Welcome to Litsy!

Last book of the month!

The 2014 winner of the Center for Fiction‘s First Novel Prize, this was a novel that I read mostly during bouts of insomnia. The magical qualities & lack of sleep blended together to make a read that was filled with dreamy sequences in my mind. I‘m not sure I totally understood everything but it left an impression. The story is part family history, part historical (when St. Thomas becomes a US territory), part love story. Bit of a slog but 👏🏼👍

I ended up liking this a lot. It's pretty slow paced though. It's historical fiction about the US Virgin Islands. And there's some incest which may not even be necessary to the story. I'm really selling this. I want to read the author's new book and this has been on my TBR forever.

DNFed at 5%.
Welp, that didn‘t take long. This has been on my Goodreads TBR since June of 2014 and I wish I read the reviews beforehand. The synopsis I read in “Good Housekeeping” was nothing like this book. Aside from a really icky storyline, I just didn‘t connect with the writing or characters during the first few chapters. At least it‘s off my TBR!

This was my September #bookspin

@TheAromaofBooks

I liked gaining more knowledge of USVI history, but I had to work to get through this book. The incest made the book difficult to read and it had no redeeming qualities. I didn't bond with any of the characters and I was bored with the plot. After I was finished, I just wanted a shower.

This book has sat on my tbr for years due to some VERY mixed reviews I‘ve seen. I finally read it for the #ReadingWomenChallenge Caribbean author prompt, and I was entranced the whole way through.

Yanique‘s writing is lovely, the story is magical and engrossing, and the Virgin Islands setting is so powerfully drawn, I could imagine I was there. The characters are messy but believable, and there are triggers here.

Excellent on audio.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#weeklyforecast

The last few library books I took out before it closed (but thank God for Libby there are plenty of ebooks if I look up back list titles 🤞🤞) Hope I can get a little bit lost inside these pages.

#MOvember #RescueMe 🎶I‘m drowning, Baby throw out your rope🎶 I‘ve seen mixed reviews for this book so I‘m thinking #BorrowNotBuy ~ anyone read this book?? Thoughts

#7days7covers #covercrush day 5😍

I wanted to like this book, but there was just too much of nothing going on in the story. I'm all about magic and history, but this didn't do it for me.

Lots of island mystique but potentially too much.

“Two sisters and their half brother orphaned in 1900s Virgin Islands. Each unusually beautiful and in possession of a particular magic that will either destroy or save them.” @RiverheadBooks brought their pop up reading room to Langston Hughes‘ home in Harlem ☺️
#blacklitsy

This bordered between a pick and so-so for me. I thought the writing was good and the story interesting, but ultimately it didn't quite come together in a cohesive way.

Puppy snuggles and hopefully finishing this today. It is historical fiction in the Virgin Islands + family saga + a touch of magical realism which is my my wheelhouse. And reading about the Caribbean while we have freezing rain seems fitting 🤷🏻‍♀️🌴

This is the first book I've read set in the Virgin Islands. In fact, I didn't know anything about them. While not a complete history of the islands, It was interesting to learn about the rivalry between the various islands and with Puerto Rico. I had issues with the characters and with the story, but I finished because I wanted to know more about the people, and the culture.

Went in for audio books but nothing really appealed. These two, however, jumped off the shelves into my arms.

Relaxing with a glass of wine and a book in my adorable rental trailer after a hard day of vacationing. 🍷⛰😊

Vacation reading. ⛱😎

Dollar store finds! #toomanybooks

My Shelfie Sunday! My wedding photographer took this picture and I thought it was very fitting for today! #backtoreading

Recent read that captured the heat and feel of summer! Highly recommended 😁
#SWEETSUMMERSTACK
@Liberty

Read this before summer is over! I love love love this book. The author had lush descriptions that made me slow down and savor every word. The Virgin Islands themselves became more than a setting and took the space of an extra character. This wasn't a book that I felt I had read before, and that's a big achievement for some of us avid readers. There is incest in the novel- so if that is a trigger for you, be aware.

Beautifully written. This is one to savour. I found myself reading lines over and over because they were so magical.

"... where the ghosts of her own long-dead deeds were welcomed into her spinster bed at night..."

In honour of #junetunz, I give you the #taintedlove beer-cocktail. Love Potion (light blonde ale) with fresh lemon juice and a splash of lime cordial. A little bit sweet, a lot tart.

PS: This book is also FULL of #taintedlove. Very, very tainted.

@Cinfhen

The beautiful island of St Thomas, is very much it's own character in my #currentread, as the history of the Virgin Islands is told along with the central family saga. I'm loving the lush setting and hints of magical realism, and I just can't get over that cover 😍

#laislabonita #junetunz
@Cinfhen

"People can need each other like water. It can be wonderful." I love this quote. I hope you all have felt this way at some point in your beautiful lives.

Library holds came in! Tempted to jump straight to The Hate U Give, but the other two are interlibrary loans so I'll start there.
#Litsyloveslibraries

The mail is here, and my latest #blinddatewithabook has arrived from @BooksForEmpathy

Thanks, Gianna! I'm very excited to read this. 😃

#litsygoespostalOG

Just started tonight and I'm already in love with this book!

"But Owen will not die of old age. Owen will die of love. The Danish West Indies will become the United States Virgin Islands and this patriarch will die. And perhaps these things are the same."

#andawaytheygo Liberty!! I just did a book purge and my shelves are so empty the books are LEANING. Send me yours. 😁

This book was partially set on an island, and was really beautiful and unique. #seasonsreadings2016 @RealLifeReading

Simply stunning.

An all time fave. #alltimefave

Before I left for the long weekend, I made sure to take this picture of a few of my favorite reads by POC authors. This was very tough stack to pick, as (huge thanks to Book Riot!) my shelves are FULL of POC and women authors. I have committed to staying aware of the authors I am reading and to challenge my tendencies to read the same kind of book over & over again. Now my reading life is SO much better & more reflective of the world we live in.

I can't fit the whole photo, but my stack is getting bigger while I am trying to figure out what to read for the 24 in 48 challenge. What will you be reading?

An atmospheric read if you'd like to be transported to St. Thomas 🌴 #havebookwilltravel #vacationread #wrongislandbutstilltropical #bookclubread #kauai