Welcome to Litsy!

The planning of the actual rescue mission of the prisoner of war camp was thoroughly and meticulously researched from several primary sources. A must-read for those who want to know more about World War II in the Pacific.

Many trigger warnings -violence, massacre, torture, starvation.

Very memorable moment was during the rescue - the POWs were so traumatized that they had to be persuaded to leave. It broke my heart.

#LitsyAtoZ @Texreader

Like other books set in WWII Philippines, parts of this book is brutal. The treatment the soldiers received from the Japanese was horrendous and this book does not sugar coat any of it. Specifically, the scenes on the warship were the stuff of nightmares.

I liked that the story was told from the perspectives of the two main characters, Sam and Sarah.

Full review: https://oddandbookish.wordpress.com/2025/01/15/review-hold-strong/

This book gives you something to think about and is completely different from anything I‘ve read in the past … Alon is an islander that protects people from the Diwata … who or what that is is explained during an intrusion from a crew of Hollywoods actors and tv crew … as with all of Rin Chupeco‘s writings this is top of the list in originality … I love this read and know that any book by this author is a must read

I love WW2 books and I‘ve never heard of these women before. It was such a good read. I give it 5/5 stars!

I enjoyed this book even though a lot of times I didn‘t know what the plot was anymore…But this is an immigrant story and this is exactly how you feel when you don‘t know where exactly you fit in.

Great debut!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ #arc Pub Date: 10/8/24

#vent @TheSpineView

Trying to get a jumpstart on my October ARCs. Started this today and I am already sucked in…

I try not to read reviews before I start ARCs, but I couldn‘t resist skimming some for this one because of the lukewarm response, and it has actually made me more curious for the story.

#arc #NetGalley

Fictional look at the lives of "helpers" in Singapore. Billed as a mystery but it wasn't, really...

I enjoyed this memoir in essays about an interesting assortment of foods. The author, a poet, has a beautiful way of writing about her family, her career, her marriage, and culture. In some ways the structure reminded me a bit of Kate Lebo‘s first collection of essays, The Book of Difficult Fruit: Arguments for the Tart, Tender, and Unruly (with Recipes).

I adored Nezhukumatathil‘s World of Wonders. This follow up focuses on food instead of the natural world, which is another of my favorite things to think about. There‘s beautiful illustrations at the beginning of each essay about various foods. Each food evokes a memory or association for the author. A perfect blend of food writing, memoir, and history.