Welcome to Litsy!

This is not my typical book, but it was a book club pick…and I loved it! And now I want to expand the teas I drink 😆. At its‘ core, this is a book about a mother‘s love. (52)
⭐️: 4/5

Li-yan is part of the Ahka minority in China, they live in the mountains, harvesting tea and following their old traditions. As Li-yan grows up she ventures into the outside world,just as the outside world enters her village.

The theme sounded a bit heavy so I kept posponing starting the book but it turned out to be one of my favourite of the year.I loved it from the first page,the descriptions of the scenery left such beautiful vivid pictures⬇️

I‘m sad to say I just couldn‘t connect with this book at all. I was bored and kept trying to push through but gave up at 35%.

I‘m so happy to finally read this one!

Can‘t beat a good hot cup of tea on an Autumn day. #FaveFallDrink
Even better if it has a good book as an accompaniment, and I really enjoyed this book by Lisa See.

#AutumnPlease

@Eggs @AlwaysBeenALoverOfBooks

1. Tagged
2. I learned a lot from this book! The imagery that it created in my mind was amazing!

@TheSpineView #two4tuesday

Coffee needed this morning! I was up late last night finishing this. So good!!

Starting a new book at the pool.

I have a little more than a 100 pages left but I already know it‘s Pick! I wanted a story and it delivered. So much information about tea…I love it!

March #authoramonth @Soubhiville #booked2022 #setinChina @Cinfhen @BarbaraTheBibliophage @4thhouseontheleft #pantone2022colorchallenge @Clwojick

A thoroughly enjoyable story, and lots of information on tea! #authoramonth @Soubhiville

#Booked2022 #Winter

Finished the tagged book to complete the first quarter of this challenge. Didn‘t quite stick to my original plan. Read Wilhelm‘s Mirror Mirror instead of Gregory Maguire‘s novel with the same name. And Snowflake instead of Cloud Cuckoo Land. Things Fall Apart was my least favorite. Loved The Girl with the Louding Voice and The Mercies.

I have heard any good reviews about this book so I am excited to start it. This is also the first book I have read by this author.

My first and probably last Lisa See. I was eager to read this for #authoramonth since so many of you have shared how much you loved it, but this ultimately fell pretty flat for me. I‘m grateful for all of the interesting history See incorporated about tea and Chinese culture. The story was far too tidy for my liking though and I‘m not really sure what I was supposed to take away from it: bad things happen, but coincidences will make it all okay?

Saturday morning cuddle puddle 🤩 #catsoflitsy #dogsoflitsy

Another solid grid of reading with pre2022 releases edging out new release reading by one book - not sure how long that streak will last! Two older tomes garnered top ratings and the tagged was so good!

5* = Loved It, want to shout out loud about this book! I do/will own/keep a physical copy. A+
4*= I liked it, would love to discuss. Solid B
3*=Meh, no need to discuss. Average C
2*=Nope D
1*=DNF F

Officially on vacation with my latest ambitious #librarystack!

Taking a week off to just breathe for a minute. The beginning of this year has been intense at work, to say the least. I‘ve got lots of lovely books to reset with: #authoramonth, many #bookspinbingo squares, and #roll100. Very glad for the shorter selections since Circle of Friends, at almost 600 pages, is gonna take me a minute to finish

This book was beyond fascinating!! It‘s what @rockpools calls a #GoogleyBook 🤓SO MANY rabbit holes 🐰In the Yunnan Province of China lives the Akha People, where tradition & tribal customs rule; it‘s also a region where valuable pu‘er tea is harvested & cultivated. This story follows Li-Yan as she grows from a poor child to a successful business woman spanning many decades. At times overwrought & overwritten, I still enjoyed #AAM #SetInChina

I can‘t remember who suggested this book for #AAM but I‘m riveted to the audio 🎧 @Soubhiville #OverDrive

As the grandmother of 16 mo old twins, the beginning of this beautiful book was almost too much to bare. This is not 100 yr old historical fiction - Yan-Yeh/Haley would turn 27 later this calendar year! …I‘m a tea fanatic and loved the story as equally as the history. Again I‘m down a google rabbit hole and of course I stopped reading long enough to order some pu‘er tea. #AuthorAMonth

Almost done with this book for #authorofmonth @Soubhiville . I never read or listen to anything like this before but I do enjoyed it.

This book is meticulously researched. I enjoyed learning about the Akha culture, their beliefs and practices involving tea growing and harvesting. I also enjoyed watching Li-yan navigate life in the outside world while trying to remain true to her culture. One criticism is the character of Haley. Since we mainly get her perspective through emails she doesn‘t seem as well fleshed out to me. The ending also seems a little too tidy for my taste.

Another great read, this was a really great round of #LMPBC ! I love how every character was meaningful and fleshed out in this one.
Thank you all for being apart of this round ❤ @DanaManiac @TheBookKeepers @Johanna414

Lisa See is such an amazing storyteller- I really need to read more of her books!! Thanks for such a great pick, @TheBookKeepers
I will get it in the mail this week! @kellyann28 @DanaManiac #lmpbc

Fewer than 40 pages left, and Nina wakes up with an upset stomach... I JUST WANT TO KNOW HOW IT ENDS!!!

The beginning of the school year is always exhausting so I'm getting through this slower than I would like, but I am loving it!

So much cleaning I should accomplish this weekend, so many distractions...

I'm starting this today while the kids nap... I'm like 40 pages in and its already intense! #lmpbc @TheBookKeepers @DanaManiac @kellyann28

This was a great book! I did have a hard time reading without judgment at times, but I learned so much and was absolutely fascinated! Is on its way to you @Johanna414 ☺️ #lmpbc @kellyann28 @TheBookKeepers

I found this book fascinating. Entire lives change in a remote mountain village of tea growers when the first motorized vehicle arrives at their gate - and fairly recently…in the 1990‘s. China‘s policies, China‘s ethnic minorities, especially the Ahka, Chinese adoption by American families, the fall & rise of tea, especially pu‘er. My only complaint is it ended too soon & too abruptly.

Li-yan lives in a remote village with her family and is one of the few girls who is educated on the mountain. The story follows her as she slowly begins to find her own way in this life.

With time she has a baby, but because she is not married, she is forced to hand her daughter over to an orphanage.

Li-yan successfully leads her own business while her daughter is raised by loving adoptive parents. Will these two ever be able to cross paths?

This arrived today and I can‘t wait to crack it open!! @TheBookKeepers #lmpbc

Absolutely loved this one!! The research behind it is mind blowing, definitely read the author‘s acknowledgments and the bonus interview in the back.

A trip to China, a glimpse into a remote culture, and an immersive tea education. I‘m planning to buy a tea sampling kit through a site the author recommends in the back!

#lmpbc @kellyann28 @DanaManiac @Johanna414

Hey friends! These are the 3 books I‘m considering as my pick for the next round of #lmpbc. Have you read any of them? Or any you feel excited to read more than the others? Let me know your thoughts and I‘ll make a final selection soon 😃

@DanaManiac @kellyann28 @Johanna414

#53
Love, love, love this terrific book

What A Book! 😲🥰
The information I have gained from this book is spectacular. Definitely opening my Reading Genres up! Loved it.

Alittle behind, but here it is.😘🤗

I have so many great stories on my shelves just waiting to be read. #tbrpile

Thank you so much Kay @kaysworld1 - I really can‘t wait to read this. Some chocolates were eaten in the making of this photo. #bookcupidswap
@candority

Finished my first book for #FabulousFebruary Readathon.

This was a very enjoyable read about what happened to a baby given away due to the one baby rule. Very well written and engaging. Took me to China for #ReadingAsia2021

1. Changing schedules... kids starting school 80 minutes earlier.
2. Being with my mom this week.

#ThankfulThursday

This was a really quick and engaging read for me. I enjoyed reading about the Akha people and the tea culture in China as well as the characters and plots surrounding the story 😍

Can‘t escape the pandemic reminders.

#litfortunecookie @KVanRead

Do you want to play @esurient @Weaponxgirl @youneverarrived ?

Omg this book is so emotional!

My next four book club books! Yay!

Ok 7% in and I‘m bawling. No one warned me and I can‘t!! 😭😭😭

#AugustAuthors @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @OriginalCyn620
#LisaSee