Welcome to Litsy!

Almost no one I follow on bookish social media seemed to like this, but I had to see for myself. I saw for myself after twenty pages that—in this instance at least—the majority opinion is also mine. I shall put this one down now.

A bit boring really.

bailed at 33% (2:08:23)

A teenage girl gets sucked into a group of Ethiopian immigrants who come under the influence of a charismatic leader. A story about coming of age/unwittingly being drawn into a cult/cultural identity. The premise is interesting and parts of it are good, but it just didn‘t grab me. It hangs somewhere between so-so and pick, but I think if I hadn‘t been listening to Bahni Turpin narrate the audiobook, I might have bailed.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ An unnamed Ethiopian-American teen finds solace in her friendship with older, charismatic parking lot attendant, Ayale. He fills the gaps in her unstable home life, but he‘s not completely forthcoming with his business practices. He preys on her vulnerability. There‘s a pant load of ambiguity here, but it works. This is more than an immigrant story, it‘s about a cult. That‘s my theory anyway.

Bahni Turpin is brilliant as always.

Well, I‘m up to page 51 and not really seeing the point of continuing. I‘m not invested in the characters and really not caring, plus I‘m excited about other books. So, I‘m cutting my losses and back to the library it goes!

#dogsofLitsy #Greta

These both books are no favorites of mine in the #ToB2019. But I did like the tagged one when I read it whereas The Mars Room really was a meh read for me. So predictable, I felt like I had read or watched this story a thousand times before. So my vote goes to The Parking Lot Attendant. What about yours?

Nafkote Tamirat's The Parking Lot Attendant is another book that I wish I'd read to pick up all of the details (rereading for clarification is SO much harder on audio). Anyway, I enjoyed The Parking Lot Attendant for its development of character and the insidious way that the unnamed narrator is drawn into a system that is beyond her capacity. ⠀
⠀
New note: after reading some reviews on Goodreads, maybe the things I missed just weren't there?

I enjoyed this one - I found it original and interesting with really lifelike characters. In terms of the other #tob2019 books though, I don‘t think it‘ll end up being a front runner for me just because it didn‘t wow me as much as some other ones. That doesn‘t mean I didn‘t really enjoy it though, I love Bildungsromans like this and the subject matter was really individual.

First class dining for #litsypartyofone. 😂 I‘m paying a bit of attention to the game...essentially hate watching the tiresome Patriots. My husband is at a Super Bowl party, unlucky him!

Second book finished in #24in48 #readathon and I‘m frankly not sure what I‘ve read. The plot made no sense to me, was full of holes, and was completely untenable. I feel as if I‘ve missed something everyone else understands about this book. Oh well, moving on. At least this checks off one of my #popsugarreadingchallenges ✅

Ain‘t that the truth?

#24in48

My selections for #24in48 Readathon starting tomorrow. Paired with my current favorite red wine. Notice my kindle in the middle of the stack ‘cause you never know...SQUIRREL!!

@24in48

Thanks to @Liberty for mentioning this amazing book on her All the Books podcast as one her favorites from 2018! It otherwise seemed to have slipped under my radar, which is unfortunate because it‘s so good! Definitely the best coming of age story I‘ve read in a long time. #catsoflitsy

So good! Tho, have to admit, I am not sure exactly what is happening on island B_. #dogsoflitsy #oscarassisting #tob

Part coming of age novel - part thriller this was an odd if interestingly told story of a young woman growing up in Boston the daughter of Ethiopian parents. Her life alters irrevocably when she meet Ayale, an older Ethiopian man who operates a downtown parking lot. #tob2019

#ToB2019 8/18

Up until the end I was not sure what to think of this well-written book in which an Ethiopian girl in Boston hangs out with the imposant parking lot attendant Ayale.
Their conversations are cool, their relationship is interesting. Slowly politics start taking over their personal acquintance however.
And then in the end the story suddenly really takes off - the ending did it for me.

(Pic: Skiing piste Chatel, France)

This is a coming of age story of an Ethiopian girl that hangs out with a parking lot attendant, who gets her involved with a revolution. The writing moves the story along well and the characters are relatable.

The Parking Lot Attendant takes awhile to get going, and it never really takes off. This novel is on the Tournament of Books Long List for 2019, and that and the novel‘s description caused me to give it a shot. I can‘t see it beating out any of the other novels on The List, though I‘ve only read a few of the others. The narrator of this audiobook, Bahni Turpin, is fantastic as always. Overall rating: 3.15 stars

An odd but captivating little book... It seemed to really pick up pace towards the end, I would have preferred if there was a bit more exposition because I‘m still not sure I have it all figured out? But lovely writing and I surprisingly enjoyed the ending (I don‘t typically go for endings of this kind...)

A gorgeous night for an #audiowalk. I haven‘t been doing well at all with print books during this #boutofbooks but I‘ve had lots of quality time with my audios.

Just started this 🤘🏼

Here‘s my library haul for the week!📚I picked up a few large print books and a couple YA titles! The Parking lot Attendant and Jazz Owls are tops on my TBR pile!📚

Again I‘m struggling with picking a book and sticking to it. Nothing is sounding good and I feel like I‘m wasting time!

But I did make myself a beautiful lunch filled with some of my favorite things 🥓🍃🍅🥑🥖.

Fingers crossed 🤞🏻 this one could help with this reading slump!? Any other recommendations!?

My dark and stormy lunchtime tea and library hold haul- the tagged book was a recent @Liberty rave so #BlameItOnLiberty!

Day 20 of the #Riotgrams Challenge: book you‘ve reread! I rarely used to reread books, except THE SECRET HISTORY, which I have read every year since it came out (26 times now!). But in the last couple years I have found great joy in rereading. I‘ve read MOUNT CHAR 14 times since it was released, and THE PARKING LOT ATTENDANT 3 times this year. I imprinted on these books, I love them so, and I find something new I love each time I read them. ❤️📚❤️

There were definitely things to like about this story of a young girl who becomes enamored with a mysterious man who works as a parking attendant. I loved the characters because of their over-the-top qualities. However, I was disappointed in the ending - it seemed like all of the excitement happened in the very last quarter, and there was very little resolution. I can see this writer's work improving in the future. #arc #poc ⭐️⭐️⭐️

To be honest, I‘m not exactly sure what happened in this book. Things go from vaguely suspicious to dead serious without much clarity. I was ok with the writing and the story between the father and daughter, but there was just too much left out from the plot for this to be a pick. I kept expecting more of a reveal that never came in the end.

I did not really get this book. The characters motivations and actions didn‘t always make sense to me. The writing was great tho.

1. My last 2 days of work before getting to rest until baby comes! (And shh there‘s nothing left to do at work so I‘ll be reading!)
2. Donuts but it‘s impossible to get good ones here 😭
3. Tagged. It was so so
4. Being sent home from the hospital because I was not in labour, phew!
5. My newest follower: @MoBee
#friyayintro @jesshowbooks

This book was evenly paced until the end when it all came to a head. My favorite theme is parental love, which inevitably exists even when a parent appears to be absent. The plot was twisted, but not so strange as to be impossible. And it leaves you with a cliffhanger that makes me want a sequel.

Did I leave the bar to come do this? Yep. Strange take so far.

I try to control myself when shopping for books, so I usually go to a shop with a book already in mind. I spotted these beauties while searching for "The Mothers." It was so hard not to pick these up too! I'm definitely adding these to my TBR list, as the summary of each interested me.

Congratulations @Wanderingwithwords on your milestone. Theses three are speaking to me at the moment!

#wwwmilestoneGA

I picked this up because @Liberty tweeted she‘s already read this for a second time. I knew nothing else about it going in. And it‘s like nothing else you will read. A book about fathers and daughters. And yet more. A coming of age story. Odd friendships that end badly, and revolutionaries. Beautifully written with touches of humour.
This book deserves much more attention. 5⭐️

Congratulations @BookaholicNatty - for your milestone, super amounts of fun with your bookish friends.
My top 3 TBR :-
1- The Parking Lot Attendant by Nafkote Tamirat - an immigrant story based in an undisclosed island & Boston
2- Brass by Xhenet Aliu - mothers and daughters with alternating POV.
3- The English Wife by Lauren Willig - cross Atlantic historical saga.

#Nattys25KGiveaway

This entire book has a creepy, impending doom feeling. The narrator, an unnamed high school student and Ethiopian immigrant in Boston, is a good student with a college sponsorship. And she is naive and very much an American. The ending surprised me. A good first novel. #arc

Next up for current fiction. I have no idea what to expect from this #arc

From 1-18-18: #scenesfromabook Parking Place 🚘

Book mail! It was extra exciting to get a package that really was for me!