Welcome to Litsy!

I absolutely adore nature writing and thought this would be a lovely story about re wilding wolves. This was way more brutal and dark than I had imagined it would be however I did get drawn in to the mystery of the story. A pick as it was also very informative but covers some dark themes

Really enjoyed the mix of mystery and education about how wolves re-wild an area and how predators are so pivotal to the ecosystem. Definitely made me look forward to reading Migrations by her as well. #botm backlog

McConaghy writes about nature with a reverence that evokes Jack London's work - demanding respect and an awareness that nature, like humans, can be simultaneously beautiful and cruel. I loved this every bit as much as Migrations. It was my #Doublespin for May @TheAromaofBooks

“There are languages without words and violence is one of them.”

I couldn‘t stop myself and went back to reading the book. I‘m pretty sure that wasn‘t a good idea.
There was sobbing in my office.
I‘d recommend this book if you can handle the spoilers in my comments.
#BOTM

Nope. I‘m out. I‘m crying like a baby on page 67. I am not in the right headspace for this one right now.
#BOTM

UPDATE HOURS LATER: I tried to pick it up again at work. Now I'm sobbing in my office. I'm not emotionally equipped for this.
It's probably best I dropped out of vet school since I'm such a big baby.

This book will definitely sit with me for a while. Beautifully written. I would recommend reading it in a forest. I am glad the author is using her voice to bring attention to solutions of global warming. Humans definitely need to do better with our treatment of nature and try to increase biodiversity to save the planet.

2.5-3/5.

I think this was a well written book and there is an audience for it…but that audience was not me.

I was devastated by her other book Migrations so very excited to start this environmental fiction/ mystery.

A solid pick, but in my opinion this didn't even come close to the masterpiece that I found in Migrations.

I felt this was written for a more mainstream audience? I was hoping it would replicate the "meandering" feel of its predecessor but instead seemed much more plot-driven. But even with some elements I didn't love (make sure to research the TWs in this) I still enjoyed it overall and am already looking forward to her next book ? #botm

I have loved wolves since I started following their reintroduction into Yellowstone. McConaghy gets that part right, and you can feel her love for wilderness. The mystery was engaging but not necessary for my enjoyment of the book. But if it gets more people to understand how necessary apex predators are to the environment then more power to it.

This book has a lot to recommend it- plot threads abound with intrigue, the writing is strong and evocative, intelligent handling of environmental impact, wolves, and a narrator walking the fine edge of sanity. The end- spoiler- is a bit weak as the high tension of the book sees pieces fall a bit too neatly into place. Still far from a reading regret. Thumbs up- 4/5 stars!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I thought it was hugely thought provoking, deeply moving and I was extremely moved by the relationship between Into and her sister, and Inti and the wolves. I had no idea that wolves were used to reintegrate new life into park land, so learning about how useful predators are to the natural order of life was appreciated. I would highly recommend this book.

#tarottakeover Five of Wands…representing struggle and strife, especially internal conflicts.

Inti struggles with her past, the community she lives in and with the man she loves.

@ErinSueMreads

Just finished my #Booked2022 season 1 books!
@cinfhen @4thhouseontheleft @barbarathebibliophage
1. Cult or religion: The Preacher's Wife - Kate Bowler
2. Title repeats itself: Bluebird, Bluebird - Attica Locke
3. Set in China: China Dolls - Lisa See
4. Weather term in title: Every Summer After - Carley Fortune
5. Black-owned publisher: Portrait of a Thief - Grace Li
6. Eco-Feminist: Once There Were Wolves - Charlotte McConaghy

5⭐/5⭐

I really loved the writing in this book. The main character is a woman with a past, a twin that is mentally incapacitated and dependent on her, and a career studying wolves. She is part of a team that reintroduce them in Scotland and meet a resistance from the community..mostly violent. There‘s a murder..but is it a murder or a wolf attack? She tries to save the wolves like she couldn‘t save her sister. I loved it.

I have much admiration for the woman in this book.I‘d love to be involved in an initiative to reestablish wolves into an environment they once inhabited.This wasn‘t an easy read for me.I‘m one of those people who loves animals more than most people,& am not embarrassed to admit it.I also found the secondary plot which involved domestic abuse and homicide interesting.This author did a great job describing Scotland, which is a beautiful country.

This novel is as beautiful and painful as the Wild that inspired it. Finishing it was like being on top of a snow covered mountain. The air hurts, but you don‘t want to leave the view.

"Is that the way of all love? That it should carry the risk of death?"

ONCE THERE WERE WOLVES is absolutely worth reading, which is why I‘ve marked it a Pick. It covers important environmental ground and delivers an intense mystery. I read it in a day to see if I was right. (I was.)

But y‘all, I can‘t say I LIKED it. In fact, I almost wish I hadn‘t read it, and I don‘t say that often.

I don‘t need books to be NICE. Some of my faves are decidedly NOT nice. ⬇️

I‘ve got time to try one more #NewYearWhoDis book before the month ends, but this isn‘t THE end. I plan to read the ones I didn‘t get to throughout February and beyond as copies come available for me.

This is a very special book. I loved it‘s premise of reintroducing wolves into the Scottish highlands to promote ecological diversity and health. There is a rewilding theme throughout, both of nature and self, which is very appealing and cleverly articulates the feelings of being connected with nature.
It covers domestic abuse themes in a very real way and contains a mystery. The mystery, if I‘m honest, I didn‘t need in order to love this book.

This was a haunting read. I absolutely recommend it though will warn you there is violence and darkness in it. However the rewilding it does is invaluable. It is stark and gorgeous. 10/10

Wow! From that powerful first line to the end, this book is a force of nature. It showcases McConaghy‘s deep knowledge of ecology (both through the dynamics of wolf packs and human communities). It kept me wondering throughout about mysteries in the plot as well as being amazed by the author‘s immense talent. She‘s able to say so much in just a few words. Loved it!

#NYWD22 @erinreads @monalyisha
#FirstLineFridays @ShyBookOwl

As with her previous book Migrations, the prose is stunning and so evocative of nature and place, but it‘s depressing as hell. Many of the characters made me angry (including the narrator!) for various reasons, and some of the climactic events leading to the conclusion were pretty far-fetched. But it kept me reading to the end and I loved the writing and the underlying conservation message so it‘s a pick for me. ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2 #Bookspin for January!

Very well done! It started a little slow, but there's just something about the way that McConaghy builds such a tangible sense of place with her words and descriptions of nature - it always leaves me with the urge to go hug a tree or something. There was a little bit of a mystery, dual timelines, unexpected outcomes, and an overarching thought provoking narrative on the need for balance between predator and prey. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ #BOTM 🐺

Like Migrations by the same author, Wolves took my breath away and made me see and think about the world differently.
#12booksof2021 #September @Andrew65

#21Booksin2021 August

My favorite of the year.

@Andrew65

This is what I read in December! I pretty much enjoyed them all, but my favorite was Once There Were Wolves.

#decemberwrapup #decemberreads #monthlywrapup

Gorgeous writing and a beautiful sense of place. It‘s a story of a guarded woman and an environmental experiment, reintroducing wolves into rural Scotland. The small town is as hostile as the brutal landscape, and violence and fear begins to threaten the project. Mysteries unravel, questioning the nature of predators and their prey. The nature writing is lovely, and the story of twin sisters intrinsically linked by their trauma, is gripping.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This book was one my favorites this year. Such a propulsive read with a strong but flawed main character. I could hardly put it down and didn‘t want it to be over.

Once there were wolves was a beautiful winter book. I read it in one day and don‘t usually read that fast! I‘ve heard her other book is great too, Migrations.

Now it's evening on Christmas Eve I've opened my #Jolabokaflodswap parcel and I'm feeling very special indeed. Thank you Liz, this is all just lovely! I'm very interested to read this book, I love my personalised bookmark you made and I adore the book sleeve! Your MIL is very clever, please tell her thank you. Merry Christmas to you and yours 😘🎄💕
@Lizpixie
@MaleficentBookDragon

I'm working all weekend, which means today I am off! Luckily, it warmed up enough for me to take a nice long (muddy!) walk at the park with my current read! I'm hoping to finish it tonight, as it's not very long and I'm blowing through it. It's brutal, but beautiful too. ❤📖❤

I enjoy a book that ends up being a pleasant surprise. Inti is one of the most unusual characters I have ever encountered. She is fierce but brittle. She fights with an intensity that Brad‘s off of her. Her love of wolves and her sister is everything.

December Book 1/25 #bookspinbingo

#wintergames2021 has begun and these are my first two picks. So far they are both good.

My favorite-author-of-2021 posted on Instagram about her nomination on Goodreads and when I commented on that, she LIKED it! Haha, it‘s silly I know, but it feels cool to see her name appear on my feed!

Surprising no one, I am firmly in the ‘Pick‘ camp for this book. Loved it despite some issues and obviously I must now (finally) read Migrations.

Full review on my blog: http://sprainedbrain.blog/2021/11/30/audiobook-review-once-there-were-wolves-by-...

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was also my #DoubleSpin for November. 😃

I didn‘t love it but I didn‘t hate it either 😹. It started out great but then went off the rails for me. I felt like the author was really trying for something that she just quite couldn‘t pull off. I liked the premise of rewilding wolves in Scotland but some of the plot points were just ridiculous. My favorite thing about this book was that it introduced me to Werner‘s Book Of Colours. If you‘re a sensitive reader, stay far away from this one.

I read most of this at Gladstone‘s but forgot to take a pic whilst I was there - doh!

This follows much the same style and storyline as Migrations; MC with troubled background trying to save a species as well as trying to save herself, and is just as beautifully written.

Still loved it, but not quite as much as Migrations, due to an extraneous plot line and one huge implausibility.

Thank you so much for sending it to me @KarenUK 😘

Book 135

I listened to this well-written story with themes of wildness and ferocity of humankind and animals. the protagonist's career is to reintroduce wolves in the wild. She also must help her sister heal from an abusive relationship and come to terms with the abuses she has endured. There is a lackluster element of fantasy that fell short of the author's intent but did add complexity to the character and uniqueness to the story. 4 stars

Here are the #Two4Tuesday questions for today. I was just thinking that the year is almost over, can you believe it!😲 Enjoy and thanks to all who played. Happy Tuesday and many blessings to everyone!

My answers:
📘 I meet my GoodReads goal of 120 books last month. Still working on finishing some series I have started. #SeriesRead2021
📘 So many, but the tagged one is of particular interest to me.

Want to play? @Eggs @wanderinglynn @EadieB

This book has a density to it because there isn't a lot of dialogue and the narrator spends a lot of time describing how others' touch feels because of her mirror-touch synesthesia. All while she is leading a team to rewild a group of wolves in Scotland.

Where this author's previous book Migrations was depressing from an environmental perspective, it was more about isolation. This book has a more violent streak and also a bit of a murder mystery.

Après le petit déjeuner ???☕️

The writing is amazing, no problems there.
My issues are below so I don‘t put any spoilers.
Generally disappointed.

I wasn‘t expecting a murder mystery when I picked this book up, but I enjoyed it. The author clearly loves and is in awe of the natural world - in that way it reminded me of Crawdads.

Grateful to be having a #motherdaughterread

This book was amazing. I loved it. The audiobook is very well narrated, and the accents all sounded spot on to me.

I found Inty‘s condition of being able to feel physical sensations that anyone she is looking at is feeling incredible. I‘ve never heard of anything like that before.

Be warned- this is dark and shines a light on man‘s worst evils. If you need content warnings this likely isn‘t for you. See spoilers below.