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How High We Go in the Dark
How High We Go in the Dark: A Novel | Sequoia Nagamatsu
158 posts | 94 read | 3 reading | 87 to read
"For fans of Cloud Atlas and Station Eleven, a spellbinding and profoundly prescient debut that follows a cast of intricately linked characters over hundreds of years as humanity struggles to rebuild itself in the aftermath of a climate plague-a daring and deeply heartfelt work of mind-bending imagination from a singular new voice. Beginning in 2030, a grieving archeologist arrives in the Arctic Circle to continue the work of his recently deceased daughter at the Batagaika crater, where researchers are studying long-buried secrets now revealed in melting permafrost, including the perfectly preserved remains of a girl who appears to have died of an ancient virus. Once unleashed, the Arctic Plague will reshape life on earth for generations to come, quickly traversing the globe, forcing humanity to devise a myriad of moving and inventive ways to embrace possibility in the face of tragedy. In a theme park designed for terminally ill children, a cynical employee falls in love with a mother desperate to hold on to her infected son. A heartbroken scientist searching for a cure finds a second chance at fatherhood when one of his test subjects-a pig-develops the capacity for human speech. A widowed painter and her teenaged granddaughter embark on a cosmic quest to locate a new home planet. From funerary skyscrapers to hotels for the dead to interstellar starships, Sequoia Nagamatsu takes readers on a wildly original and compassionate journey, spanning continents, centuries, and even celestial bodies to tell a story about the resiliency of the human spirit, our infinite capacity to dream, and the connective threads that tie us all together in the universe"--
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review
rmaclean4
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Pickpick

This reads like connected short stories. The book covers centuries and explores what the future of the world may be. Some chapters were very powerful and other less successful. Mixed for me but I am glad that I read it! 3.5 🌟 #52bookclub23 # dystopian @Clwojick @BookBelle84 @jennifer80 @Librarybelle @triplem80 @AshleyHoss820 @LauraReads @KarenUK @britt_brooke @CarolynM @Smarkies @LeeRHarry @Read4life @Bluebird @squirrelbrain @BarbaraBB @ravenlee

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LadyCait84
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Pickpick

The premise is bleak β€” in the not-too-distant future, as a result of climate change, an ancient plague emerges from beneath the melting ice of Siberia and the consequences for humankind are catastrophic and far-reaching β€” but the book, for all of its death and grief and bizarre sci-fi elements, is beautifully bittersweet, filled with both love and hope.

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staci.reads
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My bookhaul from Reading in Public! The gorgeous painted edition of Jane Eyre is for my oldest child, who is finally reading this favorite of mine. I'm also in love with this beautiful hardcover of Kindred, another favorite of mine. Just part of my birthday haul! Hit up Half Price Books as well. I'll post that stack later.

Christine Excellent stack! 2mo
84 likes1 comment
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daena
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Excited to start this one. I spotted it on a library run the other day and realized it was already on my TBR list. Extra bonus that Roxane Gay recommended it and it is mentioned for fans of Station Eleven.

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Vanessa
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Pickpick

This is a book of interconnected stories that begin in the 2030s with an Arctic archaeological dig by scientists attempting to solve climate change problems; this leads to the discovery of an ancient child‘s corpse and the unwitting release of a virus from her body, which becomes a global pandemic. The book traces the path and consequences of the virus through various characters over time, but it is not really about the virus. (cont. in comments)

Vanessa It is about the people whose possible life trajectories have been altered by this changing world, as they try to hold on to each other and to love despite their grief. It is about a future world, but it felt close to home with our technology that professes to enable us to be closer together but yet feels like it also creates greater distance than before. (Cont.) 3mo
Vanessa The characters grapple with wanting to be closer but putting it off for another day, or being unable to make the leap from a virtual relationship to a real one. These are today‘s problems, too. (Cont. ) 3mo
Vanessa It‘s beautiful and fascinating. There is always some kind of hope despite the sadness. I somewhat regret that I read it digitally, as I was constantly trying to turn back to other chapters when I realized β€œEaster egg” connections between characters. **crossposted from Goodreads review** 3mo
4 likes3 comments
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Julsmarshall
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Happy Birthday @wanderinglynn ! What a fun giveaway. I‘d love to win How High We Go In the Dark. 😍 #300KBirthdayGiveaway

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Vanessa
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Happy New Year!

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TheKidUpstairs
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#12Booksof2022 On the seventh day of Christmas my reading gave to me... interconnected stories of sci-fi, death, and society.

Beautiful, thoughtful, thought provoking stories of a pandemic and its aftermath. How do we grieve? How do we survive? What do we owe to each other? What weight lands on the individual, and what can be carried by the collective society?

@Andrew65

Andrew65 Seems timely. 3mo
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Vanessa
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This book is equal parts bonkers and tragic. So far, I love it β€” telepathic pig and all.

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The_Book_Ninja
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Bailedbailed

Some sci-fi is about the human condition but set in fantastical, futuristic or dystopian worlds. This book starts good, climate change thaws a large prehistoric grave in Siberia & a virus escapes. We then get separate,but linked, stories narrated by those surviving a pandemic, trying to find a cure or migrating to a new Earth. Death & grief are the themes but the stories are so boring I was skimming by the 3rd one and I never got pulled back in.

batsy Yes, the first story was really distinctive and memorable. There were some others that also moved me (Snortorius!) but I agree that it didn't match up to what made the first story especially unique. 3mo
The_Book_Ninja @batsy I agree. I always look at reviews after I‘ve read a book and I saw I was in the minority in not enjoying this. Every narrator had the same voice as well. I‘m all for books about grief, and I know some people want to unpack the covid pandemic in books nowadays, but this was as boring as being in lockdown. 3mo
14 likes2 comments
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jen_hayes7
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#audiocrafting today! So glad I got this completed in time for the holiday. Though, whether or not it will actually make it to my brother on the west coast in time is another story. 🀞🏻

AmyG That is just fabulous! Love it. 3mo
jen_hayes7 @AmyG Thanks so very much!! It was fun to make. 3mo
14 likes2 comments
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Blackink_WhitePaper
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Pickpick

Well I don‘t know what to say about this book. This is a difficult read, need a right frame of mind. About loss& hope. A time travel to vivid memory of pandemic as well as to the future( which is scary 😧 ) . Discrete chapters, compelling characters (esp like the first few ones). Although the ending is perfect I felt few chapters ended abruptly. Overall an unique read . 4⭐️#bookspinbingo

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 4mo
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Viji
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Pickpick

Will definitely be on my favorites of 2022 list. Speculative fiction that brought tears throughout but an ultimately hopeful ending.

jlhammar One of my favorites this year too! So moving. 5mo
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Chiperskee
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Annual pre-Josh Billings reading

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BarbaraBB
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#CampLitsy

We have a winner. Thank you all so much for joining in this wonderful summer. It‘s been so fun, we‘ve read some great books and we‘ve loved all discussions.

@squirrelbrain @Megabooks and I hope to welcome you again in camp next year! β˜€οΈ

Oryx Definitely coming next year! 7mo
See All 30 Comments
Oryx Was the vote close? 7mo
TheKidUpstairs Thank you so for hosting! 7mo
Bookwormjillk This was fun. Thanks hosts! 7mo
Kitta Thanks so much! 7mo
BarbaraBB @Oryx This time Tomorrow followed closely but Either/Or stuck behind πŸ€·πŸ»β€β™€οΈ 7mo
batsy A worthy winner! I had great fun at #CampLitsy πŸ’•πŸ˜ 7mo
squirrelbrain Thanks so much for joining in everyone - looking forward to next year! 7mo
Chelsea.Poole Thank you all so much! I loved this book also; but This Time Tomorrow just struck a chord with me. Can‘t wait to camp πŸ• again next summer! 7mo
squirrelbrain Fascinating fact… our winner actually received the most nominations from our original long list. We Littens clearly know our own minds! Look out for another post from @BarbaraBB soon about the books that didn‘t quite make the shortlist…. (edited) 7mo
Suet624 Yay!!! Thanks so much to you all for hosting. 7mo
BarbaraBB @squirrelbrain That is an interesting fact! And you can post the other thing if you like? Do you still have the tag list? πŸ’› (edited) 7mo
squirrelbrain I‘m going to reply very shortly @barbarabb 😁 7mo
TrishB I never would have read this one without #camplitsy 7mo
KarenUK Not my pick, but I did really like this one…. Deserved winner! πŸ’• Thanks everyone! 7mo
jlhammar Had a great time! Look forward to next summer! @squirrelbrain That is really interesting. 7mo
BkClubCare This really was great- the book, the camp, the whole slate, the discussions… 🀩 7mo
Megabooks @squirrelbrain yes! I was hoping you‘d post this was the original top vote getter and so interesting that it won in the end too. I always feel so behind on emails with y‘all because of the time difference! Had a great time this summer and counting the months until we compile another longlist!! 7mo
Megabooks Just sent you both an email. Can you let me know if you got it because my phone is acting weird?? @squirrelbrain thank you!! 😘 7mo
Ruthiella A worthy winner! I really enjoyed my time at #CampLitsy. Both the shortlist and the longlist made me explore a lot more contemporary fiction than usual, which is great. πŸ˜ƒ 7mo
squirrelbrain @Megabooks - sorry only just seen this…yes, we got your email and replied, and you‘ve replied again as well so it must be working OK! 7mo
Hooked_on_books This was such a fascinating bookβ€”I‘m glad to see it win! (We do so much better than the official tournament.) I can‘t wait to come back to camp next year! 7mo
AnneCecilie I had so much fun. Thanks for hosting and I‘m already looking forward to next year. 7mo
Suet624 @TrishB same. 7mo
Larkken I didn‘t manage to get all the books at the right times, but I very much enjoyed the virtual buddy read atmosphere even after the fact! I still need to read one, and then I‘ll have to see how my own personal vote tallies up! πŸ€¨πŸ˜‚ thanks for hosting! 7mo
cariashley Thank you SO MUCH for hosting @BarbaraBB @squirrelbrain @Megabooks !!! While life got in the way of my active participation, this was so so fun - hopefully next year I‘ll have more time! 7mo
TrishB @Suet624 always a good thing 😁 7mo
62 likes30 comments
review
Liz_M
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Pickpick

A story with epic scope told through connected stories of the release, expansion, and aftermath of a plague. In 30-60 pages each chapter captures a particular moment or a particular aspect of the pandemic. Many stories focus on society‘s screw-ups, showing flawed characters as they endure loss, but also find connection. The first chapters are more realistic and set in the near future, then become fantastical with further leaps forward in time.

BarbaraBB Fab review and picture! A 4.5 read for you, that‘s exceptional I think πŸ˜€! 7mo
Megabooks This was a solid 4.5 for me as well. Great review! 7mo
vivastory I was a sobbing wreck while reading this 7mo
squirrelbrain Great review - glad you loved it! ❀️ 7mo
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Christine
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Had I realized that Nagamatsu is currently a professor at my small Minnesota alma mater, I probably would have liked this even more!! (Thanks, alumni magazine!) I loved it a lot even before knowing. ❀️ #CampLitsy

Megabooks That‘s cool! 7mo
BarbaraBB I thought the author was a woman πŸ˜‡ 7mo
vivastory I once drove to St Olaf's when I lived in Minneapolis to hear Benjamin Percy & Mary Ruefle read. It was great! 7mo
See All 19 Comments
Ruthiella @BarbaraBB πŸ˜‚My niece is named Sequoia and I also thought he was a she at first. But then I heard the author on the podcast So Many Damn Books and realized my mistake. 7mo
Hooked_on_books That‘s so cool! 7mo
Hooked_on_books @vivastory Isn‘t Ben Percy amazing! That voice! 7mo
jlhammar I‘m in the Twin Cities and went to St. Olaf once for one of their wonderful choir concerts. We‘ve read some great stuff for #CampLitsy, but I think this one might be my fav. 7mo
vivastory @Hooked_on_books I was completely unfamiliar with him but was an immediate fan bc of the piece he read & the voice! 7mo
BarbaraBB @Ruthiella I am glad Sequoia is a women‘s name as well, that makes my mistake a bit more understandable πŸ˜‰ 7mo
Christine @megabooks I sure thought so! 7mo
Christine @BarbaraBB I can think of several reasons why I might have thought the same! I had seen a picture of him somewhere before reading it. 7mo
Christine @vivastory Oh fun - sounds like a great event! St. Olaf was pretty idyllic (though I underappreciated it in some ways back in the day). 7mo
Christine @Ruthiella I enjoy that podcast but apparently missed that episode - must go back and find! 7mo
Christine @Hooked_on_Books Agreed re: coolness! And now based on your exchange with @vivastory I need to learn about Ben Percy! 7mo
Christine @jlhammar Aww fun! If you‘d gone to a concert in the late 90s I‘d have been in it! (Even met my husband when we were both in the St. Olaf Choir. πŸŽ΅πŸ€“) And yes, I think I agree re: this being my favorite #CampLitsy title so far. 7mo
jlhammar @Christine I love that! I met my husband in college choir too (University of St. Thomas)! Can't believe that was over twenty years ago now. 7mo
Christine @jlhammar - No way!! That‘s so great! MN college choir couples forever! 😁 7mo
Liz_M I think you went to the wrong Northfield college. πŸ˜πŸ˜‰ #CarletonAlum 7mo
Christine @Liz_M LOL, no way! How fun. I love Carleton! I was in it for the choir re: St. Olaf. πŸ˜„ 7mo
50 likes19 comments
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charl08
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"It's impossible to meet people now."
"People like to forget about the sadness of the city," Yoshiko responds. "They walk and walk. No one stops. It's like we're all still infected. We choose to be blind to each other's suffering. It might make things easier to bear, but our hearts are cold."

Sparklemn This is so scary close to reality right now. πŸ™ 8mo
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charl08

"We try to stop get it from getting out or we prepare people," he said. We get the world to wake up and pay attention to the fact that all this ice melting and the millions of years of shit it contains has to go somewhere." Dave reached for his belt buckle, twisted the metal go square, pulled out a tiny flask and took a sip. "But the odds of us finding some completely foreign runaway pathogen that we don't already know about are incredibly small."

Ruthiella Famous last words…. 8mo
34 likes1 comment
review
TheKidUpstairs
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Pickpick

I likely never would have picked this one up if it weren't for #CampLitsy, so I'm thankful to everyone for choosing it.

A serious of interconnected stories, that together provide a meditation on how we cope with loss, how we grieve, and how we take our next steps. It is beautiful and heartbreaking (thank you @vivastory for the advance warning, these stories are emotional). There are elements of sci-fi, but it is very much a human story πŸ‘‡

TheKidUpstairs ... contrasting the individual experience of death with the collective, and examining how they overlap and delving into the cracks where humanity falters or soars. This is one that will sit on my heart for quite some time. 8mo
vivastory Terrific review! I was really impacted by it as well 8mo
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RickW
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Bailedbailed

One of a few books I had to stop reading. There are so many good stories in this novel but none of them make the book cohesive. A full novel could have been made about the talking pig. But digressions abound and eventually by the middle of the book you‘re lost. It‘s a shame because the beginning of the book is amazing. But after the talking pig it just goes downhill. I had to bail. I just became bored and disinterested.

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AmandaBlaze
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1.) Neil Gaiman
2.) How High We Go in the Dark
3.) Litsy, especially #LitsyLove

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks ❀️❀️❀️ 8mo
21 likes1 comment
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Twocougs
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Pickpick

There is so much to process and adore about this book of stories that all connect. It goes from the lowest lows to the highest highs. It made me stop multiple times to just ponder everything we know about earth, the universe and love. Wow, this is truly a stunning piece of literatureπŸ₯°

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katcalvin
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Pickpick

Absolutely beautiful. Deeply depressing. Contains one of the darkest chapters I have ever read in my life. But ends with incredible beauty. I loved it.

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vivastory
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1) Recently it was undoubtedly the tagged book. πŸ–πŸŽ’
2) I'm an eclectic reader, so I will name one quality I treasure of 3 genres I enjoy:
Lit. Fiction: Rich character development.
Graphic Memoirs: Informative!
Fantasy: Immersive world building.
3) A favorite book in 3 other genres:
Thriller-Minato's Confessions
NF- Preston's Monster of Florence
Classic-Toole's Confederacy of Dunces
#wondrouswednesday @Eggs

Eggs Well done! 8mo
Leftcoastzen πŸŒ­πŸ‘€ 8mo
vivastory @Leftcoastzen His relationship with Myrna Minkoff still makes me laugh πŸ˜‚ 8mo
41 likes3 comments
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Kimbono
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Pickpick

This book is ❀️🌟❀️🌟❀️🌟❀️ I love interconnected stories like The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman and The Tsar of Love and Techno by Anthony Marra and this one is just as good. I need more!

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TheKidUpstairs
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"We are all waiting for nothing or everything."

That one line hits so hard after 2+ years of living with the COVID pandemic.

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TheKidUpstairs
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Starting on these two today! Olympus, Texas is for #LMPBC with @melissajayne @zenwldflwr and @TheBookWitchON and HHWGITD is for #CampLitsy catch up! (I'm all out of order with that one 🀣🀣🀣)

vivastory I'll be interested to see what you think of How High We Go etc. Bring the tissues. 9mo
TheKidUpstairs @vivastory thanks for the heads up, I'll prepare for tears! 9mo
40 likes2 comments
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BeckyWithTheGoodBooks
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Pickpick

Beautiful collection of intricately connected stories set in a future where a plague has devastated it Earth. Given the reality of Covid, some of this felt like a gut punch, but Nagamatsu‘s prose is absolutely gorgeous. Though bleak at times, there are hopeful moments when the focus is how we process death and loss through art and reconnection. I enjoyed some of the sci-fi aspects, others fell short for me and did not add to the overall impact.4⭐️

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AlizaApp
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Pickpick

Interlinked stories that imagine a different future, in which there is a deadly plague but it mostly affects children. Sometimes it felt a little β€œtoo soon” but the best stories leaned more on the sci-fi aspects, and I liked those the best.

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Lesliereadsalot
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Pickpick

If you don‘t mind reading a book about a plague that kills the children first, then comes for the adults, this is a very interesting book. I found it interesting how the world adapted to the plague, with slices of life told by very different people, with common threads running through the generations. This one‘s a head scratcher as to if I really liked it or not, but I think you can make your own decision.

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vivastory
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Pickpick

My emoji review of HHWGITD:
β„οΈπŸ¦ β˜ οΈπŸŽ’πŸ˜­πŸŒŒπŸ–πŸ˜­πŸ˜·βš°οΈπŸŽΆπŸ˜­πŸš€πŸ˜­

Deblovestoread Accurate! 9mo
Ruthiella Excellent review! πŸ‘πŸ‘πŸ‘ 9mo
DebinHawaii Hah! So accurate! πŸ™ŒπŸΌ 9mo
See All 12 Comments
Addison_Reads This is epic and completely accurate. πŸ™Œ 9mo
Laughterhp This is an awesome review! So true! 9mo
Sparklemn Perfect!! 9mo
Megabooks Love this review in emojis! This is one that will stick with me, and I think a lot of us from #CampLitsy 9mo
vivastory @Kdgordon88 @ruthiella @debinhawaii @addison_reads @laughterhp @sparklemn @megabooks
Thanks, friends! This is by far one of the most emotional books I read this year. I won't be forgetting any of the characters soon & I look forward to Nagmatsu's future
9mo
squirrelbrain Love your emoji review - perfect! 9mo
Hooked_on_books Great review! 9mo
rockpools Perfect. I think 🎒 😭 will be ever-connected now. 9mo
Branwen Okay, now I really need to read this one! πŸ˜±πŸ“šπŸ’• 9mo
77 likes3 stack adds12 comments
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squirrelbrain
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And we have a winner…!

As many of you may have guessed from the voting pattern and everyone‘s comments, the winner of #camplitsy for June was How High We Go In The Dark.

It received twice as many votes with a total of 18 votes vs 9 for True Biz and will now go on to the final vote at the end of August, up against the books that we choose for July and August.

See All 23 Comments
Megabooks Woo hoo! Great first month! Thank you Helen! 9mo
batsy Oooh! Nice πŸŽ‰ 9mo
rockpools 😎 Fab - thanks Helen. I hope the other books are as good as these two have been! On which subject, has anyone read Either/Or yet? Do I NEEEEEED to read The Idiot first? 9mo
TrishB Repeating what @rockpools says! I‘ve tried The Idiot and didn‘t get very far, so I think it‘s a non starter if it has to be read first. Well done to first winner πŸ‘πŸ» 9mo
squirrelbrain It looks like @Ruthiella and @merelybookish have read Either / Or…. Ruth or Margot, are you able to answer Rachel and Trish‘s question? @rockpools @TrishB 9mo
KarenUK I didn‘t get to True Biz, but definitely enjoyed this one. Loving β€˜You made a fool…. β€˜ so far…. πŸ’• 9mo
BarbaraBB @rockpools @TrishB @squirrelbrain A good friend of mine has read Either/Or without reading The Idiot and said it‘s perfectly possible! 9mo
BarbaraBB Helen thank you for hosting, it‘s been a wonderful month in camp! 9mo
rockpools @BarbaraBB Thanks Barbara! This is good news 😁 9mo
squirrelbrain I couldn‘t have done it without you! 😘 @Megabooks @BarbaraBB 9mo
squirrelbrain That‘s good news! @BarbaraBB 9mo
squirrelbrain @KarenUK - glad you‘re enjoying β€˜Fool‘ - I‘m hoping to start it in the next day or two. 9mo
Suet624 Wonderful result!! Thank you for hosting this. πŸ’• 9mo
Megabooks @squirrelbrain πŸ₯°πŸ˜˜πŸ˜˜ 9mo
Ruthiella @TrishB If you are not getting on with The Idiot, I say call it a day and don‘t bother reading Either/Or. It‘s a continuous of the first book and stylistically the same. @rockpools You don‘t have to read The Idiot first. I think Either/Or can stand on its own. (edited) 9mo
TrishB @Ruthiella thanks πŸ‘πŸ» 9mo
AnneCecilie Thank you for hosting. 9mo
Soubhiville If any US Littens want my copies of The Idiot and Either/or, I‘d love to pass them on. I bailed on The Idiot. Email me- magicbelly at gmail. 9mo
squirrelbrain Reposting so you can all see the kind offer from @Soubhiville ❀️ 9mo
Cathythoughts Thanks Helen X 9mo
63 likes23 comments
review
AnneCecilie
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Pickpick

We follow many people, a new person for each chapter, both during and after a pandemic set in the future.

I‘m not sure I understood the final chapter, but other than that I enjoyed this.

#CampLitsy

squirrelbrain Glad you enjoyed it! (I don‘t think I understood that last chapter either… πŸ€”) 9mo
Megabooks Glad you enjoyed it! I had to read the last chapter twice to get it. 9mo
batsy I was a bit all over the place with the last chapter, too! I appreciate the author being bold but I felt I still had some questions 😁 9mo
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vivastory
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Dude

Megabooks This has made it to the all-time favorite short story list! 9mo
vivastory @Megabooks I just finished the above section so it's still too early for me, but both stories that I have read are winners 9mo
BarbaraBB Those first stories are sooo good. 9mo
See All 8 Comments
Sparklemn @BarbaraBB Agreed! 9mo
batsy Yes, what @BarbaraBB said! 9mo
batsy (Looking forward to your thoughts on 🐷 when you get there.) 9mo
vivastory @batsy Snortorious P.I.G.? 😭😭 In hindsight, starting this book this weekend when I was already feeling emotional might not have been one of my best ideas. I was tearing up at the end of every single story. 9mo
batsy @vivastory Right? Snortorius is the one I'm still thinking about from that collection of stories πŸ’” 9mo
58 likes3 stack adds8 comments
review
kbuggle
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Mehso-so

This was mind-bending, ambitious, and intricate. It was a lot - but beautiful. If you're into Cloud Atlas or Station Eleven, this may be for you.

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DebinHawaii
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Pickpick

#BigJuneReadathon #JoysOfJuneReadathon

This one bumped my June #TBR with a skip-the-line-loan for a week & I‘m glad it did. While not perfect, this novel comprised of related stories & set in the future with the world facing a new environmental pandemic was fascinating & at times hard to read. (Too soon COVID😷) Some stories drew me in more & hit harder as happens in a collection, but I liked putting the pieces together of how it all connected.

Clwojick Great review! ❀️ 9mo
56 likes1 comment
review
thereadingpal
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Pickpick

Full review (in Italian) on my blog: https://worldofinterestsblogger.wordpress.com/2022/06/19/libri-how-high-we-go-in...

There are many things I liked about this novel, which deals with topics such as death, suicide, a deadly virus... Although How High We Go in the Dark deals mostly sith the relationship between people, be it relatives, neighbors, strangers.
I enjoyed the strucutof the chapters, following a person each⬇️

thereadingpal (cont'd) and I liked how different each character was. I didn't really agree with some of them, but that's beside the point. I also like the Asian/japanese representation. I've noticed I tend to read mostly from my own background and that's something I'm trying to change. 9mo
thereadingpal (cont'd) I cried during some chapters, and that emotional pull is something I don't experience a lot with reading. I also liked the writing style despite it being first pov, which I'm not used to. Overall 5/5 stars (edited) 9mo
18 likes4 comments
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rockpools
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Pickpick

I didn‘t get as far as reviewing this last week, but I LOVED it! Inventive, thought-provoking and heart-breaking. I wasn‘t 100% sold on the ending, but a resounding pick all the same.

Thank you #CampLitsy for introducing me to this - it‘s not one I‘d have picked up on my own.

squirrelbrain Great review! And I agree, I wouldn‘t have chosen to read it if it wasn‘t for #camplitsy. 9mo
54 likes1 comment
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thereadingpal
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Here's my #bookreport cuz I forgot to do it yesterday.
I finished 3 books, two of which were for exams.
I'll write the review to How High We Go in the Dark today!

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DebinHawaii
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#BigJuneReadathon #JoysofJuneReadathon

I am not sure I am emotionally prepared for this book but my Library Libby had a β€œskip the line” e-book available (& my hold is at 21 weeks) 😳 & I only have it for a few more days. About half-way through. πŸ₯Ί

Also, there is nothing at all good/healthy/redeeming in these gummy colas, but I am small kine addicted. I had to grab some β€œlocal-style” snacks for swap boxes this week & these are my reward.πŸ˜‹

thereadingpal I loved this book! 9mo
Clwojick Yummy. Gummy colas are the best! 9mo
Andrew65 Good combination. Well done πŸ‘πŸ‘πŸ‘ 9mo
Tera66 Keep some tissues handy. πŸ’”πŸ˜₯ But the writing is beautiful. 9mo
69 likes4 comments
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Kimbono
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I‘m going to let Gus select the next book I read πŸ˜‚

EvieBee What‘d he pick?! 9mo
Kimbono @EvieBee Foster by Claire Keegan 😻 9mo
EvieBee Good taste! 9mo
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thereadingpal
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5th day of the #joysofjunereadathon and as I'm going to bed this is my update. So far I've read for a total of 14h 11min. My goal is 20 hours. I'm almost finished with His High We Go in the Dark. A very sad book, but really interesting. So far I finished 3/4 books tho (Writers on Writing, From Akhenaten to Moses, and Educare nelle Periferie)
@Andrew65

Andrew65 You are doing brilliantly πŸ‘πŸ‘πŸ‘ 9mo
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thereadingpal
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Day four of #joysofjunereadathon and I've read for a total of 10h 48 min out of my goal 20 hours. I also started a new book for an exam and I'm still reading How High We Go in the Dark. I'm s really slow reader but I'm really enjoying the book and I've also shred a few tears

@Andrew65

Andrew65 Brilliant! Ahead of schedule πŸ‘πŸ‘πŸ‘ 9mo
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thereadingpal
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I'm going to go to bed early because tomorrow I have an exam at 8:40am. So this is my wrap up for the third day of of #joysofjunereadathon : I read for 2h6min today and finished one book. I'm still reading the tagged book... Hope to finish it tomorrow.

@Andrew65

Andrew65 Well done, hope the exam goes well. 😊 9mo
thereadingpal @Andrew65 it did, thank you! 9mo
Andrew65 @thereadingpal Great 😍 9mo
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thereadingpal
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It's my bedtime so this marks the end of the second day of the #joysofjunereadathon for me.
I've finished another book (Educare nelle periferie) and I kept reading another two, for a total of 3 hours and 49 mins. Yesterday i read for 2 hours and 51 mins, making it 6 hours and 40 minutes towards my total goal of 20. I still haven't finished How High We Go In The Dark.

@Andrew65

#readathon

Andrew65 An excellent start to the Readathon πŸ‘πŸ‘πŸ‘ 9mo
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KarenUK
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Pickpick

I found myself completely immersed in a lot this novel of interconnected stories of a post climate plague world. Lovely writing and imagery, quite arresting at times. Full of compassion and a surprising amount of hope, here and there. But as I often feel, some stories spoke to more than others, and the success overall is often tainted by the stories I DON‘T connect with. The story β€˜City of laughter‘ stood out for me. #pop22 #manmadedisaster

Megabooks Insightful review! I connected with CoL too. πŸ’œ 9mo
squirrelbrain Really insightful review! It seemed as though a lot of people lost their connection with this book in the second half, due to a few of the stories not being as meaningful. 9mo
Cinfhen Fantastic review! I agree with everything you wrote πŸ’— 9mo
Cortg These types of books are always hit or miss for me. 9mo
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thereadingpal
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This is my #weeklyforecast for this week!

Currently reading:
πŸ“– How High We Go in the Dark
πŸ“– From Akhenaten to Moses
πŸ“– Educare nelle periferie
πŸ“– L'amore nell'ebraismo

Will read:
πŸ“–Since Sinai. A Convert's Path to Judaism
πŸ“–Fuori dal Silenzio
πŸ“– True Biz

#currentlyreading #nextreads @Cinfhen

Cinfhen You‘ve got a nice assortment of genres 😍Have a great week πŸ“– 9mo
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Sparklemn
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Pickpick

If you're ready for pandemic dystopian fiction, here you go. Some of the interconnected stories were more meaningful to me than others. What I'll take away from it is the importance of not letting relationships with loved ones slip away when times get tough. #camplitsy

KristiAhlers I want to read this but I don‘t. You know? Might give myself a few more months before dealing with a pandemic read. 9mo
Sparklemn @KristiAhlers I absolutely understand! 9mo
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Kitta
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Pickpick

Very interesting collection of short stories about a pandemic released from the arctic after climate change reveals the body of a 30,000 year old girl.

Death becomes commercialized and normalised as the pandemic takes it toll. The stories are dark but human and I felt a lot of empathy for the characters.

Would recommend if you like dystopian futures with slight sci-fi themes.

Read for #CampLitsy!

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