pickThe way this book is structured has really left me in awe. It's incredibly thoughtful.
Each chapter of this book is told from a different family member and in each chapter we hop forward in time a couple of years. We see snippets of the Israeli 6 day war on Egypt, Syria and Palestine. Iraq invading Kuwait. Israel bombing Lebanon. We see moments but it's in the gaps, what's unseen and unsaid that it's going to keep me awake tonight.
pickA book club read which I probably wouldn't have chosen but very pleased to have been pushed to read it! At times quite tough content but nicely written with a different family member writing each chapter over about 50 years. The story of displacement and not feeling belonging in your place. Poignant to read against thr current Middle East war.
pickThis book had me looking up maps of the Middle East. It‘s a fictional story of a displaced Palestinian family from the points of view of multiple characters, over several generations. It‘s a good thing there was a family tree included in this book!
#DecemberDreams Day 15: There is a #Sparkle to this book despite its grim theme of dispossession and displacement and disenfranchisement. There is still the distinct and defiant sense of self that shimmers and shines.
#DecemberDreams Day 12: A lot of haunting #Memories shared and made in this multigenerational novel that is matrilineal in nature.
#DecemberDreams Day 11: Let us all pray for #Peace in the region and everywhere else in the world where there is strife and unrest. 🕊️Paired with bibingka with salted egg and hot chocolate - perfect while we are in the Philippines.
pickMulti-generational books are my sweet spot. This book about a family over time and what home means was no exception. Still #ReadingAsia2021 #Kuwait
pickIt‘s a story of a family‘s history from Nablus, to Kuwait, Boston, Paris, and Beirut. Lovely story.
#MayMontage #Generational
As I searched for a book for today‘s prompt I realized I quite enjoy a generational novel. Here are some of my favorites Salt Houses in particular was beautiful. I read Kane and Abel as a teenager #Mumsshelf
pickCompleted my first book for #NewYearWhoDis #NYWD22. It‘s a multigenerational narrative of a Palestinian family over six decades that delves into the reality of being forced to recreate lives in various foreign cities as immigrants and the enduring sense of homesickness that comes when you aren‘t sure where “home” really is. It‘s beautiful and poignant and wistful and lovely. Thank you, @Singout !
Here are my first picks from my fabulous #NewYearWhoDis match, @Singout ! Because I requested a match partner who had a list that was balanced with both fiction and nonfiction, I picked one of each to start off with in January. I already own “Salt Houses” and “When They Call You a Terrorist” was on my TBR, so it was an easy choice! 🙂
#NYWD22
pickI really enjoyed this book, which gave excellent insights into the impact of the #Palestinian diaspora. Each chapter is written from the perspective of a woman in a resilient multi-generational family from the mid-60s to 2016, and showing how repeated wars, persecution, love, and hope for a better life lead them to Kuwait, Lebanon, Jordan, France, and the U.S. without losing family and ethnic ties.
#Booked2021 #SetInACountryWhereUNPeacekeepersAre
When Salma peers into her daughter‘s coffee cup, she knows instantly she must lie.
#FirstLineFridays
@ShyBookOwl
pickA multi-generational story set around the world—mostly in the Middle East. Matriarch Salma‘s family moves from country to country to stay safe amidst the realities of ongoing conflicts and wars. Beyond that, Alyan explores identity and otherness through her various characters. A nuanced portrayal of Muslim life in the the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
Full review https://www.TheBibliophage.com
#thebibliophage2021 #readingasia2021 #kuwait
pickA moving and heartbreaking story of intergenerational Palestinian family. Starting in Nablus in 1963 through to Jaffa 2014. Each chapters are family members and their stories of the troubled times they live in.
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I enjoyed this multigenerational novel overall. It starts in Palestine in the 1960s and switched perspectives, jumping forward through time. I felt that it rounded out some of the characters. Some parts were a little slow, but a lot of it was interesting and well written. Some strong female characters in a part of the world I‘m not very familiar with.
This was a #gettbr recommendation.
#MayCharacters @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs
Prompt: Matriarch
Love the strong female characters in this book especially Salma.
so-so#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks #ReadingAsia2021 @Librarybelle @BarbaraBB
Had this not been for a challenge, I probably would have bailed.
It sounded much better than it ended up being. The last part of the book was the best, but before that it was just slow and boring, which is sad because it had a lot of potential.
These are my new TBR recommendations from Book riot‘s service. My bibliologist changed and she gave me some recs I hadn‘t heard of which really makes me excited! 📚 The weather has also been nice, hence the spring-ish background.
#gettbr
so-soSalt Houses is a multigenerational story of a Palestinian family displaced multiple times, to #Kuwait, Jordan, Lebanon and more. I found the premise compelling, but it never quite drew me in. There were some moments near the end that worked well, but overall it was just a little boring.
#ReadingAsia2021
Current read. Generally fond of books set in the Middle East. Starts with the Six Day War of 1967 and then traces lives of various family members through many decades in many countries.
pickA multigenerational story of a Palestinian family displaced multiple times over 4 generations. I thought the multiple POV‘s would be annoying, but it was so refreshing. Almost like numerous short stories connected through one family. I also loved that we saw the world through the women of the family more often then the men. I would definitely recommend this to anyone on the fence about reading it.
“When Salma peers into her daughter‘s coffee cup, she knows instantly she must lie.” 😲
Really enjoying this one!
pickCelebrating #nationalbookloversday by finishing my first 5 star read in who knows how long! Loved this book so much.
so-soI really enjoyed the sense of family and connection and the descriptions of many parts of the Middle East I have been fortunate enough to visit being described with such love. However this is really a multi generational family saga and I think when I rarely dip into such a thing I like them to be chunkier with deeper chAracterisation and a sense of real connection. There was too much too quickly for me here. (Photo beruit)
pickBeautifully told, intimate, multi-generational novel, about homeland, longing, identity, and family. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
1. Exile ( tagged book)
2. Yes trying to support local bookstores. I‘ve had two delivered. Waiting on others.
I tag @Caitlin_Sheridan and anyone else who wants to play.
@TheSpineView @Eggs
Starting this today. Mixed reviews but I‘m drawn to immigration stories. Plus this cover is gorgeous. 😍 I just need to refill my coffee.
I had high hopes for this one but it just didn‘t pan out for me! #thoughtyouwouldlikebutdidnt #gratefulreads @OriginalCyn620 @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
pickGenerations of a Palestinian family as they face the troubled and changing Middle East. Starts in Nablus before the Six Day War and travels from Kuwait and Amman to Paris and Boston in a post-9/11 world.
pickI liked this more than I thought I would. The first 100 pages are tough—a choppy storyline, new (to me) culture (haven‘t read much Palestinian lit)—but I found a groove eventually and really enjoyed the writing and characters that span generations. Wouldn‘t have discovered it without my book club! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Book 10/30 for #bfcr2
Was hoping to finish the tagged book tonight. And then my very independent kitty decided that he missed me and fell asleep all curled up in my lap. 😭❤️
pickBook club book for #litsyAtoZ challenge. Nice story of multiple generations of a middle eastern family. A little confusing as it jumps back and forth in time. Nothing major happens, it's just a story of their lives. I'd give it 3 stars as it was a little slow for me but a sweet storyline. @bookishmarginalia
Gearing up for #bookfitnesschallenge ! Went to CrossFit and finished Salt Houses today. Started listening to On the Come Up too.
so-soAn interesting novel of an Middle Eastern family told by various members of the family at key historical points in time. I liked reading about their everyday lives and the impact of or reaction to the historical events but overall felt that it was too slow for me.
Next book club book for the #litsyAtoZ challenge @BookishMarginalia fir the letter A.
so-soI have conflicting feelings about this multi-generational saga... the subject was interesting but it felt seriously disjointed to me. There were giant leaps of time and it made it hard to keep everything straight. Overall, not my favorite.
A good book and a hallmark movie... yeah, I know how to party on a Saturday night 🤓
pickIf you enjoy multi generational family sagas, this is a good one. Also very interesting exploration of the impact of the middle east wars from 67 to desert Storm on people's individual life choices.
A bibliophile‘s torture: Checking into my hotel for a weekend full of meetings, I see a gift bag with Ta-Nahesi Coates‘ name on it. It turns out he won the Dayton Literary Peace Prize for non-fiction and the tagged author for fiction (which I really liked). This bookish thing is happening right where I am and I can‘t go! Torture! I can even see INTO the event from my hotel window! 😫😫😫
Books I found at the Singapore library@orchard
A debut novel about the displacement of a Palestinian family.
First line: “When Salma peers into her daughter‘s coffee cup, she knows instantly she must lie.”
Have you read it?
Salt Houses | 
pan
