Welcome to Litsy!

#BackPorchReading 😊

#WhereAreYouMonday
Today I was, both physically and figuratively, in the Navajo Nation (reservation) and at Four Corners Monument. 🧡
Pictured: the Shiprock monadnock
@Cupcake12

I am trying out this old novel about cliff dwellers near Los Alamos, NM. Author was a scientist who died in 1914.

This was a quaint little book, following two catholic priests, their friendship and their missions in New Mexico and newly aquired territories of the time. I believe it's based on real missionaries which I'll have to look into.

There is aclot of casual racism sprinkled throughout, but aside from that it is pretty tame.

#Read2025 #MonthlyNonFiction2025

I‘m behind on reviews & discussion but I finished this for April‘s #Naturalitsy #BuddyRead I borrowed an ebook copy from the library & it‘s a quick & interesting book of essays about the Owens Valley & Mohave Desert in California. Written in 1903, it‘s wonderful nature writing & while my version may have suffered for lack of photos, the writing was descriptive enough to make me see it in my mind. While reading ⬇️

All are welcome to join our discussion thread for #NaturaLitsy April #buddyread 🌞

🏜 Did you enjoy the author's style?
🏜 How did she describe the relationship between humans and landscapes?
🏜 Why did she suggest the desert breeds myths and fables?
🏜 What emotional responses does the desert evoke in the author, or you as a reader?

Next up - https://litsy.com/p/ZUNqcmdaN0U5

And again, today‘s trip is Hilo but with coworkers so the reading will only happen on the plane. Hoping to finish this one today for #Naturalitsy.

I am used to reading Willa Cather‘s writing about the Nebraska frontier. This was a shift reading her writing of the Southwest. It‘s time was the mid lo late 19th Century. I found it such a beautiful narrative of priests‘ lives and those of the Mexican and Native populations. I have lived and traveled through much of location she writes of and I could feel everything about it in her writing. That‘s why she is one of our best American writers.

I enjoy reading Tony Hillerman‘s novels because I have a deep appreciation for the Indigenous Peoples and their culture. Hunting Badger takes place mostly in the southern canyons of Utah. The robbery of a casino has retired Lieutenant Leaphorn involved with Navajo Police Officer Jim Chee along with the FBI searching for the thieves. The search turns deadly before the manhunt comes to an end. 4/5⭐️