Litsy

The Sex Lives of Cannibals: Adrift in the Equatorial Pacific | J. Maarten Troost

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For #ReadingOceania2024 #Kiribati I decided to read this one. It was by turns funny, depressing and yes, gross. Suffice it to say I won't ever visit and it's proof you can be near the ocean and be most miserable. #bookspin @librarybelle @BarbaraBB @thearomaofbooks

Librarybelle Perfect description of the book! 3mo

BarbaraBB Great review! 3mo

TheAromaofBooks Great progress!! 3mo

38 likes3 comments

squirrelbrain

A Pattern of Islands | Arthur Grimble

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The Gilbert and Ellice Islands were part of the British Empire from 1892 to 1976. The Gilberts include #kiribati and the Ellice Islands became #tuvalu, so I‘m using this book for both prompts for #readingoceania24.

Arthur Grimble was sent to the islands in 1914 as a colonial administrator and I was worried that the book would be very ‘colonial‘ but, although there were a few concerning tales, it seems as though he became very respected ⬇️

Librarybelle, BarbaraBB

squirrelbrain …and an expert in the traditions and language. The book started off quite dry, but soon became rather fascinating and I may even try the sequel. I‘d also like to have learned more about his young wife, and the four babies (all girls!) she had while they were stationed there. 3mo

Librarybelle Good find! 3mo

BarbaraBB Wow. An unexpected surprise! 3mo

59 likes3 comments

Bookwormjillk

The Sex Lives of Cannibals: Adrift in the Equatorial Pacific | J. Maarten Troost

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This book about life on a small island in the pacific amused me and repelled me in equal parts. I‘m going to read more of his books but not right now.

Bookwormjillk #ReadingOceania2024 #Kiribati @Librarybelle @BarbaraBB 3mo

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Sounds interesting! 3mo

Librarybelle Apt description for this one! 3mo

55 likes3 comments

Texreader

Headhunters on My Doorstep: A True Treasure Island Ghost Story | J. Maarten Troost

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This is not a fun book like all of the author‘s books from Oceania—you will learn he‘s sadly and desperately recovering from alcoholism, which isn‘t much of a surprise if you read his prior books. So trigger warning. He takes a solo trip to follow Robert Louis Stevenson‘s travels to his final resting place in #Samoa, with stops in #Kiribati and islands in #Micronesia. Having listened to his other books, this is a sharp departure from his ⬇️

Texreader fun-loving days in Kiribati, Vanuatu, and Fiji. But it‘s still him doing half-witted things like a very short swim with sharks. His candor and insight are appreciated. It‘s a well-written book. By the way, if you haven‘t guessed by now, the titles of his books are only very remotely related to the substance of his books, here even less so. I hope his recovery continues. #readingOceania @Librarybelle @BarbaraBB (edited) 3mo

Librarybelle Good to know about this one! 3mo

5feet.of.fury I always loved the 1st chapter, “Good luck seeks no antecedent, but bad luck demands an inquest.” “Bad things happen to me on large land masses” I agree with you on the tone, it‘s 1 I‘ve hardly revisited because of the intensity of the self reflection vs the wild adventure of the 1st 2. 3mo

52 likes3 comments

Texreader

Headhunters on My Doorstep: A True Treasure Island Ghost Story | J. Maarten Troost

The author is touring islands in Micronesia in this book. At the museum yesterday I took photos of some of the artwork from Micronesia including this “Carved Male Figure,” from early 20th century

#readingOceania @Librarybelle @BarbaraBB

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Texreader

Headhunters on My Doorstep: A True Treasure Island Ghost Story | J. Maarten Troost

I visited the Oceania gallery at the San Antonio Museum of Art, so be prepared for a few interruptions for pictures of artifacts from the regions I‘m reading about. #readingOceania @BarbaraBB @Librarybelle

Librarybelle Yay!! 3mo

50 likes1 comment

Texreader

The Sex Lives of Cannibals: Adrift in the Equatorial Pacific | J. Maarten Troost

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Troost—somewhat addicted to travel—jumped at the chance to move to #Kiribati (pronounced kir-ee-bas) when his girlfriend got a job there. Troost is funny—and he can put a hilarious spin on just about the worst things imaginable (except he‘s very serious about the tribute to the victims of one of the worst WWII battles there). Thankfully he has this outlook on life because Kiribati sounds about like the worst place on the planet to live. ⬇️

Texreader (See my previous post for this book with a quote from Troost describing quite accurately this harsh place.) One of the most surprising things to know is that this island surrounded by beautiful blue ocean tends to be subjected to years-long droughts. Be aware the dogs are brutal, and are treated in kind unless they are eaten. So big trigger warning there. This is an excellent book, though, about what it‘s really like living in so-called paradise. (edited) 3mo

Texreader #readingOceania @Librarybelle @BarbaraBB (edited) 3mo

Sarahreadstoomuch I read this years ago and loved it! Thanks for reminding me of this book! 3mo

Librarybelle Another great review! 3mo

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Texreader

Headhunters on My Doorstep: A True Treasure Island Ghost Story | J. Maarten Troost