Welcome to Litsy!

At the college where I work, the campus bookstore is having their annual pre-inventory sidewalk sale, so I got a new t-shirt and a couple books (only $1 each!). I figured it was a well deserved reward after a good annual review this morning.

I quite liked this little novel and it made me rage at the way my country prides itself on the American Dream where anyone can pull themselves up by their bootstraps and make a better life for themselves and their family, while simultaneously vilifying people who have heard this fantasy and come here trying to do just that. My only complaint is that it wasn‘t longer. At less than 200 pages, I didn‘t get to live with this family long enough.

This one needed to be much longer. Lots of character development with no real resolution to the identity crises posed by the various characters.

This is a hard book for me to review. As the child of a Colombian immigrant, and someone who has spent more time in Colombia traveling than anywhere else, I appreciated the realistic but loving depiction of the country. This slim story incorporates themes of immigration, family separation and reunion, and the elusive American Dream. However, as much as I was emotionally moved at times, I also felt very frustrated by some of the plot contrivances.

February was not a great reading month. Between my bachelorette party, coming down with food poisoning, and a shorter than average month, it was never going to be great.

I finished 6 titles total; two of those were the new issues of Saga and one was a

I liked it but I didn't absolutely love it. Especially in the last part of the book, when it switched narrators and then ended with that, I found it a bit disjointed. The content is moving even if the writing isn't always stellar. ⭐⭐⭐

January #BookSpinBingo card - I almost completed one bingo line, but didn‘t quite get there. I finished my #Doublespin (Upgrade), but didn‘t quite finish Infinite Country. It‘s hitting a bit too close to home for me, so I‘m gonna need to take that one slow, even though it‘s very short.

Excited to post my February card soon; since I‘m participating in #Loveathon, it‘s going to be full of romance from my #TBR!

I read this for work. It‘s one of the Top 11 Titles for the 2023 One Maryland One Book program. This book chronicles the journey of a mixed immigration status family fractured between the US & Colombia. There are points of view from all 5 of the family members. This is well written & shows the hardships endured by families. There was hardly any foul language & there is a brief rape scene. It‘s a shorter, but powerful read.

Better late than never…

Here‘s my #BookspinBingo card. #Bookspin is Infinite Country and #Doublespin is Upgrade.

I like the importance of writing from this perspective to highlight the issues of migration forced or chosen just prefer a non-fiction account in memoir form versus fiction. Opt instead for Beautiful Country: A Memoir from Qian Julie Wang

An emotional read. It brought up questions of deportation, what it‘s like to live away from your family, living in a country where you are undocumented etc all through interesting characters and vivid scenery. I loved it. I enjoyed the chapters from the point of view of the children growing up in America too - would have liked to hear more from their perspective.

Thanks so much for this one Helen 💕

I was enamored from the first line.
Absolutely love Engel's writing and will be reading all of her backlist.
I enjoyed the story, the focus on immigration and how government status can shape a life and a family. I enjoyed all of the characters and their views. One thing that didn't work for me was the change up in POV towards the end, book would be much stronger with an overseer or 1-2 narrators.

Ohhhh how I wish I had started this in time for First line Friday because this is delicious.

"It was her idea to tie up the nun."

Not a perspective you get often in the Western world, but an important one to humanization.

Thank you @squirrelbrain for the birthday card (love it ❤️) and book - it sounds fascinating and right up my street 😘

Thank you @kaysworld1 for the lovely card 😘

I just finished this audio and I am just blown away. For such a small book, it really packs a punch. Timely and intimate look at how difficult our immigration process is, how complicated, and the things people go through to live in the US, while also pointing out how imperfect this country is and is it actually better/safer? Loved it, beautiful writing. #bookspinbingo #bookspin

This was a short but powerful book. I wasn‘t prepared for the sexual assault but I‘m glad I read this book.

It takes a look at migrating to America and then what it‘s like to live in America and be “undocumented”. This also switches perspectives to Talia still in Columbia trying to make her away across the county. So you visit a lot of towns in Columbia as she makes her journey.

#AwesomeApril
#Thingsincommon

Behind on reviews, but here is where I‘m at for #ThingsInCommon

Such a great book. Really paints a picture of the immigrant struggle.

This year's first ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ read. I'm 2nd generation Mexican American and grew up in a border town and this book hit close to home and brought tears to my eyes. Many of my family and friends have lived through the struggles written about in this book. I thought it was done really well and spoke to true experiences.

So I‘m torn on this book. I think it being a novel was where it went wrong for me. This is a book that had a lot to say, but for the first 2/3 of the story, it‘s at a detriment to the characters. The plot and character development felt like it took a backseat. I didn‘t feel anything for any of the characters really until almost the end but not because I didn‘t want to. It just felt like they were held at arms length. ⬇️⬇️

I really liked this, but perhaps not as much as I‘d hoped from other Litsy reviews. I expected it to be knocking on the door of my #top21of2021 but instead it was more of a solid 8 out of 10.

I loved learning a bit about Colombia, and appreciated the balanced view of immigration to the US. However I thought the ending was a bit rushed, and was perhaps a bit too positive to be realistic.

Thank you for the #buddyread @BarbaraBB 😘

It‘s hard to review this book. It captures so well how it must be to live undocumented in a new country with half of your family in the country you left. The dilemma: going back or staying? Both options have risks, both have advantages. So I was engaged by the theme but not so much by the storytelling.
I am happy to have read it though, especially for the parts set in Colombia, a country of which I have fond memories.

(Pic: Kronberg, Germany)

These may well be my favorite sentences of the book. The reality of immigrants in half a page. Wow 💔

I made a start on this today @BarbaraBB and loving it so far.

I‘m already around halfway through; didn‘t have any work to do and pup was being a bit of a menace all day so I listened to some on audio and read some, whilst trying to keep an eye on him!

A short and impactful novel about a family dealing with deportation, separation, and loneliness. My daughter lived in Colombia for several years and the writing brought me right back to the scenery, climate, and statues of the Virgin in grottos. Will the family ever be able to unite? It was an unexpectedly emotional read for me.

Starting this one next. In a very rare happenstance I have both fatbutt and mr. Frank on my lap at the same time. Mr. Frank is usually too grumpy to let fatbutt stay but today he‘s indifferent 🤣 🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛🐾🐾

A brief stop off at the library to return some books and here we are. Unexpected good fortune. Some Litsy-recommended, some librarian-recommended, and Jenny Lawson is always a go-to for me. It‘s a great day.

#AmReading #TOB2022longlist #bookConnections #coinkydink
“…she birthed half-avian chicks” #birdbaby LINK! To Chouette

What a surprise! Dear Liz, I‘m ridiculously happy with this book! It‘s longlisted for the ToB, it‘s about Colombia and it‘s a beautiful edition! Thank you so much for your friendship and kindness! Please tell me when is your birthday 🙏 (I don‘t think you‘re on the Litsy calendar)!
PS how clever to order it via a Dutch bookstore!
😘😘

Book 129

I listened to Infinite Country by Patricia Engel, a story about a family separated by an ocean because of deportation. It's a quick and slightly confusing read. 3.5 stars

#BookSpinBingo September @TheAromaofBooks

I understand why this book receives such wonderful praise. 💚 It's a gorgeous piece of literature with complex themes about home and family.

I loved this book, although it did break my heart several times while reading, but trust me, in the end it was worth it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A testament to our common humanity, the duality of immigration, and that the most important part of the place you call home is the people who share it with you. The narrator reveal and switch to a first-person perspective later on felt clunky and the writing style made me feel a bit emotionally distant. However, this slim novel gives readers a lot to think about, has many beautiful lines, and is well worth the time. #reesesbookclub

My September list. I can't wait to see what numbers are drawn tomorrow for #BookSpin and #DoubleSpin. @TheAromaofBooks

Interwoven with Colombian mythology, this is a beautiful look at the complex and sometimes contradictory nature of "home". The "author-as-narrator" device is somewhat clumsily done, introduced out of the blue in chapter 19, but the rest of the book is strong enough to withstand that. I alternated between the hardcover and the audiobook, and it was interesting to hear the audio narrator struggle with tears in some sections.

Made a couple of by-request masks for my son while listening to the tagged book. I'm tempted to seek out more projects to do so I have an excuse to listen to more of it. 🤔

5⭐️ || Honest and stunning... a story about family, immigration, and hope. An excellent read!

Wow, I LOVED this book. Even though it spanned more than three decades, you felt so close to the action it was like you felt the character‘s breath on your cheeks. It was also just painfully contemporary without feeling cheap—a little window into how we will all be remembered.

Quick insightful read

This is so interesting. It's about a family that half lives in the US and the others live in Columbia. Some are legal US citizens and others are afraid of being deported. This was my July #bookclub pick. I definitely recommend it. The #audiobook is also good. It is really short.

#DoubleSpin done!
@TheAromaofBooks

Really loved this one. I feel it‘s a fresh perspective on home and belonging.

This was so good! Short, with multiple perspectives from time and locations, this novel about a family in Colombia and the US. Beautiful writing, inclusion of Columbia‘s folklore, and exposing of the undocumented struggles, combine to create a great read.

This was so good. A strong own voice novel that manages to drive so many points home while telling a story of love and family that makes you want to scream sometimes but also makes you feel warm inside. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Hopefully, a book that will inspire some empathy in Reese‘s Book Club readers. Unfortunately, I know that the circumstances of the family in this slim novel are ones faced by many. I love fiction for the way it can help readers see the humanity in others. At times sad, but not without hope. Side note: I‘m enjoying these shorter novels that get things done in less pages! 💪 (big books are awesome, too!)

26/100, 4☆, I enjoyed this short book very much. It took a little while to get used to the style of writing, which seemed a bit disconnected and kind of stream of consciousness, but once I did I really got into the story and had to know what was going to happen next. The ending was a beautiful wrap up that perfectly tied together all the themes and highlighted the deeper meaning of the story.

This is a book to read slowly to savor the eloquence. It is beautifully written and addresses horrible commonalities illegal immigrant families face each day. #reesesbookclub

This book was such an honest look at the immigration experience for a Colombian family fractured and divided until against all odds they could reunite again. The story is concise, beautiful and horrifying but most importantly thoughtful. This one will stay with me for a while.

I keep forgetting to review this book, which says all you need to know about how I feel about it - not memorable. I just can‘t explain why. On paper, it is a good book - great writing, interesting themes of immigration, belonging and family, and mythical elements. I just couldn‘t connect to the story or characters at all 🤷‍♀️

#DoubleSpin
#Pop21 - A book set in multiple countries