Welcome to Litsy!

Once again not sure how to rate a nonfiction book, but it was interesting to read both perspectives in an unbiased way as to who was right or wrong and to learn about what happened to The Wager itself.

What happened to these men was very unfortunate, and the lengths they had to go through to survive.

It was harrowing to read, but ultimately very fascinating.

A raw and brutal book about a brutal and savage voyage around Cape Horn as the British chased the Spanish armada in an attempt to claim naval dominance during the early days of their imperialism around the world. 4 ⭐️

Waited forever for this one to be available through my library on Libby.

The first 40 pages drag, but are ultimately necessary in setting up this harrowing and gripping story. A page turner that discusses the human condition under desperate circumstances while also having the subtle thread of empire privilege and hubris as a fault. The last lines sum these ideas up very satisfactorily: “Nothing else remains of the ferocious struggle that once took place there, or of the ravaging dreams of empires.”

Empires preserve their power with the stories that they tell, but just as critical are the stories they don‘t- the dark silences they impose, the pages they tear out.

“The authors rarely depicted themselves or their companions as the agents of an imperialist system. They were consumed by their daily struggles and ambitions… it is precisely such unthinking complicity that allows empires to endure. Indeed, these imperial structures require it: thousands and thousands of ordinary people, innocent or not serving… a system many of them rarely question.”

Grann knows how to write for the readers to feel the fear, the hunger, and the anger of the castaways. One thing that will always stay with me is that wild celery saved the men from scurvy, but there was not enough to feed. He used primary sources such as the journals of the survivors. What a story.

A trip to Sam‘s and oops! Three new books! I‘ve been anxiously awaiting the tagged book to come out in paperback

Audio. Very well composed historical work on the ship The Wager. Which I did not know a lot about prior to. Just knew this was toted as an amazing book. Which I wholeheartedly concur with. These men went through incredible odds of life and death. The story was dark some point, filled with hope in others.
What I found entertaining was the story of the Pearl with the movie Pirates of the Caribbean.

The A/C is broken today at work so it is about nine degrees F higher than I normally keep it in here. So I‘m trying to finish the book club book while it‘s slow. It has been very slow going since something upsetting to me happened though.

Great book on how people deal with a shipwreck. Who sticks to the old authority, who emerges as a leader, who tries to rescue themselves and who wants to party until they drop. Ship disappears for two years, then 40 guys in a raft show up 3000 miles away. Tell their story. 6 months later 3 more guys show up on a different side of the continent, tell a different story. 6 months later 3 more guys show up. Who is telling the truth and what is truth?

Just finished the audiobook, and it was intense. This is a great historical account of a shipwreck and the unbelievable events that follow.

4/5
Very interesting read about the wreck of the Wager. You learn a lot about how sailors were “hired“, the rules and living conditions on a ship at that time. Being stranded in the wilderness is something that is happening less and less, hence I think our fascination with such events from the past. The book also focuses on human interactions when it comes to survival instincts.

Fun fact: scurvy isn't a illness of the past, it's coming back.

I enjoy castaway survival stories. And I love Grann‘s writing. This did not disappoint.

Fantastic story about the shipwreck of the HMS Wager and the crew's survival despite disease, hunger, murder and mutiny. Easy read and very interesting.

Really getting into this gripping account of shipwreck, mutiny, murder and castaways. The perfect book to take along on our first adventure on a lake with our new houseboat! 😂😂😬😬😬😳

Widely hailed as one of the best books of 2023, David Grann's latest, “The Wager“ is a remarkable true story that amazes at every turn. We discuss Grann's gift as a story teller and the various fascinating layers to this best selling book.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/6C6qxwj0c4CJPNJsiUMCgy

Guaranteed to make the reader rethink their desire to board a ship. Press gangs, disease, and a difficult launch were merely the beginning. It is difficult to believe anyone survived. The strengths and weaknesses of the men were well described.

1. I would love to sit around with a bunch of people discussing books!
2. My son says The Wager is terrific..been waiting for my library copy for months.

#two4Tuesday @TheSpineView

Fantastically written account of a shipwreck and the ensuing development of different factions on the island, plus the eventual return to England with competing stories. Very readable adventure story. Highly recommended.

I just recently read Killers of the Flower Moon and was so excited to read this book with my book club. Very well researched as always, I enjoyed how the facts were put together in such a way to feel like a novel. It was fun to read a story set on a ship. The hardcover had so many extras like the maps and photo pages, loved it!

The book is a testament to Grann's impeccable research and attention to detail. His ability to unearth historical records and piece together a gripping narrative is truly remarkable. I found myself captivated by the authenticity and depth of the story, as well as the insights into the challenges faced by the sailors....
Full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5637178426

I love the author's ability to keep as close to the sources as possible, while still including a handful of modern concepts in mind. At one point he briefly points out recent studies about how hunger impacts our ability to think and reason, before continuing to describe the accounts of the starved and shipwrecked crew. It's a subtle talent that blends seamlessly with the story telling. The perfect read on a rainy weekend!
#pantonereadingchallenge

It‘s been a bit drizzly all weekend, making it the perfect time to start a book about the stormy seas and shipwrecks ⚓️🌊⛈️

And I legit stole husbands coffee mug this morning bc it matches so perfectly 😆

When a British fleet set sail in 1740 to hunt down a Spanish treasure ship in the Pacific, they had no idea that only a handful of survivors would return 2 years later.
After a voyage beset by storms, typhus, malnutrition, and scurvy, the Wager ran aground off the coast of Patagonia. Soon, the crew split into factions, battling nature and each other to try to make it home.
Harrowing, heartbreaking, and frustrating, a fantastic book about survival.

#Ship. #StorySettings

@Eggs
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

This was super, very much in the same vein as 'Madhouse at the End of the World' (although not quite as good as it, in my opinion).

Although the narrator is excellent, the narrative felt a bit disjointed. I think I might have followed the timeline better if read. Very well researched.

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)

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

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