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This was such an emotional journey for me. Any book that dives into the AIDS crisis of the 1980s always gets me feeling so many things. I really loved the way this book was crafted, gently rocking back and forth in time. Highest recommendation

This is one of those books I‘m always going to be thinking about. It‘s incredibly well-researched, and the characters are so vivid. It does so much with a lot of themes I love: time, names, intergenerational trauma. One storyline is set during the AIDS crisis in mid 1980s Chicago, and the other is set in Paris in 2015. It‘s a gorgeous book, and I can‘t wait to reread it.

Set in Chicago in early 80s this story was about a community of friends who sadly were effected by the aids crisis, and how a sister of one of the group‘s friends Fiona immersed her self in helping each of them but how the trauma of that effected her life
It‘s a important part of the past and brought back memories of a coworker who died from this terrible virus
My final book of #joyousjanuary was happy I met all my goals

#Movie2BookRecs @Klou
Prompt: Rent

This one knocked everything else out of the park this month. And that‘s really saying something as I also read The House in the Cerulean Sea. Just a fantastic amount of skill in the way Makkai built the story, it will definitely stay with me.

So in the end my first book come up against my last! But The Night Circus had to take it for the pure amount of pleasure it gave me reading it and for opening up a new genre to me. Thanks to @chasjjlee

I've got two reading buddies this morning as I work on my first book of 2023.

Wow what a beautiful and devastating book. I picked it up for #Booked2022 #abouttheaidsepedemic and I‘m so glad (again) that this challenge made me read outside my comfort zone. Extremely well written and truly heartbreaking it is a dual timeline portrait of generational trauma, love, regret, grief. I highly recommend it but save it for a time when you have the emotional strength.

My reading buddies this morning

It‘s that time of year when all becomes sparkly chaos in my house. But in moments between the cookie decorating and ice skating I am listening to this book for #booked2022 #abouttheaidsepedemic . Not that festive, but so far very good. And as usual I am squeezing my last couple of prompts in before the end of the year!

#tbt I am starting Makkai's newest book and I am so excited. Her Great Believers is one of my all time favorite reads. It is a rich, complex and heartbreaking story with vivid characters and concerning a found family in 1980's Chicago and how the AIDS epidemic ravaged their community. While the core of the story is painful and sad, it is also filled with hope and love, and excellent writing.

This book broke my heart in all the best ways. It‘s a dual timeline book set in Chicago during the AIDS crisis and 2015 Paris. So glad I ran across this one.

#manicmonday #letterg @CBee @Librariana
📚 Great Believers (Makkai)
✍️ Lauren Groff, Yaa Gyasi
🍿 Gattaca
🎤 Guns & Roses
🎶 Gangsta Paradise (Coolio)

#pridebookrec fiction week

This is one of my all time top 10 favorite books.
Raw and emotional, this is a look at a group of gay men in 1985 Chicago, dealing with the AIDS epidemic and art and friendship, it's gorgeously written and the characters will live with you for long after you put the book down.

A reread of a favorite book. It switches between two timelines. In 1980s Chicago we follow Yale and his group of gay friends as they navigate the burgeoning AIDS crisis. One man‘s sister, Fiona, becomes caretaker for many of the dying. The other thread finds Fiona in Paris in 2015, seeking out her estranged daughter and reconnecting with one of the old friends from Chicago. It is a story of the human cost of this generation of lost men. Stunning.

It‘s 4:17am. Work at 8:00am. Good thing I love this book.

An epic, realistic read into the lives of the men in Chicago in the 80s affected by AIDS. I appreciated the back and forth perspective in chapters.

i read this for my death class and wow i learned so much about grief and the process of coming to terms with the loss of so many loved ones i would def recommend to anyone if you are gay or if you aren‘t
a good perspective about aids and it‘s effect on the gay community in chicago also cool cause i live in the street where a lot of stuff took place in this book

“He was soft, as if his skin had never seen the weather, and when a bone—an elbow, a kneecap, a rib—showed through, it was like a foreign object poking at a piece of silk.”

#scarathlon #photochallenge #orange @Linsy

While not the most well-written or attention grabbing, The Great Believers sincerely tugged on my heart in more ways than one. A dual storyline jumping between Chicago and Paris covering the AIDS crisis in Chicago, love, family, grief, and loss. A slower read but one that is still very much worth it in my opinion. 3.5/5 stars for me 🌟

My god, was not fully prepared for how devastating this book would be, even though I knew going in that it would be a tough read. Its brilliance is that it‘s not gratuitous, though. This book also provides an enraging education on how poorly the AIDS crisis was handled in this country and the disgusting politics of our healthcare system. One of the best reads of the year for me.

This book is so good, why did I wait so long to read it? Once #SullivanCat stops sleeping on it, I look forward to continuing 😹 #catsoflitsy #kal

New #Currentread + naps + dog cuddles. A lovely Saturday to give my body some much needed R & R.

I‘ve had The Great Believers on my TBR for some time now. Finally sitting down to read it. If you‘ve read it, tell me your thoughts in the comments 📖💗 Happy Saturday!

#TheGreatBelievers #RebeccaMakkai #books #reading

#curiouscovers #orange
So many of my favorite books are orange covered.
#pridemonth has me tagging the heartbreakingly fantastic Great Believers.
@Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

The author drops you off in the middle of a group of friends and trusts you to sort out what‘s going on and I liked that. Following said group of friends as they navigate Chicago during the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s and alternating with 2015 and a mother desperately searching for her daughter in Paris, slowly I was drawn into these character‘s lives, the fear and sadness they experienced, and didn‘t want to let them go. An excellent read.

#BookReport #WeeklyForecast Standouts of the week are the tagged book and Red at the Bone. Woodson is a master story teller. In less than 200 pages you know these characters and come away with sadness and hope. The others were all enjoyable reads. This week Librarian and Cyprus are for #Booked2021, and I can‘t put down Words in Deep Blue.

This book is both beautifully written and incredibly sad. I don't normally pick such a long #audiobook but I'm glad that I did.

Wow, what a story. I loved how the author said at the end of the book that she was hoping to spur more research about the gay community in Chicago in the 1980s since there is such little information. It was such a good and heartbreaking story, I loved Yale. I grew up in the 80s but in a very small town in NJ, so I was unaware of what was really happening in the world, aside from what was on the news. One more #bookspin book & #doublespinbook

My stack from Independent Bookstore Day! I‘ve listened to and loved OVE but the rest are on my TBR!

Oh my heart! This book is amazing! I cried multiple times. It was also interesting reading a book set during the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s while living through a global pandemic.

Oh my heart! This book is amazing! I cried multiple times. It was also interesting reading a book set during the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s while living through a global pandemic.

This is an excellent book. I‘m so grateful books like this tell the horrific story for the generation who didn‘t get to grow old. ...As a gay rights activist my brother survived the 80s & 90s but ultimately succumbed to AIDS. His health insurance quest was a journey. In Seattle he was supported by a wonderful community in a right-to-die state, hospital, and doctor - all 3 necessary when he finally knew to ask the correct question.

It was so good reading this book, especially since it's about a disease which I knew existed but was not really aware of the taboos behind it at the time 😊

This book. Wow! I was instantly absorbed into these characters' lives. I learned so much about the fear, horror and stigma regarding the AIDS virus in its early days. I was a child then and wasn't aware of much more than "it was bad to get" and that a boy named Ryan was ostracized for having it. I didn't know about the fear it caused in the gay community, nor did I know about the horrible journey from diagnosis to death. Highly recommend! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Already loving this one after only 30 pages. And what a vibrant cover!

Watching 'It's a Sin' currently and it reminds me so much of this masterpiece by Rebecca Makkai. It was, without a doubt, my favourite book of last year. I had tears coming down my face when finishing it whilst on a public coach coming across Portugal. Both heart warming and heart breaking. Dynamic and loveable characters. The story brings to life the 80s era in America and the insidious AIDS virus. So Incredible.

This book is about a group of friends that struggle to survive and support each other during the beginning of the AIDS epidemic in Chicago in the 1980s. The characters are poignant, likeable, and refreshing. I really enjoyed learning more about this topic that affected so many but, at the time, was ignored, looked down upon, and/or not talked about.

Today is World AIDS Day 2020. (Dec. 1)
Just a coincidence I‘m reading this book that deals largely with the devastating impact of AIDS on a group of friends in Chicago in the early 80‘s at the onset of the pandemic. So far, it‘s a great book that I‘d highly recommend.

While I thought this book dragged on just a bit, especially in the modern day Paris bits, I did really enjoy it. It broke my heart, as I knew a book about the 1980s AIDS epidemic would and I loved loved loved Yale‘s character and his relationship with Fiona. I feel like this book is going to stick with me for a long time. 💔 #BookSpinBingo

How I‘m surviving Election Day. My organization was gracious enough to treat today as a holiday, so my plan is to just lay on the couch and read all day until my husband gets home from work and then my anxiety can have some company. 😂 #catsoflitsy #democat

Trying to start Monday off right. Also, is this week/year over yet? 😬

Cooper says I can proceed with my next book. I may or may not be getting a head start on one of my books on my November #bookspin list. 🤷🏼‍♀️ #catsoflitsy #bookhousecats #damnfinecooper

#AlphabetTitles #LetterG
So many amazing stories to sink your teeth into. Good Morning Destroyer of Men's Souls is one of my favorite titles ever.
A couple of Glass titles very different stories but both engrossing and we'll written.
The Girl With The Louding Voice is getting some much deserved praise lately.
But my favorites are Gentleman In Moscow and Great Believers. 1 is atmospheric the other had me racking in sobs. Both unputdownable.

Finished this one on the plane yesterday. It‘s an impressive story but I‘m not sure the dual timelines worked so well. I much preferred the 1980‘s timeline although there was an interesting twist or two in the 2015 story that elevated this novel. Overall a pick.

On my way 🤗🤗🤗

Catching one last tropical sunset before I head North for some fall weather 🍁🍂🧡

Day ended with massive thunderstorms but it‘s still unbearably humid 🥵 View is as gorgeous as ever🌴🌊😍Im really enjoying the audio/ book although I‘m not sure how much there will be to talk about at bookclub.

It‘s hot today/ listening to my IRL bookclub pick...I‘m getting A Little Life vibes 💔

Oh wow - today‘s the day ... challenge met ! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

A remarkable story, following a group of friends through the AIDs crisis & beyond. It's a novel of friendship, of trust, betrayal, politics & what it means to be a family. It's a novel about art, of what we value, what we give worth and what we show / hide from the world. There are some deeply emotionally upsetting scenes that I wish i'd have been more emotionally robust to deal with but I'm definitely going to go and read more from Makkai.