The Winners | 
Book mail!! They all arrived on the same day 😊📚🤓
Fredrik Backman- The Winners
The Covenant of Water- Abraham Verghese
The Armor of Light- Ken Follett
I'm about halfway thru The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon right now... I might reread The Beartown series next
pickI‘ve had to think about my review for this as it is so emotional… I will only say that you have to read it and it is one of the best I‘ve read of 2024…. On this first day of 2025 I‘ve come to the end of this trilogy and can‘t wait to read more books by this author (that I haven‘t read already)
I have been holding off reading this cause I guess I just didn't want Beartown to end..I guess it's a good time to read it with Christmas nearly here and the snow falling outside..love winter
pickThe book is basically the aftermath of the first 2 parts in the series, based on the hockey town of Beartown. Speaks intricately about the culture of hockey in the town, how the sport is interwoven itself into every aspect of the town‘s everyday activities and lives. Though the book was mixed with sadness and joyous moments in disproportionate amounts, it was such a perfect send off to the entire Beartown series and characters.
pickAfter rereading Beartown & Us Against You over the last few months, I was finally ready to find out if Backman stuck the landing of his hockey town saga.
He did.
I could not read this book fast enough. & while I was repeatedly (if unsurprisingly) wrecked as the story unfolded, I cherished every word on every page because it made me think & feel so damn much.
I will carry these characters with me for a long, long time.
pickWaited to read this and it was once again worth it to go back to Beartown to a hockey community that has had its heart broken yet again. Love the interaction of the people of these two hockey towns. Sports make or break a community. Great friendships and worthy rivals.
pickSlow paced, thought-provoking, exhilarating, depressing, detailed observation of human nature, great emotional impact and splendid character development. Very sad...
so-soI hate to rate this anything less than pick, but I just really feel like Backman had already put these people through enough. To listen to 22 more hours of pain and suffering wasn‘t really necessary. The first book in this series was so good, the second was okay, but this one just seemed like overkill (literally.) I really love the cover though.
pickThe third and final book in the Beartown trilogy broke my heart. You know what might be coming because Backman foreshadows the events of the end of the book, which does soften the blow. Backman wraps up these characters lives very well. Having binge read the series, I had spent some time with them and was invested in their lives. Excellent book. Backman is a master. Check trigger warnings before reading. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 ❤️📚 #serieslove2023
so-soI hate to say it, but this was too long. Backman can do no wrong in my eyes, but this got to the point where I felt like it was just cruel, the level of suffering he was putting his characters through (and me alongside them). So much tragedy for this town we‘ve come to love.
I‘m glad I finished the trilogy but I think this ending could‘ve been accomplished in < 670 pgs, and with fewer casualties.
PS - Why is Litsy only calling it 400 pgs? Rude.
#BookBinge Day 6: My #LeastFaveGenre would have to be sports yet Backman‘s writing is so stellar that he has made me an avid fan of the Beartown series. 🏒🥅⛸️
1. Tagged and it was so good!
2. I'm reading Hamilton right now and started it in January 😕
3. My Masters degree and career as a therapist!
Thanks @peaknit @Eggs #wondrouswednesday
pickI‘m a fan of Bachman, and this is the third book in a loose trilogy surrounding Beartown. It‘s sad, it‘s loving, it‘s emotional. Trigger warning for rape and violence. I enjoy the occasional emotional roller coaster and liked to see how everyone ended up.
My favorite book of 2023 so far is no surprise.
pick5⭐I put this off because of the length, for way too long since I hardly noticed just how long it was. What a comprehensive send-off this was for the series. We did get closure for these characters and I have to say that they are some of the most amazing and amazingly written ones I‘ve ever encountered in a series. Their story is all things…happy, sad, heroic, funny, worrisome, familial, and so compelling. Although, this could've been less verbose.
pickThis got off to a slow start for me (and I mean SLLLLOOOOOOWWWW), but it picked up and kept my interest about halfway through. I later learned this is the third of a trilogy, but I didn't feel like I was missing something by not having read the first two books first.
Catching up on some reading before it gets too hot to be outside.
pick4.5 Stars
Another Backman that had me tearing up. I felt this was a little longer than it needed to be, but I love all these characters and it‘s bittersweet for this series to end. (Benji will always be my favorite.)
Also- suggestions for getting the sticker off the cover?? It‘s not a glossy book jacket. I hate when they do this.
Been a minute for me! Just coming here to say hi and show off how I'm starting my sunny Sunday. 😎☀️
pickTwo years have passed and we return to Beartown. This story introduced more strong characters and brought familiar faces back.
Well written and so many themes are explored. I knew something would happen to my favourite character but I wasn‘t ready for the ending.
This story takes you on a journey and deals with some heavy subjects e.g. rape, politics, homophobia and power.
A powerful, moving series that will stay with you after finishing it.
My afternoon plans. The mini eggs are all mine!
Starting this today. The last in the series. Hope it‘s as good as the others. Found out it‘s a tv series but it‘s not shown in the UK - typical!
pickThat quote right there sums up my feelings. Backman ended the Beartown trilogy by ending me. I‘m not exaggerating when I say I had to take crying breaks, and audibly sobbed as I flipped the last page. Backman, once again, gives you the ending on the first page, and then masterfully builds tension for 600 pages. It is beyond heart wrenching.
Amazing.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
It‘s a lovely Easter weekend here! The rest of the family is recovering from COVID so it‘s a time to just read and relax. I‘m almost done The Winners and hoping to at least get these two mangas read. I‘m loving that I‘m finding more and more LGBTQIA reads lately.
When this book was delivered, I saw the size of it and immediately put it on the shelf. But in the spirit of finishing all the series I‘ve started, and really and truly loving all of Backman‘s work, it‘s time. Sunday morning feels.
Also, yes, I still have a Halloween tablecloth out 🤣
pick#ValentineReadathon #TheWinners #FredrikBachman #BookSpinBingo #SeriesLove2023
This is a great finale to The Beartown trilogy. It's a little long and starts out slow but what a impactful story. The people of Beartown still feel the bite from the first book and now they want to close down the two hockey rinks in Beartown and Hed. They want to start a brand new hockey rink for both towns.
pickWow- I feel emotionally wrung out after finishing this last book set in BEARTOWN! And yet, I don‘t want this to be the last of their stories either! I didn‘t expect to become so attached to so many of the characters here, or that I could love a book where a dog is killed… and though the ending is inevitable, it still had me reaching for the tissues. I‘m so curious to hear what the rest of book club thinks of this one! I can‘t wait to discuss it!
1. The Winners - solid 5 stars!
2. A pick for #auldlangspine @Jerdencon Thanks @TheSpineView @Kshakal #two4tuesday
If this doesn't describe me, I don't know what does. 😂 #bookthreeof2023
pickEvery chapter ends on a mini cliffhanger or foreshadowing line. Every character is exquisitely written. For a moment, I thought that 670 pages es too long and, perhaps, it needed to be cut down. However, when I finished the Beartown trilogy, I immediately wished for 100 more pages. I recommend them all, for so many reasons that one should discover for oneself.
pickNever knew a series about hockey, of all things, could steal and break my heart like this series did. A lot of heavy, complicated emotions by the end of this one. Not ashamed that I cried reading about Benji, especially. 💔
Sheesh, why do I have the sneaking suspicion that Benji is going to die...
pickThat blurry red shape out on the ice to the right is my son. I want him to read this series, but they're a lot longer than what he normally reads. I really never thought Beartown needed a sequel, much less a third book in the series, but I have loved all of them. Maybe I love them because I love hockey or because I love a boy who plays hockey or because of all the kids I've known who shine on the ice. Or maybe they're just really well written.
pick🎶 I get so emotional, baby / Every time I think of Beartown Hockey 🎶
What a finale. So many threads woven so intricately, so much PAIN, but also so much joy. Backman writes the realities of life, both good and bad. #contemporarylit #litintranslation #wearethebears
My son is 13 and started playing hockey when he was 4. This paragraph hit me HARD.
pick😭😔💔
I‘m feeling tender after finishing the Beartown trilogy with The Winners.
Backman has a way of telling you what‘s going to happen, then breaking your heart anyway when it does. His books hit my emotions like no other author.
I loved this.
#booked2023 #anypartofatrilogy
Repost for @TheAromaofBooks
Hello friends!! I have finally sorted through all the 2022 #BookSpin entries!! 181 individuals read 2200 books last year!!!! An absolutely fabulous year for getting books off the TBR. I wish I could send a book to each and every one of you!!! However, until I win the lottery, I'll have to content myself with choosing five of you at random!!
#December #12Booksof2022
I read a lot of Christmas themed books during December bu the final part of the Beartown Trilogy is still the overall Pick as this will stay with me a long time.
Notable others
The Christmas Sisters - Sarah Morgan
Snowflakes and Secrets in the Scottish Highlands - Donna Ashcroft
Many thanks to everyone who played along with #12Booksof2022 (77 people) it‘s added to all our TBRs 😱 See you all on Dec 25th.
Jan 4th #WinterReadathon #WinterReadathonDailyChallenge
We are now on the penultimate day of the #WinterReadathon and the daily challenges. For today‘s daily challenge share your favourite book of the Readathon.
My favourite Seasonal book was Snowflakes and Secrets in the Scottish Islands by Donna Ashcroft, & my non-seasonal book The Winners by Fredrik Backman.
A bonus 100 points for those collecting points.
@Andrew65 @DieAReader @Ghabi4Roses
#12booksOf2022 #October
This was worth the re- read of the 1st 2!!
pickWow!!! What a trilogy!! At first, I thought I should‘ve read the first two books over before reading this last installment, but he recaps so well that it came back to me. I loved it. 4.5⭐️
