Welcome to Litsy!

This is a dark book with a fascinating portrayal of a First Nation community in the midst of a mysterious crisis. I will seek out more by this author.

So I just finished Wind and Truth and now I need time to process what I just read. It really is the end of an era.

But now I need another great read to fight off a book hangover so here‘s my lineup for February.

Post apocalyptic. A remote northern indigenous community slowly comes to the realization that the world they know has changed forever. A slow burn, but never felt like it was dragging. I definitely guessed what was going to happen in the end, but it was an enjoyable read, and felt very realistic.

1. Snow ❄️

2. Tagged

#two4tuesday @TheSpineView

Play? @Cupcake12 @LiseWorks @iread2much

How an apocalypse could really happen. When the electricity goes out, Rice doesn‘t focus on chaos in cities. His indigenous characters live in far northern Ontario with some knowing how to live off the land. This community responds to the crisis collectively, staying true to their culture, even when outsiders appear to threaten them. A slow beautiful burn of a book with complex & flawed characters. #FictionalTraveler #SomeplaceCold

@julieclair

My Kobo tells me I‘m 86% into this hauntingly realistic apocalyptic story. Finishing it this morning with help from Lizzie who has claimed the ottoman and my legs as her snuggle territory 😂

The male indigenous MC‘s thoughts about his daughter💙

This book is a slow burn, but a captivating slow burn. It‘s depicting how I think an apocalyptic event might occur.

This novel was not at all what I expected. It was so much better. A dystopian story from Indigenous point of view, expelling the systemic prejudice that tries to take over their lives. In the process, their community grows tighter and stronger as times become more desperate. The final straw will shock you. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Short and stressful! It was like being a lobster in a pot of lukewarm water set on a stove, heating up so slowly you don‘t realize you‘re dying until it‘s too late. And I mean that in the best way! (53)
⭐️: 4/5

#FoodandLit #Canada An interesting read about a community finding themselves with no power or outside communication. What they do to survive the long winter. I'm going to read the second book of this series. #SeriesLove24 #ReadAway24 @Texreader @Catsandbooks @Andrew65 @DieAReader @TheSpineView @GHABI4ROSES

my #naughtylistholidayswap aesthetic. I like creepy, edgy, fantastical stuff.

3⭐️ Thought the book was ok; not my cup of tea though. #reread #bookclub #fiction #2024 #dystopian #canadian #indigenious

Listened a second time in preparation for the sequel. I enjoyed it even better! Narrator has the perfect voice and accent for it. 😁

I think this novel especially appeals to me having grown up in an isolated AK Native village. It has a familiar ring.

I love this book and wanted to re-read before I read the sequel later this month. What happens to an isolated community when the world ends? #FoodAndLit #Canada

An engaging post-apocalyptic thriller about an Anishinaabe community.

Waubgeshig Rice

#SundayFunday @BookmarkTavern

This one took a bit to get going but is such an intriguing premise that it‘s a pick for me. It‘s set on a remote reservation in Canada. Even their small links (power, cell service) to the outside world start faltering and the group realizes they need to depend on each other and might have to return to the old ways to survive. There‘s such a pervasive sense of dread throughout the second half that now I really need to read the next book. 😅

Low pick because the characters were all kind of flat and the ending was kind of flat. I did love reading a First Nations perspective. I found the elder's words about apocalypse especially moving and thought provoking. This was sort of a slice of life slowly dawning anxiety horror and I enjoyed that more than the shock and awe horror/thriller archetype.

Finished this small powerful book during #hyggehour last night. Rice‘s quiet new take on a post apocalyptic scenario in an Anishinaabe community explores the dual threats of reliance on infostructure and technology and what happens when we suddenly loose that, and the menace of the white world constantly encroaching further and how the community can best band together and stay true to their values in the face of that onslaught.

A crack echoed through the boreal land-scape, a momentary chaos in the still afternoon air. #firstlinefridays @ShyBookOwl

I‘m a cat of course I‘ll lay down on that book you want to read.
#catsoflitsy #kal

In Northern Canada, where there‘s snow on the ground 6 months of the year, Evan and Nicole are raising their young children as part of a First Nations community who are largely self-sufficient. When the tvs, phones, and then electricity goes out, this remote village realizes something must be going on “down south”. It isn‘t long before visitors from the south show up. Conflicts arise as survival without modern convinces becomes more difficult.

The PERFECT snow day read ❄️

I was deeply moved and pulled into the story. I couldn't put it down. I was reminded of the ways in which we share stories in my family- the stories that teach us of community resistance and hope in the face of tragedy and crisis. I listened to a podcast where Waubgeshig Rice talks about his inspiration for the book - makes me look forward to reading the sequel that just came out. It would also make a great story told on film. Here's hoping!

#MoonCover #NewYearNewBook One of the titles from my TBR I‘m most looking forward to! @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs

A atmospheric thriller about an Anishinaabe community confronting the loss of modern technology and a suspicious visitor. This was very engaging and suspenseful. My one criticism is that the action happens very quickly in the last 50 pages of the book. I definitely will check out more of this author‘s books, as the writing was excellent. 4⭐️
#WinterGames #WGWordSearch - 139 #londarknightsdecemberbingo - bingo!

A small community on a First Nations reservation, and their trials when all power and communications go out.

A very quiet, slow story. But Rice is really quite skilled at setting the scene, making me feel the cold. And there‘s an insidious horror that creeps in as outsiders begin to show up and things break down and continue to get worse. 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑

⭐️⭐️⭐️½

A quiet but eery apocalyptic story.

An isolated Anishinaabe community loses satellite, power, and communication, but at first thinks it is nothing much to be worried about. Then, two of their young people return with news from the south: this problem is everywhere, and panic and chaos have erupted. The chief and his council work hard to maintain calm and orderliness in their community. But then an outsider arrives...

The afternoon was spent making so many gingerbread cookies! #AudioBaking

1) National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation tied with It's a Wonderful Life (two different varieties of cheese)
2) All I want for Christmas is the best time to get a new one.
3) Maybe the tagged? Or Michele Paver's Thin Air.

#WondrousWednesday @Eggs

This book was recommended to me a few weeks ago and then it was chosen as a team read for #wintergames. So I had to pick it up! I The audio version was excellent. It has been a long while since a novel pulled me in so quickly….I finished it within a period of 24hrs. I am now looking forward to picking up the next book in this series!

#hollyjollyreaders

Unexpected, dark, and expansive, this post-apocalyptic story of a remote Anishinaabe community is unlike anything I‘ve ever read. When the world goes dark, this tight knit community must come together to survive but the cracks that have always been there are exploited by outsiders-as they have been for centuries. Will seek out more from this author. Really powerful on #audio #BookspinBingo #DashingDecember #wintergames @TheAromaofBooks @Andrew65

Getting better and still reading. A nice wintry read this one and a different perspective for a post-apocalyptic novel, this is set in an isolated First Nations community in Canada.

Should be my last book post of the day! I finally read this one! It‘s been on my TBR since we first did #AuldLangSpine originally #NewYearWhoDis and it was on @BookNAround ‘s list! (I think).

This was a great read. Probably would have read differently a few years ago. An Anishinaabe community goes dark and they don‘t know why. They lose power, tv, internet, everything and don‘t know why. They have to figure out how to survive in the winter.

#54
I enjoyed listening to this one

This was a epic story. It was a slow read but I think it was because there was a lot of imagery. Waubgeshig Rice really painted a picture of each scene. There were many references to dreams and some were sharing of dreams and others you didn‘t realize it was a dream until afterwards. As the story unfolded it was clear the horrible direction it was going. The ending gave me mixed feelings. It wasn‘t happy, it was sad but not in the way you expect.

Dystopian setting.

#StayinAlive #VolumesandVocals

@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
@Eggs

#CanadaReads2023 long list
Apocalyptic, 4⭐

I started this in print and finished it on audio, and both formats are excellent. I love how Rice shows the daily life and the gradual unfolding of the crisis and how people are able to survive by holding onto their community values, even as they deal with personal doubts and flaws. The "we were never meant to survive here" message is a powerful one and lends a different perspective to the standard dystopian novel.

#doublespin for February

A good fictional thriller story of survival in a snowy and snowed-in aboriginal community. Really great narration in this audiobook listen. ❄️

My next Scribd app audiobook is Moon of the Crusted Snow. — On to Ch.5, and enjoying the listen. ❄️ Gladly the snowfalls haven‘t been as much, since the previous weeks in Ontario; now getting into this snowed-in story.

Another book that leaves me on the fence, Moon of the Crusted Snow is a slow burn post-apocalyptic novel. There‘s quiet menace and a great building of tension, but it all fell a little flat for me. I appreciated the hopeful, if still sad, tone at the end, but I‘m clearly not ready for apocalypse fiction. Pandemic panic is still too raw. #canada for both #booked2022 and #readingtheamericas2023

Just as good as I‘d hoped it would be. Rice expertly builds the tension. Once I started I didn‘t want to stop. Makes for a perfect snowy day read (preferably next to a crackling fire). It‘s a short one, but raises some interesting questions about human/community survival in the face of societal collapse. Some striking nature writing as well.

“A crack echoed through the boreal landscape, a momentary chaos in the still afternoon air.”

#FirstLineFridays

A surprisingly non- horrific apocalypse tale, set on a fictional Anishinaabe reservation in northern Ontario. The apocalyptic event takes place off-stage - so far off-stage that nobody notices until many days later when people start showing up, looking for refuge. There's some violence, but not nearly as much as you'd expect, and the focus is on traditional skills and traditional ways of living, while trying to survive the Ontario Winter 🥶

Because who doesn‘t love a post- apocalyptic tale for the holidays?
Working on another gift

#Audiocrafting #litsycrafters

An apocalyptic novel set in a fictional First Nations territory (though based on Indigenous stories that the author heard/knows). It‘s slow, but if you can settle in and feel the impact of the story, it is haunting. Although it‘s a very small part of the book, I enjoyed the bits about the title!

Audioworking on a Saturday. Better than working on a Saturday. (It‘s the little things, right)

This was a chilling beautiful thrill of a read. Reading this in the thick of winter only adds to the creepy vibe that builds. Not completely unpredictable, but a most satisfying read. Also happy to hear there is a sequel!

A native reservation experiences a collapse of the world they've come to know, leading to there being more of a need than ever for their community to band together. Until some visitors threaten to upend the tenuous hold on order they've achieved. I liked it a lot and always appreciate learning more about indigenous communities and their culture. I just wish that the climax had been a bit more fleshed out. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️