Welcome to Litsy!

Just a look at some of the times mentioned in our latest episode "An April TBR Extravaganza"

https://spotify.link/dPMcHUjFQIb

Dion Graham narrates the heck out of this true tale of shipwreck and mutiny. It reminded me of my perennial fav The Terror but truer and less supernatural.

This one has taken me a bit to get through. Amazing like all of Grann‘s books, but full of difficult situations, amputations, and cannibalism. It‘s a lot, y‘all. Modern life may be tough but this is a good reminder that it could be worse! #BookspinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

Bags 2 and 3 of Friends Lego. Holy Hannah this book was 🤯 it might be one of the best audio books I‘ve ever listened to! So much drama, everything that could go wrong went wrong, anyone who could die died, absolutely bonkers I can‘t figure out how we survived this phase of human history. I was riveted

Time for a new Lego set. I‘ve been saving this forever. Thinking about what theme of books to pair with it on my bookshelves 🤔 what do you think? Friends, early 20‘s, chick lit?

Next up on audio ( another book seen on multiple lists)

Excellent story about the sea, a shipwreck, survival etc. Scurvy! Thank you so much for this wonderful gift, my friend. @dabbe

Grann explores another fascinating, lost to the mists of time moment in history that is fantastical & utterly compelling. With painstaking research, he examines a hard to believe story filled with hubris, the randomness of chance & what people will/won‘t do in the face of adversity. It is the stripping away of the thin veneer of humanity to what lies below when survival is at stake that makes this an unforgettable story about the human endeavor.

⭐️⭐️two stars for the effort of the narrator.

I know this book has super high ratings but it just didn‘t hold for me. I‘m sure the narrator was being very melodramatic so that it could hold one‘s interest but overall it was pretty boring. I loved killers of the Flower Moon and stories at sea, this definitely wasn‘t it for me.

A bit tedious for me, but still an interesting read. My #doublespin for the month @TheAromaofBooks

Grann knows how to tell a complex story in a way that compels you to keep turning the pages. Much like the story of the Endurance‘s struggles, the Wager‘s journey in the 1700‘s highlights just how difficult a journey by boat could be. I‘m often left wondering how I would do in a situation like this: a raging sea, climbing up masts to lower the sails in the middle of snow squalls, starving, & dealing with a murderous mutiny. I‘d give up early on.

Barnes & Noble‘s latest email had #BlindDateWithABook

The one on the left ended up being The Wager, the tagged book.

Excited for my picks this month! @TheAromaofBooks ##bookspinbingo

Here is my #readyourkindle list. Numbered in order left to right. Thanks for the challenge @CBee

Setting sail! I just need a good, interesting book. Thanks @dabbe

We‘ve had three days of fog and rain…the weather matches the cover of this book perfectly so logically, it‘s the next one I should read, right? Right!

I should have liked this more, as it's set in my favourite time period, but I'm not getting the hype around this book?! I did it on audio, too!

#52bookclub24 #featurestheocean @BarbaraBB @Kristy_K @LaraReads @KarenUK @Hooked_on_books @BarkingMadRead @brittanyreads @Magpiegem @BookBelle84 @Larkken @julesG @Deblovestoread @MidnightBookListener @Librarybelle @triplem80 @Tove_Reads @Read4life @Bluebird @eeclayton @hissingpotatoes @Book_Lover95

My first book of 2024 was a banger. Grann can do no wrong, and if he writes it, I‘m reading it. His writing is on point, and he makes these historical figures and their voyage at sea intriguing, fascinating, and weirdly relatable. I loved it!

Castaways and scurvy and mutiny, oh my! Not a tale for the faint-hearted. 😳 The author did such an amazing job of gifting us this linear, well-told account of the shipwreck and aftermath of The Wager. (Am I the only one who doesn‘t read blurbs and thought the book was about a ship-related bet of some kind and not an actual ship called The Wager? 🙄) Fantastically narrated! I definitely would not have loved it as much using my own brain-voice. 5⭐️

#NewYearNewBooks
#ShipsOrSailing
@Eggs
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Fave NF of last year. 💜🖤💜

This was truly an interesting #nonfiction read that read as a fictional story. Very engaging and I was totally sucked into this historic event. #doublespin #bookspin @thearomaofbooks

#SundayHyggehour #Midwintersolace #Hyggehugs

I hope you've had a lovely hour. Mine was so nice, I'm continuing for the rest of the evening. 😴

I've had a lovely day relaxing with the 4 beasties. Everyone is back at school/college tomorrow. 🥺

After a candlelit bath, I'm snuggled up in bed, finishing The Wager (bloody brilliant!) on Audible. Then, I'm starting Wild for #BookedinTime 📚😊

@Chrissyreadit @TheBookHippie @jenniferw88 @Cuilin

A little late in posting this but we‘ve got a winner for my #2023readingbracket !!! The Wager, to no one‘s surprise, takes the top spot. I could tell since I read that it would be hard to beat, and indeed it was! This was my first time making a bracket like this so I‘m excited to do it again in 2024!

#12Booksof2023
@Andrew65

July: THE WAGER by David Grann: my only favorite nonfiction book of the year. I have spent more time looking up and learning about Cape Horn because of this book. I've even watched people trying to sail around it in 2023. I can't even imagine how they did it in the 1700s. What a ride! 🤩

#12Booksof2023 ⭐️ Favorite Audiobooks ⭐️

I really enjoyed this one. The author does a fantastic job setting up the context for life at sea in the 1740s. He also brings to life the men at the heart of the story and vividly details the hardships they faced as sailors and then as castaways. My only criticism is with the marketing blurbs that make the court-martial trial out to be a significant part of the book. It is not. This was my December #Doublespin @TheAromaofBooks

May's choice was an amazing book, a harrowing true story, and a definite pick on my list of the ten best books of 2023.
#12booksof2023 @Andrew65

Wow, what a way to start.

I listened to this one over audio. I liked it but I don‘t think I‘d put it in my top books I‘ve read/listened to this year. It was interesting & fascinating that there were accounts kept. But these are also accounts mainly from privileged individuals. I liked Killers of the Flower Moon more. The narrator was very enthusiastic (even when reading about cannibalism). #bookspin #nonfiction2023 prompt: Rolling in the Deep

Hoping I love this one as much as Killers of the Flower Moon 🌖

Best nonfiction of the year so far. Would make a good movie. #wintergames #teamevergreen @Clwojick

1,480 pts

I had never heard of the Wager and its trials and tribulations, and it is a fascinating sea tale, especially since it‘s a true story. The depictions of life on a ship, any ship, are disturbingly graphic, especially the dearth of information about basic hygiene and how to prevent scurvy (which description of said disease almost made me toss my cookies). The stories of the crew‘s survival will curl your hair. This is such a thrilling book.5⭐️

great untold history of shipwreck and survival.

Engaging narrative nonfiction about the crew of a ship who became deserted on an island. Betrayal and adventure abound! I was impressed with the amount of detail, due to the fact that first person accounts of the events exist today. I actually listened to the audio which was exciting.

An engaging and interesting narrative nonfiction, Dion Graham provides excellent narration to being this story to life (even if he does pronounce 'portage' wrong). Honestly, this one could have been twice as long, with all the various journeys home fleshed out, and I would have loved it even more (but I know that may not have been possible, if the information just wasn't recorded).

Per B&N, David Grann, is their Author of the Year for 2023!

A thrilling narrative based on real history that then reminds you that the significance of all this imperialism had real consequences on the world beyond the sailors whose story is told. Perhaps the British didn‘t control the seas quite as well as our teachers had us believe.

Fell a bit behind on this so here‘s my update for August, September, and October! August was kind of slim pickings since my only 5 star was a reread and I don‘t count those for this, but September and October were fairly easy to pick. It‘s looking like The Wager might pull out the win for this year! #2023readingbracket

British naval history isn‘t something I thought would be so fascinating, but Grann has proved he‘s an incredible storyteller. This could‘ve strayed into textbook territory very easily, but it was quick and efficient and I was engaged the entire time. It certainly helps that this is an event where multiple people wrote everything down, but Grann still painted a picture of interesting characters and their hardships in an intriguing way. 5/5⭐️

Interesting Non-fiction book about the Wager that shipwrecked off the coast of Patagonia in 1741.

7th book for #SummerEndReadathon @TheSpineView

#blameitonlitsy
#bookspinbingo @TheAromaofBooks

Driving down to North Carolina today, time to read about mutiny!

#ReadingBracket2023

Closing out August. 😃

Nonfiction that reads like fiction

What an exciting read! I must say, I started this book about 2 months ago; I set it aside after listening to the 1st hour & wasn‘t feeling the love. A few days ago I picked up where I had left off & loved the rest. I think the necessary history and background made it a slow start, but once the shipwreck occurred and the survival story set in…Wow! Loved the reader! I‘m not usually a fan of a strong, emotive reader, but his enthusiasm added a lot!

Thanks for the tags, @TheSpineView and @The_Penniless_Author
#Two4Tuesday

1️⃣My favorite July book was THE WAGER by David Grann.
2️⃣My husband is a retired history teacher, so he read this first and passed it on to me. A shipwrecked British man-o-war off the southwest coast of Chile in 1742 where mutiny, murder, and mayhem ensue? I gobbled it up in 2 days. 🤩

The title says it all: A harrowing “tale of shipwreck, mutiny and murder”…and why I prefer staying on land.

One of the most harrowing journeys upon the high seas I have ever read. The British man-o-war WAGER sails around Cape Horn, South America, to seek a Spanish galleon loaded with silver. After a shipwreck, those who survive find themselves in a real-life LORD OF THE FLIES situation, where mutiny and murder engulf these starving men. A riveting read, all the more so because it really happened. Want some adventure? Here it is. ⚓️

#ReadingBracket2023

And it's THE WAGER for the July win, my only nonfiction book so far this year!

Shipwreck mutiny murder. It‘s all in the title. Fantastic story.

Okay! My husband just finished The Wager by David Grann and says he wants to read more “adventure” books. Suggestions?