#CharacterCharm Day 20: Torrent and Tranquil definitely strike me as borderline #Psychotic - one more than the other, ummm, sort-of. A #CampLitsy25 winner, no doubt. Looking forward to the final discussion this weekend hosted by the ever fab @BarbaraBB
#CharacterCharm Day 19: #Legend - these are titles gifted to our new college graduate.
pick#CharacterCharm Day 16: #Vigilante death squads sanctioned by former president Rodrigo Duterte had been portrayed so chillingly in this journalistic nonfiction memoir of Patricia Evangelista. Thankfully, he is now awaiting trial in The Hague. My review here: https://wp.me/pDlzr-qgX
#CharacterCharm Day 14: #Murderer(s) in this gritty, fast-paced novel that was just what I needed when I read it last month. Bought all the other SA Cosby novels I can find while book hunting and trawling the bookstores in Seattle and the Bay Area. Looking forward to the upcoming #CampLitsy25 discussions.
#CharacterCharm Day 13: #TimeSpaceTraveler - i think being stuck in just one particular day in time qualifies. Still don‘t know how i feel about this little book. Qualifies too for #ReadTheWorld2025 - Denmark - translated from Danish.
pick#CharacterCharm Day 11: There is a book #Thief in town - and Fats wrote a lovely review of this Snatchabook here: https://wp.me/pDlzr-gjd As she noted: “It‘s perfect for book lovers and anyone who has enjoyed being read to when they were younger.”
#CharacterCharm Day 9: #FairyElfPixie in this Lisbeth Zwerger collection entitled “Wonderment” - not on Litsy‘s database. My full review: https://wp.me/pDlzr-b71
pick#CharacterCharm Day 8: Parastoo‘s (which means “swallow bird” in Farsi) mother had to leave to serve as a #nurse during wartime. There is a layer of authenticity to the narrative as it appears the story is culled from Kheiriyeh‘s own experience as she dedicates the book to her own mother who served as a nurse during wartime, & grandfather who used to make nests for the parastoo in his house in Iran. My review: https://wp.me/pDlzr-r7H
#CharacterCharm Day 7: #Elderly - apparently I am using the wrong prompts 🤦🏽♀️Must have been jetlagged when I saw it. Lols.
#BookSpin Day 7: Peter Lerangis, farthest left, is #TheGhostwriter of popular series such as Babysitter‘s Club, Hardy Boys, and Sweet Valley Twins - before becoming a mega-famous author himself of The 39 Clues, Seven Wonders Series among others. This photo of ours was taken in November 2022 when my dear friend (and colleague) and I were in New York. Peter generously treated us out for lunch with his famous wife, Tina DeVaron, a renowned musician.
pick#BookSpin Day 6: Bertie Badger‘s grandfather, “Gadzooks the Great” was once a “conjurer of note,” a world-famous magician who traveled to Prague, Kathmandu, Antipodes and Timbuktu. One would wonder what the #ConjurersWife was like - see what I did there? My full review: https://wp.me/pDlzr-idh
#BookSpin Day 3: There must be #GoldenHills in an Empire of Gold. Finished reading this fantasy series last year and found it awesome.
#BookSpin Day 2: #SharkHeart A Love Story was prominently on display at Barnes and Noble Florida as among one of their Best Fiction titles when I was there in November of 2023.
#BookSpin Day 1: When a #BrokenCountry brings forth even more genocide in an unending loop of violence in this fantastical realm. Read this for book club a few months back and loved it - prompted me to read the original Ember in the ashes quartet which I just finished devouring. Sabaa Tahir is a genius. My full review: https://wp.me/pDlzr-rnQ
#JulyJazz Day 31: #Freedom of women and tiger girls in particular is curtailed in this chilling dystopian graphic novel with a monsoon tropical vibe written by my Singaporean friend and fellow book club member, Felicia Low-Jimenez. Grateful that I have the #freedom to read outdoors in the wilds of Alki Beach in Seattle. This new graphic novel is still not on Litsy‘s database so tagging the anthology where the story first appeared.
#JulyJazz Day 29: #MoonDay - posting way in advance since traveling on Monday and only arriving in the evening on Tuesday (we lose a day going back) next week.
#JulyJazz Day 28: I #Celebrate visiting three bookstores in two days while here in Seattle: Kinokuniya, The Elliott Bay Book Company, and the tagged bookstore - Left Bank Books Collective. Posting in advance since traveling back home to Dubai on Monday.
#JulyJazz Day 26: #CheerTheLonely Soul Catcher (Elias) with some dripping mangoes - a scene that made me laugh out loud in this book. Still prolonging my stay here in the world that Sabaa Tahir brilliantly crafted.
Paired with original strawberry cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory at Southcenter Mall in Seattle.
#JulyJazz Day 25: Last year I visited the Philippine booth which proudly showcases the Philippine #Flag during the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair. Husband drove us for 90 minutes (one way) so I can get the book gifted to me by a Filipina American novelist (Ninotchka Rosca) whose books were featured during the fair.
#JulyJazz Day 23: #FamilyReunion this summer with our newly minted college graduate from Seattle University and as we spend time with family this July in the Bay Area. Heading back to Seattle today to help our college graduate settle in their new place with housemates- then husband and I fly back to the Emirates on Monday next week. ✈️🧳💺🗺️
#JulyJazz Day 20: More than #PlayOutside, I was also able to Read Outside while we were camping last week, and finished this novel that I did not love as much as I expected. My newly minted college graduate kid bailed on it for our summer book club of two - and even called it “corny” at one point and I have to agree that I do see it. Jokes did not land as well as it should. Husband took my photo. 📸
pick#JulyJazz Day 18: #Listen tells the story of Evelyn Glennie, a deaf musician. With great joy, she was able to demonstrate how there are many forms of hearing that can take place in one‘s being – and that music need not be confined to ears in perfect condition. Rather, hearing music can be a “sea of sound” – an entire sensation within one‘s body. My full review: https://wp.me/pDlzr-oGe
pick#JulyJazz Day 16: #EPluribusUnum is best captured by this picturebook inspired by the author‘s own cultural background: German mother, Indian father, raised in Pakistan, and currently based in the US. It is a lovely exploration of the cultural pluralities of young people that I am glad is now surfacing in recent stories. My review: https://wp.me/pDlzr-pCe
#JulyJazz Day 12: #Simplicity in the design of this gorgeous book-loving book. Just the kind of story I like.
#JulyJazz Day 11: #RedWhiteBlueCover #RedWhiteBlueCovr in tagged book included in the Jane Addams children‘s book award in 2024 - which recognizes outstanding books on peace, social justice, global community, and equity for all people. Found the image above on social media announcing the winners.
#JulyJazz Day 10: The #Fireworks in Versailles were hands-down spectacular. We were fortunate to witness it when we were in France last year. This is one of the photos I managed to take, along with gorgeous videos.
Finally getting to the last book in our #CampLitsy25, and this one right here, is by far, my favorite of all six books. Nearly halfway through. Bought this at Powell‘s, thus the bookmark. Paired with strawberry shortcake pizookie from BJ‘s.
#JulyJazz Day 8: #Forgiveness - while this poem is technically not in tagged collection, it still is written by Dubai-based Filipina Poet Danabelle Gutierrez whose works I absolutely adore. I featured her works at Global Literature in Libraries Initiative: https://wp.me/p7Q7pO-c4l
#JulyJazz Day 6: #MentalHealth in this poetry collection that Fats featured here: https://gatheringbooks.org/2019/07/18/poetry-friday-depression-other-magic-trick...
pick#JulyJazz Day 5: This is a gorgeously-illustrated title that demonstrates our one-ness with everything around us: from the tree to its fruits, from the wind to the bees, from the roots to the sky. It is an ode to nature, and the fact that we are #indivisible from it. It is told in such a lyrical way and the art is absolutely gorgeous.
pick#JulyJazz Say 4: The Undefeated, Unbowed, Unbending of them #StarsAndStripes. The strength of this poetry lies in its giving space for the “undiscovered” – the amazing people who are yet to come and make a difference in this bright, broken, beautiful world we live in. My full review: https://wp.me/pDlzr-nLY
