Welcome to Litsy!

Omg what a beautiful book! It definitely lives up to all the hype.

The story was mesmerizing. I became so invested in the lives of the three women. I felt like I personally knew them and that I was right there with them through their ups and downs. All three of them felt so realistic.

Full review: https://oddandbookish.wordpress.com/2021/06/13/review-beyond-the-point/

This longer read is great for long summer days. I got it bc it is set in the exact years I was in college and the idea of female cadets was interesting. It's a great friendship story that follows these ladies from freshman year to finding themselves as young adults.

Happy Monday🌞🌼📖

I love book mail.
#BOTM

Read Harder Challenge: Doorstopper published after 1950 by a female author. Tome. Doorstopper. Brick. However you refer to a book with 500+ page, this one is a don't miss. I laughed, cried, sat pondering, and spend the last two days devouring this title. In total honesty I never would have picked it up myself because I try and stay clear of modern day war storylines due to personal triggers but.... It will easily be one of my favorites for 2020.

The wonderful Kate Quinn, author of The Alice Network, guests on #read99women today with a recommendation for BEYOND THE POINT by Claire Gibson, which follows "a stellar trio of heroines." Check it out! http://www.greermacallister.com/blog/2020/1/29/read99women-kate-quinn

Here is my final post for #Booked2019 - Fall

Pictured in order:

Book About Addiction
Soldier‘s Story
New in 2019
Person of Color MC Paranormal
Public Domain
Political Intrigue

1. That it‘s finally cold outside (and in)!

2. Tagged. It really made me think about all military families give to us, especially spouses.

3. New releases or staff recommendations if it has those

4. Tagged my three most recent followers! Welcome and thanks! 👋🏻

@Eggs #wondrouswednesday

Awesome book about three bada$$ women going through West Point. It will make you laugh, make you cry, and make you want to read more.

Snippet reviews from the bed!

Tagged: loved this #BOTM selection, esp after reading the “about the book.” I think it captured well the triumphs & tragedies of ppl not expecting war. 5⭐️
NtSH: loved! While I hated the characters, this book was a surprisingly charming look at broken hearts meets noblesse oblige. 4.5⭐️
HoW: Ugh! 3 partial books in search of a plot. 2.5⭐️
Henry: been by my side all/every day since I found out about the surgery!! 5⭐️

Meh, I thought it was pretty predictable but it kept me entertained enough while walking/doing chores. I wouldn't recommend it though, it was too formulaic.

A story of friendship. Exactly the kind of book I would sit on a beach and read. #24b4monday @Andrew65 @TheReadingMermaid

"No one tells you that grief feels like fear—it amps you up, making you want to run for your life, even though there is nowhere to go, no place where death will be unreal. Grief chokes you and paralyzes you, making the most menial decisions feel impossibly huge."

My eyes filled with tears at the truth of this.
#mybabies #24b4monday

Today we are counting yard work as my workout. Raking gravel for my new place to stack firewood is hard work. My 7 year old daughter thought it was fun. I am realizing that I can count other things as physical fitness. This heart rate shows how much hard work taking was. #BFCr3 @wanderinglynn #learningtobekindtomyself

Cooking and eating dinner didn't allow much time added on to my record, but I am pretty proud of my almost 8 hours. #24b4monday @TheReadingMermaid @Andrew65

I liked this book, however there were some things that brought down my enjoyment of it. The things I liked include are the friendships and how real they felt with the ups and downs, the grief was well done as was showing how life can go far from plans. What I didn‘t like was the timeline, she jumped ahead months/years but important things happened in between so she had to go back and tell us those things, it didn‘t flow well. #BOTM #BOTMBacklist

I read 112 pages before calling it quits. It wasn't engaging, the characters were too similar, and I'm not a fan of army stuff. Not for me.

If you were like me and expected this book to tell a profound tale of how 3 female West Point student‘s lives changed as their training adapted for leadership in a post 9/11 US Army, well, you‘d be wrong as was I. But you‘d realize this within a few pages and make a grab for your sisterhood hat. Think of this as Sisterhood of The Traveling Pants goes to West Point, and just enjoy a story of enduring friendship.

I have found very few books that have captured the complicated dynamics of a female friendship so well. It spans many years similar to the Kate and Tully friendship in Hannah‘s Firefly Lane. I think the book jacket blurb misled me into thinking this story would be more centered around September 11 (which was glossed over in the novel), but it was a great emotional story. #botm #catsoflitsy

It was a great book about friendship, love, and tragedy! A long book but totally worth it!

I may have enjoyed this had I known more going in. I thought this would involve a feminist look at women in today's military culture, but instead it read like a PG-rated Hallmark movie (which can be fun, just not what I expected). The relationships were unnatural, the diversity felt a little forced, and overall it just was fragmented. Still, this could be a great book for the right reader. GR: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2768175138 #botm

Either I read this book at the right time or the wrong one because it made me cry like few books have. The friendship it portrays, along with some guy-wrenching ups and downs, got me right in the feels, and I loved it. #botm #madeyoucry #30junebooks

Ugh. Just started this, and already I'm not a fan of how the author is incorrectly portraying Pittsburgh as a place that natives want to "escape." In reality, locals and transplants young and old are damn proud of their wonderful city and its schools, and this is coming from a Philly girl ?? I may be nit-picking, but it's a HUGE pet peeve of mine when authors fail to research local cultural norms #botm

I really treasure a handful of morning reading minutes.

BEYOND THE POINT is a moving story of female friendships at West Point. It is a delightful debut novel. The book magnificently captures women exhibiting strength, faith, forgiveness and perseverance, while encountering discrimination, pain and loss... https://www.bluestockingreviews.com/blog/beyond-the-point

3/5 stars - It was a really good story with just decent packaging. I didn‘t love it, but I also didn‘t hate it. I liked the individual and collective stories of the three women. However, I didn‘t like the writing. Multiple flashbacks within chapters and different perspectives each chapter were too much for me. I hope Claire Gibson keeps writing, because I would like to see her evolve and grow as a writer over time.

I really liked this book. Yes it‘s long, but it doesn‘t feel long. The book never drags and it always kept me interested. I enjoyed all the women‘s journeys, experiences and friendship. They all experience something different, but their experience at West Point keeps them connected. I‘m glad I picked this book from #BOTM

Soldier‘s story - #booked2019

I‘m really enjoying this book! It‘s on the long end, but I started it Friday night and am already over 200 pages in! It‘s a pretty quick read. I don‘t know if it‘s going to get tougher when the ladies go into combat.

Relaxing now that the family is gone, hubby is watching hockey and I have my book. 💚

The Bruins are dominating! #bostonbruins #hockey #sundayreads

#FridayNightReads - I told myself when I joined #BOTM again that I would read at least a book a month that I picked!

This was my April pick! I picked this up tonight and am already sucked in. I think I‘m going to use this book for a Soldier‘s Story for #Booked2019

I love this book, a bit heartbreaking 💔

Here‘s my current May TBR. I‘m sure it‘ll change up halfway through the month, but I‘m always okay with that!

*Not shown are the ebooks and audiobooks that I‘ll probably end up reading and listening to.

#MayTBR

This book was ok for me. I didn't like how much it jumped in time. One chapter it is fall and the characters are at West Point and then all of a sudden it's summer in the next chapter. I also wasn't expecting all of the Christian references. #botm called it inspirational, but I didn't take that to mean religiously inspirational. Not that I have a problem with religion, but I am not a fan of Christian "inspirational" fiction. ⭐⭐⭐/5

From last week's book tour but I remain behind in posting. I quite enjoyed this debut novel about three friends who meet at West Point in 2000 & form strong bonds before their lives pull them in different directions. The author grew up as an army brat at West Point & her passion & admiration for the female cadets rings through making the 500+ pages fly by. Paired with my recreation of a meal shared by Dani, Hannah & Avery in the book. Link👇🏻

WOW was I SURPRISED! Inside it‘s pages Claire Gibson created a captivating spell of awe and respect for female soldiers that kept me reading well into the night. I loved following alongside bff‘s Dani, Hannah and Avery‘s friendship, different personalities, good/bad choices. Don‘t let it‘s size intimidate you. It‘s short chapters made it a fast mover while it tore at my emotions along the way. Two thumbs up 👍🏻👍🏻 #botm

This was between a so-so and a pick for me. Overall, I enjoyed it. I love a story of strong women who are figuring it all out; and complicated, flawed friendships. The thing I was not a fan of though, was the constant God and bible references. I had to stop a couple of times to try to google whether it was meant to be a religious book. No offense to anyone but that was just off-putting to me. Not my cup of tea. That aside, it is a good read.

After much deliberation, I finally chose my April #BOTM picks. They got me again. This is the 2nd time this year I filled 1 box, & used my 2nd account to fill another box! I think I only did that once at the end of last year.

The tagged book was a surprise pick. I didn't think I'd be interested, but was intrigued by Etaf Rum's endorsement. Thankfully Apple books has long samples. I loved the writing! Can't wait to receive my boxes. 😊 #bookhaul

Don‘t let the size of this book intimidate you! It‘s a fast read and oh my you‘ll have all the emotions. It follows 3 friends as they journey through West Point together and after. Deals with 9/11 and the war that follows.

A must pick up!

I am happy with this pick from BOTM. It was a really unique view of army life from the start of the decision to go to West Point through the life that comes with that decision. I really liked the characters and the differences between them along with the storyline that followed the girls through the book. It was both uplifting and heartbreaking, but definitely worth reading.

BOTM pick for April. I was ready to unsubscribe but I loved Daisy Jones and the Six so I figured I‘d give them another chance. #BOTM

Absolutely excellent. Reminds me of an adult version of Amy Effaw‘s wonderful Battle Dress (go right now and find a copy). I love the friendships, the camaraderie, the serious (and heartbreaking) and silly. Drew me in, kept me close, and tossed me out the other side. A book that will stay with me a long time.

I‘ve been in a bit of a reading slump, aided by my discovery of Portuguese knitting, which has made knitting a joy instead of a chore.

But I‘ve been looking forward to this book for months. Maybe this will break the slump?

What did everyone pick for their #BOTM ? I hardly ever get just one pick, but Beyond the Point is the only one that sounded like it would grip me. It‘s also a debut, which really excites me!

Claire Gibson wrote with an understanding of loss and friendship that surpasses many of her contemporaries. In 500 pages, she wove a tale covering 7 years from the end of high school & beyond as 3 young women playing basketball for West Point, establish a lasting bond made up of their faith, their dedication to their sport, their frustration with & ultimate respect for the Army, and the determination to be the best they can be for family/country.

My April #BOTM is picked!

What did you guys choose?

Fair point, no? 🤔

It‘s never too late for that #riotgrams “book and a mug” prompt that I missed, right? It‘s been a long, crappy week at work and this mug suits my mood going into Friday just about perfectly. It probably doesn‘t suit a book about female West Point cadets though. 🤔

I really enjoyed the story of Dani, Hannah and Avery...how they came to choose West Point for college, how they came together, what adventures they had and challenges they faced, how they grew individually and as friends, how life changes and strengthens relationships with time...it was heartbreaking at times and heartwarming at others. I couldn‘t put it down tonight and highly recommend to fiction lovers out there when it is released in April ❤️

Love this ❤️ What a great description!