Welcome to Litsy!

Another wonderful op shop find. Written in 1986 after a visit to Pakistan and the Afghan refugee camps there. It was when the Russians were invading Afghanistan. I learnt a lot . Not only about the history but about the author. Before the invasion Afghanistan was on its way to becoming a modern country with a bright future where girls were educated, the various groups got along and the countryside was not the desert it became with the invasion. 👇

Back on track with this beautifully illustrated manga. I read vol. 2 & 3 yesterday, then nabbed vol. 4 and 5. I didn't realize this series was going to focus on multiple stories of different brides, but it centers around a few main characters and their side stories. The artwork is exquisite.

#mangaweekly #historicalfiction

I am loving this series from Bernard Ollivier about his treck across the Silk Road. This all happened in the early 2000‘s but I believe the books were only recently translated into English. In this part of the journey he picks up where he left off in Turkey then travels across Iran and Turkmenistan. My favorite parts are when he connects with locals although it is very apparent this is never a trip a woman would be able to make.

I didn‘t think I‘d get my full 2 miles in before what‘s left of Debby hit us. It held off though and there‘s a breeze! Even skipping the Olympics tonight so I can sit outside and enjoy the wind. Enjoying this audiobook as well! I listened to the first in the series last month for #FoodAndLit

Love how she's portrayed as "old..." she's 20. ?

Times sure were different back then. Between reading this and Clan of the Cave Bear, I'm pretty damn grateful to be around in this day and age and not when it was normal for 11-13 year olds to have children/get married. #yikes
Also, guy calling her "old" looks to be in his 70s, which makes absolutely no sense ?

Side note: the artwork is absolutely stunning.

#mangaweekly #justmythoughts

Hard to rate this one; it‘s not quite what I expected. More of a wide-angled view of the Eurasian Steppes and the tribes it produced, than about one single topic or figure. So dry and detailed I often wondered if I had purchased a textbook!

I imagine this would be better read than listened to, assuming there are pictures and graphics. Still, I never regret expanding my worldview, even if I‘m not 100% sure exactly where the Eurasian Steppes are.

This is my favorite novel of all times. I have given it to several people. I have reread it twice and it is about time to do so again. I admit it‘s a novel from a different time and carried special meaning for a lot of readers behind the Iron Curtain. When I read it for the first time I was not aware that 100 pages had been censored in the East German translation - too political. I have read the full book since then.

“for some reason…” Huh, wonder why they had that idea?

So, today I learned that
a. Mt. Everest was named for, but not by, George Everest.
b. George Everest was actually a proponent of learning the local name of mountains he surveyed, rather than coming up with new English names.
and c. He hated it when people pronounced his name Ever-est, rather than Eve-rest.