Welcome to Litsy!

An embarrassment of riches from a trip to the used bookstore. Very excited to read several in here that I had been looking for for a while! #europacollective

I really wanted to like this one, and as a piece of historical fiction, based on the meeting of Rumi and Shams of Tabriz, it‘s interesting - I had no knowledge of either men or of Sufism. But the parallel story set in modern era America is a bit mundane. If feels maybe it was added to make the novel palatable for Western tastes?

Me and not the book? Hmm. Told from multiple POVs—including one that was so annoying I had to skip those chapters—this book about human connection, conflict, borders & the ways we cross/do not cross them, & trauma is occasionally lyrical & sometimes even profound but…BUT…ultimately it didn‘t quite connect for me. I‘ve read several books by Shafak that I really enjoyed & while I really liked sections of this one, on the whole it didn‘t work for me.

“Cartography is another name for stories told by winners.”

Started reading this one last night and so far I‘m really enjoying it. The author is using a device I don‘t love but 🤞 it doesn‘t become too annoying and/or distracting.

Just finished this 600 page book! The story was rich with imagery, and revolved around Mevlut. A boza seller that moved from his village to Istanbul as a child. You see the growth of the city throughout Mevlut‘s life, as he stays loyal to his city and the people he loves. This is a book that needs to be savored!

My favorite book of September was The Island of Missing Trees, which I read with my IRL book club.
#12Booksof2023 @Andrew65

#AuldLangSpine
Here are a few things about me @TheBookHippie Excited for January to start!
@monalyisha

Started this one last night. This has been on my TBR list for maybe 4 years now. Wish I would have picked it up sooner. The storytelling is wonderful so far- It‘s over 650 pages, but it‘s moving quickly!