Welcome to Litsy!

a great book that grapples with suffering and the silence of god…

"What do I want to say? I myself do not quite understand. Only that today, when for the glory of God Mokichi and Ichizo moaned, suffered, and died, I cannot bear the monotonous sound of the dark sea gnawing at the shore. Behind the depressing silence of the sea, the silence of God...the feeling that while men raise their voices in anguish God remains with folded arms, silent.

A Catholic Jesuit missionary questions his faith while enduring the "Silence of God". His faith transforms from zealotry to humility as he comes to terms with the suffering that his very presence in Japan has inflicted on those he is supposed to be "saving."
This resonated with me as a former religious proselytizer turned agnostic.

The tone and the atmosphere of this book is so steady throughout, the bleakness permeates. I had no idea about how much Christians in Japan were persecuted. I‘m not religious but I could definitely sympathise with the protagonist - the author really puts you in his shoes. Poignant and immersive, I find myself still thinking about it even though I finished it weeks ago. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I feel like a certain level of faith is needed to appreciate this book, maybe not needed but it would give it more impact I think. Coming at it without faith the decision is simple and while one can put oneself into the mind of the narrator it is easier if you also share faith. That being said I think it is a good but just not a great fit for me.

Although I‘ve only seen photos of Japan, there‘s something about the flora and topography of the Southern Appalachians which feels kindred. Just finished this, which is easily one of the top novels I‘ve read in the last five years, which is saying a lot since I‘m not a super fan of historical fiction. Devastating and kept me suspenseful till the end.

#OppositeDay Day 3 War

In keeping with finding books on my TBR to match today‘s opposite here‘s is my pick. While silence isn‘t always peaceful after a day of conversation with co-workers and clients peaceful silence is what I crave most.

Some options for #lmpbc group J! All of these are under 400 pages. I‘ll tag the others in the comments. Let me know if you‘ve read some or are more interested in some over others!

#7days7covers #covercrush

Tagging @KirstieE if you want to join in? 7 of your favourite covers each day for a week, no explanation needed. Tag a litten each day to join in.

#7covers7days #covercrush #day5

@Velvetfur would you like to join in ? 7 covers in 7 days - no explanations.

@CarolynM @MamaGina @Severnmeadows @Hazel0303 @Well-ReadNeck

Thought provoking look at a period and events I'd heard of but knew nothing about

#coffeeandabook #mycover

Pretty excited to find this one at the Goodwill. It‘s been on my to read list for awhile.

Day 16 - #silence #poetrymatters

This was a hard one. As much historical fiction as allegory for intolerance, Endo‘s masterpiece challenges everything we know about missionary work. It is also commentary on society‘s acceptance or rejection of ideas that are not our own.

Day 3: Although it‘s perfectly safe to audiowalk in my area, I like to decompress after work and be aware of my surroundings. It was eerily quiet on the trail today without cars or wildlife sounds. #LitsyWalkers @kaye

The Portuguese priest Rodrigues travels in 1639 to Japan to assist the local church. Prior to his arrival, the authorities had been attempting to force priests to renounce their faith by watching other Christians being tortured. At the climactic moment, Rodrigues hears the moans of those who have recanted but are to remain in the pit until he tramples the image of Christ. #SilentShout #OctoberXFiles

I‘ve been thinking about this book for well over two weeks now. Discussions and images from the book pop up at the strangest moments. A powerful study in faith, passion, devotion, and sacrifice. A search for the answer as to why God is silent in the midst of religious persecution, barbaric cruelty, and suffering of any kind. This week‘s reporting on the brutal murder of a journalist has me asking this question yet again myself.

As I sat by the lake thinking about this book and my life, I was primarily thinking about connection. In a few minutes these ducks came and sat beside me for about 30 minutes. A seagull came at the same time and sat on the other side of me for the same amount of time. Then 2 year old twin boys I‘d never met ran down the beach and sat on my lap. And the animals stayed put. I felt blessed and truly seen.

I was deeply moved by Endo's exquisitely written tale of faith & courage. Endo's universal themes of personal convictions & sacrifices, should appeal to people of religious faith or no religious faith.
#CrucifyMyHeart #SeptemberDanes
@Cinfhen @Kalalalatja

This is a difficult historical fiction book to listen to, and I took a break from it yesterday. Yet, I appreciate the compelling story and the writing.

The last few days have been rainy and I haven‘t taken a walk, but this morning it‘s cool and fall like making for an enjoyable #audiowalk.

#audiobook #1001books

One straight outta my tbr jar, let me know what you think! 😊

#books #booknerd #littens #booklover #bibliophile #bookworm #literature #litsy #bookdiscussion

Love the brutal simplicity of the cover of my Thursday #bookmail.

For my fellow #1001books readers, today's Audible Daily Deal is this book for $2.95.

The preface of this book states Shusaku Endo has been called the Japanese ‘Graham Greene‘.
#mounttbr
#magicalmarch #silence

A powerful book about making an impossible decision. What do you do when you have to choose between your God and your flock? David Mitchell said that Silence is ‘ One of the finest historical novels written by anyone, anywhere....Flawless‘ I agree.

My current reads are: Silence by Shusaku Endo (as an atheist I am fascinated by Catholicism) Dracula (As an vegetarian I am fascinated by blood sucking) and volume 141 of Granta (as an Australian I am fascinated by Canadians) @bookriot #riotgrams #currentread

Shhhh! I‘m reading. 🧐

I though this would be more of an epic story, when it‘s actually quite short. A bit too short to have a very big effect, but by all means a good book.

They say silence is golden, and it can also be #tranquil--though I don't think the plot of this historical fiction sounds golden or tranquil.

This book actual be my brother's from a long-ago high school summer reading list. Mine now!

#reading resolutions #tbr

And like the sea God was silent.

For Love Christ would have apostatized. Even if it meant giving up everything he had.

Silence was the best book I read this month, by far. Powerful and thought-provoking—highly recommended. But I also had some definite wins in the audiobook department—from the beauty and growing creepiness of Wylding Hall, to the hilarity of How to Train Your Dragon. This was a good reading month!
#BestofSeptember #Fallintobooks

"Libraries really are wonderful. They are better than bookshops even. Bookshops make a profit off selling you books, but libraries just sit there lending you books quietly out of the kindness of their hearts." -- Jo Watson
♥️?

I finished this last weekend, but needed time to process a bit before reviewing. The narrative was stark and simple throughout, and powerful in its simplicity. It's amazing the depth this novel conveys through such economy of language. The beauty of Rodrigues' meditations on the face of Christ, the agonizing choice presented to the priests... I was left with so much I wanted to process & discuss. It made me miss my old book group in South Africa!

After a long "I've been meaning to read that" phase, I finally started this one last night. I've heard such good things about it; I'm not sure I'm ready for the harrowing journey, but I'm diving in. I know it'll be powerful, so here I go with letter E for #LitsyAtoZ!

Powerful. Beautifully simple. Haunting.

Silence is a historical story about Christian persecution and martyrdom in Japan in the 17th century. The silence of the title is the silence of God, who oversees how thousands of Japanese are being tortured and put to death because of their Catholic faith. This makes some of the characters doubt their faith and these doubts show the inner struggle of Endo himself (being a Christian in Japan). #1001books

I wonder if others will appreciate or love this book as much as I did. As a practicing Catholic, I think this book beautifully captures and describes the complexities of faith and as someone traveling through Spain and Portugal currently- where the history of Christians enforcing and taking over peoples at different times is so evident- this gave me a lot to think about 🤔🙏 I want to see the movie!

Love this description. Loving this book. So easy to read and beautifully written

Taking this one with me on my trip!

I'm posting this as my #JuneMostAnticipated because it's been on my #TBR for ages, and I'm determined that this is finally the month! I have been anticipating this one for some time, and now it's migrated to the nightstand, so you know I'm serious. 😏Never mind the pile of abandoned TBR intendeds it's sitting on top of...
#junebookbugs

Bookstore haul 😍📚

I've already read The 5th Wave but I wanted my own copy since I like the series. 👽

This is one of the most thought-provoking novels I've ever read. On the surface, it's a story of non-believers persecuting the Catholic faith, but if we go deeper, it's a story about our personal struggles against our faith (regardless of what religion you belong to). The book tries to answer the question as to why God stays silent amidst all the suffering in the world. There are no clear answers...and that is what makes this novel so beautiful.

"Trample! Trample! It is to be trampled on by you that I am here."

One more #challengecheckin
Here's my spreadsheet to track #192019challenge, & my #birthdaychallenge

By the end of this year, most of the 2 columns on the right will be full.

This is also gonna start to change up my monthly TBRs. I need to make sure I have 2 or 3 each month that will fill some of these empty slots.

But I'm enjoying going back to older works. Can't wait 'til I get way back to the 1920s 🙂

I discovered this book thanks to the movie trailer. I think it deals with doubt, faith and will in an engaging manner, though at times it can be boring or predictable. I think it puts into focus the way faith is always accompanied by doubt and questions to which we might not like the answer. The theme of silence is present also in stiffling images that seem only to enhance the pressure on the character. It's a thought-provoking book.

This was a well-written novel, loved by many, but it just wasn't for me. I found it boring and maddening. Boring because the only thing less interesting to me than religious faith might be trigonometry. Maddening because religious proselytization is morally reprehensible, although obviously the torture and murder of (in this case) Christians is even more so. Just not my kind of story. I will never watch the film, not in a million years.