Welcome to Litsy!

At the start of the last 4 years, I've taken a picture of my TBR shelf to track how it's changing over time. It's clearly expanding for one thing 🤔 And there is some overlap between years: even though it's not too much to read in a year, there's still e-books and others I read right away for challenges or readalongs. I try to read everything within 2 years, but Jim Crace's The Devil's Larder has remained for 3, so I'll have to get to it soon!

Nymph, in thy orisons / Be all my sins remembered.

Though this be madness, yet there is method in‘t.

#hashtagbrigade #hamlet

I love a good Shakespeare reference. After Trump‘s meeting with Putin and disastrous news conference, John Bolton told Republican Senator Roy Blunt that Putin will always be Putin and took the opportunity to make this reference to Hamlet. #thedivider #vladimirputin #donaldtrump #peterbaker #susanglasser #ushistory #internationalpolitics #worldhistory #politicalscience #russia #unitedstates #johnbolton #hamlet

Beautiful and interesting story. Difficult to navigate at time - dense language. The ending is open - one suspects the worst, but if so, the players go out in a loving blaze of glory

A little Sunday night Shakespeare for the soul. Not quite halfway through the tagged book yet, and still making up my mind about it, but there's no doubt that the project it chronicles - a two-year, worldwide tour performing Hamlet in every country on earth- is grand, audacious, and worth learning more about. #CurrentlyReading

I‘m going to be a party pooper. I read it all but either it all went over my head or it just didn‘t resonate at all with me or both. I got a glimpse of the restrictions and omnipresent danger imposed by Israel on the Palestinians, for sure. But the rest of it did not capture any emotion from me other than “when will I finish this damn thing?” Shortlisted on the Women‘s Prize list, I‘m delighted that Brotherless Night won.

An actress who lives in London goes to back to Palestine to visit her sister and ends up taking part in a production of Hamlet. Slow moving but often intense, I liked this but wish I had gone with a print version over audio.

May reading roundup!
Finished up the #WomensPrizeForFiction short list with Soldier Sailor (3 ⭐) and Enter Ghost (4.5 ⭐)
And read from many different countries - England, Philippines, Ireland, Holland, US, France, Palestine.

Explored many different topics from Aliens running a donut shop, Shakespear in Palestine, Cain and god, and Teen slashers.

Change and Enter Ghost were my best fiction, Some People Need Killing and Houndred Years War best NF

Amazing. I am so glad I read the Hundred Years War before EG. It gave much needed context to the story. Hammad's writing is impeccable, she weaves the novel with stage/ play writing in an easily digestible way, she tells a story about real characters that were likable. The backbone of the story is about acting, and home. What is home, and what do you want to do with your life and can the coexist.

I think this is an important read even if it's not the most exciting thing ever. The narrator goes to visit her sister in Palestine and ends up playing Gertrude in an Arabic version of Hamlet. It's really the setting that takes this to the next level. Definitely recommend.

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks