Welcome to Litsy!

Nine books for May! It was very hard to pick a favorite book for May but if forced to, I‘d pick the tagged book. Followed by a tie between Queen of the South and Sea of Tranquility. Four books this month for #Spain #foodandlit. Two books for #authoramonth. Two for #readingOceania #Palau and #NewZealand and of course all of them for #litsyatoz but mostly for #letterQ and #letterY

During dictator Franco‘s reign in #Spain, life was extraordinarily hard for average citizens but especially those whose parents fought on the “wrong side” during the Spanish Civil War. It‘s the 1950s, and along comes a Texas teen Dan whose dad wants to enter the oil business with Franco. But Dan has a huge heart and empathy and falls for a hotel maid. We learn her family‘s stories through various family members and friends and they are heart-

Heavens, what a great book!! Review to come. #Spain #foodandlit @Catsandbooks

Another exciting Saturday evening

My daughter and I tried Toro, a Spanish (as opposed to Mexican) food restaurant for #foodandlit. It was extraordinary! We had montaditos (queso de cabra frito) which knocked our socks off. Then we shared baguette sandwiches (jamón serrano with manchego cheese and cochinita pibil) and salads, and for dessert, torrijas. Toro was a brilliant find and a new restaurant for our list of places to go like last month‘s Venezuelan restaurant. #Spain

I‘m on a business trip so dining alone at Olive Garden. A chance by myself to read!

As a Texas Longhorn I‘m not sure I can tolerate a book where a character is going to A&M. The Longhorns have what they believe to be a healthy rivalry against Texas A&M, but I‘ve learned recently from parents whose kids go there, A&M actually has a Freshman orientation about how much they have to hate the Longhorns. It‘s really weird and a lot of wasted energy to encourage hate. 😕

#foodandlit #Spain @Catsandbooks

#5joysFriday

1) daughter moved back home from college
2) son‘s rocket ship has been assembled and awaiting finishing touches to take off in White Sands, NM next month
3) son got awards in senior awards ceremony today for grades and for guitar 🎸
4) cuddles from my kitty 🐈‍⬛ during reading time
5) starting a new #foodandlit country: Spain! 🇪🇸

#two4Tuesday Thanks @TheSpineView for the tag!

1) A collection of short stories called A Tortoise for the Queen of Tonga

2) Tagged, because every book I‘ve read by this author is so good

My first book for May‘s country #Spain #foodandlit @Catsandbooks

This was a re-read for book club and I loved it just as much the 2nd time as the first. Looking forward to our discussion tomorrow.

Incredible historical fiction novel that I enjoyed on audio bringing light to the thousands of babies stolen from families in Spain during Franco's rule.

I wish this wasn't YA

I think the book tackles many important issues w/ Franco's Spain. It is a part of history that is not spoken about enough. The support that America gave the dictator, church corruption, stolen babies, the demonization of republican people.

The story takes on these important and interesting topics, but it all felt a bit too juvenile for me, if this had been written w/ an adult tone & language I would have enjoyed it more.

oh boy... I have been super intimidated by The Three Body Problem, but I did hear a movie was being made, so need to get on it!

#bookspin
The Fountains of Silence
#doublespin
The Three Body Problem

@thearomaofbooks

Page turner historical fiction novel placing a love story in 1957 Madrid under the fascist dictatorship. Although persecutions and abuses continue and the population is reduced to silence and fear, foreign tourists and businessmen continue to visit the country. Among them is the son of an American oil magnate travelling with his parents to discover his mother's native country through photography, and remains irrevocably connected to Spain.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Ruta Septys is an amazing author. She tells stories about lesser know moments in history. She breaks your heart in the most beautiful way.

Wonderful descriptive prose set this novel apart from most other historical fiction out there. Add to that a compelling story, along with complex characters and this book is hard to put down. Highly informative. If your are a fan of this genre, be sure to put this on your TBR list. 4⭐️

Lovely story. I especially liked that the story had so much real history intertwined with it. At the heart it is a romance story and coming-of-age story. But there is a bit of drama that moves the plot forward effortlessly. The prose was descriptive but not overly verbose and I felt like I was in Madrid too. Daniel and Ana are wonderful characters and I so wanted everything to work out for them. Yet, the story felt not quite complete. 4⭐️

This is a fascinating look at life in Franco‘s Spain. But it‘s written like how you‘d expect a YA novel to read—if you hadn‘t read good YA novel.

So far the characters seem simple, even though their lives aren‘t.

I‘m judging it extra harshly. I just spent too much time trying to install a new thermostat and it still isn‘t working. 😤

#FirstLineFriday @ShyBookOwl

"They stand in line for blood."

Finished up the #reversereadathon with this audiobook, and decorating my planner.

#BookMoods @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs
#Silence

This was longer than it needed to be and had too many POVs for my taste, but it was still good. After reading this, I realize that I know next to nothing Spain's history and need to learn more.

Valentines‘s date ♥️ with my honey at one of my favorite date spots. The tagged book was $5 with cafe purchase! Win-win! #barnesandnoble #caramellatte #blueberrymuffin

Mixed feelings. I liked the setting & learning more about Spain during Franco‘s rule. I didn‘t care for the multiple POVs or the ridiculously short chapters. Each chapter was a different POV & since most chapters were max 2 pages, it was hard to connect with the characters in this character-driven story.

This was my January #roll100 roll 1 book
#pantone2022
#roaringwolf hearts & flowers

#wondrouswednesday

1. All of them! 😆

2. No. I‘m on a self-imposed book-buying ban, so no buying any new books until I get my TBR bookcase to 20. Only 192 to go! 🎉

3. (1) Tagged, (2) Waiting for a Scot Like You, & (3) The Agony & the Ecstasy

A 3-for-1 post. And proof that I really do have a TBR bookcase. 😆

1️⃣ the first 25 are my #bookspin list
2️⃣ the entire list is for #roll100 – the tagged is my first roll book
3️⃣ and my reading resolution: no book buying until I have less than 20 unread on my bookcase.

And I still have another dozen books to plug into the open slots as I take one off the shelf.

#silence #gratefulharvest @Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Sooo the lies we tell ourselves… such as I‘m not buying anymore books! I‘m just going to shop my shelves. And then 42 books later- which includes this Ruta Sepetys book- I‘m trying to imagine reconfiguring my bookshelves which will now contain the majority of my 2210 books! Sigh! Does anyone else have this problem? #bookaddict #bookworm #bookaholic

Finished The Fountains of Silence yesterday. It‘s my least favorite of Ruta Sepetys‘s books. To be fair, I have given her other books 5 stars, and I still liked this one. It made me want to learn more about Spain under Franco.

Daniel, a rich kid from Dallas goes to Spain and meets Ana, a hotel worker assigned to his family.

I‘m terrible at summarizing books but I would recommend this book and author to anyone who likes historical fiction. I think this one is my favorite so far. I have one more to read and can‘t wait until her new one comes out in February, I believe.

All of the characters were dynamic and well-developed. I felt invested in all of their stories especially Daniel and Ana's story. I also enjoyed the added aspect of the mystery about the dead babies, empty coffins, and babies being stolen. I had no idea that this happened in real life, so I appreciated how Sepetys portrayed this. All in all the novel felt very authentic. I have read all of Sepetys's books and I think this is her best work by far!

#JulyJourneys #Spain
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs

Madrid, 1957. Under the fascist dictatorship of General Francisco Franco, Spain is hiding a dark secret....This is so good

#spain #julyjourneys @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

I just finished Fountains of Silence and loved it! It was beautifully written and atmospheric, and I really liked all of the characters. I found some parts to be slightly anti-climactic, but it was such an enjoyable read that I didn't mind.

Saturday night 😍

Have you read this? If so, what did you think?

#currentlyreading

Thanks for the tag @MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm

1. By number of people, either Rececca or Salvage the Bones. By discussion, probably The Fountains of Silence with our #sundaybuddyread

2. Leprechauns because I'm not certain vampires are mythical. 😉🧛‍♂️

#two4tuesday @TheSpineView

I loved this YA novel! An eye-opener about the repression of the Franco regime in Spain, 1957, featuring a number of characters with secrets, including American teen Dan and Spanish teen Ana. Informative and riveting. https://cannonballread.com/2021/04/the-fountains-of-silence-elcicco/

20/100, 4☆ Great piece of historical fiction. I love how this author sheds light on long hidden parts if the past. The descriptions of Madrid were beautiful and only rivaled by the complex characters. Highly recommend.

I was unfamiliar with this spot of history - the stifling oppression under Franco's reign after the Spanish Civil War. Set in Madrid 1957, we follow Ana, a young woman working at the Hotel Castellana Hilton who gets assigned to the Mathesons, a Texan oil family with a handsome son. Daniel is a budding photographer but expected to join the oil business. The dark secrets of Madrid and their families unfold here. The short chapters move quickly,⬇️

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Thanks to @TheBookHippie and my #sundaybuddyread I learned so much about Francisco Franco‘s dictatorship and the U.S.‘s history with Spain during Franco‘s reign. This story was really good and each character‘s struggles were so heartfelt. I enjoyed this very much. This was my #bookspinbingo No. 7 pick.

I normally love this author. But this felt rushed somehow. Maybe she jammed too much stuff in it. No idea. Anyway. It's really good, but not her best.

#SundayBuddyRead with @TheBookHippie and @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

#BookSpinBingo square 3
@TheAromaofBooks

I didn‘t end up participating in any of the weekly discussions for the #SundayBuddyRead, but I did finish this one! 🙈 I enjoyed it for the most part, but I found the ending a bit abrupt (the audiobook finished playing while I was making dinner and I thought “that‘s it?!”) and it was a bit melodramatic at times. I enjoyed the introduction to a part of history that isn‘t often explored in books! 4⭐️ @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @TheBookHippie

#sundaybuddyread
I wanted to like this one more. I liked a lot of the characters but and was vested in their stories but it ultimately felt underdeveloped. I wanted more of what happened to them and the end of the main part of the story felt abruptly finished. Part two was more of an epilogue and that too felt underdeveloped. I read it as an e-book and I don‘t think that did the story any service. ⬇️

#47 of 2021. Day 4 and book 3 for #20in4 . I have read 13.5 hours. I read this book with #sundaybuddyread. This is my first book by this author and I really liked it. This story was set during the fascist regime of Franco in Spain and depicts the realities of what happened during that time. The author did a great job of immersing you in this world with great characters you became invested in. I would definitely recommend it. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

My 3rd Rita Sepetys book & another heart-wrenching look at history. I learned much about the horrors of fascism in Franco‘s Spain & found myself caught up in the stories of the characters. There‘s a lot going on & much to keep track of, but it‘s well worth it. I didn‘t ugly cry as i did in her other books, but I did get choked up. It‘s YA & the MCs romance reflects that but the history & its impact on the lives of the people came through strong.💔

4.5 ⭐️

I really enjoyed this book! SO many plot lines, but all of them were interesting. I had a few theories on how things would wrap up, but was wrong about most of it, haha. I love historical fiction, but typically would go for Regency era pieces. I have recently been branching out and this was a wonderful read to learn more about Spain in this time period as well as life under Franco's regime.
#SundayBuddyRead