Welcome to Litsy!

“Nonso, you have destroyed yourself because of me,” Ndali says to her lover just before he sells his chicken farm and faces a new life in Cyprus — one filled with unexpected suffering, dealt cruelly by others. When Chinonso returns to Nigeria, there‘s nothing left of him. While one can understand Nonso for fighting fire with fire, Orchestra suggests grace is found in those who quietly accept their fate, who find others in need, and wail with them.

It‘s hard to rate this one because I appreciated the originality of it and the writing, but I found it difficult to actually ‘settle‘ into it; as daft as it might sound I knew I was reading a book rather than being immersed in the story itself. It has a lot of themes running through it, the main one being betrayal and I liked the protagonist but in general it was a so-so read. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

As the narrative unfolds from one misfortune to the next we are asked to consider if Chinonso is the victim of fate or master of his own destruction. Despite the pleading from his Chi I struggled to sympathise with him (or anyone else). The writing felt heavy but it has received a lot of praise, this book just wasn‘t for me. 3/10

The writing of this book is at times truly beautiful and other times I find myself having reread paragraphs to make sense of them. I can‘t tell if I enjoy that about the book or if the slow-burn style of the book lets it down in some way. I still feel it‘s a book I must persist with to find out. #BookerBook

And so 2020 begins.

#BookNDinner! One of my favorite dishes 😁! Accompaniment this warm and drizzly afternoon: angel hair pasta in a garlic white clam sauce, garden salad with olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette, marinated mozzarella balls and black olives, and sparkling lime water. MMMmmmm 😋! Happy reads & happy eats! 😎👌🏻

#BookNDessert! What happens when you have #Greek landlords? You inevitably get lots of delicious authentic homemade Greek food 😆😌. Like these magnificent desserts 😁👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻🤤! Cookies and cake baked for the holidays. MMMmmmm 😋!

#BookNDinner! I went simple this evening. Accompaniment this cold and still night was: penne in four-cheese sauce with chopped garlic cloves, garden salad with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette, buttered honey wheat bread, and sparkling mineral water. MMMmmm 😋! This has been another presentation of: #MrBookKitchen. Happy reads & happy eats! 😎👌🏻

#BookNBrunch! Accompaniment this frigid and brighter afternoon was: pancakes, corned beef hash, scrambled eggs, and hot tea. MMMmmm 😋! Happy reads & happy eats 😎👌🏻

#BookNDessert! After I get some writing done, I‘m reading this excellent book, sipping some Earl Grey, and chowing down on some chocolate chip cookies 🍪 😋. I saw the awesome @megzlynn ‘s post of baked cookies and went 😳🤤🙈. 😆

As always, this has been another presentation of...: #MrBookKitchen. 😎👌🏻

#BookNDinner! Accompaniment this cold and icy evening: meatloaf in brown gravy, #TATERTOTS(!!!), carrots , and lime sparkling water. MMMmmm 😋! This has been another presentation of: #MrBookKitchen. Happy reads & happy eats! 😎👌🏻

I tag “The Tater Tot King” when I have them, but I feel compelled to tag ACoM this time because this book is aMAZing!!! I‘m only three chapters in, but WOW! This book is incredible so far! 👍🏻👍🏻

Book mail!! 😁

I really thought I‘d like this one, and it pains me to give it a Pan, but it just didn‘t work for me. What sounds like an interesting concept of the narrator being the MC‘s “chi” turns out to be an excuse for verbose lectures that slow up an already slow-burn story - it sits alongside Midnight‘s Children as a book in need of better editing. Meanwhile, the MC himself is a man-child who blames everyone else for his own stupid decisions

Just finished the last 1/4 of The Lost Empress by Steve Robinson, and about to break into this one #24b4Monday #Readathon

This was a very frustrating read for me. I think I could have really liked it, and at times I did, it‘s just that I felt like my shoes kept getting stuck in the mud. It is slow, but not the kind that is quietly building tension or atmosphere, it‘s the kind where you feel stuck in details and are just dying for the story to get moving again. #BookerPrize Shortlist 6/6

Met Chigozie Obioma tonight!

This wasn‘t an easy book to read - it‘s written in Igbo traditional style so the story is told from the POV of the MC‘s chi (or soul).

It‘s also quite a depressing read, about a man who is rejected by his girlfriend‘s family, due to his social status, and all of the terrible things that befall him as a result.

I wouldn‘t say I enjoyed it, but I am glad that I read it....

This is a book which drew me into the story of a Nigerian man Chinoso whose chance encountee with a woman who is about to throw herself of a bridge changes the course of life completely. I was captured by his trials and tribulations which are narrated by his igbo spirit who has visited many lives over centuries. I loved the folklore and culture and feel that if it won the booker it would show that the prize is not purely American/ British centric

#booked2019 21newin2019
@Cinfhen @BarbaraTheBibliophage @4thhouseontheleft
#manbooker2019
My second of the shortlist and i have 2 others in reserve at library. Im halfway through and i am living every misfortune that falls upon poor Chinoso so this scene where a group of children mob him mistaking him for Ronaldinho and he then is overwhelmed by sadness just floored me.
So far i am enjoying it a lot.

First, this really captured me. Beautiful setting. And even though I could see the accidents coming, still they got to me. Even as I learned of Chinonso‘s flaws, still I was taken in by his elegant, if limited, restraint.

The rest is 👇

“But I must render it all in as much detail as I can” - oh, how I wish you wouldn‘t. This was too long, with too many digressions which took me out of a story I had trouble enough following. Obioma‘s writing is beautiful, but it wasn‘t enough to save the experience for me. It is a shame, because I loved The Fishermen

#BookerPrize2019

My kind of Friday night 👌

Also, I‘m so ready to be finished with this book. I‘m sure it is great, but I‘m not feeling it #TooFarToBail

First book from #booker2019 shortlist finished! Unfortunately, I hated it. Verbose and trying way too hard to be tragic and dramatic. Also, the author often seemed more concerned with demonstrating Igbo mythology than creating sympathetic characters. Finally, any comparisons to The Odyssey are really missing the mark. There was some lovely prose in places, but it was often hard to find among the weeds. 2⭐️

Sitting down to read for the first time this week. Getting back to work has drained all my energy, but I‘m hoping to get through a few chapters tonight before I fall asleep 🤞

#currentlyreading

The shortlist is out!

Finally starting this book, which I have been looking forward to for so long!

#BookerPrize2019 #currentlyreading

This book reminds me that we all have our share of hardships. We need to harbor kindness & foster love to each other—especially in the recent wake of terror & violence around the world. I hope we can open our hearts & help lessen suffering for each other & seek change for the better.

Trying this, which is on the Booker Long List. Interesting start, narrated by a character‘s Chi - who seems so far to have a mild hidden influence on his subject.

It's a gorgeous day out here!! I'm not sure how much I'll be able to read with this library copy. Two other books are coming in today with 7-day limits on both! 😜 So this may get out aside until I read through those.

While I enjoyed this initially, I lost interest after the first few chapters & by the time I got to chapter 6, I was dreading picking this up. It‘s either not the right time or not the right book for me, so it‘s going back to the library.

⭐️⭐️
Booker 4 / 13

I am going to assume this novel is an exposé of toxic masculinity rather than the alternative read : one that is asking me to sympathise with this man's actions.

The fact that I remain unsure after 512 pages, concerns me.

From perspective of the writing technique this book is perfect. Interesting story, perfect blend of old/traditional beliefs with the modern world, dynamic structure, deep characterization, main themes runs smoothly through the narration ... but I didn‘t liked the narrator - chi, spiritual guide. His almost pleading undertones in his voice was too dramatic for me, although I think that the narrator, as a plot device, is a brilliant choice. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Not sure if this has been posted or how long the offer is on!

By the fourth month after the encounter with the woman on the bridge, my host had almost ceased grieving. It was not that he was happy now, for even the hems of the garments of his brightest days were fringed with threads of sorrowful darkness. It was that he was alive again, open to the possibilities of happiness.

It‘s an extraordinary journey this man goes on , his chi - his gaurdian spirit. ..narrates the story & refers to the farmer ( MC ) as his host , there is no human narrator.
I felt the story very strongly.
“ We imprison them & kill them when we want because they are not so powerful “
An orchestra of minorities - they can only wail & cry. Now , he did go on a bit towards the end , but still, it was 5 ⭐️ #Booked2019 #Personofcolormcparanormal

I had lived among mankind long enough to know that loneliness is the violent dog that barks interminably through the long night of grief.

It‘s a strange name for a bag, so I googled it ... Some interesting history facts from my current read https://medium.com/the-original-impostor/where-does-ghana-must-go-come-from-a2df...

I started this thinking I was only dipping in ... and I‘d see ... more than halfway now & the story telling is holding me ... I‘m reading on .. sometimes I‘m not even sure why .... but it flows & I can‘t put it down , I havnt stopped to think why I even like it , too caught up in the story 😊

I went on a bit of a #manbooker binge at the library. Which to read first??

#friyayintro @howjessreads

1. Recommended this beauty out today
2. I saw the live broadcast of the Lehman Trilogy in the cinema yesterday and it was breathtakingly good. I recommend it sooooo much if it‘s being broadcast near you in August
3. Magnum ice creams, slightly burnt home barbecued hot dogs with too much ketchup, pimms and fruity cider
4. Five, I guess it‘s a pretty average number of cousins to have?
5. Will do 💖

What a fantastic book! I was completely sucked in by the tale of Nonso. Honestly, I‘ve seen and read movies and books that purport to be based on the Odyssey. This book, however, felt like the Odyssey.

3.5/5
The writing and story is very interesting and original. Being narrated by his Chi (guardian spirit) was a unique perspective. But parts of that got repetitive in my opinion. I loved the Nigerian setting. Overall I enjoyed the story and there is a lot beautiful language throughout. Reading this authors writing you need to brace yourself, it will be an emotional ride.

Just picked up some #bookmail from a sweet Litten ❤️

Thank you so much @Cinfhen for your kindness and generosity - I‘m beyond excited for the tagged book, since I loved The Fishermen. It will be interesting to see what I think of the Fuller book, but I‘m hopeful 🤞

While some authors write books, the truly gifted tell stories. Chigozie Obioma is one of those rare storytellers. Using African myth and beloved proverbs, Obioma crafts a spectacular tale of destiny and fulfillment. It‘s an epic quest that will leave you spent and aching, Although it was a bit too long, this book was still stellar and a 4 star read. Second book completed for #BFC Day4

Part Two of this tale was a little off the rails 🙄Hoping Part Three pulls this story back on track. As for my #BFC I‘m pleased to report I‘m reaching my daily goals and feeling pretty good💪🏼Hope my challenge buds are all staying strong 🙌🏻❤️‼️

#StarTrekSummerMay Sometimes #TheEnemy is only yourself. This book is so good. I‘m loving the Nigerian folklore and the proverbs scattered throughout the pages. Chinonso is a simple man, with a big heart and pleasing nature. Through a series of unexpected events his life becomes a story of calamity. Equal parts hilarity and heartbreak. I‘m halfway in and totally hooked.

Fantastisk läsning.

Apparently my out of control book stacks give the best vantage point for Ozzie to survey the backyard. (This mess is on one of the chairs at the kitchen table.) #catsoflitsy