Welcome to Litsy!

This was a masterpiece. There is no other word to describe what this book is. Do not go into this book thinking you will have a good time, because you won‘t, but you will be missing out so much if you don‘t read it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I need to charge my Kindle before it dies on me 😅, but I can‘t stop reading this book!

I loved Betty and I don‘t know why it had taken me so long to pick up this one.

This powerful book is a fictionalization of of the “Chillicothe Six,” young women serially murdered in rural Ohio. It doesn‘t pull any punches with violence, sex trade, and drug use, but the thread of love amongst them and some of their family members is clear: the closing is a statement of how much they loved each other, even if they would be forgotten or only remembered for life elements that were tied to “the savage side.”#auldlangspine

She nudged me until I used my finger, revealing a piece of paper beneath the dirt. “Read it aloud,”she said. I hesitated. “I am incredible.” I read the note in the shaky voice. “That you are,” she said. She turned the page again. “Dig, Ark, dig. I pushed the dirt off the page, discovering another note that said, “I am amazing.“ “You are that, too.”“Men might think they‘re the big dog archaeologists, but only women know how to go deep.”

I‘ve come to the conclusion that the minute between us was nothing more than sisters lying as close to each other as they could without bearing a wider berth upon their mother. Twins, who in the womb, decided upon 60 seconds: it was as much as we would allow ourselves to be separated, just enough for our mother to rest after the big push, but brief enough that we would not be long from each other in the new world outside her glistening body.

Starting my first #AuldLangSpine with memories of my preteen years downriver from a pulp town…drawn into these girls‘ lives so far.

Wow is all I can say. Tiffany McDaniel‘s books are full of trigger warnings: trauma, violence, drug use, sexual assault. But her writing is just so unlike anything I‘ve ever read. She writes about such difficult subjects but yet makes you want to continue to read. The story of Arc & Daffy is so tragic but so beautiful. The story is based off of the Chillicothe six murders. McDaniel is from Ohio & uses the state as a frequent setting for her books

Wow - this is heart breaking. Inspired by the real life tragedy of the disappearance of six women in Chillicothe, Ohio in 2015 - McDaniel weaves a fictions story around these women‘s lives. It‘s poetic, full or sage wisdom and poetry. But it‘s a bleak story of addiction, abuse and grief and the cycle of pain we inflict on ourselves and others. Brilliantly written but hard to read.

Well, that was a tough read, and worse for knowing it‘s based on real women who went missing in Chillicothe, Ohio.

I don‘t think I liked it as much as Betty as, weirdly, I found some of the prose too flowery; it jarred with the ugliness of the story. I presume that was the point, to have that contrast, but it didn‘t sit quite right with me.

It wasn‘t quite as bad as A Little Life, but is still filled with *all* the trigger / content warnings.

Savage is the right word. But it's also such beautiful writing that I couldn't put it down and finished it it 2 days.

First garden reading of the year + some Easter egg

Daisy made sure she was first onto the outdoor sofa into the sunny spot.

I‘m torn. This was a heartbreaking and visceral read, but I was overwhelmed by all the tortured moments with few reasons WHY choices were made or how our 6 Queens of Chillicothe ended up in the predicaments they found themselves in. Of course the big “why” is addiction and men but the nonlinear nature of the storytelling made me feel disconnected. Then again, maybe this was intentional, a way to put readers in the addled minds of the characters.

Made it to NYC — my first time. First stop is coffee and bagels with a book! And wow what a heartbreaker this is! Just like @TrishB and @Cinfhen promised it would be.

So good! The almond butter English muffin and the book!

Started this last night and preparing to be heartbroken. Chillocothe is local for me, and the river as a character is so fitting for our area. The author is doing an amazing job of bringing the essence of this place to the page. I‘m amazed and grateful.
The crocheting grandmother is spot-on!! Brings me back to my childhood watching my Mamaw Ruth crochet doily after doily!

As @Cinfhen says, this is bleak, utterly bleak.
It‘s heart breaking but brilliantly written. I have loved (in that strange way for such sad books) every one of this authors books. These characters will stay with me and the feminist respect the author gives to these lost to society women.
I do feel drained and bruised from this one.

Work is just wearing me out this week, not much reading has been done. I‘m half way through this and it‘s brilliant and I just want to sit and read, sighs….

🥲 This book is breaking my heart already and I‘m only on page 46.
I have a massive lump in my throat in preparation for the sad onslaught.

This was a really difficult book to get through. So much violence and abuse - the bleakest of bleak existence for two sisters, identical twins whose parents and aunt are addicts & support their addiction with prostitution. Grim & dark with little light except for the tight bond shared by the sisters & their fierce love & loyalty for each other. Told in both past & present McDaniel paints a harrowing tale of addiction and the pain it causes.

#ARC #NetGalley going from fluff to rough - I‘ve heard this one is BRUTAL but Tiffany McDaniel is a gorgeous writer, so I‘m ready to face the Savage Side 😉

Our gardening aspirations have outgrown the space we have in the house so we built a tiny greenhouse this year.
Slowly making my way through the tagged book; it's a tough read but I'm in it for the long haul because I trust this author. (TW for drugs/ addiction, child abuse, rape)

All the 😍 for my NetGalley shelf these days 🙌
I need to carve out more time for the tagged book so I can dig in + devour it --- and since tomorrow's forecast is rainy, it should be the perfect time to do so!

I am a HUGE Tiffany McDaniel fan and somehow had no idea about this upcoming novel until NetGalley sent me an email with a read now link for the next 48 hours. Needless to say, I dropped everything to download it immediately!