Welcome to Litsy!

My friend Jasmin is spoiling me😍😍 two books I‘ve wanted to read for a long time and now I finally have them🤩🤩

The photo is a Pachinko Parlor, and the reason for the title. This was a beautifully written book about a Korean family which followed multi generations. I only wished that I had been able to attend my Book Club‘s discussion. Rushed to finish on time and then regrettably, was not able to attend. #allthefeels

Repost for @GatheringBooks :

#WomenReadWomen2019 Question 2 of 3 is here! The book tackled issues of im/migration, self and identity, and crossing geographical/linguistic/cultural boundaries quite fearlessly. Looking forward to your responses to this one. Just indicate spoiler if your responses will be fairly detailed.

Fall nip in the air. Good day for a new book!

#WomenReadWomen2019 Last Discussion Question is here! Q3 out of 3! On women‘s strengths and foibles. Eager to read your thoughts on this.

#WomenReadWomen2019 Question 2 of 3 is here! The book tackled issues of im/migration, self and identity, and crossing geographical/linguistic/cultural boundaries quite fearlessly. Looking forward to your responses to this one. Just indicate spoiler if your responses will be fairly detailed.

#WomenReadWomen2019 Discussion Question 1 out of 3 is here for September book! You can put spoilers in your responses if you feel that it is too detailed. I tried to keep the Qs pretty generic to avoid the spoiler mark. :) Looking forward to reading your responses!

#unpopularopinion I didn‘t connect with this book, and I‘m not sure if it‘s the writing, the translation or me. I‘ve a strong feeling that it‘s me. I put this book on hold 2 weeks ago, in the hope that I would want to know what happened with Sunja and start reading again, but that didn‘t happen. So the book is going back to the library and hopefully I‘ll be in the right mood to read it at an other time.

#womenreadwomen2019

I enjoyed this read from beginning to end. I learn a lot about the Korean and Japanese cultures, how they‘re together but separated. You‘re introduced to Sunja and her journey from childhood to adulthood. You meet the loves of her life.

#7days7covers #covercrush Day 7

Would you like to play @swishandflick ? Post a favourite cover every day for 7 days and tag someone in if you can.

#7days7covers #covercrush Day 4
Tagging @ruskigurl16 if you haven‘t already been tagged to play - post a pretty cover every day for 7 days, no explanation required

I‘ve been in the mood for Historical fiction lately (I go through bouts of genre moods) - really hoping to like this book!

#fridaynightreads #fridaynight #dogsoflitsy #womenreadwomen2019

4.5/5 🌟
Really, really enjoyed this book and learnt lots from it. I wanted to give it 5 stars but couldn't because the second half of the book (some parts) felt rushed and impersonal. Regardless, I know I will always think fondly of Sunja and her family.

#SitDown and devote some time to reading this moving novel. It is so beautifully written. #RedRoseSeptember

#7Days7Covers #CoverCrush Day 5

How about you, @Riveted_Reader_Melissa , care to join? 7 days, 7 covers you love, no explanation. Try to tag someone new each day.

(I know I‘m not supposed to say anything, but when I had this book, my husband, who largely ignores my books, picked it up and ran his hand over it since it really looks like it should have texture.)

"... a woman‘s life is endless work and suffering. There is suffering and then more suffering. It‘s better to expect it, you know. You‘re becoming a woman now, so you should be told this."

#7days7covers Day 2

#covercrush

I tag @sprainedbrain if you‘d like to play along - just post your favourite covers, 1 a day for 7 days and tag another Litten each time.... No explanations needed, just pretty pictures!

Next up is this month‘s book for #WomenReadingWomen2019 @GatheringBooks

Repost for @GatheringBooks :
#WomenReadWomen2019 Read Along Chat September schedule for Pachinko. It is an epic read that I cannot wait to discuss with you all. Intergenerational love story that has all the feels and twists and tragedy of a Koreanovela.

#WomenReadWomen2019 Read Along Chat September schedule for Pachinko. It is an epic read that I cannot wait to discuss with you all. Intergenerational love story that has all the feels and twists and tragedy of a Koreanovela.

I was captivated by the history, four generations, the path from Korea to Japan, and what it means to be ethnic Korean in Japan. ...And, I‘ve now taken several virtual YouTube tours of pachinko parlors - I had no idea! ...This was nearly a 5* read for me, but a shiny tip dulled as new generations came to maturity and the stories of aging characters faded before I was ready to let them go.

Spanning more than a century, the novel follows a Korean woman living in Japan. Sunja is a fascinating character, full of strength and pride. I loved the first half of the book, but my interest waned as the focus shifted from Sunja. The final quarter of the book didn‘t work as well for me. I felt like the tone shifted and it was a completely different novel. I still loved it, but could have cut the final section.

On the way to NYC with my latest Book Club read!

Beautiful, rich writing. A multi generational novel with themes of family and loss. Loved it. #SummersEndReadathon I am around 40 hours in. Book Five.

This book takes us on a journey alongside a Sunja and her family, over 4 generations. It's the story of a Korean family as they travel to and expand their family in Japan throughout the 1900s, thru wars, poverty, and discrimination. I enjoyed how developed the characters are. They are complex and we see the humanity of what it's like to live poor as an outsider with limited opportunities. This book felt real. I definitely recommend it!

"There could only be a few winners and a lot of losers. And yet we played on, because we had hope that we might be the lucky ones. How could you get angry at the ones who wanted to be in the game?"

#travelread

#LitsyAtoZ #P✔️

Rainy day reading. I'm about half way thru #Pachinko It follows the lives of this poor immigrant family over four generations, starting in the early 1900s. I still have a couple generations to meet 🙃 Have you read it yet? What'd you think?

Adios DEN! Crab cakes @ CLT and then home. It‘s been a long week.

Couldn't stop reading. Thought provoking. Heartbreaking, yet hopeful.

Did you know that today is National Book Lovers Day?! I can't think of anything more appropriate than this being the holiday that falls on my birthday every year. To top it off, my husband got me this awesome bookmark / page holder and took me to The Library, a local restaurant, to celebrate! I only reread this page twice before giving up on reading today though. Instead, I came home with 3 new books...

Ladies, if you want a purse that is ALL the things: durable, functional, compact, AND inexpensive, I figured out the trick - you have to google “man purse”. I ordered this thing from Amazon and it has 6 pockets plus 4 pouches, including one pocket in the back that makes an ideal book pocket! Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072PVTHR9/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_sHztDbERA1818

I loved this novel! An epic chronicle of 3 generations of a Korean family living in Japan. It‘s fiction, but I learned sooo much about Korean and Japanese culture and history through it and how drastically it changed (and not changed) over the course of less than a century. The level of research and detail is astonishing. It‘s fiction, but so real at the same time. If culture and the humanities fascinate you, this is must read.

I loved this family saga. This was one I had put off reading because it wouldn‘t live up to the raves. It did. Terrific audiobook.

“Trying to save money while paying medical bills was like pouring oil into a broken jar.”

Sounds oddly like America in the year 2019 to me.

“Living every day in the presence of those who refuse to acknowledge your humanity takes great courage”

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee is a marvellous historical family saga and the best book I have read so far on the experience of immigrants/refugees.

#historicalfiction #Japan #Korea #quote #favourites #refugees #immigration

Not really a what I‘d call a “beach read”, but I beach read it all day and it‘s still so good!

How am I already on book II?? I honestly wasn‘t expecting to like this one and thought it would be another book I give up on after 2 chapters, but boy was I wrong! I haven‘t been so sucked into a book in over a year.

I‘ve been outside reading the beginning chapters of “Pachinko” and the weather keeps doing that thing where it‘s sunny out and raining at the same time.

I've been reading this on the beach and I love it so far. I'm only a quarter of the way through and I'm dying to see what comes next!

Book #2 of #24in48 and also our July book of the month! We‘re chatting about it in our video call next week so I figure I should probably read it 😂

A multigenerational saga that follows the unfolding drama of a young girl and her monumental struggle to adulthood. There are times when the book is slow, but if you persist it is well worth the read. The characters are well developed and relationships, as well as their consequences, intricately described. The tale builds to a sad but inevitable conclusion. It‘s worth sticking out to the end.

I giggled too hard when I opened your package @bullbunny I love the hard work you put in to everything! Every detail. I crochet too, so I know how much hard work you put in to that bikini 💕 I loved every piece! 😍#makerswap

Boy howdy, it's been a while. Hi! I was traveling for fun and work for all of June and now I'm buckling down on house hunting before starting grad school next month. So much going on 😵

So excited to finally read this though. Bought it as a gift for someone a while back and read the first chapter before shipping it... I almost kept it 🙈 it's just as good as I remember!

An epic. This book made me quietly angry about how difficult it is to be a woman and be left alone. Poignant and tragic. You‘ll get lost in it then cry when it‘s over.

This book is historical fiction, but it could be based on true story. This book had me from beginning till the end. The story of one woman‘s journey through love, sacrifice, racism, family, traditional values and survival gives you everything you need in a good summer book. #korea #japan #POC #strongfemale #turnofthecentury #war

Thank you so much for this amazing #summerreadingswap box @EH2018 ! I loved everything especially the books and the coloring sheets. I cracked up reading them. I just got a new office and can‘t wait to hang some up.

@rather_be_reading Thanks for a fun swap!

My mom and I are buddy reading Pachinko, and it's so good so far! It's also a faster read than I expected - the whole ~500 page multigenerational family saga thing made it seem like a long read, but I've only picked it up a couple times and I'm over 100 pages in already. ❤️😊
Included my sweet dog Pippin and my day's totals from Fitbit. #dogsoflitsy #bostonterriersoflitsy #Pippin #BookFitnessChallenge #BFC @wanderinglynn
Goodnight Littens! ❤️

Wasn't quite sure if this is a PICK or a MEH, and then i realised that the only thing i wanted to criticise was that it is so depressing. But the thruth can't be helped: A WOMANS LOT IS TO SUFFER. And public opinion is a bitch. I had to sooth myself by planting succulents in teacups.

I loved this story of the Korean immigrant experience in Japan. The author was ambitious in covering the history of the colonial period and the class, race, economic, religious and gender struggles of those without a true home, trying to survive, thrive and belong. Min Jin Lee nailed it. I felt like I could relate to this Korean family experience and am so glad to know more about this struggle. Lee achieved her accolades and I am better for it.