Welcome to Litsy!

I‘m a sucker for a special edition cover and this Christmas gift from my sister is going a long way towards curing the sour feeling I‘ve had from muscling through two different books that I ultimately did not enjoy for various reasons. The setting is richly developed and the characterizations are deep. So far so good! #oliveedition

Loved every minute of this
4 ⭐️

A masterless golem who can pass for a human woman (albeit a tall one) and a jinni freed from captivity but bound to human form find themselves in 1899 New York City and cross paths with a Syrian tinsmith, a Jewish social worker, a rich ingenue, a wise rabbi, a cursed ice cream vendor, and a mad wizard. The story is one of exploring desire, regret, identity and love, all while providing enough suspense, danger, and mystery to make it a page-turner.

I know everyone makes a fuss about this book but I found it a chore to read. I wanted to DNF it many times but persisted. The last 100 or so pages were at least more exciting than the first 400.

Interesting ideas, and nicely written, but man it just drug on.

1* Escaping reality and gaining knowledge.

2* I‘m most looking forward to reading Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree, after seeing it everywhere I finally ordered myself a copy. Also Ai Weiwei‘s memoir: “1000 Years of Joys and Sorrows.”

3* She‘s not really a new author, although new to me. I recently read the tagged book and loved it. Already have the second book in the series in my wishlist.

Play along if you want! #WondrousWednesday
@Eggs

I loved the characters, all of their complexities and their dynamic. At the heart, this book is about what it means to be human, even for a golem and a jinni. I also enjoyed reading about how she became inspired by her own love story: she‘s Jewish and her husband is Arab American. Then add the history of the settings along with the magic of fantastical creatures and creepy wizards, and you‘ve got an enchanting tale worth exploring.

A tiny moment to myself before I have to deal with helping my little man with homework and making dinner… I‘m really craving a day to do nothing but read. I want to immerse myself in these stories, not simply settling for little snippets of time. Don‘t get me wrong, I love my life and I‘m grateful for any time to read, but it‘s nice to get completely lost in these worlds from time to time.

I started this one a few days ago and I‘m absolutely entranced by it. I find the characters super interesting. I‘m always a little sad when I have to put it down, cause I‘m an adult and adulting sucks lol.

My book haul today. I really shouldn‘t have bought more books, but after an extremely stressful, overwhelming few weeks I think I deserved a treat (well more like 3.25 treats). I brought my mother-in-law and my mother to the mall. I‘m not a fan of shopping so I specifically went to the mall with a B&N cause that‘s the only shopping I want to do lol.

Quick stop at Barnes & Noble with my love. Found this and was intrigued by the premise. Let‘s see how it goes. 🤔❤️ Also, couldn‘t resist the minimalist edition. #newin #fiction

A Gentleman in Moscow is an all time fav and would be a solid choice for #letterg, but I also love The Golem and the Jinni! It is the perfect blend of magical realism in a historical setting.

#AlphabetGame
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

This was beautifully written and is second to my favorite G book: A Gentleman In Moscow.
Honorable mention: Gods Of Jade And Shadows
#Alphabetgame @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Long but enjoyable story of two fantastic creatures getting together in 1899 NYC.
Has clever plotting and interesting characters. I enjoyed it. Helene Wecker has a sequel that just came out.

I'm starting this one I've had my eye on for a while. Found a copy at a Free Little Library which are plentiful in my area.

What a marvelous book! Complex and dark and deep. In New York in 1899, a golem and a jinni find themselves—and each other—among their immigrant communities. I loved all of the characters, and how all of the many threads came together. The ending is sad, but in a satisfying way.

Two creatures meet in NY at the turn of the century & learn about their current nature as well as their past. This book had a classic feel to me & an intriguing storyline. The story deep dives into the characters that was at times, boring & tedious for me. I did eventually like how each of them evolved and connected in the end. Throughout, I couldn't shake sadness all through this book either; it is a tragic story.

Sunday morning.

🎧 March Audiobooks! 🎧
* The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker
* The Lost and Found Bookshop by Susan Wiggs
* Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
* Well Met by Jen DeLuca
* The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood
📚
#CurrentlyReading #Audiobook #Bookstagram #Reading #Books #LibraryLove

Quite enjoyable.

This one took the cake for favorite of April 2021
#12booksof2021
@Andrew65

Really enjoying this book more than I thought I would. The style and pacing is just perfect. Loving how the lore/backstories of the golem and jinni are integrated and the way she makes the time period feel modern.

#TheGolemandtheJinni #HeleneWecker #book #historicalfiction #fantasy

Loved this magical realism!

I am posting one book per day from my to-be-read collection. No description and providing no reason for wanting to read it, I just do. Some will be old, some will be new - don‘t judge me I have a lot of books.
Join the fun if you want. This is day 295.
#bookstoread
#tbrpile
#bookstagram

Here goes the 70th book for the year ❤️

My first book recorded in my new reading journal, Anne Bogel‘s My Reading Life. I bought this as a Kindle Daily Deal in 2014 after hearing so much good buzz about it and finally read it when my book club chose it as a bonus pick. Lucky me, the sequel just came out in June. Unlike those who read and loved this when it first came out, I didn‘t have to wait 8 long years. So happy to be able to stay in this world a bit longer.

What a joy to see a #20in4 readathon falling on my FiYAY and weekend off! I want to read Wecker‘s The Hidden Palace, but first getting reacquainted with old books friends Chava and Ahmad.

P.S. I‘m catching up on a month worth of the litsy feed. @Andrew65 I hope you and your wife are improving with your health situation. Sending good thoughts to you both.

Two magical creatures find themselves adrift in New York in 1899. The Golem, created to be a bride, is incapable of independent life, and capable of great violence. The Jinni was enslaved by a wizard. Mistakenly awoken from his vessel imposed slumber, his nature makes it impossible for him to know the detrimental effects of his actions on those around him. They meet, and secrets are revealed. A remarkable morality tale; very well written.

This is a reread for me. I'm bumping my original 4.5 star rating up to 5 stars. The characters, relationships, and early 1900s NYC setting are just so good, as is the audiobook narrator.

I basically loved everything about this book. It was everything I wanted it to be.

I loved this book—themes of inherent nature vs free will and insiders vs foreigners, all with a good dose of magic and history. Hard to describe and so very creative—I got totally swept away by this book!

Loving on books, like her big brother Chaplin! 😻💕📚 #catsoflitsy #littenkitten #rumpel

All through this second reading I was in awe of Wecker‘s skillful descriptions. By the time I finished, I was of the mind that a lavishly illustrated edition with contributions from artists of varied styles would be a thing of beauty. So many moments in this story cry out for visual interpretation.

I was lucky enough to be able to snag an ARC of the sequel though my old bookselling contacts. Excited to see what‘s next for Chava and Ahmad.

This is my kind of book.
New York City at the turn of the century, mythological beings finding their way in a world that doesn't recognize them, and back stories converging together. It is one of those slower pace books that create a good atmosphere by letting the settings and the characters build the whole around them a step or a thought at a time.

I enjoyed this book as much now as I did in 2013, maybe more. I wanted to reread to prep for the long awaited follow up Hidden Palaces coming out June 8. This is an unlikely story of friendship and magic. The setting is 1899 in New York, so also intriguing to imagine the communities of immigrants and the city as it would have been at the turn of the 20th century.

Absolutely loved this one! The author took us through time and space as this beautiful and intriguing story took place. Thankfully the sequel will be out in June. Can't wait! 🧙‍♀️🗽🏜🧞‍♂️

I have been really enjoying my current book. I like the mix of the historical setting (NYC at the turn of the century) with mythological beings.

Looking forward to finally reading this and hopefully getting entirely lost in the story! 🧞‍♂️

My #bookreport and #weeklyforecast. I'm wondering how much time I'll have for pleasure reading this coming week. So many projects and presentations due.

@Cinfhen

Thank you @StillLookingForCarmenSanDiego I love my #cupidswap. I look forward to reading this book. My son has already claimed a package of the jellybeans! Thanks @candority for organizing this swap. Happy Valentine‘s Day everyone.

Well, of course I'm late posting this, but I had my best month ever for #bookspin in January, so I'm super excited to get started for February!

@TheAromaofBooks

Not a popular opinion, but I‘m glad I‘m done. I was bored. Senseless.

Thanks for the tag @Eggs ! I haven‘t been on Litsy as much as I would like lately or participating then I saw this and decided I would.
1) Being a frontline worker and navigating Covid
2) Grateful for everyone being diligent and taking the necessary precautions for the health and safety of everyone.

This was a great book! I enjoyed the elements of fantasy & magic. It was also neat how although set 100+ years ago, many of the topics on religion & race are relevant in modern time.

Such a fabulous story. So glad to be closing out the year with this book.

#bookspinbingo @TheAromaofBooks
Square25 ✔️

Morning reading between calls

Really loving this book so far. A great way to close out 2020

I love how this book is constructed, how Wecker holds all the cards in her hand and deals each one out with just the right timing. The setting---New York City at the turn of the 20th century---is beautifully rendered and easy to see. Some of the twists border on too twisty for me, but the events all make sense with the characters and the story. Another great title from the Level 12 Build Your Library curriculum.

Sunday morning shelf image

My favorites of the last few years in no particular order