Welcome to Litsy!

This is my surprise love of the year. I definitely judged the book by the reading group sticker and put this one off, I don't normally like Reese Witherspoon picks but this one I legit could not put down the characters stuck with me hard until I was able to read more.
Solid writing, character development, and storytelling.

This one has been hard to put down.

This has been my work audiobook for a couple weeks and I finally got to the point yesterday where i could not put it down. Took the paper copy home and finished it after school. It was sooooo good!

So— I THOUGHT i knew a lot about this book going into it… Even with a handful of spoilers and a rather detailed back cover, this book still surprised me over and over. Nicely-paced and easy to read, wildly intricate plot, and some lovable characters. The book covers drug abuse, bigotry, violence, sexual assault, grief… but it‘s not presented in an overly-visceral way. its a remarkably easy and compelling read with complex topics

Highly recommend. Hard to put down. Well written. Engaging. All the things.

This was beautifully written, with a gripping plot to boot. Full of wisdom and culture and nature and mystery and love. I hope that many people read this one and get interested in learning more abt native peoples, as I did.

This is a fantastic book about Daunis, a Native American Nancy Drew, and her great adventure.
It‘s got romance, sports, suspense and drama. It made me angry, tearful, shocked and hopeful. A great novel by a diverse author. Great for ages 16-109! #youngadult Warning: sexual assault

I stayed up late to finish this book. It was great! I loved learning more about Indigenous culture in the Sault Sainte Marie area while engaging in a good thriller with captivating characters.

Favorite quote: " We love imperfect people. We can love them and not condone their actions and beliefs."
This has been a hard lesson for me to learn as an adult.

Amazing but tragic story.

My only issue is that this started slow for me. I was almost 100 pages in before I really started to feel attached. After that, I could not have enjoyed it more. Definitely lived up to the hype and I would happily read more from her whenever she has time to write it! Also really love the cover 💗

1. Firekeeper‘s Daughter and People We Meet on Vacation
2. Audio books! Currently listening to Hex
3. Just finished The Silent Patient

This was SUCH a good event! Angeline was charming, funny, and inspiring. Most times an hour long author talk is enough, but I was genuinely sad when it was finished. We did have a lovely little conversation afterwards when she signed my book. 🥰

Did I drive an hour to listen to Angeline Boulley talk?
Yes, yes I did. 🧡

My #March stats!

This book was fantastic. This will probably be one of my top reads of the year. Though it is a YA mystery, don‘t avoid if you dislike YA. This book has so much depth, fascinating culture, characters and suspense. Though there is a central love story, this is not a romance. There are some content warnings that I will share in comments. 5⭐️
#bookspinbingo - square
#PopSugar - reflected image on cover

Today's task is to put snaps on 50 dice trays, which is incredibly boring. Luckily I'm listening to this audiobook and it's AMAZING so far! The author is going to be in Ann Arbor next week and I think I'm going to have to drive up for the evening to hear her talk. 🧡🧡

#Studio42Books

Starting this one today. What will you be reading?

Really great!! So much depth and so much connection between characters. There was always another layer. I loved all of the elders especially. Learning more about tribal culture in the UP was so fun and meaningful. I didn't expect the action at the end and was really moved by the suspense.

Paraphrase: when we make decisions, they will affect our people for seven generations. Always think seven generations ahead.

I‘m hesitant about YA mystery after running into “only the teen can solve it and all the adults are idiots!” Which doesn‘t work for me at all. But after seeing @Cinfhen ‘s review I thought I‘d give this a try and it‘s really good! Not only do the teen characters seem real, but this doesn‘t shy away from showing the difficult reality faced by Native women. I‘m so glad I gave it a chance.

Ta dah! 💕📚💕📚💕📚💕📚

THIS IS THE WORST PICTURE OF ME EVER BUT I DON'T EVEN CARE BECAUSE I GOT TO MEET ANGELINE BOULLEY TODAY! Can you tell I'm excited?😍💕❤💕❤ Also! It looks like she was pushing me away and I PROMISE that was not the case! She was helping me tilt the book for a good picture angle with no glare! 😂🤣

Daunis Fontaine witnesses a murder of a dear friend that‘s related to a local drug operation. She‘s forced to go undercover for the FBI w/ someone she already knows. Together they investigate who‘s running the drug operation that are killing multiple people.
This book was such a beautiful read. As a Native American myself, I found this book to be such a joy to have a strong female main character. I enjoyed most of the plot, mainly the ending.

I hate being up early! 😴😪 But today it is for a good cause! I am heading to the Michigan Library Association's Spring Institute! A two day conference where I'll hopefully learn a lot! ALSO! The keynote speaker is Angeline Boulley! 😲 So you can be sure I'm taking my copy of Firekeeper's Daughter to hopefully get signed! 📚💕 I already miss my kitties- how will I cope without them for two days?! 😭 I did bring a small stack of books though!

New audiobook day!

Stunning-
Own-voices indigenous mystery: teen Daunis is grieving her uncle‘s passing when another tragedy strikes. Her community is being torn apart by drugs and violence & she‘ll do whatever it takes to get to the bottom of it while protecting their traditions.

More 21 Jumpstreet than Nancy Drew. Boulley conveyed the history ¤t issues between indigenous communities &the US government &traditions to the reader in a natural, immersive way⬇️

This book somehow jumped to the front of the list (for yet another day snowed in 😫❄️)
#litsymademedoit

Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

I finished this one last week and I absolutely loved it. This was Angeline Boulley‘s debut novel and she knocked it out of the park. While it is a standalone, I do wish it was at least a duology so I could have more story.

Even though this was a mystery/thriller, I really enjoyed reading about the different tribal traditions in regards to everyday life.

This was a real find thanks to @MallenNC #NYWD list. Parts coming of age, parts mystery/thriller, parts deep dive into Ojiwebe culture, language, traditions, parts identity & experiences and a great big shoutout to hockey culture ( much like BearTown). While this is YA, the author touches on heavier topics which kept 55 year old me turning the pages. A few eye rolls but definitely a book that defies expectations. NOT FANTASY, deceptive cover😉

Thought this was going to be a YA fantasy based on the cover…awesomesauce,it‘s contemporary YA fiction featuring an Indigenous cast of kids & elders living on the US/ Canadian boarder. It‘s wayyyy better than I was expecting. Another new discovery thanks to @MallenNC #NYWD list and our matchmaker @monalyisha

I stayed up waaayyyy past my bedtime last night starting this one. TG it's my Friday because I'm looking forward to another late night with it. Thank you again @Professional_Book_Dragon

Anishinaabe Elders, traditions, and language ground a story set on reserve that is on the American side of the USA-Canada border. Missing and murdered Indigenous women, meth addictions, biracial ethnicity; tribal politics; racism: this suspenseful YA novel is about heavy issues and it‘s a page-turner. #Audiobook read by Dakota actress Isabella Star LaBlanc, who does a great job with everything else so I forgive her atrocious French.

I want to become a doctor and help people heal, and do research that can benefit tribal communities. But for now, I do small things to help, like go across the river to get my aunt the limpa rye bread she likes from the Swedish bakery. My mom has me bring back over-the-counter medicine that‘s way cheaper over there. Plus, Tim Hortons coffee for Art.

Stormy is there [at the tribal council office], asking the receptionist if his tribal ID will be enough to get him across the international bridge. He can‘t find his passport.
“You know how CBP is with tribal members,” she tells him. “It‘s hit or miss if them officers ever heard about the Jay Treaty.”
The Jay Treaty is supposed to let Nishnabs cross the border freely but people always complain that CBP asks for different documentation every time

At first, I didn‘t want it to be a ‘thriller‘ and just be about the coming of age of a girl trying to find her place. But it all came together and got me in the feels quite hard. This book was close to home (literally): my sis-in-law is from Sault, Mich (where it takes place) and I am from the Soo border town in ON (which gets mentions). Mostly though, I loved learning about a culture that is near us and has such a history in the area. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book was not what I expected, it was better. The cover, as gorgeous as it is, is misleading. Without reading the blurb, I thought it would be fantasy but it very much is not.

I usually struggle with first person POV but it was written very well. The MC had a clarity to her tone that created compassion from the reader. (Not full review)

5 star read, highly recommend, but idk if I could ever put myself through that again. Included many triggering topics but what. a. story.

My February #BookSpinBingo list @TheAromaofBooks

My #BookSpin is Crying in H Mart, my #DoubleSpin is #LeanIn.

Be me. A whole week into February. Posting the February #BookSpinBingo board. 🤦🏽‍♀️😂 @TheAromaofBooks filled in the books I was missing in the board, and built out my list backwards that way.

I‘ve actually been slowly enjoying this one since the end of January, but forgot to post because of my audiobook marathon! #currentlyreading A Christmas gift from my sis-in-law!

Painful, beautiful, ❤️💔

Less than 100 pages in and I‘m at ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. Why did it take me so long to start this one?

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

So glad I read this as an audiobook. I finished this book on Monday at work where I purposefully found a task that would let me hole up in a corner. I‘m still rattled (in a good way) about this book. Daunis becomes an FBI informant after witnessing the devastating effects of meth addiction in her community first hand. She‘s a girl caught between worlds: life on the Ojibwe reservation and her mother‘s staunchly American family. ⬇️

Any one else think Litsy is working weird. This didn't come up as in Litsy yet, but I know that is NOT true.

It's our Winner for best YA of 2021. #LitsyAwards2021

Everything about this book holds up on a #reread. I love Daunis and her smarts and her love for her community, and DAMN this is a good thriller! #yalit

4.5⭐/5⭐

I can‘t recommend this title enough - it was fantastic. Gritty & intense for YA — it follows a young Native woman who agrees to become an informant after two local tragedies regarding meth addiction happen in her community. It‘s a thrill ride and even tho it‘s long, no detail is superfluous. Also expanded on Native traditions & culture. TW: death, addiction, rape.

What a great book! It‘s been a long time since a book kept me reading well into the night just to find out what happens next. Great story about a Native woman who ends up playing detective to solve the mystery of how meth is being distributed on her reservation in Michigans‘s UP. So much fascinating and authentic culture in a mesmerizing and thrilling story.

Well, @JamieArc , my first #NYWD22 read was a cracker. I was completely invested in this story of 18-year-old Daunis, who becomes swept up in an investigation into the meth trade that is killing her friends. I loved that the book straddles cultures, incorporates Native stories and traditions, and is a page-turning, kick-ass story with a terrific main character and several fabulous secondary characters. 100% a winner. @monalyisha