Welcome to Litsy!

Went to Powell to exchange some books and the kids exchange desk is only open from Friday to Sunday 🤦🏼‍♀️ so of course I had to get two books …

Re: A book set in winter for a reading program. I couldn't decide between the above, Left Hand of Darkness, Anna Karenina, Winter Garden, and Winter World, so I started them all. It came down to Snow and Left Hand leapfrogging each other with Snow finishing first. It's as long as Karenina but much closer to home, more focused. Winter Garden seemed like a sleeper at first. Then it just put me to sleep. I dropped Winter World after meeting everyone.

Here's how I finished up #ISpyBingo for January. I finished with two bingos, came close to a couple others.

@Clwojick @TheAromaofBooks

Another one from the TBR shelf … looks to be a sure gem!

I picked this up from a few little library in my neighborhood based solely on the cover.
What a wonderful story! His descriptions at times had me surprised when I looked out my own window and didn‘t see the snow falling or the lush scenery of the fictional San Piedro Island.
#ReadaBookYouKnowNothingAboutBasedSolelyOnTheCover

1) Tagged book. Doesn‘t entirely take place in a snowy setting, but a lot of the book takes place during a snowstorm

2) to get healthy again and get into remission

3) that I live in a country where I don‘t have to worry about medical bills

#wondrouswednesday

1) The Holiday Swap, Murder at an Irish Christmas, The Girl who Saved Christmas, Mistletoe and Mr. Right

2) Love Actually, A Charlie Brown Christmas, A Christmas Carol (1951 version)

3) Tagged

#weekendreads

Book Haul 1 from my trip to the $1 pop up book store. @Tjdiggs077 Really like Brin and Bear. The Reynolds books I've seen around a couple places. The Guterson just called to me

My random number generator picked Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister to read next. Well I'm not going to even bother with that right after Son of a Witch. It'll come up again later. Instead I've got Snow Falling on Cedars and I have no idea what to expect.

Bk2 of March is done. This is a beautifully written novel about the murder trial of a Japanese/American man, accused of killing a white man on a small Puget Sound island after WWII. It‘s also about the teenage love between a Japanese girl & the reporter that‘s now covering her husbands trial. But mostly, it‘s about race relations at that point in time & how hate can blind you. #Booked2021 #UnderratedBook #LitsyAtoZ2021 #LetterG #PennyPerPage #416c

Bk1 of March will be the Bloomsbury Modern Classics edition of this slow, melancholy tale set on a Puget Sound Island near Seattle in 1950s.Told in different time periods including before WWII, during the war & after,it includes a bi-racial love story,the internment of Japanese-Americans during the war then the trial of Kabuo Miyamoto,charged with the murder of a fellow fisherman who is white,it‘s more a study of race relations at that time.

This novel is beautiful, it's enraging, it's honest.
#snowfallingoncedars #davidguterson #beautifullywritten #readeverything #historymatters #neveragain
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heartandsoulbooks.blogspot.com
New Post Today!
https://heartandsoulbooks.blogspot.com/2020/11/snow-falling-on-cedars.html

This book is on the “banned list”. To me, that screams “read me”. Although It started out slow, this book didn‘t disappoint.The author has a very, very descriptive writing style. This is a book I probably would have never picked up, so I am thankful to the reading group that I am in for recommending it. I will not give away why this book was banned, but challenge you to read it to see if you agree with that decision.

I loved how I could smell the strawberry fields and the sea, as the author described life on San Piedro Island. The quiet hard-working fishermen (many of them war vets), finding solace in the seas, yet dreaming of a more beautiful life in the sweet berry fields. A timely book about hate, and prejudice. A book about small-mindedness, past hurts, war wounds, and the bitterness that keeps our lives small and shallow. A beautiful book.

Cuddles and reading

Digging in! This one comes highly recommended by many. Excited for many feels.

“....accident ruled every corner of the universe except the chambers of the human heart.”
Sums up the book. It opens with the trial of Kabuo for the murder of a fellow fisherman, but also takes you through the childhood to young adulthood of all involved so that you can understand why we could arrive in such a place. Intertwined is the search into the facts of what actually happened as the author leads you into the truth. Very well written.

Sorry it took me a couple of day @LeeRHarry but here are a couple of books with trees for #ispy. @jillrhudy and @BookDragonNotWorm what about something autumn?

Just want to say thank you, @EadieB ... you‘re so thoughtful about sending books out to all of us, and I want you to know how very much I appreciate it. Thanks so much! You‘re “Number One” in my book—so thoughtful, & so generous. Many thanks, my friend! ♥️

I'm not getting through many books at the moment, I've been working on this one for ages! Daisy is ready for Christmas.

Train plans 😁

#7Days7Covers #CoverCrush Day 3

How about you, @Emilymdxn , care to join? 7 days, 7 covers you love, no explanation. Try to tag someone new each day.

Anyone else interested, consider yourself tagged as well! I‘m loving seeing everyone‘s cover choices.

Glorious Saturday morning on the patio with a compelling book and a giant mug of tea. Life is good. 😎

Wow. This book is brilliantly written, provokingly real and stunning in its insight into the drama of the human condition. Captures the chaotic nature of this life. The last lines are poignant and beautiful. Would have to be one of my favourite books. I read this because I was travelling to this part of the world. So thankful for the splendour of meeting the characters in the story along with experiencing the beauty of this part of our world.

New post on @bookriot today about how much I‘ve learned by reading fiction. Any other fiction lovers out there?

https://bookriot.com/2019/04/18/what-ive-learned-about-history-from-reading-fict...

#amwriting #booklove #fiction

It‘s snowing and I‘m done with this book! I really enjoyed the suspense, loved the atmospheric description and relationships between characters were very interestingly built.

Started this one, 100 pages in-pretty good!

Day 9 Coconut Rooibos tea, red rooibos, coconut, and acai. It is smooth and another hit. Honey would be a great addition. I am finally getting into the book, but a sick kid really cuts into reading time.

Day 7 Cinnamon Apple black tea. It is fantastic and strong as all black teas are. Tonight's reading snacks are Rosemary bread, brie cheese, and local made olive oil with tuscan seasoning, beef sticks, fruit, and a few pieces of chocolate.

Day 6 Passion Fruit Black Tea, a strong black tea with a good size shot of passion fruit and marigold flavor. I made good progress in the book yesterday but it is a slow burn.

Day 5 Lemon Love rooibis tea. One of my all time favorite teas, you can even add sugar or honey or a slice of lemon. Hoping to get some good reading while I "do the laundry".

Day 4 Chai tea! So delicious. Still not getting much reading done, my eyes are adjusting to new glasses.

Day 2 Lavender Earl Grey, smooth and creamy and a perfect blend. Zero pages read today as my allergies are making my eyes red and watery.

Very good. It took me a little bit to get into it, but once I did, I was hooked! Many truths here that apply to situations today.

Had to add in text from a previous page to get the full quote, but this stood out to me. How true is this? The same sad human frailty. These days we‘re just hating different types of people. When will we learn?

Day 1 of Tea Advent Calendar # 2. Vanilla Black - assam tea, vanilla bean, calendula petals. It is creamy and would be a great breakfast tea with honey. This Advent calendar is by my favorite etsy tea shop, BeauTeaStudios, and was gifted to me for Christmas.

Lunch is cold pasta salad and my first book of the year.

“Fog as thick and palpable as cotton hangs suspended over San Piedro Island. On the bay, a flickering lantern signals distress from a crippled fishing boat, while elsewhere a freighter lurches blindly through the chalky mist..”

Not read but seems appropriate for #winterwonderland #hazyshadeofwinter

I made some progress in this one ... very very slow burn & equally beautiful writing ... & lovely wisdom ... I‘m in slow motion , I can feel the snow & taste the strawberries... ♥️

#HumpDayPost @MinDea

1. I started to read this book 6 days ago .. I‘m on page 45 : 😮... very busy week ... book is great. “ it‘s not you book ! It‘s me ! “ Life took me away.
2. Not a holl here ...
3. Some quiet time to get organized.. before Christmas birthdays & Christmas
4. Fireplace
5. Definitely 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻... if I can just get a run at it .... 🏃🏻‍♀️📘

Happy midweek Littens 👍🏻❤️📘

1. Yay!! 🌨🌨🌨
2. Only on a cold day in hell—which was yesterday, by the way! 🥶🥶🥶
3. Stay inside, make & eat chili...and read or binge watch tv! 📚 📺
4. I just LOVE walking in it!! ☃️⛄️❄️
Thanks for the #HelloThursday snow edition, @wanderinglynn

Next up ... I‘m finally getting to it @eanderson 👍🏻❤️ you sent me this almost a year ago 🙏🏻

This is a super slow burn, but I'm so glad I stuck it out. Murder mystery, courtroom drama, romance, war story, historical fiction...a little bit of everything in this story that takes place on a small island in Puget Sound. Loved it.

95 degrees out but its snowing in my book
#popsugar2018 #weatherelement

Fun to talk about and write about setting in the Intermediate Short Fiction Writing class I am teaching. We discussed Gran, Jackson & Guterson‘s excellent use of setting! #writingworkshop #fiction #setting

Walking among the ancient cedars in Hakone, Japan, I am reminded of this great novel that I last read in 1998 - 20years ago!

#LitsyClassics #day1 #LoveStory #MayLovesClassics This is a modern classic about the love between a white boy & a Japanese-American girl in Washington state before,during & after WWII. Ishmael falls in love with Hatsue as children but he‘s drafted & loses an arm in the war while she‘s interned at home with her family.He ends up a reporter, covering the murder trial of her husband while struggling between his love for her & hatred of her people.

Wishing this were an April Fool.

#roundup #marchroundup !

What I read this March! I read some beautiful books this month. Top prize goes to Call Me By Your Name but there were a lot of other honorable mentions. I had time to do quite a lot of reading as I was on holiday for two weeks at the beginning of the month. Here‘s to another good bookish April!