Welcome to Litsy!

#ChaiLatte part II - well, this must have been some time at the beginning of this month. Chai Latte and reading on the couch.😊
As I said, I only now discovered I have pics fitting some #OminousOctober prompts - better late than never, right? 😉

@Eggs @AlwaysBeenALoverOfBooks -Thank you so much for the warm welcome! 🍂🧡 @RaeLoveToRead I know you do love chai latte! That's why I tag you, dear! 😊🖤
#Spices #autumn #autumnalvibes #hotbeverages

Why did I discover the #October #Photochallenges only now? 🤔
Might be because work was intense over the last weeks - but now I have a bit of time off work! 😊

Made myself some spicy #ChaiLatte...

#OminousOctober #day6 prompt #Spices #spicy #autumnal #autumn #autumnvibes #fallvibes
@Eggs @AlwaysBeenALoverofBooks
@RaeLovesToRead - dear fellow #chai and #yummy food and drink enthusiast 😊🧡

I enjoyed this book. The language was beautiful, and I was interested in Tilo‘s history, as well as the little, occasionally interlocking, stories of the people she helped at her shop. However, I found the central romance unconvincing, the focus on youth and beauty frustrating, and the ending unsatisfying. I can see why it has a low pick rating on Litsy.

Hmm, I see that the #AnyWayYouReadathon was supposed to end yesterday… so… oops? 😅 I had the day off work today so I intended to complete my reading goals today. And I did! I finished this book… not sure yet what to say about it, but my book club discusses it on Friday so maybe I‘ll write a review after that.

I‘ll join in on a #readathon for once! I want to finish the tagged book by the end of the weekend, and Anne of Windy Poplars by the end of Saturday. Oh, and keep up with Mansfield Park chapter-a-day for #PemberLittens. That‘s it, that‘s the whole goal! It will be plenty challenging!
#AnyWayYouReadathon

#bookspin
This book had everything I look for in a book, lyrical, sprawling women lead story, Indian culture. But the language here just did not work. Instead of wanting to sink into the book I found myself looking at where commas would have done some good - and I am not a punctuation junkie, I love Jose Saramago. In the end it was too long too wandering, and the love story at the center was ridiculous.
@TheAromaofBooks

#bookspin and #doublespin for November with @TheAromaofBooks
Both of these have been on my #TBR bookcases for over 5 years.

Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni has become a go-to author for me when I‘m in a slump, and when I want something lighter but still well-written and emotionally resonant. However, this one is the earliest novel I‘ve read of hers & my least favorite. The insta-love relationship drove me bonkers, and I almost put this down halfway through. I was glad to pick it back up, but the ending wasn‘t redeeming. Maybe I‘ll stick with her novels from 2010+

Current reads! I initially put down The Mistress Of Spices at 40% and wasn‘t sure that I‘d finish, so I started Cutting for Stone. But last night, I picked Mistress back up and was so glad I did. Now the question is - which one do I read this evening? #bookwormproblems

Edit: I put them both in front of my cat, and he rubbed his face on Cutting for Stone, so I guess we‘ve got our answer! How do you decide when you‘re reading multiple books?

I‘m pretty sure this was the book I read and enjoyed (it would have been about 20 years ago) #spiceupyourlife #anglophileapril
Trying to remember the title led me to this article filled with books I want to read- I had no idea this is a sub genre of high interest to me!!! https://bookriot.com/2017/01/23/100-must-read-books-food-in-fiction/

Magical was truly a beautiful read

The original #SpiceGirl 💁🏾‍♀️

#Aprella @Cinfhen @Mdargusch @emilyhaldi @Reviewsbylola

The Mistress of spices by By Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni.

The lure of a small island across the seas beckons, and Tilo calls on the ocean snakes to lay her at the feet of the Old One.

Divakaruni writes so lyrically and weaves her tale so intricately, you begin to believe in the spices and their healing properties. Immigrant experience is dealt with rather obliquely, buried in a wondrous fairy tale in sacks of aromatic spices.

💖🌟💖
Io sono una maga delle spezie.
So usare anche il resto. Minerali, metallo, terra, e sabbia, e pietra. Le gemme splendenti di luce fredda e limpida. I liquidi che ti accendono gli occhi di bagliori variopinti finchè non riesci più a vedere altro. Ho imparato tutto sull‘isola.
Ma la mia passione sono le spezie.
🌟💖🌟

It was ok.

While I was attracted to the premise of a magical mistress of spices and the way this is absolutely packed with a mix of cultures and immigrant stories, the overly poetic language simply got in the way for me. I say this knowing perfectly well that is exactly what others may love! So decide how you feel about flowery poetics and a few plot holes, and then dive in.
If you like 😉
#sirensreadingchallenge

I still need to read this book by an amazing #SouthAsianWriter. #SouthAsianWriters #AndItsAugust @RealLifeReading

These are the titles I MUST read in the next 2 months prior to attending the Sirens conference in October. So I stacked them in an obvious pile to stare me down & remind me daily. The top 4 (+ 1 more to be ordered) will complete the #sirensreadingchallenge and the other 4 will be discussed there as well. While I want to read them, I am not loving the pressure! Silly me keeps looking at all my other TBR titles in longing.
I need to FOCUS!

This book only has a 3.48 rating on Goodreads, but I gave it four stars. I enjoyed the lyrical prose while some may find it too purple. I thought the story was both beautiful and complex. It gave me some insight into what it may mean to be Indian and living in America. I'm glad I ignored the poor rating and read it.
#sirensreadingchallenge

Join me, won't you?

(Although I'm guessing plenty of you are already doing the same. It is Inauguration Day after all - although the only part I've bothered to see are all those Michelle memes)

Cheers!

Amazing trip into the magic of India.

This is a magical book. It reads almost like a dream. Tilo is a wise woman, an immigrant to the US from India. We get to experience the lives of the customers who come into her shop through the powers of the spices she sells. And Tilo herself is not what she seems. It's magical realism, lyrical and highly sensory. Not linear enough for some of my friends but a spicy twisty tale for everyone else!

I'm about a third of the way through The Mistress of Spices. I think one might say it's magical realism. It's so different from my typical book choice...it makes for a hyper aware reading experience. The book's primary setting is in Oakland, I am reading it in Oakland, and I keep thinking about this Oakland store, Homestead Apothecary.

Beautiful writing, story. This author writes modern mythology. #readwomen

#tea #typewriter #spices #magic #book #read #write

Una trama intrigante che conduce a leggere il libro tutto d'un fiato

"La notte avvolta nella sua splendida stola di stelle spesso inganna - soprattutto quando desideriamo che qualcosa sia proprio come sogniamo. Soltanto la luce imparziale del giorno ci costringe ad affrontare la quotidiana realtà dei fatti."

Colazione con biscotti, cappuccino e spezie.😁