Welcome to Litsy!

I just read this book last month for #SouthKorea for #foodandlit, a harsh look at Korea before and after World War II and the relationship of the two Koreas from the eyes of courtesans. The ebook is currently on sale

A Korean hunter saves a Japanese soldier from a tiger. The story follows the hunter‘s son and the soldier, and the many people‘s lives touched by them both during the Japanese occupation of Korea, but especially the son‘s great love, courtesan Jade. This is a deep dive into the dreadful occupation and how Korean‘s survived and the aftermath. It‘s an excellent read if a little slow. I especially loved how it ended on the island of Jeju, since I ⬇️

So perfect when my #foodandlit choice describes the food. Here‘s a breakfast in #SouthKorea. @Catsandbooks

Daughter and I take turns completing a bag of Legos building the Natural History Museum. When it‘s her turn I‘m reading the tagged book. #SouthKorea #foodandlit @Catsandbooks

I started this book tonight, my second for #SouthKorea for #foodandlit @Catsandbooks

I‘ve been book shopping at a couple of HPBs the last two weekends, so beware, loads of photos to come. But first, I bought this one for my second (I‘m currently reading Pachinko) #SouthKorea book for #foodandlit. @Catsandbooks

I love an absorbing historical drama and this one did not disappoint.

A solid debut, I‘ll probably read more by this author, but a book that reads like a debut—a little more editing would have gone a long way to solve most of the problems, chief of which was stilted dialog. That being said, this story of life in occupied Korea, from 1917 to after WWII, which revolves around a group of courtesans provides a fascinating glimpse into the fight for independence & the lengths people went to in order to achieve it.

I still have a few days before I head home but we‘re done excavating and my report is written. Schedule is much easier now as it will mostly be all research all the time…when I‘m not reading something for fun. Time to dive back into this one!

While excavating, wake-up is 3:45am (so we can quit work in the field before the hottest part of the day) which means I‘m often in bed by…well…right about now. 8:30 or so. But tonight I‘m going to stay up late and squeeze in a chapter or two! 8:45 here I come! 😂 I started it yesterday and so far it‘s very entertaining.

Had fun walking and talking with my daughter and picking out some new books this morning. A couple of ARCs too. Today‘s trip to the bookstore was a good one.

What a heart breaking wonderful story. I wanted it to end in a different way ☹️ A book about how life is great even in it's messiness.

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks
#MarchMadness #MarchMadnessBingo @DieAReader @Andrew65

Sitting and reading in the library (formerly a screened in porch) with my favorite dog on my lap.

I absolutely loved this debut! 🥰
This story takes place in Korea intertwining the lives of orphan JungHo, introduced to as a street kid; and Jade, a young girl whose parents sold her to a courtesan school. It‘s a story of destinies, friendships, love and enemies. #pop22 ~ a book with a tiger on the cover @KarenUK @Cinfhen @Kalalalatja @Megabooks @4thhouseontheleft @BarbaraBB @Laughterhp @RaeLovesToRead @jenniferw88 @squirrelbrain

The sky was white and the earth was black, like at the beginning of time before the first sunrise. Clouds left their realm and descended so low that they seemed to touch the ground. Giant pines loomed in and out of the ether. Nothing stirred or made a sound.

#FridayReads #FirstLineFridays

A wonderful book that follows the life of a young girl in Korea as she navigates through the life she's been born into. Her world changes drastically as the Japanese core to Korea and people are fighting to survive. Beautifully written i enjoyed this book!

https://youtu.be/JT5oAOeANiI

A playlist of all episodes in the Bite-sized Book Chat series: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLU-61cZp1pQdBH5V0Zb9q-2ujl4PY8nhf

Chat #1: Kim of Native Lady Book Warrior! from the Hopi Nation, living in the Navajo Nation, Arizona

Beasts of a Little Land by Juhea Kim

This debut novel tells the compelling story of Korea‘s struggle for independence during the Japanese occupation. Through the decades (from early 20th c. to the 1960s), several characters lives‘ are unexpectedly woven together in a vivid tapestry rife with seams of heartbreak, fragility, loss, and betrayal. Beasts is an intriguing portrait of a tumultuous time in Korean history when the nation‘s very existence was at stake.🔸#decemberreads2021

Going to be contemplating this for a while. I‘m not sure I completely agree, but it‘s one of those provocatively absolute reflections that prompts me to make my own reflection, and it‘s worthwhile for that alone.

Couldn‘t resist starting this new read tonight with an almond milk steamer in my fave holiday mug. Honestly it‘s been tough for me to get into a holiday mood this year, as I‘m feeling so shell-shocked and burned out from 2021. But a brand new hardcover and Jack Skellington‘s winsome grin are helping a bit. 🎄🎁

This is my very first book from the Page 1 Books subscription that I splurged on for my birthday. Kudos to Page 1: they managed to find a title I haven‘t heard of, and at the same time they‘ve checked a lot of my like boxes: historical Asian fiction by an Asian woman author. I‘m so excited to read this new release, and I‘m very much looking forward to a new year full of surprise books coming my way! 🤩📚#pageonebooks

Beasts is beautifully told and while the story moves along slowly, I feel the pacing suits the tale perfectly. Along the way, we meet characters who are plainly human, never truly heroic, often hurting each other, sometimes loyal to a point that is detrimental to their own well-being. Juhea Kim never aims to comfort the reader. She conveys something brutal and breathtaking, all the while making it heartbreakingly authentic.

So many words could be exchanged between people without any real desire to know one another. But with the right person, one could speak much or not at all, and feel completely connected.

MyungBo had long been fascinated by how nearly everyone considered themselves honest. People were wonderfully clever and subtle when they needed to rationalize their actions, and so quick-witted that they didn‘t even realize they were fooling themselves.

Jude can‘t actually see, but if he could, I‘m sure he‘d think this book looks great!

Lovely and melancholy historical fiction. I wanted fewer characters and a little more subtlety and depth between the main characters, but ultimately it was a solid and ambitious debut novel.

1/3rd of the way through this. Still deciding how I feel about it. But can we talk about this cover?! I wanted to read this before I knew anything about it just because of the cover! Comes out in December. Will post review when I‘m finished reading it.

This book is excellent. It is historical fiction set in Korea. There was a lot going on there and the author creates these lovely and real characters and she navigates them through the turmoil. If you liked Pachinko or books by Lisa See, this is probably for you.

#DoubleSpin done
@TheAromaofBooks

#Ecco #Netgalley #ARC
Pub date is 12/7/2021

Trust me, just read this book! Out in December 2021.