Welcome to Litsy!

He had never imagined that the joy of being published at all and the despair of being published poorly could be tied together like the opposite Ed‘s of a shoelace.

This is one of my favorite bookmarks which feels appropriate for today. Also really enjoying this book despite it being set in the horrors of war. Maybe because the humor is subtle and focuses oddly on beauty found among horror. Akmed, facing a patient in the aftermath of a land mine, a common scene for him- has as his first reaction to throw his lab coat over the child whose protection has brought him to this hospital.

Once I was able to get past my lack of knowledge of the history of Chechnya and stopped myself from googling every piece of information I didn't know, I could relax and thoroughly enjoy this beautifully written book. It's a tragic story with bizarre and horrendous scenes, yet, at times, it's very comical. . . especially some of the dialogue.

I can acknowledge that Marra is a beautiful writer and that this is a heartfelt story, while also admitting that I had trouble staying engaged. It‘s written in a particular style that I have trouble connecting with.

A beautiful, absolutely heartbreaking book. I highly recommend it, but it did take me longer to read, what with everything in Ukraine (the parallels are scary), plus this isn‘t a book that you can really speed through. I loved it and I‘m so glad I read it.

This novel set during the Chechen wars is beautifully heartbreaking. It‘s a book that sticks with you.

Ahmed saves a girl from Russian patrols and brings her to Sonja, the last doctor in a beleaguered wartime hospital. Ahmed trained as a doctor but has no skill. There is a lot of flashing forward and back to complete the characters‘ stories, which is confusing in the #audiobook, however Sonja‘s search for her sister Natasha shone through. ⬇️

This book is really very good. It's about the war(s) in Chechnya and what people will do when faced with impossible situations. I heard about this one on the NPR book of the day and definitely glad I tried it out. (Basically everything pales in comparison to the Malaysian garden book.) I definitely recommend this. I learned things.

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

This took my breath away even more on a reread. on reflection I realised that what is so resonant about this novel is it‘s timeless observations about humanity. Although Marra does shed light on the Chechen War, at its heart this story is about many of the things that make us universally human; resilience in the face of unspeakable horror, betrayal, forgiveness, and the unforgivable, and most significantly human connection.

This book was so good! I highly recommend it as a realistic portrait of life in Chechnya during the time of the wars for independence in the late 20th/early 21st centuries. It was intense, at times gruesomely detailed about torture and war injuries, and informative about modern Chechen history. This book was eye-opening about the human cost of the wars in Chechnya. I liked how the characters‘ stories wove together, and I loved the writing.

A very raw depiction of life during the post Soviet Union Chechen conflict.

“In her darkest moments, Sonja sees her life as “an uneven orbit around a dark star, a moth circling a dead bulb,” but against that image is the textbook definition: “a constellation of vital phenomena — organization, irritability, movement, growth, reproduction, adaptation.”

This was a revelation to me. Sadly I had little knowledge of the complex politics and wars in Chechnya before listening to it. However, it has inspired me to learn more. This novel and the events that inspired it were heartbreaking. The characters are richly drawn and Marra strips them down to their most basic and base selves. Their horrors and scars will stay with you as will their love and joy. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️+

Against the background of the Chechen wars against post-Soviet Russia, there is this immensely sad story of love and loss, of friendship and trust, of grief and hope.
The lives of Akhmed, Sonja and Havaa are intertwining in many and surprising ways. Great storytelling!

#bookspin and #doublespin

#7days7books. @JaclynW tagged me for this and I‘ve seen it done with or without comments, so I‘m not sure of the rules or how to limit it to 7, but here goes. 7 books that left an indelible mark on me. This is a bit of a cheat, but I read these two back-to-back and they were similarly inspiring. I‘ll leave it at that for now. 😉 #Day1

This book is a top pick for me. It is well written and to the point which goes well with the subject matter. I really enjoyed the one or two sentence descriptions on where characters ended up after the wars - even about the ones we just meet in passing. All the characters have good and bad in them which helps make them believable. You learn about Chechnya history (mainly the Chechen Wars) throughout the book.

#HistoricalFiction #MillenialAuthor

Just over half way through and am thoroughly enjoying this book. A very to the point story with some well rounded characters. Also learning about the history of Chechnya through the lives of the characters as it gives you a look into the Chechen wars with Russia. I don't want to put this book down. Need to complete in the next week as it is due back at the library at the end of the weekend.

#CurrentlyReading #HistoricalFiction #LibraryBook

Not an easy read by any means but a wonderfully woven web detailing life in Chechnya during the second Chechan war. I loved the way all the characters related to each other, similar to Station Eleven. Even with the heartbreaking details of everyone's lives, I didn't dislike any of the characters, which is saying a lot.
#Booked2020 #MillenialAuthor #Winter
@Cinfhen @BarbaraTheBibliophage @4thhouseontheleft

Finished this today on a snow day. I mentioned in an earlier post how this book was about loss and it is, loss of people, country, power, self, love, hope, name, faith and humanity. It‘s also about redemption, rescue, survival and recovery. I knew nothing about Chechnya before I read this and that‘s what I love about a novel, because now I feel something for a place I‘ll probably never visit.

Aside from the heartbreak of war, I've learned a ton about Chechnya and its location. I truly have very little understanding of how expansive Russia is, even though I know you can't hold the western Russian front in a game of Risk! I've been doing a lot of research simply because I'm totally unfamiliar with the area.

This book is so much about the process of loss and grief. Over halfway through.

“It was that hope, lingering in the slimmest margins of possibility, that hurt her more than the loss”
“This is the hardest part , she could have told him, before time dulls the loss to a manageable ache”

At lunch and about to delve into tagged book.

Getting this started for #Booked2020 #winter #MillenialAuthor after Gingerbread was too much for me.
@Cinfhen @BarbaraTheBibliophage @4thhouseontheleft

This is a dark & beautiful book. Searching the depths of human feeling ... the characters are wounded physically & emotionally. Speaking of those they had lost to wartimes , Sonja says “ maybe we try to find them in other people, in kindness & generosity “
Such truthful & brilliant writing.
I will use for #millennialauthor #booked2020

Reading by my fire , I want to bail , but the writing is waking up a part of me that wants to hear this/these stories - of war & the people who lived through this time - 2004 the second Chechen war , I‘ve become very invested in the characters now , it‘s too late to bail , a woman curved like a comma , an eclipse, metaphors that cut to the truth 👍🏻💔❤️ Thankyou #booked2020 I‘m reading books I might never have #millennialauthor

This book is a conundrum. A confusion of shifting timelines, locations, and points of view. Wonderful writing used to describe events so hard they steal the breath from your body and blank your mind. Did I love this book? No. But I will certainly remember its melancholy message and unrelenting bleakness.

“ The people who have the bullets , have the bandages”
........ Sonja trying to get supplies for her one-doctor poor war torn hospital
This book is so surprising... I didn‘t know what to expect , but the writing is so good & insightful & different

#Booked2020 #millennialauthor Starting this challenge today with this book 👍🏻❤️📚

“He was losing her incrementally.”.... This passage is the most beautifully written and tragically apt description of dementia.

“History writes itself. It doesn‘t need my assistance.”
“But it‘s your life‘s work.”
“Your life‘s work could be scrubbing piss from a toilet bowl. Work isn‘t meaningful just because you spend your life doing it.”

Finally finished this one tonight. Any narrative that ties up several characters all clever like always makes me all gushy inside. The war in this book felt like it was unfolding in front of you without detailing much battle. What a treasure.

Finally have a day off and it‘s Wimbledon and Reading for me. And laundry. But we‘ll ignore that last part.

The things in his life that caused him the most sorrow were the things he‘d lived with the longest, and now that everything was falling they became the pillars that held him: had he a thirty two year old toothache rather than a thirty two year old son, he would have treasured it the same.

This book is a marvel. It made me laugh out loud and sob like a baby. It‘s both harrowing and hopeful. A haunting story of war and love set in Chechnya. There are books you read for entertainment and to escape. Then there are books that matter. This book matters.⁣
⁣

#MayMovieMagic In Spain 💃🏾🇪🇸View from our balcony 👍🏻📖 and Spanish wine 👍🏻 and #younevercantell who you might meet : a woman on the flight was reading a book ... I had to ask her what it was ( tagged book) I see lots of Litsy love & I love this quote from the book .. my next step is to get this one asap

The first half of this really dragged for me, but it was made up with the second half when Marra really brings the story together. I knew nothing about Chechnya or Chechen history, & it is far too complex to understand in this story, taking place between 1994 & 2004. But it is a beginning. This is a story of every day people & survival. What will you do to survive? What is moral in times of war? This is one I will think about for a while.

“You mean Ronald just stepped down after ten years?‘ he asked. She had to be putting him on.
‘He just stepped down and George Bush became President.‘
‘And then George Bush shot Ronald Reagan to prevent him from seizing power?‘
‘No,‘ she said. ‘I think they were friends.‘
‘Friends?‘ he asked. ‘It makes me wonder how we lost the Cold War.‘
‘Good point.”

I loved this sad and wonderful book. #LitsyAtoZ

I loved it: Marra is a wonderful storyteller: the characters are painted with such nuance and tenderness. The circumstances they face couldn't be more bleak, but it's an inspiration to see the resiliency and even humor in their responses. The writing is poetic in an organic way: Marra knows when to reflect on a moment of significance and when to continue the story. I'd recommend this to anyone: it's good for the soul without any false notes.

#EverythingIsMovingSoFast #TimbitTunes
#currentread
At that point in a good novel where you cross the halfway point and you are extra eager to find out what happens and even indulge thoughts about the next book. But at the same time you think how much you're going to miss the characters and writing when it's over!
@TheKidUpstairs @Cinfhen

Started this one today: the writing is beautiful- already seeing why this gets such enthusiastic praise.

I‘m mad at myself for taking so long to read this book; it sat on my TBR shelf for years. I knew it would be intense and sad, and it was, but it was just as damn good as I‘d heard. It devastated me but was worth it.

Set in a small rural village in Chechnya, this book follows the lives of three characters over a five-day period (with flashbacks as well) and tells the story of how they all are intertwined. The novel is so good – especially the last 100 pages or so, when you won‘t be able to put it down. The writing is gorgeous--there's a page-long sentence on page 139 (paperback edition) that just takes your breath away.

Day 10: #adventrecommends

Finally getting to my second Anthony Marra read. I adored The Tsar of Love and Techno. I don‘t have wifi access at the moment so this screenshot shows my latest Kindles.

This is a hard book to read but so beautifully written. Very possibly my best book of the year.

Congratulations @TheLibrarian on your huge Litsy number 💃🏼🕺🏼and thank you so much for sharing the Litsy love by sharing with your#70kgiveaway

This book is beautiful and brutal, describing at once a very small story of a Chechen village and city hospital, and yet communicating the full extent of ongoing war in Chechnya. Marra gives us glimpses of the past and future of nearly every character we meet, folding the war into everyday life until it becomes everyday life. We‘ll have lots to discuss at #under40bookclub this week, but in the meantime I need to read the fluffiest book I can find.

#24in48 update: Started this ebook this morning for my #under40bookclub, but at 20% in I think this is a bit too heavy for me to read all at once. Which means I‘m starting a 3rd book to work on simultaneously during this readathon... 📚📚📚

Good news! It means more new books! Thanks @Mommamanzi for the giveaway.
My favorite book so far this year is The Constellation of Vital Phenomena. Difficult times but beautifully written.
Tagging @OrangeMooseReads

This one has been on my nightstand for way too long. Currently reading: A Constellation of Vital Phenomena. #onmynightstand

Good Reads has a summer reading challenge!