Cutting for Stone (Large Print) | 
pickHow to explain how much I loved this book? The author makes magic with words. His character development is outstanding—I especially loved Marion. His medical background shines through, making the surgical details fascinating. I also learned so much about Ethiopia. If I could give 100 stars, I would.
Life, too, is like that. You live it forward, but understand it backward.
pickA apt title, I really enjoyed the play on words. Cutting For Stone is part of the hypocritic oath. If you cannot handle health/surgery talk this is not for you. Verghese pulls a lot from himself - he is an Ethiopian -American doctor. His MCs are Ethiopian twins born of doctors who become doctors. The background of the Ethiopian revolution. I was a bit nervous about this but it was very readable, the characters are vivid and the pacing is perfect.
"The hospital 's old septic tank was located here, deep underground, and for years it has overflowed before it was taken out of use. USAID concrete, Rockefeller funds, and a Greek contractor named Achilles had built a new one "
Try as I might this will not be the book that doesn't remind me how far America has fallen. To be reminded that we used to help the poorest of the poor across the globe ?
#25in25 we are halfway through the year and I am doing not as great as I could have hoped on the 25 books I have chosen to focus on in 2025.
I feel like July and August are going to be my time to shine on this! A perfect time to read Anne of Green Gables, Three, A Trace of Sun, all those lovely summer books.
I grabbed the audio of Cutting for Stone from my Library so will dive into that this month.
Current count 11/25
Today‘s find in Belgrade: the Serbian edition of “Cutting for Stone.”
Fiction is the great lie telling the truth…
Spot on articulation for why writing & reading “fiction” is important. 👌🏾 I could listen to Verghese all day - so insightful & relaxing. Bet his medical students like him.
https://youtu.be/-zBo7Fl-iL8?si=NnX_laxXa1ScN5zb
My #April selection for #12booksof2024. Love this book.
pickMarion is born a conjoined twin in Addis Ababa. Family life gets off to a very rough start and from there we follow his life, to adulthood and onwards to New York. The joy of this book is the family love and complexities, against the background of troubled Ethiopia, its own complexities, and its medical world. In summary, I loved this when I first read it 10 years ago, and I then loved it again. Be warned, it will break your heart.
#readingwithcats is one of the best things in life. 🥰 It just feels wrong now to read my #kindle without Kindle Kitty on my lap. He‘s my favorite reading accessory.
Debra!! Thank you so much for my birthday surprise!! I love the bookmark and the toffee smells delicious!! The book!! I can‘t wait to read it!! Thank you so much!! ❤️📚🎈🤗
#LitsyLove
#Movie2BookRecs @TheSpineView
Movie: Beau is Afraid
pickI finally got around to reading this while on vacation. This is a big book but worth every page. This book is definitely one of my top favorites! Why did I wait so long!
pickAlthough it started slow and the medical terms slowed me down, the Africa history and the beautiful writing made that all up. My eyes were moist at some point when reading. Enjoy this book very much😘😘
A #generational story that I‘ll probably get around to reading one day. #maymontage
#AlphabetGame Thanks for the tag @robinb Easily an all time favorite book of mine ♥️ Hi, Misty!!!!
pickIt took me a MONTH to get through this audiobook. It definitely put me in a slump and will probably set me back on overall # of books read this year. However, it was a beautiful story with complex characters, and I‘m glad it read it. The redemption and love, mixed with bitterness and betrayal, made for a moving story. I would recommend, but just make sure you have a lot of time! 😂
#12booksof2021 #12booksof21
March was the month where, thanks to #FoodAndLit , I fell in love with Ethiopia in general and this book specifically.
My #Top21of21
Cutting For Stone was my favorite the rest are in no particular order. Looking at these I can see how all of the great challenges like #FoodAndLit #PemberLittens and #ReadingAsia have influenced my reading year. Honestly I just kind of want to hug the books on this list.
I rated a lot of re-reads 5 stars this year but I left them off this list
The last two weeks of the year are typically my best reading weeks so this list will change
Stopped at my library and picked these up to read over long weekend
Cutting for Stone and Project Hail Mary
Hanging out with my best friend. We visited a used book store . I got 14 books for under $60. Lonesome Dove is for my mom for Christmas. Memoirs is a better edition than my mass market paperback copy. The Winter People is autographed.
#bookhaul
so-soMade it through this one. The story and plot were fine; the prose was exhausting. Verghese could easily have cut out 1/3 of the text by removing the tedious medical details. I found myself skimming after awhile.
“The key to your happiness is to own your slippers, own who you are, own how you look, own your family, own the talents you have, and own the ones you don‘t. If you keep saying your slippers aren‘t yours, then you‘ll die searching, you‘ll die bitter, always feeling you were promised more.” (Pg. 286)
My morning started early with this book set in #Ethiopia. I love the pace of the story and I can find myself settling into it. 💚
#currentlyreading
A stormy few days has brought some massive swell 🌊 But we have a beautiful day forecast ☀️ and I‘m finally getting round to reading this one after being on my TBR for far too long!
pickA medical masterpiece. Lives dedicated to surgery to help the poor in Ethiopia and each other. It is just brilliant. Marion is an incredible narrator who tells his parents' love story and his own relationships between a girl who could be called his sister and his beloved, yet infuriating twin. I want to reread it asap. Trigger Warning: There is a graphic chapter of female circumcision/mutilation. #FoodandLit #Ethiopia @Texreader @Catsandbooks
pickThis was a beautifully narrated story! A lot of it was about medical procedures, but somehow the narration made it seem more informative than overwhelming. This was a great pick for #FoodAndLit this month.
I made Doro Wot (chicken stew), Atkilt Wot (cabbage and potatoes), and Himbasha (cardamom bread with raisins) for dinner the other night and it was all good.
Thanks @Butterfinger and @Texreader for hosting this great reading challenge!
pickThis was such a beautiful book. At 23 hours it was longer than most books I listen to, but every minute was worth it. #FoodAndLit
Loved cooking up a feast while listening to this audiobook. I made chicken in tej sauce from the pictured cookbook along with the Ethiopian honey bread that @TheBookHippie posted a few weeks ago. The Berbere wasn‘t as spicy as I feared, and the honey bread was delicious- sweet enough to be a dessert. I am really enjoying this challenge! #FoodAndLit
This is my plan for #FoodAndLit #Ethiopia this month. So far, I really like this book!
@Butterfinger @Texreader
pickThis book was epic, though maybe with one to many grand gestures. The author thanks John Irving in the acknowledgments and I can see the influence - though Vergehse is much less quirky. Orphaned twins grow up in mission hospital in Addis Ababa in ‘60s & ‘70s. Definitely a good book for an introduction to Ethiopian/Eritrean history. The medical details were a little too much for me (wimp). #booked2021 book with doctor/nurse.
Masterpiece ~ I enjoyed this book so much!! Details about medicine, cultures, religion, spirit, conflict, love & family were woven together perfectly. 💜
pickThis book goes to show that I really need to read the amazing books that are sitting on my shelves. I have had this book for so long and just never gotten around to it. I saw a post about how good it is, so I decided to pick it up. Gorgeous writing and characters! I loved this book so much. The connections between the characters and the backdrop completely drew me in. I felt like I was there. Be prepared, because many points made me emotional.
Sitting in the shade in a parking lot waiting for a new windshield to be installed… #Covid
