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I think I prefer Grey Bees by Kurkov. I wasn‘t wow‘d at the ending like I was hoping. I think the comedy of this book went over my head, because I was mainly annoyed and bored with Viktor. I preferred side characters like Sergey and Sonya and didn‘t find myself caring what happened to the MC. I‘m not sure I‘ll pick up Penguin Lost. I usually enjoy deadpan dark comedies but I didn‘t find myself laughing at any part of this one.

I enjoyed this satire set in post-Soviet Ukraine, where Viktor discovers that it‘s probably wise to think about consequences, even where one doesn‘t want to ask questions.

Book 6 #SummerEndReadathon @TheSpineView
Book 11 #Rushathon @Andrew65 @DieAReader @GHABI4ROSES

My attention wavered a little with this one, but I was drawn back in by the dark humour and appreciated the role that Misha the penguin played.

☀️☀️☀️🌤

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Image cred: https://www.jacki-li.com/mr-poppers-penguins-1

Last read of the month was Death and the Penguin, off my #AuldLangSpine list from @jhod
Which was a wild ride into nihilism and my own psyche 🤪
I realized I had bought it (years ago) and never read it (shame!) and think I bought it because it reminded me… really strangely… of Mr Poppers Penguins. it is not similar 😆

Thanks for setting this up @monalyisha !

I've not been on Litsy much lately... Now that the Read Harder Challenge has been released, I've been happily plotting and planning for next year. I'm planning to do #AuthorAMonth, #Booked23, #Pop23, #RH23, #52Book, #NoShame, #AuldLangSpine, and #roll100 so far, and I'll also try to do my local library yearly reading challenge 😅 Or at least, I'll spreadsheet the f* out of them 😂 Any of the rest of you getting ambitious?

Lovely to meet you, @jhod ! I've just spent the evening most enjoyably exploring your #auldlangspine list since they are almost all completely new to me and very intriguing 😁 the five indicated are the books that struck me the most so I'll start there - the tagged looks especially fun!

I'm looking forward to getting to know you a little better @jhod - thanks for the match, @monalyisha 💖

As part of their support for Ukraine, (c8 from each sale of the book was given to Oxfam‘s Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal

#NovemberNarrative
Day 15 #Giving
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
@Eggs

Waterstones is currently hosting a Read for Ukraine appeal. On Tyranny had been on my Amazon wishlist for a while so I bought that from the available titles, and £10 from this new edition of Death & the Penguin also goes to Oxfam's Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal.

I also ordered Sea of Tranquility, but that's just an extra for me. Also pictured: my new Papier notebooks and planner ❤ Now I just need to use them to write a bestseller 😄

#

#BookCoverChallenge
Day 83.
Here I will note 365 books (or as many as I will have before I get tired) that have shaped my taste in literature. No explanations, no reviews. Just the cover of the book.
I do not challenge anyone. You are all welcome to take part.

One of the oddest books I've read... Definitely worth it. A strange tale of Soviet deaths and mysteries. Plus a penguin.

What a title.
One of the six for £1 that I couldn't resist!

The train moved back about 20 meters and then they told us they have to plow the rails in front of the train before we can leave. At this point, my office hours are shot.

We have moved about a meter in the last 15 minutes.

The train is still stopped at my station. The motor is frozen. The locomotive is frozen!!!

The boys are playing at doing radio and afterwards I am hoping they will agree to a winter-themed game. What are snow days for?

This was the first time I read a book and thought " wow, one character can highlight the longterm ffects represent an entire regime. In this case, it shows Post-Soviet Ukraine
@Moray_Reads #bookschangelivesgiveaway

Dear litsy I have been bad. I am not supposed to be buying books BUT I am in a travel freeze on my#backpackeurope tour and my new route has some places I don‘t have books for. And I am back at hospital for the day for some follow up treatment ... So I have sneaked out for an hour to get lunch and maybe got a quick trip to Daunts Books as well! (I am a sucker for 🐧!)

Satire taking place during post Soviet Ukraine, about a writer and penguin owner writes obituaries of prominent people for a local newspaper. After a number of deaths his writings gets him trouble with the local mafia. Premise more interesting than the story. Starts exciting then gets bogged down with family stuff, then ends abruptly. Maybe I didn‘t understand the references and historical contexts. 7/10

Someday I hope to read this book #setineasterneurope . #uncannyoctober

For today's #SeptemBowie prompt #AshesToAshes I present Death and the Penguin. In this black comedy the pet penguin of a Ukrainian obituary writer becomes the fashionable prop for mafia funerals.

#death #junebookbugs

I don't remember much about this book, other than it was a little slow, but overall I enjoyed it. I liked it enough to buy the sequel, even though I haven't read it, yet. 🐧

I like this book and it shows sad and cold atomosphere of communism countries, however the story happened after the collapse of the Soviet Union in Ukrain!

#whereiread #riotgrams

This takes place in the Ukraine and is about a short story writer whose day job is writing obituaries. Through his job he becomes involved with the mob, and suddenly finds himself in some serious trouble. Oh, and he has a pet penguin that lives in his bathtub! 🐧🛀 #setineasterneurope #photoadaynov16

The path to the end of this book was the good bit, unfortunately this didn't really make up for the ending being incredibly predictable and lame duck (penguin?).

This penguin has more personality than any other character in any book I've read recently, and I don't think I've even gotten to the good stuff yet.