Welcome to Litsy!

1. Persuasion
2. Lonesome Dove
3. City of Thieves

#TLT #ThreeListThursday
@Dabbe

“You have never been so hungry; you have never been so cold.”

In WWII Leningrad, a looter and a deserter are given a reprieve by an officer to complete a ridiculous task (I don‘t want to spoil what it is). These two boys go on an Odyssey—and yes, there are obvious parallels to that story—that takes them through a starving and bombed out city to behind German lines. There are several harrowing moments and I actually shouted at a particularly intense scene, but it never feels completely bleak or humorless

I feel I did this book a disservice when reviewing it this week. I was comparing it to another book & not looking at it for its own merits. This photo is my library copy-read by many-the back looks even worse. I downloaded the library‘s audiobook too so I could listen in the car. The audio was great. During the siege of Leningrad by the Germans two young men are arrested. The only way they will survive is if they can find eggs for the …. 🔽

I love A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra. Recently I listened to a talk he gave where he praised this book & said he liked the humor/tragedy/history of this one and used the same style when writing Constellation. So I had to check it out. Benioff writes of Leningrad battling the Germans and we follow two main characters as they try to obtain eggs for a Colonel. Lots of TW. Definitely enjoyed this one but Marra‘s is better.

#192025 #2008 @Librarybelle

#AlphabetGame #LetterC

Could easily have chosen one of my all-time favourite books, Charlotte‘s Web, but instead (as always nominate that) I‘ve gone for City of Thieves by David Benioff. this was truly an excellent read and the ending had quite the impact.

@AlwaysBeenALoverOfBooks @CBee @MaGoose @Eggbeater @Rubyslippersreads @BookJunkie57

Cannot review this book without giving out spoilers :/

Kolya can talk his way out of anything: a jail cell, the den of a cannibal killer, a prison camp — not because he‘s a con artist but because he tells a good story and knows how to connect with people. He‘s a writer. Our best authors, like Kolya, like Lev the poet, like Benioff, weave a tale that — no matter how farfetched — brings light and hope to our darkest, most brutal times, where there‘s no food, no peace, and no happy ending in sight.

I received this book in my Literati Book Club box and I honestly didn‘t think I would like it. However, I read this book in one day! Once I got started I just couldn‘t put it down! I really enjoyed that there was some humor mixed in and it made for a great read!

I liked parts of the book. 🙂 I didn‘t like parts of the book. 🙁 I thought some parts were pointless, or off track (?). 🙄Some of it was funny.😂 Some of it was difficult subject matter.😬🥶 I would love a book about Lev, Kolya, and Vika‘s lives after the war. 😍 That would be something to read. 👏🏻🤓📚

1. The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto
2. The Lonesome Dove series
3. The author Catherine Ryan Hyde
4. Slumdog Millionaire (aka Q&A)
5. City of Thieves

#SundayaSoapBox @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
@NataliePatalie

1. City of Thieves was an enjoyable book club read, set in the snow during the siege of Leningrad. ❄️
2. Since I listen to so many audiobooks, but my TBR shelves are overflowing, I plan to read at least one “book on paper” each month. 📖
3. Grateful for Litsy and for my book club! 📚🍷

@Eggs #wondrouswednesday

1. Not sure if it‘s my favorite, but this book immediately came to mind.
2. Working in healthcare, I honestly can‘t even think about career goals right now—I‘m just trying to keep my head above water. It‘s difficult to think/plan more than a day at a time. Personally, I‘m hoping my husband and I can take a postponed vacation.
3. Grateful to be working from home today. It‘s the little things!

Thanks for the tag, @Texreader and @Butterfinger

📚📚 for second book of July. This took 5 days and it‘s only 258 pages. Weak character development, low reader engagement, weak finish. Set in WWII Leningrad with two guys sent on a ridiculous mission. I was thinking daring adventure and got bad jokes about shit & sex. About as great as his GoT finale writing (I said what I said 🐉)

I have owned this for a decade and it always got pushed back on my list. Finally, I read it this weekend. It is really a masterpiece, a great wartime book built around relationships and good storytelling and surviving through hunger, cold, and violence. There are some very disturbing scenes. Benioff is the best kind of storyteller. Highly recommend if you have put this one off like me.

*****

I really enjoyed this book. The subject matter is harsh but it is written so well. I look forward to other novels in the future.

#literaryladies

Kolya and Lev, a young soldier and an even younger boy are brought together by fate in besieged Leningrad. They have a seemingly simple task: bring twelve eggs to the colonel for his daughter's wedding cake.
David Benioff, screenwriter of Game of Thrones masterfully sprinkles humor into a story of hard survival in German-occupied winter Russia.
⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

I haven't been doing so well with my #ReadingEurope2020 but this makes my third finished read. Bonus is that it's another off my bookshelf that was there too long, and I've already passed it on to a lovely lady in my local book club. 💚

Although this book has heartbreaking moments, it also has hopeful moments of kids simply being kids and growing up in a terrible time in history while trying to make the best of it.

@Librarybelle @BarbaraBB

I didn‘t know very much about this book going into it and because the protagonists are teenagers (or at least one is) I did not expect it to be as heavy as it was. I also thought because it was so small it might be a fast read but I found it wasn‘t the kind of story I could tear through. I needed to take time to digest what I was taking in. It is really good, heartbreaking and beautifully written but definitely not a light read.

I love this cover. The wee hen in the distance cracks me up! 🐓

I‘m proud of myself for not only finishing this book, but for also enjoying it! I love historical fiction about WWII, but am squeamish with really gory details. Well, this book is not for the squeamish, BUT I pushed through and am so glad I did 👍🏻 🌟🌟🌟🌟/5 stars

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel.

Two young men are given an absurd quest. If they can deliver one dozen eggs to an insane Colonel during the siege of Leningrad, their lives will be spared. The Germans are brutal and the Partisans cruel. Russian citizens are eating sawdust and each other, dogs are being used as weapons, but the friendship formed on the quest becomes beautiful.

Not for the faint of heart, but great storytelling.

My #bookhaul today from @solonpubliclibrary book sale. So excited to dig in to these reads! #booksale #newbooks #books #haul #readharder #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookworm #booknerd #bookish #bookishlove #readmore #booklover #bookaholic

#SoaringScores #ANationOfThieves This book, set in Leningrad during WWII is the story of two boys tasked with procuring a dozen fresh eggs for the Czar‘s chef in order to bake a wedding cake for his daughter‘s upcoming wedding. It‘s a really great read. Clever and well constructed.

This book was set in Russia during WWII and told the story of the a boy‘s harrowing days during the Leningrad Siege. It was gripping, beautifully written, and interspersed with comic relief despite the terrible nature of the events in that time. I loved the characters and truly felt invested in their outcomes.

#7Days7covers Day 7 #covercrush Loved this challenge!

#7covers7days #covercrush Day 7
I tag everyone! If you want to play, please do!

I decided to finish #bfcr3 with a bang today. A hike plus yard work have me counting down the minutes until I can get into bed with my book. It‘s been a good week- I was sick as a dog last weekend but am bouncing back with some healthy eating and self care.

Out of the eight books I listened to while active this round the tagged book is by far my favorite.

Stay well bfcers. See you next time!

This book is grim and violent but also stunningly funny. I was so attached to the characters by the end. An excellent audiobook- I did so much laundry today just so I could see how this ended.

#quotsyjuly19 #flash

“‘Stalin goes to visit one of the collectives outside of Moscow. ‘Tell me, comrade, how did the potatoes do this year?‘ ‘Very well, Comrade Stalin. If we piled them up, they would reach God.‘ ‘But God does not exist, Comrade Farmer.‘ ‘Nor do the potatoes, Comrade Stalin.‘‘”

#ColorMePretty | 11: #Red

📷: Made with Typorama

The brutality of war laced lightly with moments of absurd humour. An unusual book is some ways but I found the story quite gripping.

I loved reading this thrilling coming-of-age story set during the Siege of Leningrad, written by the author who also co-create the HBO‘s GoT.

#WanderingJune #Russians

There is not much that is earth shattering here: plot is consistent, characters are dynamic enough to keep it all interesting, and the setting is the real star here. This reads as a great primer for WWII‘s eastern front brutality, but self admittedly not a comprehensive overview.

“The loneliest sound in the world is other people making love.” Pg 76

“I‘ve always envied people who sleep easily. Their brains must be cleaner, the floorboards of the skull well swept, all the little monsters closed up in a streamer trunk at the foot of the bed.” Pg 24

Excellent vacation read.

For some reason today's prompt made me think of this cover/book, which I have yet to read. Two prisoners in Nazi-occupied Russia on a literal egg hunt, tasked to find a dozen eggs for the wedding cake of colonel's daughter, making their way through "the dire lawlessness of Leningrad." Anyone read it?

#boulevardofbrokendreams #musicalnewyear
@Cinfhen @vivastory

Great story but some really brutal scenes.

I loved going back through my lists to find my #18in2018 as I had forgotten about a few of these despite how much I loved them. 😯

Loved this one! Although a bleak WWII tale, it also manages to be charming and funny. I miss the characters and that‘s always the mark of a great book for me.

Do be warned that it is violent and the dialogue can be crude.

I started this one on my Kindle, but realized I also own a paper copy. Had to switch over when I realized how nicely the cover coordinates for the holiday season. 😆🌲

A little hotel reading this morning. My husband and I were able to get away last night for his work holiday party. Enjoying these (rare) quiet, child-free moments with coffee and a book!

Has anyone read this one? It‘s been on my Kindle for a long time.

All that is left of the wonderful egg tarts someone brought me. Love the people, love the food. I love books set in Russia. I had read a nonfiction book about the siege of Leningrad. This book felt like the typical adventure tale but with the dire backdrop of a city/area waiting for invasion. Bombastic characters and sparkling humor, sadly intense moments highlighting the vagaries of war. Less than 300 pages but it gets it right.

My first ever solo display at work!!! I‘m honestly so happy to do things like this. It makes my heart so happy.