My current reads are ebook Death Comes for the Archbishop (will finish it today) and audiobook Insomnia. Everything else is pile of possibilities for next week. #weeklyforecast

It's hard not to compare YM with SB because the basic story is the same - a dysfunctional family, a complicated relationship between an alcoholic mother and children, in this book - Mung's older brother, who is brutally violent, a sister who sees a way out to the better life - but this means giving up Mungo in a way, and ultimately Mungo himself - with his sexual identity and all the problems posed by homosexuality, queernes in a very toxic … 👇

Double review: One book by #Czech writer - set in France, and one by American author - set in Prague.
I‘m not Milan Kundera fan, although I find his books good, especially on the level of the individual sentences, but his overall writing style is too philosophical for me … and this book isn‘t exception. In this story he is playing with the idea of personal/intimate identity, the identity of partner/husband, how perception can reverse with the … 👇

I can‘t … 15 hours was enough 😔
#AuthorAMonth

I‘m playing for #BookSpinBingo #BookSpin and #DoubleSpin and I‘m quite pleased with my June selection.

May was good reading month for me, although no #BookSpinBingo but I did manage to finished #BookSpin and #DoubleSpin book. I DNF one book (P. Highsmith: Her Dairies and Notes), and my favourite was Maršalinja by Zora del Buono.

I never thought that I will like book about fish … but I did. Till 1938 scientists were convinced that Coelacanths were extinct. Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer was curator in the small museum, always in the hunt for unusual species, and as soon as she saw to her unknown fish, she contacted the ichthyologist JLB Smith… and the treasure hunt has begun. Surprisingly readable, even a tense story about the fish that is supposed to be a missed link 👇

P. Highsmith, Her Diaries and Notebooks is audiobook for #AuthorAMonth , Death Comes For the Archbishop by W. Cather is from Jenny‘s GR to-review shelf #rememberingJenny , How High We Go in the Dark is my current read (and I love it) #campLitsy , and Katarina Sienska isn‘t for any challenges, but just because …. #weeklyforecast

My Saturday afternoon - ebook and cherry pie with vanilla sauce. The main theme in my current read is family legacy through stories and its effects … sad story, but perfect for rainy day. #weekendReading

The author describes in these memories, both her growing up in Zimbabwe, as well as traditions, believes and the problems/obstacles that she had to overcome to achieve her goal - work for the UN and to create changes in society/world. This book is a perfect example of strong will, determination and what it means to live with purpose. #ReadingAfrica2022 #Zimbabwe
#NonFiction2022 #Survivor

Justin Alexander Shetler was restless soul, determinant to find deeper meaning of existence through nature and eastern philosophy. He went to India, Parvati Valley, where numerous adventures went missing … and that's what happened to Jastin too. Very detailed, well written, compelling story about young man on the way to live differently.
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From today perspective - that was really interesting look at homicide ‘traditions‘ in Ancient Rome, very interesting look at what they treated as plain murder, and what was justified violent death. Serious topic, but author managed to lighten things up with some humorous comments. #NonFiction2022 #RuleBreaker

My current read while I‘m waiting for my dog (she is in dog grooming salon). I was intrigued by the title, and now when I‘m few pages in - the content and the writing style are promising. Defenestration is a new word for me 🤷🏻‍♀️ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defenestration

My #weeklyforecast S.Lebedev - Oblivion, D.Pešut - Father‘s Boy, S.Undset - Catherine of Siena, and for the rest of the month, 42 hours long audiobook by P. Highsmit - Dairies and Notebooks.

My May bingo card is composed with books for different challenges (I‘m playing catch-up for few April‘s challenges), and books that I find interesting at the moment. #bookspin #doublespin #bookspinbingo

I finished 13 books in April, #bookspin and #doublespin but I didn‘t get #bookspinbingo

I have only two short books and two audiobooks in this #weeklyforecast because my week is going to be, mostly, filled with long-working-hours …
Happy reading week♥️

I‘m playing catch-up with reading challenges … so, here is my March book for #ReadAroundTheWorld and #ReadingAfrica
#weekendreading

I finished #InternationalBookerPrize2022 longlist and here is my shortlist selection/prediction. It is interesting, thematically diverse longlist, with surprisingly number of short stories collections. Reading longlist was exhausting, but at the same time - it is rewarding experience.

A story where the narrative style is almost fairytale-like and playful, takes place in India. We follow an 80-year-old grandmother who falls into depression after her husband's death, and while taking care of her, we meet her family ... their daily chores, life, relationships, thoughts. Throughout the story, I had a feeling that the author wanted to say something, make a statement, and we only get to the point in the last part (the book is … 👇

Another short stories collection in this year #InternationalBookerPrize2022 and this one was mixed bag for me. While I didn‘t like short short stories, the longer are pure enjoyment to read. Stories are smart, some are sad, some are ironic, but all have common thread in yearning for acceptance. I have the strong feeling that Pasaribu form to write/express in fullness is longer format than short stories.

The main character is older, successful painter Asle and we follow his thoughts about his younger years, while in the present, he ponders about his doppelgänger Asle (yes, the same name, and to make things even more confusing - he is also painter). Although this is the third book in the series, and because I didn‘t read the previous two, a lot of this story didn‘t have sense for me … but I love Fosse‘s execution of the stream of … ?

Seoul‘s queer scene, finding love in the big city, finding place in the world, taking care of sick mother … those are all big and small problems of Park Young, narrator of the story. He tells us his story in the light mood, humour, but always with the hint of some darker undertones. Interesting and charming.
#InternationalBookerPrize2022

Four short stories (one is in two parts) and I didn‘t like any of them … polite thing to say in this case would be - that this book wasn‘t for me 🤷🏻‍♀️
#InternationalBookerPrize2022

Written in quite simple prose and straightforward narration this is the story about two completely different (in every sense) teenagers who find a common point in dissatisfaction with life, and in beliefs/desires what belongs to them or what they deserve. This brutally raw and furious story is excellent comment on social stratification and based on this stratification - different reasons for violence. Unpleasant read, but incredibly powerful.

Frederico has a lighter complexion than the rest of his black family, he is treated differently and in many ways privileged, while in others he is a victim of teasing and exclusion, and lives a completely different life than his darker brother Laurenco. Frederico becomes a member of the Brazilian committee, where they are debating about the development of the software that is supposed to determine race/skin color to fulfill the prescribed … 👇

The story revolves around a family, three generations of women, each in their own way facing the pain caused by the generation before her. It all starts with Vera Novak, a Yugoslav Jew (who escaped to the Israel after she survived imprisonment in Goli otok - political prison in former Yugoslavia), and her dramatic decision that marks future generations. The main narrator is Gili, Vera‘s granddaughter, a filmmaker who documents the family's … 👇

The story of children's unconditional love for their mother, the cycle of abuse repeated from generation to generation, how to break this cycle, psychological problems/illnesses, the role of a woman/mother ... are some topics from this intimate story of a daughter (and her sister), whose task is to keep the mother alive and happy. Genre-wise, the story is autofiction, and I understood it as an attempt to reshape the past, give meaning to … 👇

I think that short stories collections can‘t compete with novels, this collection is an exception. Each individual story is a commentary either on social happenings, or the depravity of people, greed, selfishness, abuse ... and all this is told through magical realism on the border with fantastic elements, often grotesque, bizarre and surrealistic situations. The simplest description is that the stories are strange and always with a very … 👇

In March I did get one #BookSpinBingo but not #Bookspin or #Doublespin I hope that April is going to be more successful …

Almost the same #weeklyforecast as previous week (just minus one book) … It was one of those weeks when real life clashes with reading life. Slowly, but I‘m getting there 😁

1. I‘m not comfortable with selfies/shelfies, so here is my current view while I‘m reading tagged book.
2. Not important, but very good written, emotional story about motherhood: A Ghost in the Throat by Doireann Ní Ghríofa.
3. None. I very rarely bail, but last year I DNF Doctor Zhivago.

Thank you for tagging me @RaeLovesToRead #wondrouswednesday

Another week dedicated to the International Booker longlist, only six more … I‘m going to start today Love in the Big City by Sang Young Park. #weeklyforecast

Interesting themes (gender roles, discrimination, race, racial passing …), but I expected to be blown away and I wasn‘t. Maybe the reason for that is Slovenian translation🤷🏻‍♀️

While I like main theme - issues surrounding colourism and racial classification in Brazil, I‘m not impressed with the writing style 🤷🏻‍♀️
#FirstLineFridays

Haile Selassie was the Ethiopian emperor from 1930 to 1975 when he was assassinated in a military coup. This biography was written by his nephew, and unfortunately I have to say that is not the most objective written. The author is, in a way, inappropriate opinionated on previous works and publications about the King of Kings, and conveniently omits/briefly mentions the main reason why the coup took place - a famine that already had dimensions …👇

Three books from International Booker Prize longlist, and the same audiobook as in previous #weeklyforecast for Reading Africa challenge. Yesterday I started The Book of Mother and the story is so raw and intense, and surprisingly - it is debut novel.

Only on the 10% and I already like this story, very much …
#FirstLineFridays

In the forefront is a love story, forbidden in every way - love between two men, one Serb, another is a married Albanian from Kosovo … and in the background are nationalistic friction that escalate into war. What this book makes a very good is calm, simple prose in the contrast to the very deep, unsettling characterisation of the main protagonist who is trapped in life, and a sensitive and atmospheric demonstration of life in Kosovo.

Two books from previous #weeklyforecast and two new books. Bolla is book in progress (so far I like it very much), I‘m probably gonna finish reading a collection of short stories of African writers today, and since Thursday my reading life will be devoted to the #InternationalBookerPrize2022 longlist.

Lazy weekend is the perfect weekend - reading and snacking (freestyle coated strawberries). My #weekendreading is currently reading two books, and I like both of them.

Just started reading this book … #FirstLineFridays

This is a criminal novel about a politics/politicians who are too friendly with bad boys. The first book was setting in Rome, and this, second one in Slovenia - Ljubljana and Piran, where the mafia whistler has found hiding place. The author is a journalist -she was the rapporteur from Rome and Brussels, where the third part will be happening. Very good, tense and with a lot of details from political dirty businesses and dirty games in journalism.

Most of the March books for my #Bookspin #DoubleSpin and #Bookspinbingo will be selected by the International Booker Prize jury … and until March 10 I will be trying to read books for my others challenges.

I‘m always intrigued by cults and the different ways that you can be deceived into them. Language, using right words with the promise of better life can do that easily … and the author treated this serious topic - linguistic (in connection to social elements) in understandable way and with wittiness. Very readable, and I little bit scary, if you think about how quickly different aspects of our life can fall into cultish category. #audiowalks

I‘m done with the February … #bookspin ✅ #doublespin ✅ #bookspinbingo✅
My two favourites are Elena Knows and A Ghost in the Throat … in both books the motherhood is main theme.

I loved the setting, atmosphere and historical bits (I didn‘t know the term for clubs - speakeasies) in this Harlem renaissance mystery, but the execution of the mystery part of the book wasn‘t so great …
#Booked2022 #TitleRepeatsItself

Pietro and Teresa are in passionate love, but burned out. Pietro marries Nadia, he becomes successful, but still bound to Teresa by an exchanged secret. The construction of relations, love, perception of your own self in relation to the perception of others … are the main topics. What I liked in the book was the small moments of self-reflection, but I didn't like distant and a sterile prose. Very soft pick.
#BookSpin

Tagged book is for #Booked2022 and #AuthorAMonth, Dnevnik nezvestobe by Emilios Salomu (I can‘t find English translation, my literal translation is Diary of Infidelity) is for #FoodAndLit , and I‘m still reading collection of short stories for #ReadingAfrica . Lost in The Valley of Death is my current audio companion and book for NonFiction2022
Happy reading week 🤓
#weeklyforecast

The main theme of this story is motherhood and consequences that happens when the child is not born as we expected. Distancing/response of society, disintegration of interpersonal relationship, personal sacrifices, unsuccessful treatments, therapies, and when to end with them … heavy topics treated in a very original manner.
Strongly allegorical story, which you can read as metaphorical story or, to a certain extent, even as magical realism.