#i'm really happy that i unconsciously rec'd you this series

[sinterblackwell]

hi!!! you have me totally hooked with your description of the winners/the beartown series... i've never read anxious people, which i know a lot ppl have enjoyed that one of his, and i'm just trying to get back into daily reading habits, so THANK YOU FOR THE UNCONSCIOUS REC!! if you have any more really good books you've read just in general.. i'm definitely in the looking-for-recs mode 😭😭😭 anyway, CONGRATS ON PAGE 200!! ❣️❣️❣️

aaaa okay okay first, thank you so much for the congrats!! “the winners” is going to be the longest book i’ve read this year at about 678 pages (just realized the numbers are in chronological order….) so i’m almost halfway there!! i’ve only teared up like three times so far.

i have read “anxious people” and really loved it!! it’s very popular for a reason, and it’s one of those books i’m glad is popular, although i would love to see more people talk about the author’s “beartown” series. the closest i’ve come to it is through seeing it mentioned in a twitter thread that was full of spoilers so i immediately clicked out of that. 

it’s really cool that you’re into hockey because i think you’ll find a lot of love with “beartown” and be able to connect even more than i possibly did with the characters as we see how this sport drives them to the highest of highs only for them to be shown at their complete worst…..

(this came out a little long….i am very sorry about that. my little rant about the beartown series and my personal book recs are down below!!)

what i love about the story is how empathetic this author is when it comes to his deeply complicated characters. he doesn’t shy away from the violence of hockey, as you would know better than i do, and the thrill that drives fans absolutely mad, while also being able to display the complexity of their emotions and how different circumstances can drive people to make different decisions, both on and off the ice. as someone who doesn’t know too much hockey, the author has a way of making you feel invested in it because most of the characters are, and the descriptions of when they’re on the ice and playing the game is absolutely ruthless at times but most often, it’s all about the feeling of elation these players describe as they play. that’s what makes the choices they make outside of the ice rink feel as if it weighs so heavily, because by putting so much of themselves into hockey, they take all the good and bad with them that eventually leads to some pretty intense events. 

one of the key elements of the entire series that’s so vital to digging into the heart of this small hockey town that lives near the forest is that it spans across a wide range of perspectives; multiple voices given a highlight because what this series is about isn’t just hockey itself, it’s the people who sacrifice and devote their entire lives to it, and who by extension, cause ripples in the fabric of each other’s lives. we see that ripple escalate as we see through the eyes of different families and friends and community members with different impacts to the story and it’s just….absolutely phenomenal. i highly recommend it.

as for book recs, if you’re looking for more hockey, i would love to recommend you “icebreaker” by a.l. graziadei. it’s a young adult book, and much much shorter in length to backman’s “beartown” series, but it offers a very impactful perspective with our main character, mickey james III, who goes through a tough mental health journey that i resonated with and that i hope others have, too.

if you want something more fun and a little lighthearted with hockey still in the background, there’s also the “check! please” series by ngozi ukazu. it’s a graphic novel series in a college setting and very adorable (the mc loves baking!!) so there’s that. also….just a slip-in……but i will recommend “gravity” by tal bauer as well!!! just something to check out maybe…..this was my review of the book, right here.

for books without hockey, here’s some other recs for you!! hopefully any of them catch your eye, i loved all of these books for different reasons and the writing in them is amazing; there’s so much more i could share with you but this it it for now :’)

- “the girls i’ve been” by tess sharpe

- “velvet was the night” by silvia moreno-garcia

- “henry hamlet’s heart” by rhiannon wilde

- “man o’ war” by cory mccarthy

- “these violent delights” by micah nemerever

- “dangerous damsels” series by india holton

- “the city beautiful” by aden polydoros

- “fragile remedy” by maria ingrande mora

- “you & me” by tal bauer (because of course.)