Welcome to Litsy!

#two4tuesday @TheSpineView
1)My last post was about how I panic grabbed 9 books because my local library is closing till April 1st.... I also have a massive closet full of unread books and a kindle full lol
2)I'm pretty good. I didn't panic shop for supplies, but for some odd reason I ended up with 2 cartons of eggs and a full gallon of milk....I hate both. I'm working on ideas to use them so they don't go bad- homemade pasta alfredo it is!!!

A novel by the author of Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail. This book tells the story about how family members go on after the loss of their mother and wife. It‘s fictional, but appears to draw heavily on Strayed‘s own experiences. A quick, ok read.

Not much reading over the weekend but I made it through two audio books while helping my sister move house (so many trips up and down stairs!).
I really enjoyed Wild so finally got around to this and while Strayed's writing is solid this book is...flat, I guess. This is an autobiographical novelization of her experience following her mother's death, but she had a far superior book inside her that just took more time. Read Wild instead.

A semi-autobiographical novel about a family after their mother‘s early and sudden death from cancer. There are many poignant passages about dealing with grief and loss. As with other work by Strayed, the writing is captivating and beautiful. At times, the plot was unrelentingly tragic, as characters continued to make poor choices. I prefer the real-life story (Wild) of the author‘s attempt to make peace with her mother‘s death.

Her breath, his.
Thin ghosts that appeared then vanished, as if they were never there.

...as if her flesh were wet paint, waiting to dry.

The road was a frozen river.

Work hard. Do good. Be incredible.

Her mind was a metronome, moving back and forth.

She rose in him cold like a flood.

The sight of his mother's things alternately comforted and slaughtered him.

How a single word could change everything...

Your mom's ashes are ready.
Ready? she repeated, alarmed by the word.
It made it sound as if her mother had been prepared like bread or tea or roast for supper.

She sat as unmoving as a statue.

Sorrow had taken its place, filling her to the gills.

A small glimmer of solace washed through her, a sweet tendril of optimism.

Stars and stars and stars.

Grief was not a road or a river or a sea but a world

...her hand to the glass, as flat and elegant as a wet leaf.

...he could feel her anger beating him like the wind...

It filled him up like a drug

...a braid the color of toast.

...her mind like flypaper.

It was as pliant and soft and wet as the petal of a lily.

The snow is sparkling like diamonds.

A ping-pong of words.

Your brain is going to melt from all that reading.

Punk's Hideaway

As if her spine were a zipper.

How things can be both beautiful and filthy at once.

The first chapter bowled me over, oft regaled Strayed easily impressing me. Then the pacing skips over would-be key scenes, pushing ahead so quickly I struggled to keep up.

The dialogue overwhelms what little place-building there is and I never got a clear picture. The non-dialogue is ambitiously introspective considering the # of characters.

The story of family is one I can admire, but I wish there was more direct information, less subtlety.

I spent the first half of the book trying not to cry in public. I thought the end faltered a bit, not bad, it made me happy, there was one plot point that never got resolved, at least for me, and so that was a bummer. But yes, very good.

I am studying for my management midterm. Okay, I will be studying as soon as I finish this chapter 😬

I tried and tried to think of a character whose name was Cheryl, but couldn't remember one. So I'm picking the amazing and adorable Cheryl Strayed. #authorwhosharesmyname #riotgrams

"work hard, do good, be incredible"

Trains. Books. Mornings.