Welcome to Litsy!

Jhumpa Lahiri‘s writing flows like water. In this debut collection of short stories she explores the confusion and conflicts of adopting a home in a foreign land, of the internal complexities of love and marriage, of loneliness and comfort. Beautiful and subtle. She‘s a joy to read each time.

Yesterday was an almost perfect day. Mr. S & I went to a café so I could read, write, & study. It‘s located at the mouth of a canyon - in between writing & reading, I would look out the window at the pockets of fall foliage on the mountain side. Though the peak color has come & gone (the last 2 weeks have been breathtakingly vivid), there are still vibrant splashes of red, orange, & yellow to admire, sigh over, & tuck away into memory.

#bookspin
I like short stories and I like Jhumpa Lahiri's writing. But I'm just not in a right headspace for this book at the moment. I find myself skipping pages and even the whole stories just to make it till the end. So I think bailing is the best option for now.

I have read a lot of great short stories recently, including the stellar collections: Everyman's Library Shaken & Stirred, JC Oates' anthology of American Gothic tales, Munro's Something I've Been Meaning to Tell You. I had previously read 2 of Lahiri's stories years ago & they always stuck with me. One of them, the final work in the collection, has one of the best endings I've read this year. Terrific collection, among the best of the year.

I rarely enjoy short stories; if it‘s going to be a good story then make it a novel! Or I get bored and they aren‘t very good. Not true for this book. All of the stories are compelling, readable, and I looked forward to picking it back up. No wonder it won the Pulitzer Prize. The stories dug deep into the Indian immigrant experience, and each one stood very well on its own. Anything more wouldn‘t have worked as well. Excellent! #foodandlit #India

This book is my pick for #India #foodandlit2022 @Catsandbooks @Butterfinger

Wow! What a powerful and impactful group of short stories. Lahiri writes with a sense of place and longing that jumps off the page. Some of theses stories are so surprising, they nearly take your breath away. So good! #Roll100 @PuddleJumper #BookspinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

This book broke my heart 💔

Well, I forgot I had already read this book when my #LPMBC #GroupC chose this short story collection. I love Lahiri. I love everything I‘ve read by her, and this #reread is no exception. So glad I got to share it with these wonderful folks. Highly recommend if you‘re looking for a short story collection that explores the themes of immigration, assimilation, and marriage/fidelity. Very glad you‘re teaching this to high schoolers @Readergrrl !

#MayWrapUp
May was a decent reading month. I gave out my first five stars of the year to Interpreter of Maladies, and I enjoyed both of the nonfiction books I read. I also finished one of my friend rec challenge books.

Total: 5
Print: 2
Ebook: 1
Audio: 2

Fiction: 3
Nonfiction: 2

#lmpbc: 1
#Booked2022: 1
#friendrecchallenge: 1

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
My first five-star read of the year! I didn‘t really know what to expect going into this, but it didn‘t take long to realize I was in for something special. Lahiri‘s writing was beautiful and absorbing, the stories moving and beautifully crafted. There were nine stories and I enjoyed them all. There wasn‘t a single dud in the bunch.
#lmpbc #GroupC #catsoflitsy #Phoenix

This is an eloquent and deceptively simple collection of stories but this talented author. The characters are ordinary people caught in snippets of their ordinary lives. The prose is unfussy and voice of each character clear. I am disappointed in myself for letting this astounding collection sit unread on my shelf for such a long time. #AxeTheStacksApril⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

This was a beautifully written collection collection of short stories. Each story gave a view of life for Indian families living throughout the world, grieving for their home but forging a new existence in their adopted setting. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I am thinking of all the American Littens who are casting their vote😘

I love short stories and this book has 9 wonderful short stories. I thoroughly enjoyed each and every one. The variety kept me intrigued. I look forward to reading more by this author. I had the audiobook and loved it.

A wonderful collection of nine short stories tackling major themes of love, death, disease, mariage, immigration, solitude; these apparently simple but strong and special Indian characters meet their destinies under the author's touching and thrilling writing

#AugustAuthors - Jhumpa Lahiri: Someone reviewed one of her books on Litsy awhile back and it was that post which made me feel like I was missing out on something extraordinary. There are no truer words regarding this book. This woman can write! Her words transcend the page. Okay, that‘s true for many gifted writers. Yes!👇🏽

an alluring intimacy! i loved the lowland and this is so totally different! both are beautiful!

This is a beautiful collection of short stories that has been on my TBR list for years. Glad I finally had the chance to immerse myself in Jhumpa Lahiri's engaging writing.

Although I've read numerous Lahiri stories in anthologies, I have yet to read this one cover to cover. This article made me add it to my July TBR:
https://lithub.com/20-years-on-jhumpa-lahiris-empathetic-fiction-is-a-lesson-for...

“He learned not to mind the silences.”

Read short stories after a long time.
This covers a wide range of life experiences of Indians living in any foreign country.
How they feel at home or are unable to adjust to their new life.

“A woman who had fallen out of love with her life”

7 books that left a deep impression on me.
Day1 #7days7books

Thanks for the tag, @hilded and @sudi ! 🥰 @ephemeralwaltz @ju.ca.no @readordierachel Would you like to join?

Very well written and incredibly moving. I think A Temporary Matter was my favorite of the stories.

I don‘t read a lot of short stories. I like to be immersed in one world for a long time while short stories require you to jump in and out. But this short story collection is more than worth the effort. Each story is its own pearl, something beautiful that has grown around a hard little stone of pain. Lahiri casts light on moments of vulnerability within a sometimes hostile or ignorant world. Her writing is beautiful and gently devastating. ⬇️

I understand why people like this book, but I found it ok. Short stories aren‘t my favorite, and some were better than others. I dislike the prevalent notion that “literary” fiction must feature infidelity, and there‘s quite a bit of that here.

I enjoyed Mr. Pirzada, Mrs. Sen, and The Third and Final Continent.

7th finish of #JumpStart2020, 5 from my original stack of 7. Six is in progress but slow going.
@Lizpixie @Clwojick

A book that my mother-in-law loved, that has her signature inside, that she gave to me before she died. It finally comes off the shelf to be held, read and appreciated. These stories are each intimate and so detailed that you can imagine being with each character. Each brings you inside a relationship, where boredom, longing and frustration live. This is the second book I‘ve read this year filled with saris and cumin. 😻

2020TBR-3

The first short stories I have liked!! Secrets, isolation, and uncertainty abound in these beautifully told stories.

⭐⭐⭐ (3)

I only really liked a few of these short stories, but they were well written, so I bumped it up to a pick rather than so-so. Read for #RtC (Rediscovering the Classics) book club a friend of mine runs. The author seems to have a negative view of humanity, and all but about three of the stories are severely depressing. Interesting glimpse into Indian culture.

I feel like I need a quick, happy read now. 🙃

#Overdrive

First time reading Jhumpa Lahiri and I am completely smitten.

Well, I might be the only one not reading Atwood or King today, but here I am starting this book instead. I'm reading it for my friend's book club that I follow along with online, called Rediscovering the Classics (#RtC). So far, I have only read the first story. It was sad, but touching. #Overdrive

I don‘t know about the first sentence, but the first story in Interpreter of Maladies was definitely an embrace. ❤️

Woohoo! My “Rediscovering The Classics” book group now has its reading list for the 2019-2020 year! I cannot wait to get started! Anyone want to join us?? #RtC

September: Interpreter of Maladies
October: The Power of Myth
November: Out of Africa
December: Calvin and Hobbes
January: Twelve Angry Men
February: Invisible Man
March: Bel Canto
April: A Room With A View
May: Civil Disobedience

All the books I finished (+ one started) during #24in48. Read for a total of 11 hours and 3 minutes. Considering I only read for about three hours during the last ‘thon, I‘d say this is an improvement. My goal for next January will be 16+ hours. Can‘t wait! If anyone knows of any other readathons or challenges (aside from 24in48 and Dewey‘s), please let me know. These are a blast!

Winding down - not going to get near 24 hours but I am thrilled with how much I‘ve read this weekend. A dear friend gifted this to me a while ago and I am FINALLY going to read it. I feel a bit ashamed for taking this long to read it because I love Lahiri. #24in48

After doing a deep dive on Google, I‘m pretty sure this is called a “boti”: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boti

It‘s not at all surprising that Lahiri won a Pulitzer for this marvelous collection. The stories tackle a variety of ordinary life experiences for Indian immigrants as they assimilate (or choose not to) in their new countries. Absolutely gorgeous prose.

The prose is beautiful and romantic, but for most of the stories, their plot feels rather flat. The narrative starts off as interesting, and picks up until the climax, but regrettably, the endings fall short. A few stories were achingly poignant, yet the rest were forgettable. I find it frustrating that the author used Indian and American stereotypes repeatedly, and that each story follows the same pattern. It was okay, but not notably good.

So in love with this book. Had been sitting on the shelf waiting patiently for me for years. Left me wanting more Jhumpa, stat. Read this one in Dec, so technically can‘t count toward my 2019 tally 🤗

#novemberwrapup #novemberstats #monthlystats
Part 1/2

Some of my November reads! Best of these was the tagged book 😊 Also Bingo Love is a big recommend 👍😍 Tagging more #comics in comments -couldn't fit in collage ⬇️

Really enjoyed this collection of stories. Loved the introspective, melancholy feelings that connected most of them.
💖

What are you reading today? 😊 📚

October book reviews! http://www.bornandreadinchicago.com/2018/11/books-i-read-in-october.html?m=1

Book - Interpreter of Maladies
Author - Christopher Isherwood
Movie - It Happened One Night
Food - Iberian Ham

#ManicMonday #LetterI

I like it this book. The stories are nice and the narrative is engaging. Nevertheless I can't say is a book to remember. After listening all the hype for so many years I was expecting more. I guess that is why I prefer to read books with lower expectations. I don't think I will recommend this book. But I can't say is bad. That someone else got the same feeling? #bookly #pulitzer

@JulietteGF Thank you so much for this wonderful #shortstoryswap package. I love everything! I‘ve never had a book sleeve before & I‘m so excited to use it! The tagged book is one I‘ve always wanted to read and the others sound great too. And the bookmarks! 💚 Thank you for fueling my coffee addiction!
@CSeydel thanks for organizing this. I don‘t normally read short stories & didn‘t realize there‘s so many good ones. Adding to Mount TBR!

🌟🌟🌟🌟

Captivating and soulful.

I lately received soooo much work (very busy bee for the moment...) that I totally forgot to review this gem. This book of short stories is very well written. Jhumpa Lahiri manages to create a whole atmosphere in few pages. This book talks about loss, grief, the hardships of immigration... A great book for a book club ;)