Litsy

June was a good month for reading, thanks to a mostly restful vacation where I finished 7 of these 11 books. I tagged my favorite of the month. Stats:

7 for #Greenland #foodandlit (1 doing double duty with #authoramonth)
3 for #serieslove (double duty with #foodandlit)
2 for #authoramonth (plus 1 finished in May)
2 for #campLitsy
1 for #klbr

@Catsandbooks @TheSpineView @Andrew65 @Soubhiville @BarbaraJean @BarbaraBB @squirrelbrain @Megabooks

Catsandbooks Amazing! 👏🏼 🎉 2d

Megabooks Great month! 2d

53 likes2 comments

lauraisntwilder

How to Survive a Pandemic | Michael Greger

Greetings from the house of sickness!

My son went on a school trip and the gift he brought home was Covid. None of us have had it before, but we're all fully vaxxed and boostered, so it isn't *too* terrible.

I committed to entirely too many things this month. I finished the May book for #bobwhitebuddies so I'm only a book behind. I did manage to finish this month's reading for #europacollective and #KLBR. I'm behind on #beyondtheyellowbrickroad.

lauraisntwilder I didn't read my #bookspin or #doublespin, but they're both short and I DID read the one I didn't get done last month 2d

lauraisntwilder I'm only 50 pages into the #ohcanada book for this month, but so far so good! And last, but not least, I haven't started Emily of New Moon yet, but that one will be quick (and lovely). #kindredspiritsbuddyread 2d

Ruthiella Hope you all get better soon! ❤️🥴 2d

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KadaGul Hey @lauraisntwilder! I'm sorry to hear you and your family are not feeling well. 💔 Take care of yourselves and remember, the most important thing is to focus on getting better. Don't worry about anything else right now! Sending lots of positive vibes your way! 🌟 2d

Librarybelle I hope everyone feels better soon! 2d

lauraisntwilder @Ruthiella Thank you! 2d

lauraisntwilder @Librarybelle Thank you! 2d

lauraisntwilder @KadaGul ❤️ Thank you! 2d

DaveGreen7777 Hope you all feel better soon! 2d

tpixie @lauraisntwilder sorry to hear your family and you are sick. Get well soon! I‘ve got this recipe saved but haven‘t tried it yet Italian Nonna's Penicillin Soup https://thecafesucrefarine.com/italian-chicken-pastina-soup-aka-italian-nonnas-p... 2d

kspenmoll Feel better! I am so sorry! 1d

19 likes11 comments

BarbaraJean

Kristin Lavransdatter | Sigrid Undset

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Kristin is determined to marry Erlend, but her emotions shift and change as the marriage approaches. What is your take on Kristin‘s motivation: how much of her ultimate choice to marry Erlend is due to her own desire, and how much is due to the societal/religious pressure she feels?

What do you make of the revelations about Kristin‘s parents and their marriage that we discover at the end of the novel?

#KLBR #DoorstopKristin discussion - 4/4

AnneCecilie I was shocked by the revelation at the end. That came out of nowhere. When it comes to Kristin, she has to wait two years to marry Erland and maybe some of her love has faded a little by that time. 2d

AmyG Oh, I‘m not done yet so I don‘t know about her parents. I feel like her love for Erland ebbed and flowed. I always got the impression that she felt more about doing what was right but I do think she loved Erland. 2d

Ruthiella I think she genuinely wants to be with Erland. But that first glow is wearing off and she‘s beginning to see his weak side and flaws. If she was really concerned with societal pressures, she would have married Simon. The reveal about her parents is for the reader, to show that not everything is as it seems on the surface. What a waste on both sides-if they‘d only been honest with each other from the beginning. (edited) 2d

lauraisntwilder Being totally honest, I kept hoping she'd decide to be a nun. Erland gave me the creeps and Simon seemed nice enough, but she didn't love him. I loved the ending! I have my fingers crossed that the revelation shared between Kristin's parents will mean they're happier going forward. 2d

Andrea313 I think Kristin's feelings on Erland slowly changed but she doubled down on her feelings and her decision regardless, and I don't believe societal pressure factored in. I'm torn because on one hand, I love an independent, flawed woman making strong decisions guided by her own feelings and sense of what's right. On the other, dude is a walking red flag so I'm staying firmly Team Spinster, or joining in with @lauraisntwilder to manifest Nun Kristin. 2d

6 likes5 comments

BarbaraJean

Kristin Lavransdatter | Sigrid Undset

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Several women in the text have transgressed against the moral norms of the time, from Fru Aashild to Erlend‘s mistress, Eline—and as we later discover, even Kristin‘s mother Ragnfrid. Do you think Undset includes these women and their circumstances as simply a mirror of the times, as a moral warning, or as a critique of the expectations placed on women of the time?

#KLBR #DoorstopKristin discussion - 3/4

AmyG Perhaps both? I don‘t know much about the author and her feelings. 2d

Ruthiella I think she is showing us the humanity of the past. People were not so different from us in medieval times nor in the 20th century when this was written nor are they now so different 100 years later. Society has its strictures but then as now, we don‘t always fit within that framework. (edited) 2d

lauraisntwilder @Ruthiella I agree. People are people, no matter what year it is. 2d

Andrea313 I don't know the author's intentions, but I do love that we saw three very different women whose circumstances felt timeless in varying degrees. I gotta say, Fru Aashild took me on a wild ride! Loved her at first, then turned on her when she was all-in for the escape and elopement, then was ultimately grateful she was there for Kristin. And I did feel that in Eline, we might be looking at K's future, even in part. 😬 2d

3 likes4 comments

BarbaraJean

Kristin Lavransdatter | Sigrid Undset

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Kristin struggles between her desire for Erlend and her family‘s (and society‘s) expectations. What role does her personal faith play in this struggle? What role does family play?

Kristin‘s relationship with her father is central in her life, and they are both pained by the rift that results due to Kristin‘s separation from Simon and her desire for Erlend. What role do you see Lavrans playing in Kristin‘s growth?

#KLBR #DoorstopKristin 2/4

AnneCecilie I read that Unset wrote this trilogy as a response to a discussion in Norway at the time regarding the influence religion had on people. Her viewpoint was that religion and Catholicism had influenced the Norwegian society tremendously 2d

AmyG Kirsten didn‘t want to bring shame upon her family. She especially loved her father. So she sid her best to do what was right, considering her condition. She, throughout the book, was very concerned with doing right by the Church. (edited) 2d

Ruthiella Well, Kristen is religious, but it doesn‘t stop her from behaving in a way that‘s contrary to what her religion teaches her. She looks for reconciliation after the “sin”. The fact that she is willing to break with her father to be with Erland is most telling. That rift between her and her father is I think the most painful thing for her. It shows her growing in to her own person, separate from her family and parents. (edited) 2d

lauraisntwilder It's interesting because the church in Norway, according to the book, didn't expect priests to be celibate. I think Kristin's approach was similar -- she wanted to do the right thing, but she was also practical and knew her own limitations. I think her obligations to her father and sister made her feel a lot more guilt than she did about the church. 2d

Deblovestoread I think it hurt her deeply to have a rift in her relationship with her father but even in the guilt of knowing she wasn‘t acting as she should her love was strongest of all. 2d

3 likes5 comments

BarbaraJean

Kristin Lavransdatter | Sigrid Undset

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What differences do you see between Arne, Simon, and Erlend—and Kristin‘s relationships with each one? Are there any similarities between the three men?

How do the women in Kristin‘s life shape her growth, especially her mother, Ragnfrid and Fru Aashild? What about her sister Ulvhild?

#KLBR #DoorstopKristin discussion - 1/4

AnneCecilie I think Arne represents her childhood, a time of innocence. Simon was her parents choice and she doesn‘t seem to have many feelings towards him in any direction. Erlend brings out her passion and as a teenager it‘s easy to confuse a first love for everlasting love 2d

AmyG Yes @AnneCecilie I agree with that. Erland was handsome and charming…Kirsten didn‘t stand a chance as she was yound and naive. I read books 1 and 2 a few years ago and don‘t remember much about her mother and sisters. (edited) 2d

Ruthiella Arne is friendship, Simon is security, Erland is lust. Ideally we would have all three in one person. Erland may change with time, but right now I don‘t find his behavior honorable. Arne and Simon showed her more respect. Fru Aashild is the one who influences her most in her choice of husband. She unwittingly encouraged her. I don‘t know that her mother had much influence. Kristen is so very much a daddy‘s girl. (edited) 2d

Deblovestoread Agree with all three of you. Had she been older she might have seen Arne as more than a friend and Simon would have been the safe choice but first loves overtake everything. She was definitely a daddy‘s girl and her mom kept her at arm‘s length. 2d

5 likes4 comments

BarbaraJean

Kristin Lavransdatter | Sigrid Undset

Welcome to our first #KLBR discussion, on Kristin Lavransdatter Book One—“The Wreath.” I‘ll tag everyone here, but not in subsequent posts (because long tag lists on Litsy are difficult these days). Questions will be posted separately under spoiler tags. You can find the questions via the #KLBR and #DoorstopKristin tags, on my page, or on the book‘s page.

Also, I‘ll post a couple of resources I found helpful in the comments below.

rubyslippersreads, quietjenn, MaureenMc, Daisey, AmyG, Gleefulreader, JenlovesJT47, Texreader, MeganAnn, AnneCecilie, Caterina, Bklover, Andrea313, Suet624, Deblovestoread, Librarybelle, Leniverse, CrowCAH, lauraisntwilder, Ruthiella

BarbaraJean Reader‘s guide: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/296509/kristin-lavransdatter-i-the-wrea...

Character list: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kristin_Lavransdatter#Character... 2d

TheBookHippie I love this read I hope everyone is enjoying it! 2d

BarbaraJean @TheBookHippie I'm loving it but also OUCH. 2d

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AnneCecilie I have some mixed feelings about this one. I‘m reading the original text and the Norwegian was quite hard to get through. I can‘t remember the last time I hade to look up so many words. She writes in Norwegian but will includes Norse, Catholic and Danish words, I want to include Swedish too. She‘s also changes the sentence structure 2d

AmyG I am almost finished. It‘s an amazing book. 2d

Deblovestoread Finished Book One. Slow to start, but loved it. Looking forward to the next. 2d

AmyG @Deblovestoread For a big book and a slowish read…it goes fast. (If that makes sense). 2d

Librarybelle I‘ll join in when I finish book one! Barely started, unfortunately, but I‘ll get there! 2d

Andrea313 @TheBookHippie I really, really loved Book 1 and am eager to start Book 2! 2d

TheBookHippie @BarbaraJean yes lots of OUCH. 2d

TheBookHippie @Andrea313 YAY!!! 2d

TheBookHippie @AmyG I think it reads quickly too! 2d

rubyslippersreads I‘m behind but loving it. 2d

rubyslippersreads @Librarybelle I‘m glad I‘m not the only one. 2d

Bklover @Librarybelle Me too!! 1d

Librarybelle @rubyslippersreads @Bklover We‘ll catch up eventually! 1d

39 likes16 comments

Andrea313

Kristin Lavransdatter, I: The Wreath | Sigrid Undset

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Kristin Book 1 has been completed, and I am totally obsessed. It's so epic and so focused all once, the medieval world feels incredibly present, the relationships are so finely tuned, and each character has many shades and layers that the author unfolds in perfect time. And can we get a little commotion for this translation?? Straightforward but never sacrificing beautiful detail. I'm all in and can't wait for the next two. #KLBR #DoorstopKristin

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Andrea313

Kristin Lavransdatter | Sigrid Undset

I'm so close to the end of Book 1 and I need to stop for the night, but I'm so hooked and can't wait to see it close out! I'm loving this book, the characters, the story, this translation, and pretty much everything except Erlend Nikulaussøn because holy red flag, Batman...! Here's me thinking Willoughby is a toxic fuckboy but then comes Sigrid Undset like, "Hold my mead." ??? #KLBR #DoorstopKristin

Ruthiella Totally. I understand that at 17, the heart wants what the heart wants, but old lady me is wanting her to kick him to the curb. 6d

Andrea313 @Ruthiella She was SO 17 in these latest chapters, full of angst and shouting at her parents. I know I'm officially old because I found myself agreeing with Lavrans more often than not! 😂 6d

BarbaraJean Hahaha... SO fitting. I feel exactly where she is, but WOW, he's a big NO. @Andrea313 Past me felt for Kristin, present me's heart broke for Lavrans!! 2d

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Suet624 I love everything about this post and comments of yours. So accurate. 2d

Andrea313 @BarbaraJean Yes! I'm sure if I read this as a teen or in my early 20s, I'd have a different response altogether. But yeah, I was feeling for Lavrans. 2d

Andrea313 @Suet624 ❤️❤️ 2d

23 likes6 comments

Texreader

Kristin Lavransdatter, I: The Wreath | Sigrid Undset

Young Kristin Lavransdatter is betrothed to Simon, a kind practical man chosen by her immensely well-regarded father. But she‘s swept off her feet by Erland, who comes with an immense amount of baggage—a mistress, their children, and an unworthy back story. But he‘s handsome and charming and so you can probably guess what happens next. Part of the charm of these books is their setting in Middle Ages Norway. I read them in my 20s when I‘d just ⬇️

Texreader married my own Norwegian. I‘m enjoying listening to the audiobooks this time, which are very well done. #klbr Thanks @barbarajean for putting together this #buddyread! I‘ve so long wanted to reread and just needed a good excuse. 1w

BarbaraJean Yay! I‘ve wanted to read these for the first time for so long! I‘m glad for the buddy read support to finally do so. Looking forward to the discussion and the next two books! 1w

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