Welcome to Litsy!

#2024Book14

https://youtu.be/qNC0kAqAPj0?si=taHq8-VbdoF-0UbF

Mikiko‘s reading project was to read six of my favorite books. Here‘s what happened.

Books

Happening by Annie Ernaux
Tanya Leslie (Translator)

Butter Honey Pig Bread by Francesca Ekwuyasi

Indelicacy by Amina Cain

The Peacock by Isabel Bogdan
Annie Rutherford (Translator)

Wow what a story.

📕 Do Not Say We Have Nothing by Madeleine Thien
🖊 Donoghue, Emma
📺 Dark (German sci-fi thriller series - Netflix)
🎙 Del Rey, Lana
🎶 Don‘t Just Sit There - Lucius

#ManicMonday #LetterD
@CBee

A powerful, tragic and immersive read. Marie has grown up in Canada, unaware of her father‘s previous life in China. After her father‘s death, a kind of relative comes to live with her and her mom in Vancouver. Marie‘s friendship with Ai-Ming begins her journey into their families‘ intersecting pasts, culminating in the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989.

#Booked2022 Set in China ✅
First book finished for #20in4 ✅

This was a #blameitonlitsy purchase in, oh, 2017? Finally getting around to reading it! It‘s beautiful and so musical so far.

“Tomorrow begins from another dawn, when we will be fast asleep. Remember what I say: not everything will pass.” #pick #summerread #holiday

Can't wait to finally be getting to this pick!

Slowly re-reading this. Major difference in my own enjoyment and appreciation for the story after living and experiencing #lifeinchina for the last year and a half. The craft, creativity and characters are remarkable.

I read 4 book in January 📚❄
That's a good number since I'm working ☔
My favourite book was : ¤ Do Not Say We Have Nothing by Madeleine Thien ¤ 🌸
Looking forward to read more in February 😅 but I don't think so. 😅

Do Not Say We Have Nothing Madeleine Thien 5 stars ⭐
I started 2021 with this amazing novel, setting in China following the life of two successive generations who lived through Mao‘s Cultural Revolution and their children. A well crafted, heartbreaking and lovely novel. It opens the door to the history of a huge nation and shows that with time injuries can be healed but the scars stay forever.

1. No! I would be afraid of the mess I would make.

2. Simple food and the company of my dog.

#thankfulThursday @Cosmos_Moon

I give this book a rating of 2/5. As a Canadian living in the GTA, I was super intrigued by this novel. However, this story could have been told in half the pages. Getting through the first part of the book felt tedious and only nearing the end could I not put my book down.

So many interesting themes, which have unfortunately been drowned out by long and uninteresting writing.

Almost done reading this book - it took a while to get started but it‘s getting more interesting!

Took some time to get into, but once i did, fantastic. Interesting insights into modern Chinese history

I‘ve started this and am not very far in, but am really struggling with it. Have you read this? Is it worth persevering? I really, really hate giving up!

Confession: I'm not sure I would have picked this as my next read if I had known the complete attention it requires 😅 but I'm taking a deep breath and diving back in!

a very good novel, impressive in its scope and delicate in its execution. as a reader here I benefitted from my interest in History, and background knowledge of classical music. Without these, this novel might have felt slow, but with them, it was a fairly impressive exploration of 100 years of Chinese History. At times I felt the novel could have been paced better, but by the last 100 pages every thread was woven together.

A book by or about a refugee #readharder2020

This is one of the most beautiful, amazing, heartbreaking books I have ever read. As a professional musician, I am often very wary of books that feature music prominently because often the details are laughably wrong and it‘s too distracting. She does make some really strange mistakes, but for the most part, the musical themes in here are handled expertly. Also a very fitting book for the times we are living through right now.

I wrote a little post about shopping my own shelves during this time of quarantine. It was fun to take a closer look at my tbr shelf.
https://theludicreader.com/2020/05/18/shopping-my-shelves/

I really liked this novel about Chinese 20th Century history. The novel begins in Vancouver where a narrator, a girl of Chinese origin, lives with her mother. A family history is about to be uncovered...

#Bookreport #weeklyforecast

Started to listen, as well as reading Do Not Say ... beautiful
Started Defending Jacob ... 🤞🏻

Not great with the reading at the moment, too much covid going on ...
🤞🏻maybe this week will be better
Happy Reading All 👍🏻❤️

Two #talented musicians who the Cultural Revolution affected differently. #reallyrandomFebruary @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @OriginalCyn620

I‘ve never read music described in such an eloquent and innovative way!

A beautiful story spanning several generations. The first 50 or so pages were a little difficult but I am so glad I persevered. The history of China is a difficult one and it is through stories such at this that we remember what the people of China have been through

A beautiful story spanning several generations. The first 50 or so pages were a little difficult but I am so glad I persevered. The history of China is a difficult one and it is through stories such at this that we remember what the people of China have been through

Brilliant heartbreaking saga of familial strife, love, music and revolution in China.
It is a complex but immensely rewarding reading experience, and I hope more people will get to enjoy it as much as I did.

#greatbooks #historicalfiction #china #culturalrevolution #classicalmusic #favourites

In 1990, Ai-Ming says to Marie and her mother “please, #gimmeshelter” after fleeing the aftermath of the Tiananmen Square protest. Her stay leads Marie to discover more about her father‘s life, which has been secret so far, while at the same time showing examples of China‘s recent history.

I loved the book when I read it, but tbh, I don‘t remember much from it now.

#MayMovieMagic

April reading wrap-up. Much goodness. Do Not Say We Have Nothing was epic, The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy was an excellent companion novel to Harold Fry, Mala was poignant and well narrated, and Bertrand is one of the great minds of the 20th century. #Aprilwrapup

This is the epic tale of three generations of a Chinese family. The plot centers around three historical events in China: Mao's Agrarian reform The Great Leap Forward, the Cultural Revolution, and Tiananmen Square. This book was beautifully written with well fleshed-out characters. There is so much detail, I think a second reading would reveal nuances I missed in this reading. I might give the audio version a try some day. Highly recommended!

Rounding up intellectuals, artists, land owners, and others with wealth or Western influence and eliminating them - so disturbing. To a MUCH lesser degree it reminds me of the anti-intellectualism that has been permeating the US under the current administration. Loving this bleak, affecting book so far.

The weekend can‘t come fast enough. Look at all these amazing library holds that have come in!! The top row are all the ebooks and below are all the audiobooks. I‘m practically sweating with anxiety over this bevvy of riches bestowed upon me! Luckily, the library gives me 20 days for the check outs, and I tend to listen to most audiobooks at 1.5 speed. Should I take bets on how many I can finish? 😂.

Thank you for adding this family tree to help me keep track of the folks in this novel. In my old age it seems I need rosters and illustrations in my novels. 😣

There is a lot in this book to take in - my “favourite” parts were the portrayal of what life was like for ordinary Chinese citizens after the Maoist revolution and during the student demonstrations in the late 80s. Such a claustrophobic and compromised life always living with anxiety and fear - feelings that carried on to the next generation. Well deserved award winner.

This had been on my shelf for ages and I finally picked it up after several women in my bookclub mentioned recently reading it but not enjoying it. I quite liked it but did find it hard to follow at times, which was the main complaint from the ladies.

#adventrecommends day 19 (another catch up)

A novel about family, family history and immigration

December 14th? Guess I‘m a bit late in posting my #DecemberTBR. In my defence, I‘ve been too busy buying books to read and haven‘t finished a thing yet? Also, November ended up being almost all library holds so basically, my stack is everything from November, the last few books to finish off my #readharder challenge & a few more pre-2018 TBRs for my quest to #readmyowndamnbooks. Thank goodness I already read the #girlybookclub pick this month.

If you love music, or history, or China, read this book!
#symphony #quotsydec18 @TK-421

I‘ve been looking forward to this one for a long time #octoberreads

Ok, this broke me a little. A rainy day here in the UK so I have spent several hours lost in this. What a heartbreaker, so moving and so beautifully written. I feel really lucky to have had a good streak of amazing reads recently but good grief, I need a lighter read next I think! Ps have you ever sent fanmail to an author?

“I know that throughout my life I have struggled to forgive my father. Now, as I get older, I wish most of all that he had been able to find a way to forgive himself.” Madeleine Thien will be at #emwf18 to read from her critically acclaimed and haunting novel that follows the lives of two generations - those who lived through Moa's Cultural Revolution; and the children of the survivors, who became the students protesting in Tiananmen Square.

OMG I loved this book so much! It‘s a beautiful story of family, friendship, revolution, history and how it repeats itself, what we owe each other and how the things we owe different people in our lives can conflict. It‘s also about the power of music, as well as the power of silence. It‘s so beautifully written and I just don‘t have words for how much I enjoyed this book!

For #24in48 Hour 12 Challenge: A Whole New World

Do Not Say We Have Nothing expanded my worldview like no other and I‘d say it contains a whole world within itself. Masterful doesn‘t even begin to describe it. I absolutely love this book!

This will probably not be a classic but it‘s many layers and fractured pieces coming together but never quite fitting make it as good a read as it is heartbreaking- the Great Leap Forward is a ragged torn thing according to this author- her story makes its point.

Big Mother: There is no way across the river but to feel for the stones.

I was looking at some of the commentary and one struck me as true to my experience reading this book: going down the rabbit hole of the Chinese Cultural Revolution!

Black
Don‘t binge watch - less reading time!
Tagged one - got lost down rabbit hole of Chinese Cultural Revolution!
Mayonnaise
None 🎉🎉
Hi all 🙋 have a great weekend 😁
#friyayintro