Welcome to Litsy!

January has been a heavy month…in ways expected & in ways that have blindsided me. Friends & family are engaged in some pretty dramatic fights for their health. As a consequence, I‘ve found myself reaching for lighter books.

All that to say, I made it through 4 books from @Christine ‘s #AuldLangSpine list (and no more). My clear favorite was Fire Exit. I‘m listening to “Says Who?” at the moment, which is providing both levity & substance.👇🏻

There needs to be a rating above Pick for a book like this. Morgan Talty‘s writing is soooooo good. Even though he writes about painful topics (like dementia, alcoholism), it feels like a gift to be able to read his words. Fave read of 2025 and the bar is set high.

@CSeydel my heart is full of so many emotions after reading this beautiful book. I loved every minute of it. I wish I could write more but I‘m really just basking in this feeling that will without a doubt develop into a book hangover. Thank you for putting this on your list! ♥️♥️♥️♥️ #auldlangspine #ALSpine @monalyisha

Despite being raised by a Native man and accepted fully into his family by the tender age of 2, Charles must leave the Rez the moment he comes of age because he does not have Native blood. When he fathers a child with a Penobscot woman he‘s been friends with since childhood, she leaves him and begs him to keep his parentage a secret — “for their daughter.” This secret turns his own life to ash and burns through the lives of others. 👇🏻

“Louise,” I said. “Do you know where you are?”
She looked at me again. “Where I am?” she repeated.
“Yes,” I said. “Do you know where you are?”
Never before had I heard such certainty in a voice. “I‘m in my bones,” she said, and she rolled back onto her side.

#AuldLangSpine @Christine

Jane Flanagan returns home to Maine to lick her wounds after steamrolling her life and career while under the influence. There she reckons with her mom‘s recent death, her family‘s legacy of alcoholism, and the unexpected history of a house she “adopted” as a teen. There is a lot going on in this book between Jane‘s story, diversions into indigenous history, and first person deep dives into historical characters with connections to the house. ⬇️

Thank you, @CSeydel for this #WorstRead 2024 #BookBracket.

This book just wasn‘t for me and I LOVE cozy mysteries. I didn‘t like any of the characters and I just didn‘t care for the story.

#12booksof2024 @Andrew65

This is a quietly powerful novel in stories following the residents of a small Maine town, their secret hopes and fears, the ordinariness of their daily lives and their major turning points. Beautiful read and my second of the year that I owe to #Europacollective

Solid first book launching the Mike Bowditch series. Set in Maine, Bowditch works as a game warden. One morning he gets a call that he‘s father‘s been arrested, accused of killing two people. Bowditch doesn‘t believe it for a minute and sets out, even when faced with the unrelenting criticism of people he knows, to prove his father‘s innocence. Secrets & lies & the past collide in this well-written mystery. I‘ll continue with the series.