Welcome to Litsy!

A mother and her child come to a small town in Saskatchewan, desperate for help. Their presence sets off a shock wave through the town and its residents.

A story about finding one's place, even within one's own body. About honouring each other and respecting everyone's lives and struggles, even when you don't understand them.

Cont'd in comments

Heart-wrenching, beautiful, hopeful. This got right into my heart & pulled all the strings. Set in small-town rural Canada in the 1990s, this short novel delves deeply into a set of characters linked by their connections to a teen denied gender-affirming care. It‘s a quiet story exploring discomfort and transition & sometimes surprising connections—some fleeting, but all transformative. I loved this. It will likely end up on my best-of this year!

I hope everyone had a fabulous reading month — particularly, those who participated in #AuldLangSpine!

As is tradition, I‘m hosting a giveaway for all US residents who were matched. To qualify, post your FAVORITE quote from one of the books on your partner‘s list. Moxie (🐰) will draw a name on Sunday, 2/11 so post those quotes by Saturday…& don‘t forget to tag me! The winner will receive one book (of their choosing) from MY #AuldLangSpine list.

So many feelings after finishing this one. The story centers around a young person that wants to transition during the 1990s in Canada. It talks about the difficulties of getting doctors & other professionals to understand what this means to them. The hoops that they & their mom have to endure seem endless & frustrating. The heart of the story to me is who decides what is right for an individual. How are we to understand what others are enduring

Filling out this #ReadingBracket2023 has been a real challenge! Choosing between Enchantment & True Biz was stupendously difficult; I understand why some people opted for 2 separate brackets - one for fic & another for nonfic. The problem is, I think I‘d need a third for kidlit! Leaving Pax behind was similarly lamentable.

I went with Mad About You for June…but I‘m reading two right now & I think either would‘ve won if I‘d finished in time.

With some distance, I was finally able to fill this bracket graph in. So close to all of the wonderful January books I read, it felt impossible! Sometimes, we just need time. Excited to see what April will bring! And absolutely dreading when I‘ll have to make the choice between Saltus and Enchantment (as I‘m sure I will). Maybe I‘m being too optimistic in claiming that distance breeds perspective. 😅🙈

@chasjjlee

As it‘s the last day of January, it‘s time for the final #AuldLangSpine check-in!

Despite being the host, I‘m not a particularly swift reader (I tend to both dally and luxuriate). So, I‘m quite pleased with my total of 5 books read (3 print; 2 audio). It‘s more than I typically manage! I‘ll chalk it up to January being/feeling INTERMINABLE this year! 😅 I‘m thankful I had stellar picks from @JamieArc to see me through. Saltus was a standout. ✨

This is one of those books that I started recommending before I was even done reading. The ending didn‘t betray me, either! Saltus is the story of a town, and specifically of a single mother who will do anything to acquire gender-affirming care for her child. I think that part of what‘s so special about this book (aside from the strong setting and even stronger characters) is what Gereaux does with hope. 👇🏻

@JamieArc I think you‘ll be happy to know that I‘m starting the unsung hero of your #AuldLangSpine list!

Jamie‘s shared that this was the least-stacked book on her Goodreads shelf. She was also the first — and is still the only! — person to have reviewed it here on Litsy.

I‘m already impressed with Gereaux‘s writing and transparency just in the prologue, so I‘ve got high hopes for a knock-out read. ✨

Said hello to the beach for the first time this year — & brought my #AuldLangSpine stack along for the ride!

Pictured are the physical books I‘ve acquired. I‘ll likely start with an audiobook, though, since I‘ve finished the one I was listening to previously. I‘m thinking the winner might be Ann Patchett‘s These Precious Days. Once I‘m ready for a print book, I‘ll likely reach for Lessons in Chemistry, which I just bought at my local indie today!

Congrats to @MatchlessMarie on her 5 year Litsyversary and hitting 100,000 Litfluence🥳🍾🎉🪄 In honor of these achievements, Amanda is hosting a #YearEnd100kGiveaway 🧡So many books I‘m looking forward to in 2023 but these 3 are really calling to me😁Happy Holidays 🎁

This is the full #AuldLangSpine list that I swiped for myself from @JamieArc 😍! Isn‘t it a beaut?

I was drawn to it for the combination of lit fic, romance, & narrative nonfiction (which I always crave for my 45 minute commute to & from work).

I know I‘m going to have a hell of a time narrowing my choices down for January. I‘m sure I‘ll be reading from it well beyond the month‘s end.

Thanks, Jamie, for all of the gorgeous recs!

I can‘t believe I‘m the first to review this book here! I loved this story centered around a trans child who is denied gender-affirming care. It explores the convictions we have, the decisions we make, and the choices we have in such a true, complex, and humanizing way. I almost couldn‘t put this down. As the Booker Longlist reveal nears, I realized this book is everything I want a Booker read to be. Please, read this and review! 5 🌟