Welcome to Litsy!

A must read for any classical music or Russian history buff

I've had this on my TBR forever but it took the non-fiction quarter of #readingenvyrussia to finally get to it. If you're like me and struggle to read history, make it a cultural history like this one, where the history is told sideways through the life and work of an artist, in this case the composer Dmitri Shostakovich and his hometown of Leningrad, up until and during the Siege itself. ↘️

The story of Russian composer, Shostakovich, and interwoven with WWII and the siege of Leningrad. Really well-told YA story. Trigger warnings for cannibalism and eating pets.

It‘s a little hot to do much more than read books and drink a summer beer.

The author weaves a basic biography of Shostakovich with an intense time in Russian history. It‘s very readable and very interesting. 🇷🇺

All of these tasks made it almost impossible to survive alone. Only by creating sanctuaries where many came together to share the work, the food, and the warmth could people carry on. "We moved into one room and lived as a family playing chess, reading Pushkin out loud in the evenings, one man remembered. "It was vital to keep helping others."

In later symphonies, however, Shostakovich often quoted the Revolutionary songs of his youth....
But we can never be certain exactly what he meant by them..... And if we assume that every recognizable tune carries a valuable secret message, then what precisely does Shostakovich mean when, in his intense Second Cello Concerto, he quotes an Odessan jingle called "Pretzels, Buy My Pretzels"?

A brilliantly rendered story of the great composer and his most famous work. Anderson weaves together the history of Shostakovich and Leningrad with clarity and compassion, highlighting the personal struggle of an artist under authoritarianism and the tragedy of the drive. Peppered with anecdotes, analysis and bursts of black humour Anderson strikes the perfect notes each time. A difficult read with many distressing passages, but a remarkable one.

1. Tagged book plus SPQR by Mary Beard
2. “An American agent met with a Russian agent one bright summer morning when the world was collapsing in the face of Nazi terror.“
3. “Always be reading something, he said. Even when we're not physically reading. How else will we read the world? Think of it as a constant.” ― Ali Smith, Autumn
#weekendreading

It's my turn to work today and I'm even less enthused about losing my Saturday than usual. At least I have a book to keep me company...

Those moments when your partner makes you wonder whether you were separated at birth

Shostakovich is one of my favorite composers, and this one of my favorite books from a few years ago. I decided to revisit it in audiobook format this year. Still one of my favorites.

I just happened to download this audiobook a few years ago with no knowledge of what I was getting, and it has become one of my go to book about music recommendations. It is YA nonfiction about the composer Dmitri Shostakovich and the Seige of Leningrad during WWII. Absolutely fantastic on audio with snippets of music included!

#YAWednesday #YA #nonfiction #audiobook

My book haul from BookCon. I thought that BookCon had a lot less attendees than previous years. Panels and even the Main Stage had empty seats.
#BookCon #BookCon2018

Day 1

Post a book you love each day for 7 days, without review or comment, using the hashtag #7favesin7days in your post so we can keep it going.

Fascinating and devastating history of the people of Leningrad during Stalin's purges and World War II.

Back at it! Slower start today what with brunch and mimosas, but 10 hrs yesterday and 5 books down, not too shabby. #readathon #deweysreadathon

This book was so well written but I still had a hard time reading because it doesn't shy away from descibing the horrors of war. Before reading this book I knew Stalin and the invasion of Russia was bad but I never had any idea just how horrible the situation was. I never knew how huge of a role music could play in saving lives. I don't think a work of nonfiction has ever affected me so deeply. #bookreview #music #Shostakovich #nonfiction #WWII

I loved this book because it was so easy to imagine the people and what they were going through. I started to feel a sort of kinship with the people of Lenigrad. I felt like I was being transported back in time, which I don't find very often when I read nonfiction.
#biography #WWII #bookreview #nonfiction

Listening to Shostakovich's music while reading, gives the symphonies so much more depth to know what was happening when he wrote them. I especially love his 5th symphony❤️

#music #biography #history #halfwaydone

My #musicaltitles ! Being a musician and avid reader, I love it when the two meet! The best ones of the stack (in my opinion, anyway) are Symphony for the City of the Dead and This is your Brain on Music, although The Great Composers has some interesting tidbits.
#maybookflowers @RealLifeReading

M T Anderson leaves the world of fiction to create that YA rarity - a non-fiction book for the commercial market, which mixes history, biography and music in a way that had me gripped from start to finish.

Symphony for the City of the Dead is a wonderful biographical audiobook which includes short excerpts of Shostakovich's music throughout the story of his life and specifically the writing and sharing of his Leningrad Symphony. This inspiring story of the power of music amidst such horrible circumstances was definitely bittersweet. 🎶

#LyricalApril #bittersweetsymphony #audiobook #nonfiction

This book does a good job explaining why Shostakovich's music meant so much to so many people. It's tough to read about the Siege of Leningrad and the time period surrounding it, but it is history worth knowing. If you teach AP Euro, this could be a good choice for your students. And yes, while this is a serious book, I could not resist posting this picture once I saw it! #harrypotter #LitsyAtoZ #teachersoflitsy

It is fascinating to read about real life accounts such as this one during the Soviet era as I'm rereading and teaching Fahrenheit 451.

This book is an amazing read about human endurance. This section is about the Leningrad Public Library during the 872 day siege of their city.

One of my favorite books of 2015! Lots of great lines! See all the Chantix tags?

#PROTIP: People don't mind interrupting you if you're *just* reading, so when I want to read while in transit, I put headphones on and stick the cord in my pocket so it looks like I'm tuned out. People think it's attached to something. 😉 #booknerdproblems #photoadaynov16

If you love a book about the hard cold times of World War II, where the days in Russia were dark, scary, and life threatening to all...

Then this is a tremendously well made book. The power of music, and how it was beautifully tied together with the plot, was amazing.

There aren't many books that I listen to and love so much that I want to own a paper copy of.

This is one of those books.

It was a topic I was seriously ignorant of, but Anderson's story telling was so wonderful and it's a great story of not so great times. The audiobook gets bonus points for weaving in bits of Shostakovich's symphonies, and the author's wonderful narration.

#history #wwii #russia #audiobook

M.T. Anderson was an interesting speaker and then he signed books. (Yes, I bought one! 😉)

I'm not sure how I managed to finish this many books this month, except that several were quick reads and others were already started before August. The nonfiction audiobook of Symphony for the City of the Dead surprised me by turning out to be not just an interesting listen, but actually one of my favorites.

#MonthlyStats #AugustWrapup

The soul-crushing sadness of going back to work after a lovely summer off was somewhat alleviated by finding six boxes of books on my desk. Any suggestions as to which I should read first?

This was fantastic #audiobook! I really enjoyed the way the story of Shostakovich's life and music was woven together with the explanation of the political and historical events of the Soviet Union and specifically the events of the siege of Leningrad. It is a difficult story to listen to with all of the horrible things that the people suffered, but it was also an incredibly inspiring story of the power of music.

#audiobooksync #nonfiction

A wonderful book about the siege of Leningrad and the composer who wrote his masterpiece during that time. I was introduced to some lovely new (to me) music also!

We're used to thinking of information as something that drifts through the air invisibly all around us. But in an age before satellite telecommunications, complex information could not simply shoot across the globe through the ether. Information was earthbound and had a solid physical form.

[Dmitri Shostakovich] was fond of saying, "There is only good vodka, or very good vodka. There is no such thing as bad vodka."

I'm enjoying listening to this audiobook read by the author, especially since it includes snippets of some of the music as the pieces are described!

#audiobooksync #audiobook #nonfiction

Oh, how I love narrative nonfiction. And audiobooks read by the author. Having been to Russia in college, I'm drawn to stories of this place. Hooked immediately.

Bought on a whim.... I enjoy books on the time period and the author is wonderful. Looking forward to this non-fiction read.

Free audiobooks all summer! There's one pair per week and they download right to OverDrive. You can sign up for text message reminders so you won't forget to download each week. Great program for teens and YA lovers of all ages. 😍

The Leningrad Public Library remained open throughout the siege.

Best book I've read that NO ONE else read. What are you waiting for?? It was amazing! I read the print version but heard that the audiobook incorporates clips of the symphonies talked about so I'm definitely going to try it out in the future.

Yes.

I can't make it through much of Anderson's fiction. Let's see how I do with the nonfiction.

Want to read based on a friends glowing review on Goodreads, and the ongoing need for great narrative non-fiction for my school's collection!

Music feels☺️

The man England sent to negotiate alliances with the USSR before WWII found his way there alright, but got a bit lost in translation.