Welcome to Litsy!

I either read or listen to an audiobook several times per day. That tagged book was not at all what it seemed like based on the synopsis DNF under ten pages. A book I would call a classic is more of a prediction. Of fire and stars by Audrey Coulthurst. #wondrouswednesday

I‘m posting one book a day from my massive collection. No description, no reason for why I want to read it (some I‘ve had so long I don‘t even remember why!). Feel free to join!

#ABookaDay2024

May 17, 2024

A tragic but hopeful story about Chines family throught six decades and two continents. I liked the first part better.

Ps. I am not an expert in traditional asian deresses but I think it's a kimono on the cover. And that is not Chines.

One of my backlog of #botm.

Very good. I didn't really know anything about what was happening in China during WWII. This book starts during that time and continues following 3 generations from China to Taiwan to the U.S. over the course of 70 years.

“We can forgive without understanding. Sometimes we must. Maybe that‘s what forgiveness is – accepting someone‘s actions, even if there are no good explanations.”

#War

#ItTakesAllKinds

@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Beautiful HF prose about a time period in China that I knew little about, between 1938 / 1946. A debut novel for Fu, she based it on some of her birth family‘s experiences. Published February 2022. Well done 👍🏼

#Sharreadathon Day 3
#ReadAway 2024

@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Andrew65 @DieAReader @GHABI4ROSES

#12Booksof2023 @Andrew65

Sorry but in February 2023 I had 3 great books and they deserve to be mentioned because I 😭a lot

Peach Blossom Spring was a beautiful debut
The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo and
The Cost Of Knowing by Brittney Morris

Late #WondrousWednesday @Eggs

📖tagged
📖The author writing style (it was a debut book-looking forward her next book), the story and the characters, everything, even the cover
📖Depend, I like different settings, depend on the story I‘m reading. What I like, love prioritize is when that setting is well described that you feel the atmosphere, you feel that you are in that place, you are seeing it through the character‘s eyes.

In 1938 Meilin and Renshu had to flee their home in China. For years they searched for someplace to grow roots and finally found it in Taiwan. Eventually they each found stability- Meilin in Taiwan and Renshu in the states. Neither really ever felt safe though until they learned to confront the past. This book was heartbreaking, but in the very best way. You all should read it.

The view from my reading chair today. This book is engrossing. I hope I have time to finish today.

I really like to read books that teach me about things and this Delivered. But I also just loved Meilin. Like WOW. The first part is told from her pov and as the years pass we move from one gen to the next. It's such a heartbreaking story and it resonated so much with me. It made me wonder about my own family and what their stories were.

Def check it out. I was very emotional by the end. It's hopeful but also very sad

A sad story but beautifully written. The life of these four generations I would say, from 1938 to 2005. How war, political and social situations in China impacted these families. Fear didn‘t stop with the immigration to US. You will love Meilin as a woman, mother, daughter and grandmother. I can‘t imagine how, in this present day, some countries are still facing the consequences of war😢Fiction but maybe inspired in author‘s family story. 4.5/5⭐️

This piqued my interest after hearing several comparison to Pachinko. It didn‘t quite have that same emotional gut punch that Pachinko did but it was a moving story in its own way.

Thank you to @Librarybelle for guiding the discussion on this #LiteraryCrew #buddyread

Peach Blossom Spring traces the story of one Chinese family over three generations. In 1938, Meilin and her son, Renshu, flee the Japanese war on China, escaping to Taiwan. As refugees, fleeing conflict, there are numerous horrors and obstacles on their arduous journey. Meilin uses a painted scroll to tell traditional stories, to connect with her culture, tradition, roots, husband and son. These episodes of calm among the chaos, ⬇cont.

#Literarycrew #BuddyRead #JumpStart2023

Book 11 of the month. ⭐️⭐️⭐️ A multi generational story of survival, success & discovery. The first half of the book is set during the Japanese/Chinese war of aggression and WWll and the second half in the US. Typically this is exactly the kind of historical, immigrant story I like but the writing was simple, bordering on mediocre and the plot dragged in places. Overall, glad I read it, just wasn‘t wowed

Thanks to #20in4 I finished the tagged book in time for today‘s discussion with the #LiteraryCrew group. It covers a lot of historical ground from 1938 - 2005 of one Chinese family beginning with the War of Aggression between China and Japan. I loved the character Meilin but Renshu felt a little flat to me. The tension he lived with wasn‘t fully realized IMO.

It is time for this month‘s discussion of the #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead . I have 6 questions posted under the spoiler - you can find them on my feed, through the book‘s feed, or by searching the hashtags. If there is anything else you wish to discuss with the group not covered by the questions, comment below!

Also, next month‘s book is Matrix by Lauren Groff. If you have not already asked me to tag you for the posts, let me know below! Thanks!!

Wow, I started and finished this extraordinary book in 24 hours! I thought I might be able to read enough to comment on #literarycrew #buddyread never expected to race through it so quickly.
2nd book completed for #20in4

@Andrew65 @Librarybelle

#Literarycrew #buddyread @Librarybelle

So behind, finally started this magnificent book this morning. What an opening!!! I'm already 100 pages in ❤️👀❤️

#January #20in4Readathon

I‘m joining @Andrew65 for this weekend readathon. We have a busy weekend planned but am hoping to get 20 chapters read.

We‘re a little over a week away from this month‘s #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead discussion! I know a few of us have finished and others have not had an opportunity to start (myself included!), but there is still time.

Any thoughts to share with the group at this point?

This book was different than any I‘ve read in a long time. I found it extremely enjoyable. It had a little bit of everything. It was educational, sad, happy, and it contained love stories. I learned a lot about China and its politics. I also learned a lot about its folklore. This book left me wanting to read more of this type. I highly recommend it.

There were a few generations of characters so I made a character web to help me keep track of names & relationships.
Only 51 pages in & so much has happened to this family as the Japanese invade China,1938.

Listened to this one for #literarycrew. Quite a beautiful, epic, and sometimes sad story of Mailin, her son Renshu (Henry), and his daughter Lily and their lives. I‘ll admit it took me a while to get engaged in it but that was more likely because I was listening while working and not because of the story itself. This tale spans the three generations from China in the 30s to America in the 90s. I really loved the bond between mother and son.

#weeklyforecast
#Pemberlittens #middlemarch #chapteraday #sundaybuddyread #philosophy #adventuresinphilosophy #deadphilosopherssociety #Plato #literarycrew #readathon #louisepenny #audiomystery

All but Louise Penny‘s book are #buddyreads, so I am reading predetermined sections. Listening to A World of Curiosities.

Well it‘s a bitter sweet moment. I FLEW through this lovely book! I am so glad I threw my hat in with the #literarycrew #buddyread and discovered this story BUT the end of the month is a long way off. I hope I can hold onto this feeling 💕💕 this story spans almost 70 years, covers a lot of Chinese history I really didn‘t know and is heartwarming through and through

Made turkey dinner soup for lunch and getting my read on. I got an alert from the library this is due back in 3 days and some bloody person has put a hold on it so I can‘t renew it 🤣🤣 #literarycrew #buddyread

Repost for @Librarybelle

This month‘s #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead follows three generations of a family searching for home.

Read at your own pace; discussion questions posted on January 31st.

Tagging those who have already expressed interest - if you would also like to be tagged, comment below! I‘ll post periodic check ins throughout the month.

This month‘s #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead follows three generations of a family searching for home.

Read at your own pace; discussion questions posted on January 31st.

Tagging those who have already expressed interest - if you would also like to be tagged, comment below! I‘ll post periodic check ins throughout the month.

repost for @Librarybelle:

Reminder - January‘s #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead starts in a few days!

All are welcome to join. Tagging those who have expressed interest in this book specifically - comment below to let me know if you would also like to be tagged. I post periodically throughout the month, with discussion questions posted on January 31st.

To see the 2023 list, view the previous posting by searching the #LiteraryCrew hashtag!!

Reminder - January‘s #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead starts in a few days!

All are welcome to join. Tagging those who have expressed interest in this book specifically - comment below to let me know if you would also like to be tagged. I post periodically throughout the month, with discussion questions posted on January 31st.

To see the 2023 list, view the previous posting by searching the #LiteraryCrew hashtag!!

This was hovering between a pick and a so-so for me, but the feelings I have for these characters can‘t be ignored. Well written, solid historical fiction spanning three generations, starting in 1940s China and ending in 2000s United States. It‘s an immigrant story, a family saga, and a bit of a love letter to storytelling. Pretty solid for a debut!

⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

What a beautiful, bittersweet 3-generation family saga. While reading the early years of Renshu I couldn‘t help but think of the many fleeing their homes and homeland in Ukraine. I find it heartbreaking that even though he gained citizenship in a new country his justified fear lasted a lifetime.

Hello Group C for #LMPBC! I'm so happy others have a big backlog to get through 😂 I usually only submit top 4 choices but I submitted more since I know some might have been read by others. So here are some that I would like to read! What do you think? Any that stand out to you, or any that you've read already?
@Cwarnier @Staci.reads @allureofbeauty

Not a strong pick, but this was a decent historical fiction debut. We follow three generations of one family from 1930s China to 1990s U.S.

Something, not sure exactly what, kept this from really working for me. Read more like a list—this happened, then that happened, then this—rather than things unfolding organically. I never felt truly captivated by the story or connected to the characters. I did really enjoy the Chinese fable element.
#BOTM

I really loved this book. #travelthroughbooks this story is set in #china during the war and tells of a mother and her son and how they flee Japanese occupied China. I highly recommend this titled if you are a fan of family saga-esq type reads.

The weather here today is stupid. Like thunderstorms and wind blowing fences down stupid. So I‘m going to curl up with this book now.

“Within every misfortune there is a blessing, and within every blessing, the seeds of misfortune. And so it goes, until the end of time.”

This is the story of how war affects generations of families, even long after it has ended.

This is my May #doublespin @TheAromaofBooks

A wonderful book that I couldn‘t put down. Following the life of Renshu from 1938 in China to the present day. I loved the significance of the title in the book, and the stories and wisdom. Peach Blossom Spring is moving and a great read, and a few tears at the end ♥️

“Today is the Lunar New Year, I wonder what you are doing. Are you making radish cakes for the Huangs ? Sharing a fish and gossiping with Auntie Chin?
Do you remember when we lit lanterns and made wishes in the streets of Shanghai…”

It‘s the ‘ do you remember‘ that is breaking my heart.
This is such a powerful book in a gentle and unassuming way. ♥️

In a bit of a slump this month but I finished my #bookspin
This was really good, a story about three generations starting in China during WWII and after (I didn't know very much about what went on there, heartbreaking) then in America. The first half was really excellent. The second half did drag a little. Overall a pick!

To know a story is to stroke the silken surfaces of loss, to feel the weight of beauty in his hands.
To know a story is to carry it always, etched in his bones, even if dormant for decades.
Tell us , they insist.
To tell a story , he realises, is to plant a seed and let it grow.

I really enjoyed this historical novel, from China in the 1930s to present day US. Learned a lot about that period too. A really good read.
#setinchina #booked2022