Welcome to Litsy!

1. Partial eclipse. Photo courtesy of Capital Weather Gang.
2. Walks in the woods.
3. I finished the tagged book about two hours before the book club meeting. We had a good discussion and all agreed that it‘s not really a mystery.
4. Myspouse has been off all week, and dinner has been delicious every night.
5. After two months of instructor illness and pool issues, therapeutic aquatics class has resumed.
#5joysfriday

I completed two April #bookclubread selections and am reading a third (tagged). I made progress on Emma and March, and I threw in The House on Mango Street after moving it several times. #springskies #marvellousmarch

I can easily understand why this book won the Pulizer. It has an interesting plot, insight in American indian culture and masterfully crafted diverse cast of characters, Pixie and Wood Mountain among my very favorite. This book tells a story. It does not give you all the answers so much as make you think about these characters and their paths even after finishing the book. The story was slow going in some places, but all in all a good read.

Inspired by Erdrich‘s grandfather and the Turtle Mountain people‘s fight against legislation that would terminate their treaty, The Night Watchman is an unflinching multilayered novel of individual resolve and community strength in the face of ongoing oppression, poverty and threat of dispossession. Each character‘s personal story brings depth and heart to the whole. A 4 ⭐️ pick for the audio version.

This book is loosely based on Erdrich‘s grandfather & his fight to make sure the termination bill was not passed in the 1950s. I thought it was fascinating that Erdrich mentioned that her sister convinced her to write the book since to keep the history & memory of this piece of history alive. It yet continues to astound me of what has happened in American history. How people wanted to erase an entire population & their history. The story has many

Much of this book takes place on the Turtle Mountain Reservation in North Dakota. For me, this picture captures the feeling of the book. I'd recommend it.

#wondrouswednesday @eggs

Better late than never!!

(1) Walk in the crunchy leaves and smell the crisp autumn air. Watch Halloween shows on TV. Search for neighborhood homes decorated for Halloween; way more fun than Christmas decorations in my book!
(2) Serene
(3) Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich plus several for buddy reads

Thanks for the tag @eeclayton !

Anyone else want to play? @cseydel @maureenmc @amie

The author said the cover design represents the Northern Lights.
I love that.

#StripesonCover #BookBinge
@Eggs
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

@Eggs 🩵💙🩵

1. THE NIGHT WATCHMAN by Louise Erdrich
2. The writing was gorgeous, even when describing horrific things. Erdrich transported me to this Ojibwe tribe in Minnesota where I lived with these characters and didn't want to let them go.
3. I love a good Gothic setting as in “Fall of the House of Usher“ or a comfy setting like the shire in Tolkien's Middle Earth.

Wanna play? @TheLudicReader @AmyG @Cuilin @Catiewithac @TheBookHippie

30 book recommendations in 30 days...

Day 15: I'm not quite sure which is the best Erdrich novel to start with (personally I read The Round House as my first), but this is definitely one of my favourites. She has many good ones to recommend, but I felt so dialed into the characters and so invested in the story for this one. This is one of many good signed novels my husband has gifted me over the years. #30recsin30days

Louise Erdrich is very hit or miss with me. But this is my favorite of the 8 of her books I have read. I continue to read her because she fills a couple of the genres I most like.

#TemptingTitles Day 6: These two books fit #WithAnOccupation prompt to a T. Got both from my book hunting expedition in Green Apple, San Francisco.
More book haul here: https://wp.me/pDlzr-nWa

This was a great examination of US History. Set during the 1950's at the proposal of the eradication of Native rights, a night watchman of Objiwe descent tries to stop the bill from happening while his fellow neighbors deal with their own issues of poverty, trauma, racism, and forgotten identity. Magical realism and cultural folklore are incorporated in this literary novel of politics and social themes.

I seem to have an ongoing conflict with a lot of Pulitzer Prize winners, and it includes this one. Patrice is such a compelling character- she is the one I followed - and yet her story was untold as the book came to a close. To have such a pivotal character delegated to a few sentences- it just left the book unbalanced.

I‘ve been seeing this one get such amazing reviews and my hold of it finally came in so I thought I‘d try to sneak 1 more in for #AAM, but the first 100 pages aren‘t holding my interest so I‘m bailing for now, maybe I‘ll try again sometime when I‘m in a different frame of mind. @Soubhiville

A fantastic choice for my January #AuthorAMonth selection hosted by @Soubhiville

1st book completed for #20in4 @Andrew65

A great pick for #NaturaLitsyBingo2023 due to the extraordinary nature writing, detailing the Chippewa tribe lifestyle in 1953.

I will be seeking out more of Erdrich's books. I'm also intrigued to learn about the events depicted in this book.

This amazing novel tracks the story of the remaining Chippewa tribe from Turtle Mountain, N. Dakota. It focuses on the battle against a US Congress bill to terminate the remaining native American tribes in 1953. I adored the descriptions of their reservation, traditions, culture and way of life. Wonderful cast of characters in a masterful storytelling of an abhorrent attempt to 'Americanise' people against their will.

#20in4

Goals
Finish the tagged for my #AAM choice @Soubhiville

Read 20 chapters of Middlemarch cos I'm seriously behind #Pemberlittens @BarkingMadRead

Start Peach blossom spring for #literarycrew #buddyread @Librarybelle

Thank you for hosting another #20in4 @Andrew65

I mostly enjoyed this but the plot had no urgency considering how important the two crucial climactic elements were. Had it been a little better paced, I would have enjoyed more. #AuthorAMonth

I am starting this today for my first #AuthorAMonth selection , Louise Erdrich. It fills the prompt new to me author for #ReadySetRead

I'm expecting great things from a Pulitzer prize winner 😊
@Soubhiville @Clwojick

I've been living on Turtle Mountain for a few weeks, and I am sad to have to leave. What an homage to Erdrich's grandfather and all he did for his community. I am honored to have spent time with them and to have learned their stories. I am also humbled and shamed by our treatment of all people who were here first. Thomas and Pixie (oops, Patrice), I'll miss you the most, but your story will stay in my ❣️. #AuthorAMonth 2023
@Soubhiville

I enjoyed this book. It was a learning experience and heartfelt. It‘s a shame Congress wants to threaten the Native Americans by taking their land and their identity. I didn‘t realize it was a Pulitzer Prize winner. Good for Louise Erdrich making light of this situation. ⬇️⬇️
#authoramonth #bookspinbingo

This is only my second Erdrich book and, whilst I didn‘t love it as much as the sentence, I still *really* liked it. I felt like I learned so much from what was also a fascinating story. I enjoyed all the different characters, who all brought something to the story, whether small or large.

I had no idea it was based on the author‘s family until I read the epilogue.

#aam #authoramonth
#52books #abookwithadedication

Amazing! I‘ve read a lot of Erdrich; this may be my favorite. The stories that she weaves together, the depth of her characters, and the love and care she takes with every word and sentence makes her one of her generation‘s best. While not everyone loves her narrative style, I felt it was effective for this #audiobook. I understand why this is a #PulitzerPrize winning novel. #BookspinBingo #Pantone2023 @TheAromaofBooks #AAM @Soubhiville @Clwojick

I‘ve been working on reading this one for a week. To be honest in the beginning it wasn‘t speaking to me. But, I kept with it and my patience paid off. This book is loosely based on her grandfather who was a night watchman. It is part of my #AwardWinningReads. This author has a very lyrical way of writing which to be honest is why I kept with it.

Erdrich imbues this whole book and these characters with so much love and care I couldn‘t help but love them too. 5⭐️ #AuthorAMonth

Thomas, based on Erdrich‘s granddad, is a night watchman at a plant. He‘s a local leader and found out Congress is about to pass a bill that would negatively impact his Nation. Meanwhile, Vera has followed a man to the Twin Cities, and her family believes she‘s in danger. Sister Patrice heads there to find her.

My #currentlisten and #authoramonth book is pretty fantastic. Not a surprise since I love everything that Ms. Erdrich writes 🤩 @Soubhiville

Flying to my destination. Started my #authoramonth book.
liking it so far.
feeling like a squished sardine
#nospaceformybigbutt 😂

I have actually never read anything by this author before, so I'm curious. Which book would people recommend I start with?

#Authoramonth #aam

@soubhiville

This was the month‘s book club pick and what a masterpiece…very evident why it won the Pulitzer.

Despite being 400+ pages, it reads quickly thanks to short chapters and the focus shifting between characters to maintain momentum. Erdrich used a lot of familial (and National) history to build this book, and the weight of that brings even more beauty to how deftly she handles the coexistence of humor and heartbreak.

For years now he‘d understood that time was all at once, back and forth, upside down. As animals subject to the laws of earth, we think time is experience. But time is more a substance, like air, only of course not air. It is in fact a holy element.

Enjoyable. A bit of a slog. But 100% worth it.

Here are my November #bookspin and #doublespin books! Looking forward to both of these.

This is a beautifully written book. I grew to love the characters as I read about them. This is based on actual events, so that made it even more intriguing.

Beautiful writing about a not so beautiful part of American history where the US government wants to exterminate the Native Americans in the 1950s. The novel weaves together many characters into a colorful rich tapestry.

My #Bookspin for July. It's my first Erdrich, and I have to say I love her style. I will definitely read more from her. @TheAromaofBooks

So good. And the #audiobook is read by the author. This author is magic.

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

There‘s quite a few ‘main‘ characters in this so it took a little while to settle into but once I did I flew through it. It‘s set against the backdrop of the ‘emancipation‘ bill against Native Americans in the 1950s but the main focus was on the characters & their lives. She packs a lot in and I think some sections it could have done without (the Vera parts mainly) but overall I really enjoyed it. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This story is not only based on one of the U.S. government's many attempts at genocide but a moving and touching story of the lives of real human beings.

Excellent, this may be my new favorite Erdrich novel.

How I‘m spending Alfie‘s nap time 😁

I started this last night so not too far into it but so far it‘s good!

Cleared my #bookspinbingo board for April - I was not sure I was going to be able to this month, especially as one book I read was 1800 pages (All the Young Dudes). Finished the last two tonight! @thearomaofbooks

I‘m giving this a pick mostly for the effort I made in order to understand it. I was lost in the audio and think I‘d have benefitted from a physical copy. It took me listening a second time around to understand the story. I remain confused as to why some aspects of the story were included. Other parts were fascinating - Lamanites - are you kidding me - ugh :(

On to more of the beloved Erdrich….

This has been on hold so long at my local library I cannot remember who recommended it. was it you?

I loved this book! She has such a beautiful voice and is a very gifted storyteller. Her characters aren‘t perfect but are real and sympathetic

Three bookstores and seven books - I'm calling that pretty good self control 🤷‍♀️.

This was engaging and I grew very attached to a few of the characters, but it felt a bit cluttered at times with some extraneous side plots and shifts in style. The writing is beautiful though and I loved being immersed in the reservation life - the traditions and history. Erdrich has a particular way of looking at the world that allows me to see differently.

so good. great characters. unfortunately the backdrop of indian termination is true. loved thomas and pixie.