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The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul (originally published as A Cup of Friendship)
The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul (originally published as A Cup of Friendship): A Novel | Deborah Rodriguez
After hard luck and heartbreak, Sunny finally finds a place to call homein the middle of an Afghanistan war zone. There, the thirty-eight-year-old serves up her American hospitality to the expats who patronize her coffee shop, including a British journalist, a danger pay consultant, and a wealthy and well-connected woman. True to her name, Sunny also bonds with people whose language and landscape are unfamiliar to most Westerners, but whose hearts and souls are very much like our own: the maternal Halajan, who vividly recalls the days before the Taliban and now must hide a modern romance from her ultratraditional son; and Yazmina, a young Afghan villager with a secret that could put everyones life in jeopardy. In this gorgeous first novel, New York Times bestselling author Deborah Rodriguez paints a stirring portrait of a faraway place whereeven in the fog of political and social conflictfriendship, passion, and hope still exist. Originally published as A Cup of Friendship Look for special features inside. Join the Circle for author chats and more. RandomHouseReadersCircle.com
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janeycanuck
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Pickpick

This was lovely and heartbreaking all at once - both because of the contents of the book but also because we‘re seeing the same conflict playing out again today.

Book 1/4 for #OutstandingOctober

Andrew65 Great 👏👏👏 2y
38 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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JillR
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Mehso-so

This was easy reading and in general I quite liked the main characters‘ differing perspectives and the view offered of life in Afghanistan. That said I didn‘t particularly like the lightness of the writing, and never fully understood the presence of the British/American characters. I wanted more from Yazmina and Halajan and the very real hardships they faced, and maybe a little less of the sweetness. Not a particularly memorable read overall.

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Michellesibs
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Mehso-so

Set in a coffee shop in Kabul this fictional story is set around five women, two afghan nationals and three westerners. While I didn't learn anything new about Afghanistan or feel any cultural vibes from the pages it was an OK read, cute, hopeful.

Three stars. An easy coffee shop read, the bright breeziness of this story probably doesn't reflect Afghanistan in anyway today but a nice fictional story to pass an afternoon.

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janeycanuck
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HOW?! How do I keep acquiring books? Oh right… I keep buying them. Oops.

marleed But writers need buyers as well as readers. So~~~~~ you get double the points! 4y
janeycanuck Double the points? I can‘t turn that down. I‘d better go buy some more books. 4y
38 likes2 comments
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la_rose_noire
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Pickpick

This is TOTALLY my type of novels! I loved it so much! Sunny is an american expat and owner of a coffee shop in Afghanistan. Through her story and the stories of her work colleagues, we learn about Afghanistan's history, conflicts, and culture. It is also a window to the female rights (or lack thereof) in the country. #afghanistan #war #femalelead #covercrush

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la_rose_noire
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My me time! 🙋

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TsundokuManasi
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Hannah_11
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Mehso-so

Thought this book would be right up my street. It tells an incredible story about culture, life and strong women which are usually things I look for in a good book. Unfortunately the writing lets it down. I didn‘t connect with any of the main characters and it just didn‘t have enough emotion for me. Not my favourite.

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Margot0817
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Pickpick

I enjoyed reading this story and watching the characters progress over time. For a debut novel, this was a great experience that is rich in Afghan culture and tradition! Loved every minute of it. I do wish, however, one of the more main characters had more depth to her personality but it didn't ruin anything for me. Overall a great pick 😁

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Margot0817
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One of my many kitty reading buddies, Margot 💕📖😺

BookmarkTavern Look at that face! 😍😍 5y
7 likes1 comment
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Joanne1
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Pickpick

As though knowing we all had to stay home this Easter, the weather has taken a decidedly wintry turn with rain, wind and single digit temperatures. Thankfully I had this uplifting novel to finally move from my TBR pile and my read. Fiction informed by the lived experience, full or smart strong women and love, with a much needed happy ending. April #bookspin done. @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Great review!! It's MUCH colder here, too - I think our peach tree blossoms may have gotten frozen 😥 Still, the sun is shining! 5y
Jeg While here in Perth we had the hottest April day in 100 years. 40 maximum. 5y
54 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Joanne1
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Kids are at breaking point today despite games of monopoly, biscuit baking, read alouds, and crafting. Consequently I‘m also at the end of my tether. Time to use the screens to babysit whilst I hide with a book and hubby whips up an early dinner. Time to start my #bookspin for April. @TheAromaofBooks

Caroline2 Yeah my kids are climbing the walls now no matter what activities we do. I think we‘ve all had enough! 5y
TheAromaofBooks When we were kids and got wound up, Mom would send us out to run laps around the outside of the house! 😂 5y
Joanne1 @Caroline2 I think you‘re right but we have a long way to go before this is over. It doesn‘t bode well. @TheAromaofBooks that‘s similar to my usual strategy but we‘re had a wintry blast this weekend and two solid days of rain.... which goes some way to explaining why they were so difficult. 5y
TheAromaofBooks Cold mud! The bane of my existence! Sometimes I swear that's the only winter weather Ohio can create! 5y
41 likes4 comments
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Joanne1
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This is my #bookspin #doublespin and #triplespin thanks to @TheAromaofBooks I‘m certainly making headway on my mountains of unread books. @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 5y
46 likes1 comment
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julesG
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#bookmail from @Maike 🎊😘😘😘

With lots of tea. 💖

#booksandtea

65 likes1 stack add
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Bno
Pickpick

Cute

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Insightsintobooks
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#kindledeal #kindledeals #ebooksale

Has anyone read this, is it good?? I'm thinking of getting it.

mcipher It‘s a really cute cover and I like the title but I‘ve never heard of or read it. 😉 6y
39 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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Annashep
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Read the first chapter and think it‘s going to be a great read for my summer break from the work routine 😊☀️

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Meghakhoria
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MrsMalaprop
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#MarchMunchies Day 18 #Cookies

I used the tagged book for yesterday‘s #Marchmunchies #coffee prompt and I‘m using it again for today‘s.

There are recipes at the back of the book, including the one pictured for Afghan Butter Cookies, which the author recommends you bake for your book club discussion. Now that would be a high achieving book club 😯😁.

tpixie Yum 7y
39 likes1 comment
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MrsMalaprop
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Miss__astrid
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Pickpick

One of my favourites. I love when women are depicted as being strong and when they beat the odds!

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raelaschoenherr
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Pickpick

This reminded me of a Jenny Colgan novel, just set in Kabul, Afghanistan. Heartwarming and charming and a few sad moments. But mostly just enjoyable! #audiobook

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Em_loves
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Pickpick

I LOVED THIS BOOK. Fully recommend this read. Best served with a cup of tea and with a candle on!

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Bookworm54
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#DiverseLoveStories #FeistyFeb

I have chosen this novel, as there are 3 very different love stories within, that at times defy the cultural norms 💕

Laalaleighh 📚 8y
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terezfabikova
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Mehso-so

Read it a few days ago. It was great, I like the extraordinary characters and their stories, it was pretty fast read!

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mrsmamfa
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Mehso-so

I love this book!! I love reading about the different cultures and being completely immersed in Afghanistan! Such a sweet read!

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mrsmamfa
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mrsmamfa
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mrsmamfa
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mrsmamfa
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Bookworm54
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#booktober #immigrantstories

I struggled a little with this photo challenge as I haven't read many books with immigrants in. However I have chosen to share this book about an American named Sunny who owns a coffee shop in Afghanistan.
The five women in this story all have different backgrounds and different stories, but all intertwine to tell a story of friendship and change.

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Martta
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Pickpick

Strong women in difficult situations and real life stories are all that a good book needs. The clash of cultures in the coffee house is also interesting to read. I really liked this book!

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ForReadingAddicts
Pickpick

I started The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul after picking it up with a stack of books at the charity shop. I'm a little obsessed with literature set in Afghanistan and it didn't disappoint. ~Kath

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EnidBiteEm
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Bailedbailed

"Careful my love ... For you are almost impossible to resist." "We need more doctors... or our young will continue to die young." Gah. So much cheese. So much bad romance (apologies, Lady Gaga). My friend chose this for book club, and I usually persevere with book club choices out of respect for my friends but. I. JUST. CAN'T. Maybe a good choice for those who like to sneak a little Mills & Boon, but it's not my thing.

Zelma Life is way too short to waste time on mediocre books. 8y
coffeenebula My eyes are also full of concern after reading this excerpt: 🙄😳 8y
EnidBiteEm @Zelma @RealLifeReading Exactly. @tanya42 nice 'eyes full of concern' emoticons 😂 8y
8 likes4 comments
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EnidBiteEm
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Also, I'm pretty sure that The Kite Runner doesn't reference Oprah three pages in, but then again Oprah online does reference The Kite Runner, so maybe that's where the confusion lies...

lisakoby Lol 8y
EnidBiteEm @Lisa4 I know, right? 😂 There is a difference.. 8y
7 likes2 comments
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EnidBiteEm
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Gah! Gah! Only five minutes in, but think this is a great smear to Binchy. So far, this novel is as much like Binchy as it is like The Kite Runner, which is to say, not all. Not Binchy. So much explaining, so little book.

rubyslippersreads I love Maeve Binchy's books, so I'll be interested in how you get on with this. (It doesn't sound promising. 😕) 8y
EnidBiteEm @rubyslippersreads I'm thinking I may have to bail. 8y
4 likes2 comments
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EnidBiteEm
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I know little about this, it is one of our book club picks. The blurb makes it sound lame, but cover says "as if Maeve Binchy wrote The Kite Runner." I can't imagine how, but high praise - I liked both The Kite Runner, and Binchy (who I think was sorely underestimated, partially because her novel covers had pastel pictures and naff gold lettering). Will give this a crack while I wait for son to do his coding workshop.

EnidBiteEm Thanks to my daughter who held the book in place for me while I took this picture (or rather, she takes after her mother and it was difficult to keep her hands away from the book while I tried to make are the photo...) 8y
EnidBiteEm Take! 😁 8y
6 likes2 comments
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KVanRead
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These are just some of the books I've added to my Litsy #tbr in the last day. I'm finding #TBRTuesday really stressful, lol! #damnitlitsy !

LeahBergen Ha!! Sorry about that top book on your list 😉 8y
KVanRead @LeahBergen But it looks so good! Couldn't resist! 8y
Carol If I'm responsible for Girl Waits with Gun, you're welcome 😍😍 8y
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Redheadrambles Well at least Soppy will take you literally 5mins to read 😀 8y
KVanRead @Carol Yes, I couldn't resist that quote you posted😂 8y
KVanRead @Redheadrambles Yes, and I definitely need to fit in some quick reads! 8y
29 likes1 stack add6 comments