order to save it from abuse. Her whole life changes in the instant she agrees.

Written in the late 80‘s, some language used is no longer acceptable, but if you can overlook that this is a touching look at the meaning of family and human relationships. I ❤️ 🐢 .

Weekend plans: make progress on this delightfully nerdy cross stitch Christmas gift for my Trekkie sister in law while listening to A Walk in the Woods. Read The Bean Trees in between stitching sessions. #audiostitching

Yet another overly ambitious #library #bookstack. In typical fashion, all of my holds came in at once 🤓

Recommended by a friend. I have been meaning to read Barbara Kingsolver for years and it was fun to start with her first novel, a thoroughly heartwarming story about a Kentucky woman who drives to Arizona to start a new life and ends up not only adopting a Native American child but also finding a whole new family of friends, neighbors, and co-workers. I was touched by the author‘s compassion for both the Earth and humankind.🔸#marchreads2021

In a previous post I had said the characters in this book say some borderline racist things—but now, I‘d say it‘s more that they aren‘t “politically correct,” because they are so full of love. This book is about immigrants, adoption, friendship, family, loss, pain, finding a home, being brave, and, “mak[ing] things as right as we can.”

I couldn‘t put it down! It‘s only taken me 13 years to finally finish it (ha!) ...And I loved it!

I‘m two chapters into this book and I‘m liking it so far. It‘s surprising reading a book that says some borderline racist things about Native American and Hispanic people—but feels fitting for the characters considering the time and setting. I find it especially interesting that this book was on my junior high summer reading list since it‘s a bit graphic. I‘ve owned it since I was 12, but never finished it. It seems more appropriate to read now.

I loved this book! The writing reminded me of Sharon Creech, and she was my favorite writer as a kid. The main character is so likable and funny and the story is beautiful! A recommendation from a friend, and very good.

Just really not my type of book 🤔
#ReadtheUSA2020 #Kentucky (35th state)

I‘m a big Kingsolver fan, but this book (her debut) fell flat for me. I disliked the MC and felt parts of the plot were extremely unrealistic. I didn‘t pan it because I did enjoy the themes of female friendships and creating your own family.

This was my #triplespin for April. I tackled it on audio while working this bookish puzzle! The audio narration is very mediocre.(Kingsolver isn‘t the narrator, like for her later works - unfortunately!)

I started this book on a whim. Just picked a random book from my bookshelf. I've had this book for years. I had gotten it for free at a library. Boy. I loved every part of this book!! I laughed, I cried, I smiled from ear to ear! I mean it was amazing! Truly, this was a phenomenal read!!

"What still amazed me about the desert was all the life it had in it. There were bushes and trees and weeds here, exactly the same as everywhere else, except the colors were different, and everything alive had thorns."

I just finished this book and absolutely loved it so much. It's beautiful and heartbreaking and funny and just so so human! ??

"You know what really gets me? How people call you 'illegals.' That just pisses me off. A human being can be good or bad or right or wrong, maybe. But how can you say a PERSON is illegal?"

This book was first published in 1988. It makes me really sad to know that this is a problem we're still dealing with over thirty years later. ?

"I have been afraid of putting air in a tire ever since I saw a tractor tire blow up and throw Newt Hardbine's father over the top of the Standard Oil Sign. I'm not lying. He got stuck up there."

Welp, that's a pretty fantastic opening! ??

Next stop... Arizona! 😎🌡☀️ #readtheusa2020 #catsoflitsy #littenkitten #roxas

#treesinthetitle #dearDecember @Eggs

Loved this book! Atmospheric, meaningful, with memorable characters yet retaining a lightness and wit that would have been lost with a less deft author.