Welcome to Litsy!

1. currently actively eyeball-reading The Library of the Dead by Huchu 📖, and am between audiobooks atm 🎧
2. Oof. Probably Project Hail Mary, which I already finished 😅 but I'm also pretty excited to start the first novel in P. Djeli Clark's fantasy alt-Cairo!
3. Tagged book was a lovely examination of identity grief and isolation as an Indian immigrant, with lgbtq rep from author and on page. I also recently finished Evelyn Hugo.
#weekendreads

Isn‘t this cover great? It‘s why I picked this up at a FoL sale.

The characters in this book are great, mostly Indian immigrants, here for different amounts of time. It‘s about their unique stories: a man whose sister died, leaving him to care for his ailing mother who has a complete breakdown from the loss. A woman who feels she‘s losing her husband, and only wishes to reignite the spark of their love. So many more, they make this book.

This week I will likely finish The Starless Sea and my audio of No One Can Pronounce My Name.

I honestly don‘t know what I‘ll pick up next, but here are three contenders 📚😊.
#weeklyforecast

I have to admit I turned the audiobook off within minutes because I couldn‘t concentrate on the recipes.

I made vegan peanut butter and vegan orange sugar cookies for my bookclub cookie swap later today. I‘m pretty happy with the results! I rarely bake, so this was a fun experiment 😊😋.

#audiobaking

Primarily the story of two very different people, Ranjana and Harit, both Indian immigrants to America, this is a tale of loneliness and disconnection. Normally it would be right in my wheelhouse but the uneven pacing, the dead-end secondary plots, and the complete change in tone at the end made it hard for me to connect. Unpopular opinion, I know. Full review at https://booknaround.blogspot.com/2019/06/review-no-one-can-pronounce-my-name-by....

What a wonderful swap package! Thank you @BookNAround ! Everything is so great where do I start? all the books 😯😁❤, amazing and such a pretty journal (with pockets love that), the mug -so accurate, the tote is awesome and also accurate, the flamingo mold, book mark pad and the fan.
And that wasn't enough you threw in the towel (haha) and I love that the bookmark matches 😁. Can't thank you enough for a such a fantastic package.
#colormeread

‪This book started off very sad and ended very sweetly. I liked it a lot, for a lot of reasons, but in particular it surprised me—I kept thinking I had the characters pegged and every time it wound up going somewhere unexpectedly empathetic.‬ The book is funny, even silly at times, but also emotionally rich and deeply compassionate.

Next

My eyes were crossing with boredom on my last #makemereadit so I put it back down to try this one instead. I‘ll go back to the previous one but I need a sense of accomplishment right about now and I‘m hoping this provides it.

Anyone read this book?! Both Rakesh and William Krueger were overwhelmingly nice and personable fellows. 😁👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

#MorristownFestivalOfBooks #authorsigning

Litsy friends run into each other at the book tent! @mrbook and @bookandcat 🎉🎉🎉
#morristownfestivalofbooks #mfob

If you‘re in the mood for serious themes treated with a sensitive, often humorous touch, this is a good pick. It has a (too) tidy, feel-good ending, but was a quick read and a lovely story overall.

Did I just add to my #TBR during the #mounttbrreadathon? Why yes! Thank you fortuitously timed mail carrier! 😂😂😂😬

Pink, red, and white. #riotgrams #pinkredwhite #bookriot

Today was a good day! #bookhaul #TBR

This was assigned reading from a committee I'm on but I was pleased to read it. This is like a John Irving novel with its twists and turns. And it just so happens to feature and focus on the lives of Indian immigrants in present day Cleveland. I cared about these characters.

Satyal's novel is built around the lives of Indian Americans as they grapple with a new culture, but it is so much more. His characters struggle to discover "who they are" as they relate to both cultures. This is a story of love, friendship, growth, and acceptance of self, including one's own sexuality. Moving and at times humorous, this is an interesting read.

I'm sorry @Reggie but I couldn't get into this book! It's probably my #summerbrain which cant focus this time of year...I leave the states 2 weeks from tomorrow so my final library hauls are coming to an end as well. #SoManyBooksSoLittleTime

Day 2 #AugustGrrrl #RightNow I'm relaxing in bed, scrolling Litsy and about to begin this debut novel. Since the blurb above is blank I've copied the publishers blurb "Rakesh Satyal's No One Can Pronounce My Name is a distinctive, funny, and insightful look into the lives of people who must reconcile the strictures of their culture and traditions with their own dreams and desires." @Reggie called it "exquisite" that's all I needed to know!

When @Reggie LOVES a book and the library hold comes in you drop EVERYTHING and go get book (and Starbucks)

#audiocoloring and then sleep. I just love the Danny Martin neon sign coloring books. ❤️

Rajanna, Harit, Prashant, Teddy, Cheryl, and Mohan, live in their own, different, prisons constructed by their own circumstances. The beauty of this book is how they seemingly blindly reach out to one another to free themselves. I was surprised by it's humor, depth, and humanity. It could be I've been reading some YA lately, but this lovely prose felt like high literature to me. Not intimidating, but like a soft , most cherished kiss. A Pick!!

#24in48 #audiobook #weneeddiversebooks I'm just starting this one, hope it's as fascinating as it seems it could be!

This book is so smart in the different insights it gives to the immigrant experience. These 2 women the husband is talking to have been in America for over 20 years. How long does it take to belong somewhere? Is it even something measured in time or is it a feeling? Is home where you are from or where you make it? So many questions. Love this book so far.

adored the characters and their relationships with added bonus wisdom gained throughout 💕

I don't think I realized just how much I loved this book till the very end. I've been reading it steadily, a little bit every day for about a week. The characters sort of snuck up on me and made me love them so much that I was tearing up reading about their endings. Really nice book with a lot more depth than I anticipated. Really want to check out his other work now.

Have you read this?

I loved this book! The characters were so interesting and it was written so beautifully. I made my dog pose with the book and he looked so cute.

I don't want to go to work today. I miss the days of staying home with my kitty all day and reading 😢 I wish I had appreciated it more.

Poignant, clever, and sweet, this book is full of deeply seen characters and their thoughts. Not particularly plot-driven, so I didn't necessarily feel compelled to read, but once I picked it up I was invested in the people. #readdiversebooks

Satyal's characters, Harit and Ranjana are so fully fleshed out and realized that the chapter format flows beautifully, especially as the novel draws to a close in a beautifully simple conclusion. A beautiful and at times hilarious tale of identity and friendship. I was fortunate enough to host Rakesh at @AstoriaBookshop if you have a chance to see him speak, take it!

"She couldn't tell if it was defeating or liberating to realize that she wasn't destined for greatness."
This book is filled with these brilliant, insightful sentences.

Love this cover! And I have a huge weakness for Indian immigrant stories.

Yay! Now just to finish all the library books I already have out!

This is an interesting book. I feel like the synopsis undersells it/explains the book poorly because it's a lot more than just those two characters or those two aspects of their lives. Super character driven, and so many intra-community issues were brought up that I related to. It takes a minute to get used to the style but once it clicks you're in.

I mean this day has been pretty excellent so far because if these two.

Really well done characters! I liked the premise, but it took a while to build up.

A better late than never post. These were the April and May books from #mylitbox packages. I've been super psyched to read the Hamid as I love his other work and I had never heard of the Satyal but it looks awesome and maybe a bit funny.

Short review: Read this book, you'll love it.
Longer review: This is a fabulous, laugh-out-loud book populated with dynamic, interesting & sympathetic characters you can't help but love trying to understand where & how they fit into their & the larger world. Satyal's writing is excellent & the story he tells a thoughtful examination of culture & tradition, friendship, love, family, & how people make their way through life. An excellent book.

This book is delightful. I'm really enjoying it and can already tell I'll be recommending it to everyone.

Just added to the TBR pile. With luck, I'll get to it this weekend.

So…you know how many of us are trying to avoid more book buying and read the ones we have? Well, I sorta just signed up for #mylitbox after seeing how great their picks are. A subscription box that focuses on POC authors? Come on! I blame @silentrequiem for her great posts about this box. 😬

Oh, I'd forgotten to post this month's #mylitbox. This book looks excellent!

Loving May's My Lit Box which just came in the mail!

My full review of this novel is live: https://chireviewofbooks.com/2017/05/05/the-funny-and-tender-no-one-can-pronounc...

@shawnmooney I'm tagging you since you said you wanted to check it out!

Received this book in a giveaway! Thank you, @Liberty ! I will certainly pay it forward and purchase a copy for a friend!

I left work early today to sit outside and finish reading this novel. (My review is due tomorrow.) I had high expectations for this story about two Indian-American strangers who become friends. It's wonderfully written and was an enjoyable read, but something was lacking. I'm going to wrestle with my feelings on the page and try to articulate what I loved and what I didn't. In short, it's worth checking out, but not necessarily a 'must read.'

This gay novel drops in early May; Kindle has the first chapter available for free, at least on the Japanese website.

Excellent book mail today! I'm very excited to read this novel.

Addie and I went on a long walk today, and then settled in to finish this beautiful book 💕 Excellent writing, nuanced characters, and an honest look at life. I loved this one 💖💖💖