Welcome to Litsy!

This was recommended to me by a work colleague after she was trying to suggest any book I hadn‘t read! I am so glad she suggested this one. I really enjoyed it. I had spent some time in Istanbul many years ago. This brought back so many wonderful memories! It is an amazing city to explore and Pamuk‘s book captures it perfectly. The fact I read the illustrated version was an added bonus.

In Istanbul for a few days and picked up the tagged book in a local bookshop - loved this bookish fountain in a garden spotted at the beginning of the trip (currently in a very big queue)

The books I plan on reading next week. Will also finish The Prophecy by Chris Kuzneski, which I‘m reading right now. Very excited about these books! 💕💕

Thanks for the tag @TheSpineView ! #ispy a river, well, kind of. Apparently, I own very few books with a river on the cover! This is Bosporus Strait, which was a river during the tertiary period of the Continents. (I looked it up) Close enough?

I‘ll tag @Meaw_catlady @julesG @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Kalalalatja @squirrelbrain can you find a cover with the moon on it? 🌙

I don‘t plan on reading all of these, but this is my stack I am choosing from for #nonfictionNovember #NFNov

I‘m balancing this with my remaining prompts for #pop19, delving into #teenangst for #bbrc, and hopefully reading a few of the books nominated in this year‘s GR Awards before voting ends (nominees will be announced on Nov 5).

I‘d say that‘s quite a list for the month.

100! This was the 100th book I read this year. Lovely memoir about Istanbul, its history, uniqueness, melancholy, struggles, and changes. I have read other books by this author and always enjoy reading his prose. It is poetic, creative, even, and enjoyable like a steady, soft breeze ruffling tree leaves. That's the sensation reading his books makes me feel.

"Life can't be all that bad, I'd think from time to time. Whatever happens, I can always take a long walk along the Bosphorus." - Orhan Pamuk, Istanbul

This book makes me want to #travel to Istanbul, and experience the oh so beautiful descriptions!
?: Bosphorus by Moonlight, 1874 - Ivan Aivazovsky

#QuotsyJuly18 @TK-421

Chiaroscuro [kee-ahr-ruh-skyoo r-oh]: The distribution of light and shade in a picture.

New to me word! Love the sound of it.

Orhan Pamuk is one of my favourite authors. Very excited to read this.

Wow!

Office library finds. 😀
I really wish to visit Istanbul one day. For now, it'll be through the book.

"That's the thing about books, they let you travel without moving your feet."?
Pamuk is the best person to take you around Istanbul. ???
The cover shows a snowy day in Istanbul, and I'm melting in scorching heat. ?
#traveltuesdays #nonfiction #turkey
#readingresolutions @Jess7

I like the idea of mixing your memoir with a chronicle about the city where you‘ve grown up, live and love. There were a couple of chapters I really enjoyed like the one on growing up in a non-religious family while surrounded by devout people at such a turning point in Turkey‘s history. But the book was overly morose most of the time. The word melancholic must have come up 300 times. A little too downtrodden for me.

“Desde niño me he pasado largos años creyendo en un rincón de la mente que en algún lugar de las calles de Estambul, en una casa parecida a la nuestra, vivía otro Orhan que se me parecía en todo, que era mi gemelo, exactamente igual a mí.” #firstlines

All of the numerous photos in this book were in black and white. It reinforced the most repeated word- melancholy. This was a Book Club pick, and I was looking forward to it. I admire the author, and had attended his recent lecture at U of Penn. My sister had recently visited Istanbul with her Turkish husband, and returned with a continued love of the city. This on the other hand was a sad and depressing portrayal of the City.

Started this one for one of my Book Clubs!

I just came back from Istanbul and finishing this one. Can't make up my mind about how I feel about it. But it only makes sense reading it if you have been or you plan to go to Istanbul.

It's here! I got #orhanpamuk 'a signature in my #Istanbul book. Super excited to have met him. Have you checked your local library/bookstore to see if exciting authors are visiting your town?

What are the odds?! The #NobelPrize writer you are currently reading is in your city and you get a chance to hear him speak AND get a signature from. Have you read #OrhanPamuk? I'm currently reading #Istanbul and just got #theredhairedwoman. I'll post his signature tomorrow! So excited! 💜📚🙆🏻

Writers tend to awaken feelings that you may not know exist. He describes a sense of being one with the city that never occurred to me, but as I think of the city of my childhood, I believe I know exactly what he's talking about.

I've been collecting screenshots of excellent quotes by superb authors which are displayed on the Goodreads mobile app loading screen. Put together a few of my favorites. ?

"I read a book one day and my whole life was changed."
~Orhan Pamuk

#FallIntoBooks Day 9: read this gorgeous book and bought these beautiful #Bookmarks while I was in Istanbul to conduct a two-day teacher training in 2015.

The books are coming for me and that's awesome. #IstanbulModern

Still recovering from jet lag and need coffee. Fortunately, I'm in Istanbul.

The first thing I learned at school was that some people are idiots; the second thing I learned was that some are even worse.

Istanbul: sounds so beautiful said out loud. Story of this fabled city through childhood memories.

I am a day behind, but here's my books in translation pile! I admit to not having read any of these yet. #somethingforsept

Uhm I find some parts of this book a bit boring 😆 I was hoping for a memorable memoir from one of the greatest writers from Turkey, combined with a deep description about Istanbul. Turned out, this is more like a history book about Istanbul, with glimpses of Pamuk's background. A bit unsattisfying.