Welcome to Litsy!

I really enjoyed this book. For the first few sections, I was expecting the narrator to change, or the original setting to escalate - but no, like a one-act play, a one-shot film or a monologue, I remained captive to this intriguing storyteller. It spoke to me of humanity and the way people's storylines can be misinterpreted - was he a young, heartbroken boy whose sense of self evolved through the story? Or was he a terrorist jihadi troublemaker?

I‘ve been dragging my feet on my review, as I‘m not sure what to say about this one. I enjoyed reading it, but I feel like it was a little too subtle. The structure is interesting, employing the second person effectively, but it lacked the punch I was expecting. Between pick and so-so.

A great recommendation from @Caterina , this was a fun cerebral allegory that kept me hooked the whole way through. Very human, dark, but not without elements of hope. 4/5

4 ⭐

#Pakistan #readingasia2021 @Librarybelle @BarbaraBB
#whereunpeacekeepersare #booked2021 @Cinfhen @4thhouseontheleft @BarbaraTheBibliophage
#bookspinbingo @TheAromaofBooks

Let‘s start catching up on these reviews, starting with a low pick.

This was quite a strange one - a one-sided conversation between strangers in a cafe in Lahore, Pakistan. I thought it was clever and thought-provoking and held my attention throughout- but I also felt weirdly detached from it.

I listened to the audio, which was great, but I suspect this would have been a different experience in print.

#Booked2021 #RelatedTo911

Two strangers. One cafe. One of them starts telling his story to the other, about how he studied at a prestigious university and got headhunted to an equally prestigious job.

I loved the way this story was told and the writing. I will definitely read more by Hamid.

#foodandlit #Pakistan

#BookReport

Still reading my buddy reads; Emily, Persuasion and 400 Souls.

I read the other four books.

Edit: I‘m also currently reading Broken by Jenny Lawson

‘It‘s more of a novella than a novel she said , it leaves space for your thoughts to echo‘
Space for your thoughts to echo.. I thought of what and where is home .. home as a person or a country or a familiar sight. Home as a love story these characters could not let go of.
What we become attached to and why.
Such a profoundly moving book , many poignant moments .. that will echo in my thoughts. Very beautiful & sad. All the stars
#Booked2021

I hope I like this one 🤞🏻 for #Booked2021 ... mixed reviews on Litsy.. ( just waiting on the dinner, cooking away in the oven .. nice Saturday

⭐️⭐️ An interesting concept that didn‘t quite deliver. It‘s stylistically exhausting. And an almost too obvious allegory. Changez, once a Pakistani living the “American Dream,” is now back in his home country regaling his experience to an unnamed American traveler. I was saddened by the post-9/11 racial subjugation he endured, but his knee-jerk reaction to the attacks made me incredibly sick and uncomfortable. Point taken, dude.

Finally finished my March #BooksSpin and unpopular opinion time, but this book was a total cringe fest for me. Some very important issues to explore here but I found the writing unbearably pretentious and clunky, the one-sided conversation conceit gimmicky and annoying, and the attitude toward women smarmy and shallow. Poor, broken (Am)Erica hung up on her lost love Chris(tianity) was simply more than I could take. I hoped the ‘twist‘⤵️

This was an interesting read from a perspective I‘ve not read before and made me consider things in a different light. The writing style took just a bit to get used to, but it held my attention. I can‘t say I was completely satisfied with the ending, but it also seemed perfectly appropriate.

#1001books #Reading1001 #TBRTakedown July 2020

A nice quick re-read. I remembered instantly why I liked it, the one sided conversational style is different but extremely engaging and keeps it moving at a pace. I'm sure it will get read again at some point.

A reread and a quick space filler while I wait for my new kindle. Still glorious in Scotland so needed something to read outside 📚

“It is remarkable indeed how we human beings are capable of delighting in the mating call of a flower while we are surrounded by the charred carcasses of our fellow animals—but then we are remarkable creatures.”

A re-read for school but still enjoyable

Today I‘m curled up on the couch and starting to tackle my enormous TBR pile with this book.
What is rare is I actually remember when I added this to my ever growing pile.
http://blog.ed.ted.com/2016/12/08/the-worlds-required-reading-list-the-books-tha...

Shortly after this list was published I found these at a library book sale. This year I hope to finally read them. #IHaveWaitedThreeYearsForThis #BeatTheBacklist

This book left me feeling quiet, in a good, reflective way. The way the story was told - to a stranger at a restaurant - was peculiar... not sure I liked that approach as often as it was confronted, but it was interesting regardless. The book offered perspective in a way that is not usually attended to. Uneasy ending, but one that leaves the reader only further intrigued.

On balance I really liked this. The narrator was so individual and it worked so so well as an audiobook, I loved the style of the writing and the central character. Can‘t deny I‘d have loved the only main female character to be a bit more of a person in her own right rather than an unfathomable enigma symbolising political forces but it didn‘t make it a bad book.

#wintergames #merryreaders #tbrread @Clwojick @StayCurious

"I had always thought of America as a nation that looked forward; for the first time I was struck by its determination to look back."

I was moved by this book - by the narrator's perspective on a post-9/11 America, by his pursuit of love, and by the relevance this book holds in today's #political climate. I was left wanting to discuss Erica as a #metaphor for #America as well as Hamid's ending.

#moshinhamid #thereluctantfundamentalist #quote

This was a strange one; it was compulsively readable, so much so I read it In nearly one sitting, but I felt I was missing something. I realise now that much of the central love story may be an allegory, but it was so lightly done that I didn‘t feel the main character‘s change of heart about America was fully explained or explored. I wanted more from this than it gave and was left feeling unsettled and unsatisfied.

This is a strange one. There's something that makes you keep turning the pages. I did read this in a day, but there's nothing of substance here. Even the writing seemed awfully contrived at the end, some of the analogies are so cringeworthy I was amazed how they made it in, and most importantly it's all a bit shallow. I wanted more nuance and depth, especially in the politics. A wasted opportunity IMO. 2.5 🌟
But idk why it's so readable.

First book in #24in48 #readathon & it‘s a hard one to review. Many valid observations about the assumptions we make & solid points about the imperialist attitude often found in the US. Plus a truly amazing, challenging ending that makes this book a controversial work of art. It also flat pissed me off. I heard people (via phone) dying on the morning of 9/11, so I tend to have a visceral, non-objective reaction. Still, I wholeheartedly recommend.

Hour 6 challenge includes posting the first line of your current read for #24in48 . The beard motif becomes quite symbolic as the story nears the end. While it took many pages for me to engage with this one, I‘m now quite invested.

@24in48

Only 30 minutes into #24in48, but had to pause for a doughnut break. My sweetie thought I needed supplies 🥰

@24in48

At a café in Lahore, Changez, a Pakistani, chats with an uneasy American stranger, detailing the story of his life. He was living the dream of every immigrant to the U.S. -- until 9/11/01. This is written in a fascinating narrative style -- the entire book is just Changez talking to the man, who is never quoted but whose impressions and reactions are described in a way that makes him seem like an important character.

Day 12: #adventrecommends

Okay. I better start this one already as my book club meeting is on Thursday night.

#CurrentRead
#ReadingResolutions

This was number 5 for #makemereadit. Another excellent pick. I wasn‘t fond of the narrative style at first—2nd person/one-sided conversation—and as the book went on, the narration had me on edge (perfectly so). The narrator, a Pakistani national, describes working at a prestigious NYC firm in the months leading up to & following 9/11. I‘m fascinated by unreliable narrators (or was he?) & this was perfectly executed. Wonderfully thought-provoking.

As a society, you were unwilling to reflect upon the shared pain that united you with those who attacked you. You retreated into myths of your own difference, assumptions of your own superiority. And you acted out these beliefs on the stage of the world, so that the entire planet was rocked by the repercussions of your tantrums, not least my family, now facing war thousands of miles away.

Next up for #makemereadit, as well as the last of the stack of books I brought on vacation. We‘re here till Saturday... clearly, I should have packed another couple books! But I do have 8 remaining Hoopla checkouts for the month, as well as the book I bought for myself while shopping for my swap match... I think I‘ll be okay. 😏

On sale in various formats 🎉 I don‘t care for this cover but I definitely enjoyed reading this some years ago.

This quick read has a very unique writing structure, it is basically one side of a conversation between two men, one who does all the talking. The story details his life graduating from Princeton, getting a lucrative job, becoming completely infatuated with a women..all with 9/11 as the backdrop and feeling more & more drawn back to his native Pakistan and it‘s precarious position as the US begins it‘s war on terrorism.(spoiler below)
#Reading1001

I really enjoyed this. I‘ve wanted to read it for a while. Glad I finally did.

My book for tonight while my boyfriend teaches. He had the AC on 85. In Houston. In almost August. What was he thinking?!!

I need my sleep 💤 I‘m done for today.

#24in48

First lines from my next book for #24in48 challenge: Hours 6 - Marvelous Opening Lines.

Many thanks to @Readerann for her suggestion that I read Hamid‘s other books. This book was fantastic. He has a brilliant way of highlighting what I find most troublesome about our country.

Listening to this short book by #MohsinHamid for the Diversify challenge on the Goodreads #Reading1001 books group. I am more than halfway through and it is excellent.

#1001books #audiobook

A very thought provoking book which slowly pulls the reader into a personal allegorical story about falling in love with America and then slowly rejecting that dream. The narrator tells his story through a delightfully written monologue addressed to an American stranger in a home town cafe in Pakistan. The ending is both obvious and completely ambiguous.

I may have packed a little heavy for my trip home this summer... 🤔📚💝

Another read from last summer which I loved! #4newfavesin4days #day4

I'm really looking forward to reading Exit West and his previous novels :)

Have you read this @Cinfhen ? Thanks for such a fun challenge! Let's do it again soon. 💜

Reading by flashlight isn‘t as fun as they make it seem in the movies. Maybe the power will be back on tomorrow 😕

#99ponkindle #kindledailydeals Different from my usual choices, but trying to branch out. Maybe this could help me out of my slump?

#NuYear #America

I love it when a $4 B&N bargain turns out to be a 5-star read. This had me right from the start. Since Litsy is about brief reviews, I‘ll just say this book is gripping fiction which made me think hard about some complex issues (always a winning combination, in my opinion). #1001books

Today‘s #bookhaul! The top two are my husband‘s, the rest are mine. Can‘t resist Half Price Books and their clearance shelves... it‘s just a good thing we have limited room in the suitcase going home!