Welcome to Litsy!

I have mixed feelings on this one. The beginning of the read seems utterly disjointed that I was getting disheartened trying to figure out where it was going… near the end connections started forming to some degree which were delightful to behold. But I‘m still left wondering why some stories were told on this book and what did they contribute to the overall novel??

What a mesmerizing read. The writing is simply enchanting. Obreht uses folktales and magical realism in a thoughtful meditation on finding meaning among loss, war, and death. It felt a bit detached in the beginning of the book, but about halfway through it really started to come together.

One of my current reads with magical realism. I'm about halfway through, and it's beautifully written.

#springskies #magicelement

1. I'm going to my sister's baby shower this weekend. It'll be our 8th niece/nephew, but the 1st on my side of the family. I'm so excited!
2. A wall. 🤣 (I'm at work.) But at least I get the sunshine!
3. Michigan's Upper Peninsula in the US. It's 48 and mostly sunny: A beautiful day.
4. The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht

I. ❤️. This. Book.

1. I‘m part of six book clubs.
2. Something with a “meaty” story, such as the tagged book. Maybe a little bit speculative too.
3. Discussions are more interesting when not everyone loves the book. HOWEVER, telling everyone at 6:59 that you hated the book when the meeting starts at 7:00…is not helpful.

#sundayfunday

#QuotsyAug21 Day 23: #Sponge

My #Serbia pick for this month‘s #ReadAroundTheWorld challenge, this is one that‘s been on my #MtTBR for years! And I‘m so happy to finally have read this beautiful and impressive debut novel! The book has a purposefully ambiguous former-Yugoslavia setting and blends in war, a dash of magical realism and history. Grandfather and granddaughter are doctors so this also works for #COVIDHeroes for #Booked2021!

Starting off day 3 of #feastmode with some SUPER FUN back pain which might be a kidney stone. 🙃 so instead of diving back into this book with a cup of coffee, I‘ve got a massive jug of water. 😭 This book is different but the author is from #serbia which makes it a good first book for my #readingeurope catch up run in 2021.

I absolutely loooooved this one! It was a beautiful story of a young woman trying to find answers about her beloved grandfather's death. I loved the chapters where the grandfather told the stories of the tiger's wife and the deathless man - just enough of a magical realism hint to keep me happy 😊

#BookReport 39/20

Our government wants us all to stay at home as much as possible for the coming weeks, so I‘m back to working at home. On the positive side, this gives me more time to read and it shows!
I enjoyed all four of them!

#ReadingEurope2020 🇷🇸
This book is a mash up of mythological stories about the tiger‘s wife and the deathless man and that of the Balkan today, still scarred by war. I preferred that last storyline, of Natalia growing up in #Serbia during and after the war. She becomes a doctor because her generation feels they need to express themselves, to make up for the past, the war, in which they lived seemingly untouched by it. ⬇️⬇️⬇️

#WeeklyForecast 38/20

I am in the middle of Burnt Sugar and loving it. Next will be the #NYRBBookClub selected book and The Tiger‘s Wife for #ReadingEurope2020. The Ogawa if there‘s time left, which I hope!

Had quite an engaging discussion about this one at my book club tonight... covering the rituals created to find comfort in death; the rare power in deciding which of our personal stories to share, and with whom; and, the possibility of a magic tiger.

My #DoubleSpin for May is finished! @TheAromaofBooks

This one surprised me. At first I was bored and confused, but after a few chapters I really got into the story. I loved the mythology mixed in, and that there were several different stories happening at once as the main character searches for answers to her grandfather's death.

This also marks another off my #ReadingEurope2020. @Librarybelle @BarbaraBB

It‘s been a day since I finished reading and I feel as if I‘m still in the grip of this novel. If you‘re looking for a plot, you‘ll find a very slim one, but what you will find is a beautifully written, richly detailed story of a grandfather‘s story of meeting a deathless man and a tiger‘s wife. You‘ll read of myths and superstitions. Finally, you‘ll read & remember the lovely story of returning an elephant to a zoo in the middle of the night.

This was very different but strangely enjoyable. Such lovely writing, it was a winner just for that really, a deep and meaningful story was a bonus. The last chapter gave me chills.
#ReadingEurope2020 #Serbia 🇷🇸
Only got 8 more books and then I've done all 51 countries!! Off to #Montenegro next 🇲🇪

My last read for #AroundtheWorld2019. It reminded me of my own grandfather's stories. The grandfather's past shapes his and his granddaughter's futures. Culture, customs, wars, and stories are important and were beautiful to read.

#Booked2020 Millennial author
#PopSugar20 book I meant to read in 19
I'm going to loosely categorize this for #jennyis30 - cats @jenniferw88 Description and stories of the tiger were threaded through the whole book.

So far the way this book talks about family is really well-done. As people who know you simultaneously best and least, as people in whose footsteps you follow sometimes without consciously trying.

Loved this book. I love the tale of the deathless man.

Goose-bump inducingly good. Could never have expected this to have both the depth and page-turn addictive qualities that it turned out to have - the best I have read in a long time.

Thank you so much @CBee. What a lovely surprise in my email. 💜

Finally found a proper bingo with a little help from @alexa_d
Funny, no 5 star reads yet this year. Close, but no.

Thanks, Soubhi, for letting me borrow Mort(e) and for the thoughtful gift from my wishlist. All the gratitude and warm fuzzies! 💜
Littens are the best people 😍

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
A post-war impact story spanning five generations brings into focus how quiet commands of the few and powerful in their leather padded offices can have far reaching consequences spanning geography and time.

Even though there weren‘t any concrete plot or strong characters, her skillful storytelling kept me going. All in all, I‘d say it‘s between a pick and so-so, leaning more towards a pick. If this is food, I‘d say it‘s very much an acquired taste. If you‘re one for dreamy, magical realism with vivid imagery and lyrical prose, you might enjoy this! I‘m excited to read her upcoming novel ‘Inland‘!

Full review: hookedonbookzblog.wordpress.com

#manicmonday @JoScho

📙 The Tiger's Wife
🎥 The Lion King
🎵 Eye of the Tiger by Survivor

I usually don‘t go for a lot of fiction books. This one was so vibrant. The storytelling from all different angles really took me for a ride.

I am digging Libby's updated layout.

#RunningAcrossThinIceWithTigers #WinterWonderland Not only is there a tiger, but it even runs across ice at one point. The tiger appears in one of two apparently true stories the main character's grandfather regales her with as she grows up: 'the tiger's wife' and 'the deathless man', stories she remembers after his death. Magnificent- one of my favorites of the year- all must read, or I will wake this sleeping tiger and send her after you 😼

I wasn‘t super impressed with this one. The writing was lovely but the stories didn‘t do much for me. I may have enjoyed it more if I read it rather than listened to it, but I‘m glad it‘s over. Moving on to the next book.

Tea & Téa...

“Past the aviary where the sharp-eared owls sleep,” they would walk to the moat where tigers loped, their “stripe-lashed shoulders rolling.” There she would listen, rapt, as her grandfather spoke of a girl he once knew who was known as the “tiger‘s wife.” Grandfather always carried in his pocket a copy of the “Jungle Book”. So many #wildbeasts ! But the strangest of all was the Tiger who loved a woman. #nofemmeber

Three lovelies from local charity shop...

#nowreading

Apparently, when a man beats up his wife it's because he's secretly gay 😡

⭐️⭐️: This was not good— a little all over the place and left me disconnected to the characters and the stories.

#coffeeandabook
#mycover

"We drove through red-roofed villages that clung to the lip of the sea, past churches and horse pastures, past steep plains bright with purple bellflowers, past sunlit waterfalls that thrust out of the sheer rock-face above the road."

In an unnamed Balkan country, Natalia and her grandfather share a story of history and legend. It‘s strange, but I think I enjoyed the experience.

#BackpackEurope: Serbia ✔️
(Tea Obreht was born in Belgrade.)

I‘m off to Serbia today. 🇷🇸

#BackpackEurope #MountTBR

This is a hard one—I wanted to love it but found myself mostly enjoying it while wishing it spoke to me more. The writing is exquisite & while it feels like the story meanders, it all comes together. The highlight, & what ultimately makes this a pick, are the chapters about the encounters between the main character‘s grandfather & the “deathless man” (plus 1 more but no spoilers). I loved those chapters. A good if not entirely satisfying read.

My mom told me to read it so, ah, yeah, that‘s what I‘m going to do.

I haven't read this, but I've heard wonderful things about it. I'd like to read it someday. The author is from #Croatia and even though it isn't mentioned by name, parts of the story apparently take place there as well.

#AugustIsATrip @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Being an Australian of Croatian Heritage, you'd think I'd have read a lot of books set in #Croatia & the Balkans, but this is all that comes to mind
Photo is of members of my family at the local Croatian Club during the recent World Cup. I was too lazy to leave my house in the middle of the night, so I watched the matches from home in my pjs 😀
My older sis and her hubby and kids are on their way to Croatia right now, so #AugustIsATrip for them!

Library book sale and the used book store today. Here‘s my #bookhaul.

A novel. A fable. Magic? Superstition? This book is a wonderful work of art! Obreht moves seamlessly between reality and superstition. The story is richly developed and masterfully written. I often felt as if I were looking at a painting rather than reading text. There is movement in the story, but it is so steeped in beautifully crafted detail, that the ultimate sensation is visual. I really enjoyed this book.

Wasn‘t invested in the story.