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#AdventRecommends

Touching on racism and anti-Semitism, bullying, anxiety and mental health, this is a hard-hitting book, but an immensely rewarding read.

@emilyrose_x

I am not familiar with the entire social and political background, but still I am in awe of the author's brilliance in delivering such a complex drama encompassing so much individual and collective trauma under the format of a very believable stand-up comedy show. The constant back and forth between tragedy and comedy, soft jokes and more subtle, deep matters is terrific. I'm part of that audience that stuck with the show till the end.

'We covered birthdays, which as you know are a day of reckoning, of soul-searching, at least for those who have a soul, and I'll tell you that personally, in my state, I just don't have the resources to maintain one. Seriously, souls demand non-stop upkeep, don't they? It never ends! Every single day, all day long, you gotta haul it in for servicing. Am I right or I am right?'

I finished this book a week ago and I still doesn‘t know what I feel about it.

A stand-up comedian is doing his show, but gets sidetracked and starts telling about the first time he saw a dead body and his journey to reach the funeral on time. So this story is anything but funny. Before the show, our stand-up comedian has asked on old friend to attend as well. This brings out a lot of old memories for the friend.

I tried this for #foodandlit and this guy is no Midge Maisel. Given that the story is essentially a really long comedy show, I figured audio was the way to go. I hated the narrator's voice. By 27% into the book, I only chuckled twice. Maybe if I was Jewish and/or had more than a very sparse knowledge of Israel this would've come together for me, but I had to move on to something else.
#foodandlit @butterfinger @Texreader @Catsandbooks

What can I say about this book that means so much to me? To me this is Grossman at his finest but it‘s also Israeli literature at its finest. In this short novel we go through the rollercoaster of collective and personal trauma in a way that only Grossman can do. (International Man Booker winner of 2017) #Israel #foodandlit

#7days7books
#7Tage7Buecher

Seven books that left a very deep impression and/or changed me.
day 2

This book was recommended to me by a fellow #LibraryThing member with the expectation that I don‘t bail on this book and read it through to the very end. Let‘s see how I do! 😃. David Grossman is an #Israeli author I really admire although I don‘t always make it through some of his books. I‘ll give this book my best try, though.

Reminded me why I love to read

"I'm a genius, I'm telling you, words come out of my mouth that even I don't understand."

I have mixed feelings about this one. It is undoubtedly clever and different, but I am still not sure if it produced the intended effect in me, in fact I don't know what the intended effect really was. The whole story revolves around a stand-up comedian's act. This book is about many things, from individual choices to the societal expectations. But if you ask me what the main theme is, then I will say "it depends on what the reader wants to see".

So not what I expected. A stand up comic has his most honest set ever. It has a American Pastoral feel. #notacomedy #2018christyread

By the end I began to understand the humour. Strange to read Israeli tragedy as a young, Englishman. Worth it.

Not an easy book to read, and early on it can be tempting to bail, but sticking with it is worth it, as I found this an utterly compelling novel about the childhood experiences that formed the man we now see before us, through the eyes of the narrator. Recommended reading

Totally killing Monday night!

A book meant to be read in a single sitting is what I felt. It can get depressing time to time but good story to read altogether. Translation is done in best way possible. It may be that if you don't know much about Jewish people or thier culture at all then some of jokes or references will not be understood.
I was bit sad at the end as I really wanted something more, something that said life's changed.

Currently reading.

1. No
2. 7 degrees. Apparently that's 45 f
3. Tagged book, uncomfortable to read (but short).
4. Happy with anywhere with sun, good food and wine. Hiking in the dolomites is probably my fave recent.
5. High 🙋

@jesshowbooks
#friyayintro

I felt part of the audience of the club in which stand-up comedian Dovaleh is having a breakdown. Instead of telling bad jokes he tells the story of his youth. I felt a spectator - just as his youth friend Avishai did when he knew Dovaleh back then as well as this evening when they meet eachother again. It is a dark and uncomfortable read but anything Grossman writes is perfect.
Thank you so much again @Cinfhen for sending me a copy!

#pop18

This is a difficult so-so because this book is so well written and it just breezes through the 250 pages, but it is an uncomfortable read hence the so-so. As the stand up comedian gets more and more political and personal, there is such an awkwardness while reading it, so in that sense, the book really works. As I was reading it though, I kept wondering if I would recommend it and the answer was no. At the same time, it worked.

An interesting narrative structure - a comedian suffering a breakdown during his stand-up comedy performance, told from the POV of his childhood friend whom he hasn't seen for years. The book is well-written in my view there wasn't enough meat to the story. The big reveal about the supposed choice was a letdown.

I did this one as an audiobook, which I don‘t usually do for fiction. The book was based around a stand up act being performed and one man in the audience, who already knows the standup artist. It was dark and harsh, not my type of funny. Still it hit on some real emotions.

It has arrived already! So fast. You just made my day @Cinfhen with the beautiful teas, the ambitious quote on the bookmark and of course the book itself. You‘re the best, thank you so much!! 😘

Sorry, just one more post....this is headed your way @BarbaraBB 💕💕💕10 - 12 days!!! Enjoy 😘

#TuneIntoNovember #EmojiNov I'm all #?‍♀️about my feelings for this book. At first I was NOT taking a #shine to this book, but once I found my pacing I became more absorbed in the unraveling of "Dovaleh G", a standup comic. Told as a monologue with no chapters, we are turned upside down as the frantic narrator bitterly describes his childhood plight which leads to adult failures. It's biting & blistering with some dark humor & insight. #Bookclub

This is undoubtedly beautifully written and original but SO bleak. I only read it because it was our book group pick. Not a fun read.

#HumpDayPost @MinDea Above photo isn't me but I thought I was a prima ballerina in my toddler days💞according to my parents Henrietta the Hippo had me grace than I but that didn't stop me😁I took an epic day trip yesterday to Odesa to visit the Jewish community there #inspiring 🙏🏻Tagged book, for bookclub🤓Why did Tigger lift the toilet seat? He was looking for Pooh😂A lot, but it's my #lHappyPlace

The wonderful @Cinfhen , who made me feel so welcome here and it is the host of my favourite photo challenge (Music & Books) celebrates her Litfluence of 150,000 with a give away.
What book would I buy? The tagged one, because it won the Man Booker International Prize, I still haven‘t read it and I love David Grossman. His book To the End of the Land for example, will stay with me forever.

Congratulations Cindy!
#CrushingOnGiveAway

Our December bookclub pick #takesPlaceNearMe and I'm looking forward to reading it. It won the Man Booker International a few months ago... @Jess7 #SpookyOctober #FridayFlowers

Reviewed for Froth mag, October 2017 'Money' issue. It's a short, sharp ace read.

This novel unfolds over the course of a stand-up comedy act, with the performer retelling a traumatic story from his childhood. I know this recently won the Man Booker International but I did not love it, especially compared to David Grossman‘s other books, which I love.

When your blurb is used for the customer pick in your local book store.

Still counting Grossman's TO THE END OF THE LAND as my fave read this year, but this didn't do it for me. Grossman uses the stand up routine to explore his character's backstory and the absurdity of death. But it was meandering, the narrator (not the main character) was barely formed, and I kept wondering why the audience didn't walk out sooner. Main character wasn't a good comic! Interesting theme, but a slog to get through. #JewLit

This is a very good book, though I could not say I really liked it. It is brilliantly written but makes for a decidedly uncomfortable reading experience. Worth it, though. Read my goodreads review at: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34211922-a-horse-walks-into-a-bar

Now everything's tidy I can crack on with this, I cannot wait to see where it goes

Call me crazy, but I wish Gilbert Gottfried was the narrator of this audiobook. It just lacks the rhythm and pacing of a good hack comedian.

I always feel like a failure when I bail on a book, but this one is just not cutting it for me.

I've read the first 25 pages of this and oh my gosh it's brilliant! I cannot wait to see where this goes, the main character is fascinating!

#bookhaul part one! I'm so excited to finally read this 🤓

Day 25 #JuneTunz Busy day ahead...(I know it's only 12:14am on the East coast) Today's song choice is from the wonderful @EvieBee84 I've yet to read the new Man Booker 2017 prize winner, but it's the first book that I thought of for today's prompt. A stand-up comic unraveling on stage leads me to believe #ThatJokeIsntFunnyAnymore

The books is based on a standup comedy act by Dovaleh G as seen by Avishai Lazar, an old friend of the stand up comedian. More than a stand up comedy act, Dovaleh is unraveling in front of the crowd.
The story is an Intense tide of various emotions. The deliberate uneasiness of being taken into someone's personal life is a constant throughout the novel. It is gripping and an unusual rendering of hearts basal emotions.

Thrilled that David Grossman has won, even if Amos Oz was a close second for me. Horse Walks Into A Bar is a difficult novel to read on many levels, some of it is excruciating but I honestly marvel at how Grossman holds his readers (sometimes unwillingly!) in the palm of his hand. Masterful stuff. #MBI2017

#bestofmay. I finished A Horse Walks into a Bar along with all these others. 14 in all, two were rereads. A great month except I still have #infinitejestbuddyread to finish. My favorite of the month was Team of Rivals and the least favorite was The Innocent Sleep.

Starting, can I read it before June?

This is not an easy read. Grossman paints a deeply uncomfortable warts-and-all portrait of comedy, Israeli national policy and his own distasteful characters against the backdrop of one standup routine. His ability to make repellent characters so human is astonishing. It's no wonder this is up for the Man Booker International. I can see why it's divisive but it's worth so worth reading, even if you have to grit your teeth through the worst bits

It's set in a club in Israeli town of Netanya, where standup comedian Dov G tells about his tragic childhood experience in one evening amid jokes and slapstick comedy.
The story is told in a very sharp and succinct passages. It raises the basic question of dealing with reality in the moment of sudden loss.

It's a novel about stand-up comic Dovaleh G and his performance (I guess- last one) in city Caesarea (Israel). He is #unlikeablecharaters from the beginning to the end. Through his performance/story we realize why is he so deeply offensive and at the end - yes, I liked him. Despite his ruthless and tasteless jokes. Not funny read, at all.

Bonus point - the author has used #hello in the story eight times

#aprilbookshowers #lyricalapril