Welcome to Litsy!

The Wild West meets The Handmaid‘s Tale! I liked this way more than I thought I would, though I probably wouldn‘t have read it if it didn‘t fulfill a couple of my reading challenges. Just goes to show that reading challenges can help you broaden your horizons by finding and liking books that you otherwise would not have picked up!

#bookspinbingo - free space
#pop22 and #booked2022 - non patriarchal society
#jumpstart2022

Barren women, ejected from society, become criminal outlaws in order to survive, but there‘s a serious undertone to this Wild West adventure. If you like your social politics (feminist, sexuality, gender identity, race and reproductive rights) delivered in an alternate history 19th-century western, this novel is for you. #LGBTQ

I know how living under a false name depletes the storehouse of the heart.

I read this in January so my original review was I liked it and I mean it's been 11 months now so I guess I did to a point but it has no staying power. Ada doesn't get pregnant in her first year of marriage so her mother tries tricks and eventually she has to run away. I didn't love it but maybe that's because I'm suffering through my own round of infertility and there's no magic in it, and setting it in the west of the future was a weird choice.

What an adventure! I didn‘t know what to expect with this book, but was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. North‘s prose is fast-paced, fun, and easy to consume. Her alt-history of the United States in the 1890s and take on the Western genre is fresh, but women‘s precarious position in this fertility focused society is a little too close for comfort if you‘re concerned about the attack on reproductive justice unfolding today. 4 ⭐️

Married a year with no baby to show for it, Ada finds herself
accused of being barren & a witch, the latter of which is a hanging offense in this 1890s America. Abandoned by her husband, Ada leaves town to protect her family & eventually finds her way to the Hole in the Wall gang & a chance for a better life. I really enjoyed this “feminist western” that explores gender, fertility, family, survival & more. A very timely (unfortunately so) story.

There was a lot to like about this book. I love the alternate timeline that has so much of our own history peppered in at all the right places. I love the all female band of misfits, outcast for not being the perfect specimen, even when it was the church's God that was in control of that imperfection. It was a little slow moving at some places but all in all I really liked the story.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Reading by the pool today…

This #althistory of the West leans heavily on Medieval European witch-hunts and a True Grit-style heroine.
I‘m having trouble with it.
While I really enjoyed the concept of a gender-bent Hole in the Wall gang, this book seems to imply that queerness in women stems from barrenness…? There could have been a lot more here regarding what it means to be a woman when you can't have children.

I picked this book because it had a cool cover and was NOT disappointed. It was my first ever cowboy book! All the cowboys were women and the only man ate pussy. The main character was a cowboy who was passionate about women‘s healthcare. I couldn‘t have dreamed of a better book.

I really loved the start of the book. It‘s a feminist western with a Handmaid‘s Tale twist. As the story went on it lagged a bit and by the end I wasn‘t as invested as I once was. I appreciated the LGBTQ+ representation and the writing was masterful. Overall I have to give it a Pick.

very bad

I am really starting to enjoy queer, female-centric Westerns, but I did not love this one as much as Upright Women Wanted. The plot was great, but the characters were not feared out enough, and I hard a hard time distinguishing between the different members of the Hole in the Wall gang.

Also, it‘s been a crazy and stressful week, but @Marmie7 I sent my #lmpbc book to you today. I didn2 day shipping, so you should get it on Monday.

Jumping in to #20in4 readathon this weekend. I‘ve got some 2021 releases on my plate I‘m hoping to read:

📖 Outlawed by Anna North
📖 Aftershocks by Nadia Owusu
🎧 The Body is not an Apology by Sonya Renee Taylor

Lots and lots of laundry to do today, so will be do focusing on the audiobook!

Spa day!! Got here 4 hours before my massage to enjoy the amenities and read with the sound of falling water in the background!

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

I've seen many mixed reviews on this one, but it's a definite pick for me. I loved the characters North created and how she manipulated the typical Western world to fit them in. The backstory for each character was fascinating to learn about as the story unfolds.

If you enjoyed Upright Women Wanted, give this one a try.

Finished!! Great book! A female led western .. never thought I‘d read a western but it was good! Not too graphic, just a nice story.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ slow and dragged at times

My beautiful beach day on Monday betrayed me and now I‘ve got skin as pink as the cover of this book. 😅

However, spending a day away from the sun did give me the nerve to read a library book at the beach, so it wasn‘t all bad! This story was excellent — I loved all the sexual preference/gender fluidity throughout the book and the way the gang related to each other. I loved Ada‘s backstory and how it powered her forward. I would LOVE a sequel!

I‘m too ashamed to actually stack my unread #BOTM books, but I‘m sure it‘s as tall as my shortest friend at this point. Determined to lighten this load. LOVE this cover and it seems super short, so diving in! I‘m pretty sure this one previously got the “1 page and ditch” during one of my more moody book selection moments. Anyone read it?? #outlawed

13-29 May 2021
The start and end of this ‘feminist western‘ intrigued me. I loved Ada‘s study of midwifery and obstetrics and her yearning to understand infertility. The slightly alternative US where barren women were denounced as witches was fascinating. The middle section was not for me. I was not interested in banditry or gunfights and was not sure I liked many of the gang or their treatment of Ada. Barely scraped a pick - for the ending.

I enjoyed this. It was fun and fairly engaging. I think the premise and world building were really interesting, but it could have done a lot more with it and the characters. Good, not great. But a great book for my reading slump.

Fantastic! Handmaid‘s tale meets the wild west with tough cowboys, gender bending and crime! Fun and fast paced while realistic and gritty. Highly recommend!

This book is an easy and interesting read. It flips the genre of Westerns with a feminist-themed plot. The main character is ousted by her family due to not being able to have a child and must make her way in the world amidst many challenges. CW: miscarriage, gender, race, & sexual identity violence, gun violence, difficulty bearing children

There were parts of the plot that seemed forced but it is an interesting take on a traditional genre.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

An exciting, thought-provoking, non-conforming Western with a twist! I loved how this alternative history puts a group of strong women and nonbinary characters at the center of the adventure. It made me think about the fluidity of gender and fighting the patriarchy; I would have enjoyed if these themes were explored even further! #reesesbookclub

I didn't think this was as bad as reviews seem to imply, I just would have liked more action and a more pronounced western feel. Not bad. And the cover is amazing.

An entertaining read! Ada was cast out as a barren woman in the Old West, landing in a convent and then as an outlaw.

I picked up quite the haul today 🤠

This is probably my first time reading a queer western 🤠It was ok / Not sure what I was expecting. It‘s a #BorrowNotBuy but I TOTALLY LOVE the cover #CoverCrush

Yes!! Love!!

Not sure on this one yet. It has a handmaiden vibe so far...

This box contains no non fiction...

Not my division but... I‘ll do it anyway!

This book had promise and I liked it a lot, at first. The middle really began to drag and I really didn‘t have any cares or feelings towards the other characters or even the protagonist. I scanned some of the pages toward then end but honestly, I just couldn‘t even care what the ending was like. Plus my gf saw this and said “why are you reading a cartoon book? What an ugly cover.” 😂 she‘s not wrong.

It was entertaining. Loved the concept and parts of the book I was cheering along. Nice to see women in this genre as the protagonist for once. However, I found it dragged a bit in parts. Great theme behind the book though. Great character names too 🤠. 🌟🌟🌟1/2

Honestly wouldn‘t have finished this one if it wasn‘t being read for a book club. Truly confusing, contrived, and tried too hard to make a point that wasn‘t even clearly supported. Didn‘t empathize with the characters. Really did not enjoy

I really enjoyed this book. It‘s a fun take on standard feminist novels, although a massive trigger warning with regards to infertility.

I‘m going to have to take a break from feminist novels in which infertility is a major theme for a bit because I have been reading this genre a bunch lately. #botm

I immediately regretted not choosing this book when it was released. After reading several reviews, I started to feel unsure about it. The beginning 1/3 was slow & it finally picked up for me when she meets Lark. I started & finished this book in 8 hours. The story about strong women, friendship, love, & purpose was beautiful. The ending begs for a sequel. I hope to see Ada living her purpose in another book.
⚠️Trigger: infertility, mutilation

For a quick read, it was slow to trudge through. I‘m not big on Westerns, but needed a January pick for #botm and Reese picked it too so figured I‘d give it a try. I was so-so most of the time, but the end was really good and I liked the premise. For those of you that have read this, figured my view of the Rockies was good back drop and I love the cover. This was also my #bookspin for March.

This book was a miss for me. I expected a lot out of a Reese Witherspoon book club pick for 2021 but this was boring and uneventful. I could feel no connection to any character and I found their trials and tribulations just fell flat. It was a quick read and I found myself skimming the last parts, because I was bored.

“In the year of our Lord 1894, I became an Outlaw.”

#firstlinefridays
#bookspin

“Knowledge can be very valuable... but only if people want it. If they don't, it can be worse than useless.”
Anna North, Outlawed #currentlyreading

“In the year of our Lord 1894, I became an outlaw.” What a hook!

Started my #bookspin this morning with my coffee before snowpacolypse.

Thanks for the book & shirt sticky notes, Holly! They brought some much needed cheer to my office yesterday after waking up to wintery weather. Your package should arrive early next week. Sorry it took me longer to mail it than I anticipated.
@Hooked_on_books

Here‘s the photo I meant to post with my last review. Not really sure what happened. Love this cover. #botm

Queer feminist western? That went better than I thought. Thoroughly enjoyed this one. #botm

I‘m not into Westerns, so it was hard for me to get into this. I liked the way it started but I wish there would have been more of that story.

was disappointed - liked the cast of characters and unique plot but needed more from this