pickThe publisher gifted me this book. My great grandfather painted in the interwar years and artist Toby Knobel Fluek painted (and wrote) her story after the war. But there are connections between the two stories - primarily the impulse to document the Polish Jewish community. The paintings are a lovely ode to Fluek‘s family and even the depressing wartime paintings beautifully illustrate and bear witness to history in an emotionally important way.
pickFinally I‘ve read this very important book. So much sorrow from each tale, each personal tragedy. From the inability of humanity to learn and get better. Almost 40 years passed and we are no better off.
so-so3/5
I really liked the historical parts about the Holodomor, the man-made famine in Eastern Ukraine orchestrated by Stalin. It's a subject I knew nothing about, and quite depressing to read. To counterbalance this, the author brings us back to the present, but unfortunately does a pretty bad job with conveying feelings. The present parts read like a Hallmark movie...
pickRead this mystery for the setting - Kyiv, Ukraine in 1919 during a brief Bolshevik occupation. The book opens as Cossacks randomly attack citizens on their way out of town, completing a white army retreat. Samson, our young orphan hero, has to manage this chaos having lost an ear and his entire family. He joins a nascent Bolshevik police force with no veterans or experience, and gets a firearm.
Here is my current read with my favorite chocolates from France, and a glass of chai with my homemade chai concentrate! I started with three bottles of water, I added ten bags of Bengal spice herbal tea, then I filled out three tea bags with black pepper, cloves, cardamom, ginger, cinnamon and cayenne pepper... The result: two bottles of chai concentrate and a little extra for two cups of chai. And, it's quite spicy 🔥🔥 Just like I like it.
pickWhat an interesting read! Set in Kyiv, 1919, a period of great unrest. Samson Kolechko has lost his entire family, most recently his father who is murdered by one of the factions fighting for control of the city. In the attack, Samson loses an ear. Reporting thieving Red Army soldiers who seize space in his home, Samson is offered a job with the newly formed police force. Fine start of a new series with great characters. Beautifully translated.
pickSome of the most unflinching writing I‘ve ever read. And that last line is a gut punch. (Pictured my old метро stop)
A little tough to photograph the super-reflective public library cover. But my model did good. I peaked into this yesterday and seems I‘m reading it. Easy reading. (Reminds me of Gogol‘s The Nose in tone) #booker2024
pickIn a small town in the Donbas, 2 remaining residents, Sergeyich + Pashka,frenemies, live a codependent life as bombing between russia + ukraine rains over them.Summer arrives + S drives his beehive south to find somewhere for his bees to pollinate, with curious encounters along the way. Set after 2014, this is a gentle but darkly profound bk given the current war. Sergeyich is a remarkable character+his response to life make a compelling story⬇️
