Welcome to Litsy!

I have stacks and stacks of books I brought home from my last trip to Arizona leaving son at his university. I‘m now slowly entering them into my book database. Here are two of the nonfiction books I bought. I swear Arizona is a book lover‘s mecca.

This was the March bookclub pick.
I don't really think it was for me.
It was quite uneventful in the beginning. Took a good 100 pages to get into it. Once the storm came through, it picked up. But was still just, meh.

Like I said, not for me. So I won't be rating this one.

03.28.2025

Interesting history of the deadliest hurricane in history, it hit Galveston TX. It‘s incredible to see how far weather prediction has come and how much there was to learn and understand something as “simple” as the wind.
Larson has a great way of telling the history and making it feel like a story. Excellent research involved I‘m sure.

4.5 ⭐ I just don't think anyone beats Erik Larson in nonfiction telling today. I always find his books fascinating and end up learning things I never did. Isaac's Storm is no different. It is about the deadliest hurricane to ever hit America. It happened 105 years before Katherine, in 1900 in Galveston, Texas. The hurricane killed thousands and demolished the city. Some say had it not been for the hurricane, Galveston may have been as ⬇️

#NewYearNewBooks

I bought this book on a Kindle Deal the other day & it #InvolvesExtremeWeather about the Galveston Texas of 1900. 🌀 ⛈️🌪️

Isaac has an award named after him. So it was interesting taking a dive into who he was and what went down, which suggests the credit to him may be overhyped. As someone who work who works in this field, it‘s a humbling reminder, and it‘s a solid read.

Book for May. It‘s interesting to note that this is the only #authoramonth selection that made it to my #12booksof2023 list. I did like many of the other months‘ choices, though…

#AuthorAMonth @Soubhiville

I'm late posting, but this was the one book I was able to read last month for this challenge. Growing up in Southern Louisiana on the Texas border, my family traveled to Galveston a lot for quick vacations. I knew about the severity of this storm from stories I was told as a kid, but I found the science/meteorology information to be fascinating.

I love a nonfiction read that is educational and entertaining.

May is not over yet! Still, I think I can opine on what I read.
1. I didn‘t love anything I read this month, but I found the tagged book very interesting.
2. I‘m reading some books painfully slowly, but so far this month I haven‘t bailed on anything. (At least I don‘t think so?)
#two4tuesday

I thought this was interesting and full of many “did you know” moments. Occasionally I found it hard to follow the timeline, but once we got to the actual hurricane the action picked up, so to speak. Probably I‘m a little weird, but I wanted more information about the aftermath of the storm as it affected the nascent Weather Service.

In light of the number of severe storms the past several years, I‘d like an updated foreword.

#authoramonth

It wasn‘t purple, but a lot of rain/wind fell on Galveston, TX during the hurricane that wiped out the city on Sept. 8, 1900. Narrative nonfiction is my jam—and this is a great example of the genre. Larson builds suspense and tells the story of several characters —including the hurricane and Galveston, which are characters in their own right.

And it took 17 books, but I finally got a Bingo! 😀

#Nonfiction2023
#AuthorAMonth

I‘m finding it harder to get into this one than I expected, and I‘m not sure if it‘s me or the book…

#AuthorAMonth

Less Issac more storm and this would have been 5 Stars but unfortunately I got MORE Issac NOT ENOUGH storm to give this more than 3 stars. To be fair, it is called Issac‘s Storm so I should have “predicted” what was to come 😉☺️ #AAM @Soubhiville

#AAM It took me a while to get into this book but NOW I‘m hooked.

My third, and least favorite, Erik Larson. I would have loved if Edward Hermann had narrated. Not enough of the suspense, intrigue or glamour of some of his other accounts to keep me engaged.

#AuthorAMonth
@Soubhiville

I first learned about the Galveston hurricane on an episode of the podcast Morbid, and was taken aback by the gruesome descriptions. Naturally, I had to learn more! I happened on Larson‘s narrative while shelving at work and immediately put it on hold at the library. Larson does an excellent job weaving an intriguing narrative with fact, and I was enthralled. However, Isaac Cline and his brother Joseph had major main character syndrome! 🙄

Not only is this a great narrative non-fiction, but it‘s also my son‘s name so had to go with this one 😁🌊

#temptingtitles #withaweatherword

@Eggs
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Tough to get into, quite slow with a lot of information. I must admit I expected more from this book. It's a 2.5 read for me. The end of the book is far more interesting.

Reading this in 2022 (instead of 1999) was interesting because we have had so many supposed “once in a generation“ storms since then. Still, the devastation from the hurricane that hit Galveston, TX in 1900 was extreme. Larson brought out all the interesting details that led to the storm prediction being missed. I could feel the tension as the waters began to rise and the sorrow as so many were found dead afterwards. Great narrative nonfiction.

Eeic Larson doesn't disappoint. His research and ability to make the people and major hisotrical tragedy come to life make this book a first rate read. It not only describes the tragedy but also tells the sroey of the development of the Weather Bureau. History fans will appreciate Larson's work.

This was a riveting account of the hurricane that struck Galveston, TX in September 1900, which is still the deadliest natural disaster in US history. It covers the politics at play and the egos of officials, including a hot-shot weather forecaster. I found the background infuriating and fascinating. The consequences of arrogance and greed are heartbreaking. #booked2022 #weathertermintitle

I think Larson took a little license here. 😂

Louisa Rollfing tried to get her husband to come home as the storm moved in. August Rollfing felt she was overreacting and didn‘t come home until dinner time. He “was surprised there wasn‘t any dinner”. They argued. He went back downtown.

🤐

I had to go into the office today and didn‘t want to listen to either of the audiobooks I had in progress. I usually don‘t like Erik Larson‘s books. He writes about interesting subjects, but I find his prose tedious. Except apparently, I just needed the right subject. I‘m 2/3 done already and looking forward to finishing it tomorrow. Yay for Libby and no-holds audiobooks!

This was a reread during our recent trip to Galveston. It‘s a wonderful example of nonfiction done well. As the timeline unfolds in the storm approaches we become invested in the real people navigating their days in the Texas port city. When the hurricane hits the loss of life and devastation are unfathomable. Highly recommended, especially if you were visiting Texas anytime soon! *Pic from the lovely Galveston Bookshop!

#WonderousWednesday @Eggs
 @TheSpineView Thanks for the tag !

1. Croatia 🇭🇷 Venice Italy 🇮🇹 Vienna Austria 🇦🇹

2. Massage and Reading

3. Tagged book was most interesting!

4. I am grateful that the tree 🌳 that fell in the road while I was driving home during Hurricane Ida didn‘t fall on my car or my head!

Can you play? @Hestapleton @Smartypants @Texreader

#disaster #conflictedworlds @Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

I make sure not to read hurricane books during hurricane season. I live inland but in a place that does get hurricanes. We watch the storm forecasts for a week sometimes, getting prepared (and nervous). I cannot imagine what it would have been like before modern forecasting, which of course isn‘t perfect, but it‘s good enough to let you prepare.

#PersonVsHurricane #ConflictedWorlds

#IsaacsStorm #ErikLarson #BookSpinBingo #August2021

This is the story of the 1900 hurricane that hit the island of Galveston, Texas on September 8th. Isaac Cline, resident meteorologist for the US Weather Bureau, failed to predict the immensity of the storm as the storm made a sudden turn towards Galveston after hitting Florida. The book is well-written and researched using telegrams, letters, reports and testimony of survivors.

Larson describes how the hubris of the meteorologists of The Weather Bureau led them to ignore predictions of Cuban meteorologists. Isaac Cline tried to warn Washington and Galveston about the approaching storm. The hurricane was one of the largest ever to make landfall in the US, killing thousands and destroying much of Galveston. Larson documents both the tragedy of lives lost and the heroic efforts to save lives. Rivetingly told.

Waiting on a hurricane 🌀
Reminded me of this great read by Erik Larson. First hand accounts from the 1900s and modern science meet in a book about one of the greatest natural disasters in the U.S.

The weather/destruction is a #merciless character. I‘ve read half dozen books on the 1900 Galveston hurricane but this one is by far the best! #maycharacters @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

This is the first time I haven‘t been engrossed by the author‘s work. I‘ll give him credit for being thorough. However, I wanted to read a book about the Galveston hurricane of 1900, not the history of meteorology.

Also, the story is hurt by the fact that it‘s hard to care about the brothers, Isaac and Joseph Cline, who are at the core of the story. Thankfully, things pick up in Part III when the storm finally reaches Galveston. 3/5

Not my favorite Larson tale but definitely the quickest.

I never imagined that a story of a natural disaster with significant loss of life would make me want to get back into reading (but it‘s 2020 and nothing is as it should be). This book was great- almost as good as McCullough‘s Johnstown Flood.

Last month, I said goodbye to a beloved cat and adopted 2 more to give them the good life he enjoyed. Meet Ivy and Ivan. I hope they like it here.

Recently received this as part of a curated book bundle from The Last Bookstore in L.A. A well-written account of a devastating storm that devastated Galveston, TX in 1900.

What an amazing book!! Such a horrifying, gut wrenching story of the biggest hurricane to strike the US, utterly destroying Galveston Texas. Larson writes this non-fiction like an edge of your seat thriller. You know what's coming, but the dread builds and builds. 5 💥💥💥💥💥

📖 Currently, 3 stacks. One stack on my bedside table, one stack going to the used book store, and one stack for Goodwill.
📖 Tagged

@audraelizabeth @Buechersuechtling @ReadingIsMyHobby @Onceuponatime @TheBookDream @Daisey @Bookishlie @Sharpeipup

#Two4Tuesday @TheSpineView

Meticulously researched and rivetingly told story of a devastating storm that had disastrous impact on the city of Galveston, Texas. I learnt about clouds, barometers, our relationship with nature and blind faith in science as well as the heartbreak of families literally ripped apart by the storm. I couldn't help but read this historic event in the context of the current climate emergency and feel deeply anxious. #newyearwhodis

Not such a mellow train commute today - broken down trains, delays and a journey cut up by needing to now change trains 3 times! But I have my book so all is well 🙌🏼

#newyearwhosis

Yeah - picked up my order at my local store today. Excited to get into my second #newyearwhodis book. The first was FAB so excited to dive into number 2!

This was a great book about a hurricane that struck in 1900 .... love Erik Larson books 📚
#keeplitsyactive #disaster

Between a pick and so-so with this. Not my favorite of Larson‘s, but still interesting and educational. I listened to the abridged audio, so that may have affected my opinion.

Captivating

Another fascinating read from Erik Larson 👏🏻👍🏻

Another challenge 3-fer
@Cinfhen @KarenUK #lilithjuly not my current coast, but it sure played a big part in my family history.
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @OriginalCyn620 #letstraveljuly the area of the US that I know the most.
@TK421 quotsyjuly19 in essence the island was gone, at least to the rest of the world for days.

As a meteorologist, obviously I have a special interest in this book. But I can honestly say, it's probably the best non fiction book I've ever read.

So, I bought a few books today at my favorite library‘s used book store. $7.00 total 🙌🏻

The first 50 pages were enthralling but it cooled down after- still really good