Welcome to Litsy!

These are my books for #DominicanRepublic I bought today. For #foodandlit in February and #readingtheamericas

@Catsandbooks @BarbaraBB @Librarybelle

#twofortuesday @TheSpineView

1. My bf and I just had a conversation about going to the Dominican Republic! Which is half an island so I think it counts. I don‘t know that we‘ll actually go but it‘s the one I‘m daydreaming about atm

2. I might reread the tagged book which I really loved, or I‘d probably see what classic or new Dominican fiction I could find and download a massive stack on kindle before I left

@jenniferw88 is this from you???
It‘s had a tour!!!
♥️♥️♥️

Overall I enjoyed this one in spite of some slow parts. I'm seeing Oscar's drama as the hero's supreme sacrifice for love.
I particularly appreciated the parts dealing with the history of the Dominican Republic during the Trujillo dictatorship.

🙂

Yunior narrates the story of Oscar Wao, an overweight Dominican growing up in New Jersey.

The story focuses on how his family has bad luck, fuku, and trying to defeat but I think most of their problems would be solved if they didn‘t believe liars so much.

I really enjoyed this tale immensely even if half the time, I was getting frustrated with their decisions.

This Pulitzer Prize winning novel winds its way through 3 generations of Oscar's family from New Jersey to the Dominican Republic and back. Set against the backdrop of the Trujillo regime the narrator wonders if the family suffers from bad luck or if they're actually cursed.

4 🌟

Lots of Yes's going off in my head when I recognised a Spanish word/phrase!

Loved the references to lord of the rings, doctor who etc!

#bookspinbingo @TheAromaofBooks

#latinxauthor #booked2021 @Cinfhen @4thhouseontheleft @BarbaratheBibliophage

I had so been looking forward to reading this classic, but I was so disappointed by how incredibly sexist it was. Yes, the prose is gorgeous, but I just skimmed through it hoping there would be something more substantial, but nope. If it hadn‘t been for the fact that the book was loaned to me by a friend who will no doubt ask me about my thoughts on the book, I would have bailed on it.

Read it in school but it was so wonderfuly written I remember loving it

Is this what Diaz thinks women find attractive? Seriously?

You have got to be kidding me 🙄

Thank you so much @CBee ❤️ The book made it safe and sound and is now patiently waiting for me to make the time to read it.

Still working through this one. I am really enjoying it. But I have to stop a lot and look up words. But the story is good so far. Also does not help I am working all the time. Sheba is happy today just hanging out with me.

Picked a Blind Date book yesterday and it ended up being one I already own. 🤦🏻‍♀️😂

I‘m conflicted. There are huge passages and narratives in this book I really like, and the interlacing of family tragedy and political turmoil was incredibly interesting to read. And on the other hand, there were a lot of moments I really struggled to sympathise with the characters in a book that really relies on you to care about them.
Overall though I would say the interlocking stories were interesting enough to still warrant a good review

#readaroundtheworld #dominicanrepublic A sad soulful story of a Dominican diaspora family impacted by the terrors of Trujillo‘ reign. Equally a mash up of pop fantasy references from anime to games as the story focuses on Oscar, the desperate virgin nerd. Told in Caribbean street Spanish, erudite academic English, and Spanglish the work sings with counter rhythms and clashes of cultures. Other than the 2000 references to “puta”, I loved it.

Happy #Litsyversary, @BarbaraBB 🥳! The tagged book takes place - in part - in New Brunswick, NJ (home of Rutgers University - R-U-Rah-Rah!). A tale of a young Dominican man as he navigated life, I found the tale moving and enjoyed it. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ As a #CentralJersey resident and employee of #TheStateUniversityofNewJersey, this is a true #ThinkLocalGiveAway choice for me!

This is an interesting novel and possibly even a good one, but it left me feeling unsatisfied in some way (although it seems ultimately that Oscar was satisfied har har). Filled with Spanish and Dominican slang, the prose reaches out and grabs hold of you, speaks from the immigrant barrio, warns of "fukú," a sort of curse Oscar's family endures for three generations. Does Oscar manage to break it? I don't know. Did I like this book? I don't know.

Oops missed this yesterday!

Book: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
Author: Brown, Pierce
Movie/TV: Bright Star/Band of Brothers
Singer/Band: Bod Dylan/The Beatles
Song: Bennie and the Jets

#ManicMonday #LetterB

An interesting, entertaining read, a fantastic commentary on immigration, and family, and legend/myth and how experiences shape us. It was sincere and authentic and unique.
#awardwinning #pulitzer #aoc

I wish I had read this book sooner - I‘ve never read anything like it. Almost like a modern, updated Catcher in the Rye. It was such a prime example of well-done storytelling.

Another book that's been on my TBR far too long, and I'm so glad that I finally read it. 💚

I adore Oscar and all his trials and triumphs as he attempts to find out who he is and where he fits in. Great character driven story with characters that are diverse and relatable.

The closest I could get to #magic was these books on #magicalrealism #scarathlon #chillingphotochallenge #teamslaughter @Clwojick 297pts

I tried. I really tried. The writing is great, but I‘m just not in the mood for yet another “but I‘m a *nice* guy! Why isn‘t everyone sleeping with me?! Women make terrible relationship choices, it‘s their own fault!!” trope.

1. I‘m about 10 mins from Rutgers University (R-U-Rah-Rah)!
2. Fall-like! 🤗 🍁
3. Blind double date...the other couple was dating for sometime and no one was helpful with conversation. 🤦🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️
4. Two kiddos 👦🏻👧🏻 - No pets
5. 👌🏼
#friyayintro @howjessreads

I'm trying to like this book. Some great one-liners, nerd references, and I appreciate that the author seamlessly weaved two languages together and didn't make me feel like I had to grab a dictionary every time.

But...

For some reason I need a break from reading this book. Maybe too much too fast? It's not you, Oscar Wao, it's me. I hope we can still be friends.

Books are like humans. Some you love from the first moment you meet them, with some you work on a balanced relationship and with some you just don't get along. This and me - we're the latter. I've tried, I've really tried. For the second time now. But I just seem unable to get into the story and/or care about Oscar. I'd love to learn more about the DR but I get the feeling this is not the book for me.

I can‘t say I quite enjoyed this book, but I appreciated the experience of reading it. The story is often violent and depressing but the immersion in the culture of the characters is amazing. I thoroughly enjoyed the Tolkien references and the depth that added to the story for me.

I strongly recommend http://www.annotated-oscar-wao.com if you‘re struggling with the language or the references.

#1001books #1001Discoveries

Wow. What a read. A family‘s history in the violent and brutal Dominican Republic of strongman dictator, General Rafael Trujillo. They escape the curse of their family and the DR only to be drawn back into both. It is raw and painful as well as achingly beautiful. I enjoyed Diaz‘ conversational style and his slip into Dominican slang. I highly recommend!

The Tolkien references in this book are great! It‘s not just Lord of the Rings either, another quote references the fall of Gondolin. Catching these does make me wonder about the specifics of some of the other references that are familiar but not as well known to me.

#1001books #1001Discoveries

It didn‘t take long for me to realize that I was going to need to look up some Spanish while reading this book. The first phrase I typed into the search led me to this website of not only translations but also notes and links for mentions of books, movies, games, etc. It has been helpful and I would recommend it. http://www.annotated-oscar-wao.com

Additionally, I‘m enjoying the Tolkien allusions and references.

#1001books #1001Discoveries

I‘m finally starting this one during Sunday morning books with breakfast. I‘m curious about it since I‘ve seen rather conflicting reviews.

#1001books #1001Discoveries #ReadandEat

In the end I am glad I read this book. It was compelling in its telling, informative, and believable. I love how Díaz creates a whole family history. But what surprised me was the way the narrative is woven and told from a reserved distance; the reader is protected from some of the sadness of the story. We are hearing about tragedy, but somehow are able to take it in stride not because it isn‘t sad but rather because it is just the way it is.

Some of the books I'm planning to read this month. The slips are E-Books. If I don't note them on paper I tend to forget about those... 😅

#augusttbr #bookchallenges #bookchallengebyerin11 #popsugar2019

ay the half way point this book is best described as Intriguing. I love how Díaz has created an entire family for us, and has taken the time to footnote individuals and events important to Dominican history, of which I sadly know very little.

Still wondering who the narrator is but love all of the Lord of the Rings and fantasy references.

So far, I like it, But see neither why people LOVE or HATE it. It is interesting to be sure, and compelling... and for me that is enough.

In the lifetime top 10.

“Dude is holding up a book, waiting for me to take a closer look, and I recognize this scene from one of his crazy movies. I want to run from him, and for a long time that‘s what I do. It takes me a while before I notice that Oscar‘s hands are seamless and the book‘s pages are blank.

And that behind the mask his eyes are smiling.

Zafa.”

The kind of compelling story you DEVOUR and want to scour for insight once you‘ve finished it. W O W! 🇩🇴

Enjoying this book so far. Junot Díaz‘ writing style reminds me a bit of John Irving‘s— my absolute FAVORITE author. Can‘t wait to see where this goes.

The Dominican influence is interesting too. As someone who isn‘t that familiar with the culture, it‘s interesting to learn about the family dynamic, expectations, superstitions, etc.

Started a new book to this wonderful view, the half hour hike down (and up) hill was torturous but we got our steps in today.

Can‘t beat the Mediterranean Sea.

This was an example of the wrong book at the wrong time I think. I wasn‘t in the least grabbed by or interested in all hardship and drama Oscar and his family had to deal with in life. I felt even annoyed by how all went wrong. All. Fuku they call it in the Dominican Republic where part of the book is set. The other half is set in New Jersey so that counts for #ReadingUSA2019! #1001books

I bailed on this originally but revisited it at the behest of my husband, who thought I'd enjoy it because it's prizewinning modern literature. I just didn't. The incredibly stylised narration by the college roommate irked me, as did the fact that the title suggests Oscar will be your main character when in reality it's a story of the whole family - I was always impatient to get back to him when actually his tale was the least interesting.

I really liked this. The main characters were so well written. And the way it was told, a multi generational story via one narrator, (although sometimes 2?) was so unique. I got a little confused with some of the older generations without knowing a lot of the places and history.. maybe would have done better with print than with audio.. but I felt like I might have missed something there. ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Impossible not to love Oscar

Couldn‘t put it down

First day warm enough to read on the rooftop. Definitely in my happy place. Good book. Warm sun. Refreshing breeze. A girl couldn‘t ask for more.

The rest of my reading group gave up. But I love it.

I‘m only a little bit ashamed at how helpful I‘m finding the Lord of the Rings references.