Welcome to Litsy!

*...story-truth is truer sometimes than happening-truth.“
I have today & tomorrow off from work & just read this in one sitting. This has been on my TBR for awhile now. Not only is it safe to say that it is a favorite of the yr, but it is a new all-time favorite, One of the most powerful portraits of war that I have read, but the narrative devices used by O'Brien & the ways that he dives into how stories impact our lives makes it truly remarkable.

*I hated him for making me stop hating him*
This is one of my favorite lines I've read this year in this brilliant book

The Things They Curried

“They curried malaria tablets, love letters, 28-pound mine detectors, dope, illustrated Bibles...“

@SlateGreySkies

#ItTakesAllKinds
#war
@Eggs
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Raw. Brutal. Sad. Highly emotionally charged account of serving in Vietnam. A love story of boys becoming men. A bitter love story and one that can't be forgotten. This is a must read non-fiction. This is a story of love.

#HumbleHarvest
Day 11. Veterans
#Veterans

“They carried all they could bear, and then some, including a silent awe for the terrible power of the things they carried.”
This war tore our country apart; it was never clear to these young soldiers why they were in Vietnam. My classmates, cousins, and friends were affected and some died. Besides industry, war is good for no one💔This book is so beautiful and heartbreaking❤️‍🩹

#Veterans #HumbleHarvest

@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

There is so much I could say, but it will fall flat. This is a moving novel about the Vietnam war, but it‘s so much more than that. It‘s so deeply human. The things we do and why we do them, even if it doesn‘t really make sense. This is a must-read. 230/1,001 #1001Books

I was tagged a few weeks ago in a post to participate in 30 Book Recommendations in 30 Days and I‘m finally getting around to it. I‘m not tagging any individuals, but interested parties are invited to post their own recommendations.

My selection for Day 1 is Tim O‘Brien‘s “The Things They Carried.”

Third book down for the #14Books14Weeks2023 challenge and 1st finished for the #JoysofJune readathon. Linked stories based on the author‘s own time as a US soldier in the Vietnam War. Some stories were stronger than others. All pretty heavy, however. His description of the eeriness of the landscape made me think of the awesome, creepy novel Build Your House Around My Body by Violet Kupersmith.

#MayMontage
#ArmedForces
@Eggs
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

A heartfelt thank you to all who have served to keep our country safe. ❤️🇺🇸💙

In the 2nd day of the sale, things are half price! Imagine my surprise seeing a first edition hardback in dust jacket of one the most highly regarded fiction works related to the Vietnam war .👀Very nice condition $1.50

#VeteransDay #November Narrative @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

One of the best books about the Vietnam war💔

I swear, I don‘t just read novels about war, it just so happens a number of the best novels I‘ve ever read have been about war. This book is included in that category! The interesting thing about this book is that it‘s a series of short stories or essays about a platoon in the Vietnam War instead of being one long story.

#alphabetgame. #lettert
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

'You can't do that.'
'Do what?'
'Jesus Christ, it's against the rules,' Sanders said. 'Against human nature. This elaborate story, you can't say, Hey, by the way, I don't know the ending, I mean, you got certain obligations.'

The first section of this book was a little difficult to get through, it felt like it dragged a bit. I‘m glad I stuck it out, though because I ended up loving the cadence and pace of the other sections. This is probably the best recollection of the Vietnam conflict I‘ve read. O‘Brien dives deep into the internal and what drove the soldiers. He put it in ways that someone who has never experienced combat can skirt the edges of understanding.

My list of #roll100 page 1

My list of #roll100

Vietnam war. This book, though labeled a work of fiction, is also very real. Not so much one long story, but shorter, essay style stories about members of a platoon. It‘s about experiences and the aftermath of war, death and the haunting that never leaves the souls of those that make it home alive.

This #quote pretty much sums up the book for me. It packs a punch in the way it describes the personal experiences of soldier during the #Vietnam War and after they returned home. Of course I felt some of the stories were better than others, but all were interconnected in a way that made me appreciate each. The book also emphasizes the importance of storytelling in a way that resonated with me.

#1001books #Reading1001 #TBRTakedown June 2021

This book is continuing to be a great read, and I think I‘m appreciating the stories more by reading just a few at a time. I‘m not usually one who marks quotes, but there are a few tabs in this one.

Also, most of my photos may just continue to be hammock reading. There‘s not much better on a summer evening.

I‘ve only read two stories/essays so far, but the first one struck me as a very clear and expressive way to describe the soldiers‘ experience in #Vietnam. This #quote specifically caught my attention.

“It was not courage, exactly; the object was not valor. Rather, they were too frightened to be cowards.”

I‘ve seen amazing reviews of this book and am really looking forward to finally reading it.

#1001books #Reading1001 #TBRTakedown June 2021

Tim O‘Brien writes about his experience serving in the Vietnam War along with his fellow soldiers. They often say that war changes you when you return from duty and that certainly applies to Tim and his buddies.

I read parts of this book in English class in my senior year of high school. I really enjoyed what I read, but clearly my teacher picked the best chapters from the book. Some I liked and others I didn‘t care for. 👇🏻

I can tell this one will be a tough read for me. #tbrpile

Afternoon #coffeeandabook ☕📚

The tagged book is a ground-breaking meditation on war, memory, imagination, and the redemptive power of storytelling. It illustrates the experiences of the soldiers in Alpha Company in Vietnam.

#veteransday #thankfulthoughts @Eggs
#soldier #quotsynov20 @TK-421

https://lithub.com/tim-obriens-the-things-they-carried-is-finally-being-adapted-...

“A thing may happen and be a total lie; another thing may not happen and be truer than the truth.”

“War is hell, but that's not the half of it, because war is also mystery and terror and adventure and courage and discovery and holiness and pity and despair and longing and love. War is nasty; war is fun. War is thrilling; war is drudgery. War makes you a man; war makes you dead.”

#3books #BannedbooksIhaventread
I haven't read any of these , I would love to! I tried Beloved and really couldn't get into it- magical realism is not a genre I enjoy.

#3books based on a true story

@OriginalCyn620 @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

And just like that: #BookBingo! I enjoyed the chance to chip away at #MountTBR a bit. Great #BookSpin and #DoubleSpin too. Time to see if I can finish another row 👌

A quintessential novel aboit the Vietnam War, The Things They Carried is a poetic and hypnotic series of interconnected stories that paints a vivid portrayal of what it was like not just to serve as a soldier during this time period, but it was like for these men before and after.

10/10 Masterpiece

I LOVED the writing style of this book, so beautiful and elegant, repetition used really well. Storywise though I felt it could have been shorter, it is very interesting and important to learn history and the experiences of soldiers and so on, but after a time I felt like I was reading the same thing over and over again. Which is probably what war felt like, but still.

"but the emotion wasn't there and he couldn't make it happen."

Oh my, this is good. In addition to loving the book, I‘m loving sitting outside in gorgeous weather. #readathon #deweys #1001books

4⭐️ I don‘t normally like #shortstories, but I quite enjoyed this collection. I like how the stories were connected and the writing style of the author (only became aware of him through the Ken Burns Vietnam documentary). I found them to be fairly quick to get through (maybe need to reread the book at some point). Really thought it was nonfiction at one point #fiction #vietnamwar #bookreview #bookstagram #2020

Day 5

We present here 7 books that will remain in our minds because they touched us so much, changed us. No further comments!
#7books7days

I‘ve read this book before, but this was the first time listening to the audiobook. This is one of my favorite books of all time, and it‘s a powerful evocation of the effect of war on men and the power of storytelling. Bryan Cranston‘s narration was perfect. That said, I did find myself not enjoying some of the stories as much as I have in the past.

Goodreads: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Excellent read from Tim O'Brien. Found out about author after he was interviewed in the Ken Burns Vietnam documentary series. For those of us who were too young to remember, the book provides a picture of the war that's hard to forget.

This is an interesting rumination of war experiences from Vietnam. O'Brien blends the line between fact and fiction and asserts that this makes the stories more true than if he had just delivered the facts. The #audiobook is narrated by Bryan Cranston and is excellently done.

#warishell

#februaryfeels

IMO, this is one of the top books about the ill-fated Vietnam war — about life, about men who fought and died, about buddies, and about a lost innocence that is recaptured through the memory of stories. Powerful.

This was a good book. I like the play on words of the title. It was emotional at times but very well written. Could hardly put this story down.

I don‘t think there is any praise I can give that hasn‘t already been heaped on this book. Excellently written, powerfully evocative semi-autobiographical essays/stories about young men in the Vietnam war. Heartbreaking and honest and so very good.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#1001books

This was also my #SoldiersStory for #Booked2019 🙌🏻

Listening to this today in honor of Veteran‘s Day. This is not only one of my favorite war books, but also one of my all time favorite books. I love the interconnected -ness of the stories and the meta-commentary on the purpose and act of telling stories, especially war stories. O‘Brien plays with truth and fiction throughout. The title story is a masterpiece in the short story genre.

A vivid read that really takes you to Vietnam and inside the characters minds. It‘s written in small, to the point sentences which when done right (like this) I love. O‘Brien plays with memory & fiction & what‘s real & what isn‘t but it worked so perfectly in putting across the point that you just can‘t know what war is truly like etc. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ #soldiersstory #booked2019

Going to finish The Things They Carried as I‘m at 87% then find a new book to start as well as reading This Must Be the Place. Just shy of 3 hours for yesterday and today but plan on reading for a lot of the evening now 😁 #MrBook1inaMillion #24B4Monday #LitsyPartyofOne

I‘m going to join in the readathon weekend as and when I can 💕 total so far today reading the tagged book and listening to The Dutch House. Going to read for a bit more before going to sleep 💤

#MrBook1inaMillion #24B4Monday #LitsyPartyofOne @MrBook @Andrew65 @TheReadingMermaid @Lynnsoprano @Alisnazzy @Rachel.Rencher @Lucas.Rencher @jb72

“That's what fiction is for. It's for getting at the truth when the truth isn't sufficient for the truth.” ― Tim O'Brien, born on this date. One of the greats. #TheThingsTheyCarried

It was a beautiful morning yesterday to sit in the yard with a fantastic book.

This is a great paragraph that speaks to such a foundational truth of war. It is why I think war is one of the most complex yet simplest human experiences I have ever had.