Welcome to Litsy!

This slow-paced novel is set mostly in the Ohio Appalachian Mountains. Growing up literally dirt poor and basically abandoned by her parents, Jodi grows up with her grandmother on Bethlehem Mountain. Jodi gets involved with a woman & makes some tragic decisions. Life gives her another chance, but will Jodi fall back into old habits? 4/5⭐️

Thinking I may need to shift to books that are about escaping our current reality, as I keep reading the opposite and it‘s heavy. 🙃 But this is a good one, by a well-known sociologist (still doing vital work in her mid-eighties!) and based on ethnographic research where she deeply studies and truly listens to those whom we might perceive as voting against their own interests. A powerful takeaway is Hochschild‘s assertion that many (who ⬇️

Reading for March bookclub as chosen by Vicki. Started reading on my Kindle but couldn't get into it so downloaded as an audiobook. I usually love Appalachian literature and appreciate this book is an uplifting book on the area instead of drug fueled stories but the writing is banal and the book boring.

Bailed on it but went back to the audiobook as it is a bookclub book,, and it is getting better but still not one I would recommend.

A well done, investigative reporting in Appalachia of a community before and after a white nationalist march in Pikeville, KY. Interviews with residents give shape to the frustrations of loss, shame, and poverty though they work hard yet can‘t get ahead. It‘s a great book, but it didn‘t make me feel better.

#25alive #celebrate
@eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Wonderful story with masterful writing. Women‘s lives intertwine in the story, which unfolds naturally. Nothing feels forced, the emotion is genuine and a topic not often focused on.

I, too, lived in the woods and wondered about the coyotes. But it changed how I think about everything. A miracle lover from the sky wouldn't've understood. I expected some echo of what living in the woods does for, and to, oneself. Nah. Standard Harlequin romance script. The other threads weren't even interesting. The writing was OK. Some of the technical descriptions were lush and alive. Didn't have the psychological draw that Poisonwood did.

Calling up bravery is thematic in Smothermoss. There a murderer on the loose, half sisters at polar opposites, and the 1980s. All in the Appalachia, a wild place with the old magic of the mountain. In the book, bravery is in Angie (untamable; lives Red Dawn) and Shelia (coming to terms with her sexuality). Well written, character driven (even nature is a character), magic manifestations. In Smothermoss, bravery is self reflection and action.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book! It‘s unforgettable and inspiring! 5 stars! #womenpower #themoonflowers #abigailrosemarie #nature #outside #sunshine #fishing #autumn #reading #women #kindle #kindleunlimited

This book was well written, though sad, and it seemed to capture the poorer aspects of Appalachian life quite well, moving from generation to generation. I feel like this was an under-the-radar novel, but what really made this stand out was the stellar narration of the audiobook, with a full cast of characters that really brought this one to life.