Welcome to Litsy!

This is the third book I've read by Adichie, and my favorite so far. The characters in the stories are fascinating individuals and no two stories are the same. The author sets the stories in both the city and the suburbs, and in the liminal places where people are often invisible. Like the best short story collections, I wanted more time with each set of characters, but was also satisfied with the fragments I was fed.

#bookbingonw2017

This story is set just beyond the world we know, in a time where the current politics lead to secession by Southern states and climate change has flooded coastal regions driving refugees from their homes. It was a fascinating book, well written with devastating clarity. "War is fought with guns; peace is fought with stories." This is at the top of my favorite books read for #bookbingonw2017.

One of the last squares remaining for #bookbingonw2017 was a collection of poetry. Not sure where to start, I recalled the national poet laureate when Obama was inaugurated in 2008 was a Cuban American. A quick search turned up this evocative collection filled with stories of Blanco's childhood, and of his exiled extended family who dream of the land they loved and left. The poems are complete pictures of a time and place elegantly rendered.

I picked this up without any background understanding of the author, and no familiarity with the setting of the story. It appeared on a Banned Books list, and was written by a WOC, so it filled a #bookbingonw2017 square. Once again, the prose was so lyrical it left me savoring sentences, rolling them around in my head like a piece lemon drop candy. The audiobook narration gave life to dialogue and an energy to the characters.

This book was lyrical in a way that I don't often encounter in prose. Many passages were more like poems than I encounter in most stories. I loved the way Hamid dove in and out of the relationships that bound the characters, the way he defied my expectations of who these characters would be, what their backgrounds were and where they would go. There's a dash of suspended reality required of the reader, but I didn't mind a bit. #bookbingonw2017

How do you keep cool on hot days? Two books in two days, both written by Vietnamese émigrés. #bookbingonw2017

Can you imagine a book so lush it propels you into a world you've never visited? The scents, sounds, colors and feelings of Delhi, Kashmir and Kerala were almost tangible. Arundhati Roy possesses the ability to build people who tower over a story, sharp and mesmerizing. This book was worth the wait, clearly constructed with care, thought and precision; it left a bittersweet taste in my mouth. #bookbingonw2017

Seriously mixed feelings here. The historical aspects of the book were interesting, filling a gap I didn't realize I had. That's exactly why I read. Books are a continuing education to help foster cross-cultural understanding.

With that said I didn't enjoy the book. I finished only bc I had invested so much time, and was determined to ✔️a 🔲on my bingo card. The story lacked depth and insight, nor did I understand the characters' motivations.

This story affirms my sense that children are often stronger, braver and more resilient than the adults in their lives. Perhaps it is because she hasn't lived long enough to be lose faith, and hope is the gift of the young. Regardless, this story introduced me to a world I did not know, which the best reason to read. Thumbs up for more stories featuring young heroines. #bookbingonw2017 #booksmadeintomovies

What a bittersweet feeling to finish. I've loved every minute spent w/ the transitory people filing the pages of Transit. There is so much to ponder here. It is rich with meaning, filled with both observation and insight that bears rereading. #BookBingoNW2017