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The Last Days of Caf้ Leila
The Last Days of Caf้ Leila: A Novel | Donia Bijan
19 posts | 17 read | 24 to read
"The Last Days at Caf? Leila will engage all of your senses. This is the poignantly told story of a family and of the brilliant and beautiful culture of Persia, diminished but not destroyed. It is also a triumphant portrait of a woman making her way from apology to full-throated song." --Elizabeth J. Church, author of The Atomic Weight of Love A neighborhood caf? in Tehran is at the center of this powerful and transporting story of love, family, friendship, and homecoming told against the backdrop of Iran's rich, yet tragic, history. When Noor returns to her native Iran for the first time in thirty years, so much about her homeland is different. But Caf? Leila--the restaurant Noor's family has run for three generations--hasn't changed. Zod, Noor's father, is still at the caf?'s helm, a much-loved patriarch offering laughter, solace, and nourishment to the makeshift family of regulars and waiters who call Caf? Leila home. With her discontented, very American teenage daughter, Lily, reluctantly at her side, Noor struggles to maintain a semblance of family life. But Tehran is a place of contradictions, where grace and brutal violence both have a foothold, and it's not long before rebellious Lily is caught up in both. As the novel folds back in time, stories emerge of Noor's ancestors, particularly of her mother, who was killed when Noor was a teenager. As past and present converge, Noor begins to understand her place in--and her responsibility to--this world and to the many souls who have sought refuge at the caf?. The Last Days of Caf? Leila is a powerful debut about the delicate, sometimes dangerous balance between history and progress, and the resilience of a family in the face of upheaval.
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review
Jari-chan
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Mehso-so

I was hoping her novel would be as good as her auto-biography. Sadly, writing novels doesn't seem to be her strong side. The characters are lacking depth, the story is too similar to all the other books in this genre and there's no real vibe or feeling for the city and the country. Bijan tries to make it happen, and there are some good scenes, but overall it's just another family tragedy. No must-read.

@TheAromaOfBooks #BookSpinBingo

TheAromaofBooks Great progress!! 2y
Jari-chan @TheAromaofBooks Thank you ๐Ÿ˜Š 2y
33 likes2 comments
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Jari-chan
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Here's my list for the January #BookSpinBingo - first, I thought I'd only join in for #BookSpin and #DoubleSpin but then I decided that I at least could try to get a Bingo. So, here we go.

@TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Those bingos are strangely addictive ๐Ÿ˜‚ 2y
Jari-chan @TheAromaofBooks Yours surely is ๐Ÿ˜ 2y
22 likes2 comments
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Nickinpa
Pickpick

Just finished this one and I adored it. Hard to believe it was a debut novel.

5 likes1 stack add
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Crazeedi
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Have you ever started a book and been afraid to continue after you're halfway through? I love this book so far but I'm in a panic on what is going to happen, and I don't want to read it! What to do???

rubyslippersreads I was like this with Eleanor Oliphant, but in that case, finishing the book turned out to be the right thing to do. 6y
Crazeedi @rubyslippersreads I read that book! I don't remember feeling so much like I do with this book, I'm on chapter 22 and I just know something bad is going to happen. I have to work up the courage to just get through it. This is a really good book. A culture I'm not familiar with, etc. You are right I just have to *do it* 6y
16 likes1 stack add2 comments
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cathysaid
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A public service announcement: #kindledailydeal #kindlerecommendation

50 likes1 stack add
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cathysaid
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Pickpick

A gorgeous tribute to Iran, this #debut novel traces the lives through generations of a family running Cafe Leila. The family patriarch and owner of the cafe is dying and his daughter, running from a failed marriage in the US, returns to her home and her father. While we acquaint ourselves with the family and their stories, past and present, Persian food becomes a prominent character through mouth watering, sumptuous descriptions. Loved it. 4/5 โญ๏ธ

44 likes1 stack add
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cathysaid
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#audioknitting in the sunroom on this lazy Sunday. Listening to the #debut novel that so far, is quite good. Noor, a nurse with a teenage daughter, is returning to Iran and her Persian roots after a failed marriage in the US.

LeahBergen That is some lovely and intricate knitting. โค๏ธ 6y
cathysaid @LeahBergen How sweet! It will be a sock...someday ๐Ÿ˜ 6y
41 likes2 comments
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EvieBee
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My Black Friday Kindle haul! I also bought the latest season of The Big Bang Theory, which I‘ve been purchasing on Black Friday for the last 6 years! #kindle #bookhaul #blackfriday

rubyslippersreads I bought TBBT too! #greatminds ๐Ÿ˜Š 6y
EvieBee @rubyslippersreads Aren‘t we smart?! Now we can binge watch without interruption. ๐Ÿค“ 6y
SilversReviews Nice collage. 6y
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EvieBee @SilversReviews Thank you! 6y
cathysaid Listening to the tagged book and absolutely loving it! 6y
EvieBee @cathysaid I‘m so glad! I own her nonfiction book and was so happy when I learned of this fictional debut. 6y
100 likes6 comments
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DebinHawaii
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It's Friday and I'm kicking off this Veteran's Day holiday with some breakfast & work at the coffeeshop--although how long I'll last is unknown as it's getting a bit crazy due to the holiday. ๐Ÿ˜ฌ Acai bowl, press of local coffee & some pages of this foodie book before trying to wrap up a few lingering projects. Hope your Friday is a good one. #alohafriday๐ŸŒด๐ŸŒบ๐Ÿ

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DebinHawaii
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My usual Wednesday coffee shop breakfast of avocado toast with spicy garlic aioli & a press of Maui Mokka Peaberry ๐Ÿฅ‘๐Ÿžโ˜•๏ธand a bit of this current foodie read before getting to work on some project deadlines. I'm happy the week is limping its way over the hump ๐Ÿชand to the weekend.๐Ÿ˜ฌ

Thndrstd That looks yummy 6y
mjdowens I was awake in the middle of the night this week and decided I had to make this. Found an aioli recipe that sounds good and easy to make. Cannot wait to try it 6y
DebinHawaii @Thndrstd Thanks! It is really good! ๐Ÿ˜‹๐Ÿฝ 6y
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DebinHawaii @mjdowens Great! I hope you enjoy it. ๐Ÿ˜‹Any Sriracha-garlic Mayo combo will work, but this is the recipe I came up with after getting all the ingredients from the coffeeshop owner & it's pretty close. http://kahakaikitchen.blogspot.com/2017/07/the-book-tour-stops-here-review-of_11... 6y
mjdowens Oh even better! Another recipe to try. I am sure my end product will not be as pretty as yours, but will post when I get some made. Thank you๐Ÿค— 6y
mjdowens @DebinHawaii I finally made this aioli today! WOW WOW WOW is all I can say. I used it on my turkey sandwich and it will now be my go to โ€œmayoโ€ from now on. Thank you so much for the recipe๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿ‘ 6y
DebinHawaii @mjdowens I'm glad you enjoyed it! I use it on eggs, sandwiches, tacos, fish... ๐Ÿ˜‹๐Ÿ‘ 6y
80 likes7 comments
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BekaReid
Pickpick

A story full of love, family relationships and their complexities. The story is told from different times and different generations against the backdrop of Cafe Leila in Iran and is full of Iranian culture and food.

"I want to show you that our lives here have meaning beyond the everyday things we dwell on. We play a part, however small, in the times in which we live-we are not here just for ourselves."

10 likes1 stack add
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BekaReid
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Ahenchcliffe
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Pickpick

Beautiful, frustrating, and wonderful. Not bad for something I happened to stumble upon in the New Arrivals section in the library.

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Reggie
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Pickpick

Noor, having just found out her husband's infidelity, leaves America and takes her daughter, Lily, back to her home country of Iran, where her father and Cafe Leila, the cafe that houses her family's history, await her. Honestly, I think this book could have been more, but I did fall under its spell. The description of food makes me want to try Persian food. It's a novel about food, family, identity, and it was all over the place. Still a pick.

MrBook Nice review! 7y
32 likes1 stack add1 comment
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EvieBee
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Up next! No renewals on this hold, so away we go! I love using my asparagus bookmark for foodie reads. #CurrentlyReading

Ms_T That bookmark is a winner! 7y
EvieBee @Ms_T Thank you! ๐Ÿ˜Š 7y
DebinHawaii Love the bookmark and I've been wanting to read that book. ๐Ÿ’š๐Ÿ“š 7y
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minkyb I like genre coordinating bookmarks. A trend setter! 7y
EvieBee @DebinHawaii You've read her memoir, right? I love you're foodie recs! 7y
EvieBee @minkyb I thought I was the only one until Litsy! I'm home! 7y
diovival I am in love with that bookmark ๐Ÿ˜ 7y
EvieBee @diovival Thank you! I got it at Half Price Books many years ago. Can't believe I still have it! 7y
95 likes3 stack adds8 comments
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EvieBee
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Just in from the library today. I really dislike that I have a 10 hold limit. That means I'm constantly checking when stuff is ready for pickup so I can add more to my hold list. #BookProblems #LibraryStack #BookHaul

AmandaL I've got a five hold limit! I've started putting holds on my kid's card now too. 7y
EvieBee @AmandaL Five books?! I guess I should be grateful, but thank you for the ๐Ÿ’ก! I think my husband needs a library card right now! 7y
Louise @AmandaL Yes! I often put holds on books with my mom's card. It's a 10 book limit, but some books take ages to come in, since over 200 people also want to read the same one. I've learned to order large print editions when the wait for the regular book is too long! Ah, strategy! ๐Ÿ˜‚๐Ÿ“š (edited) 7y
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Louise @EvieBee84 Great idea! Get that man a library card! ๐Ÿ˜‚๐Ÿ˜‚๐Ÿ˜‚ 7y
EvieBee @Louise LP is a great idea! Love it when we come together for workarounds. 7y
AmandaL @Louise Great idea about requesting LP editions! @EvieBee84 Litsy is the place to learn all the best library hacks. ๐Ÿ˜‚ 7y
Louise @EvieBee84 @AmandaL Plus LP editions are easy on the eyes! ๐Ÿ˜ 7y
79 likes7 comments
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EvieBee
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These are my #MayMostAnticipated picks for the month! Looks like I'm first on the hold list for all four at my library, but I have no idea when they'll actually be available. Can't wait! Keep reading how much everyone is loving these. #MayBookFlowers #truecrime

Reviewsbylola Enjoy Flower Moon! I gave it โญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธ 7y
Cinfhen Excellent selections! I await your reviews... 7y
EvieBee @Reviewsbylola I have a feeling it is going to be a 5 star read for me too! 7y
EvieBee @Cinfhen Thank you! โ˜บ๏ธ 7y
75 likes4 comments
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Liberty
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I put all the entries from the #THISISTHEEND giveaway into the random name generator and @Bklover won! Thanks to everyone for participating. There is one more chance to win something - details for that giveaway have been posted. ๐ŸŽ‰๐Ÿ“š๐Ÿ˜˜

JoeStalksBeck ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿ“š๐Ÿ“–๐Ÿ“š 7y
Bklover Woohoo!!!!!! Thank you soooooo much @Liberty !!!!! This is fun stuff! 7y
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BibliophileMomma Woohoo @Bklover ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿผ๐Ÿ™Œ๐Ÿผ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿผ๐ŸŽ‰ 7y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿป๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿป๐ŸŽ‰๐ŸŽŠ๐ŸŽˆ 7y
youngreadrshelf When you called this giveaway #thisistheend I thought The Doors. 7y
Bklover Thanks @asiriusreader @JoeStalksBeck @Tiffness83 @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Thanks- love all of you Littens- passing on books this way is such a clever idea. I may have to give it a try! 7y
Bklover @youngreadrshelf ๐ŸŽถ๐ŸŽถ๐ŸŽถ๐ŸŽถ๐ŸŽถ๐Ÿ˜‰ 7y
JanuarieTimewalker13 Congratulations!! @Bklover ๐Ÿ’ฅ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿฝ๐Ÿ† 7y
Bklover @JanuarieTimewalker13 Thanks! So excited- this was a fun idea! 7y
Cinfhen Yay @Bklover ๐Ÿ’•๐Ÿ’• 7y
114 likes11 comments
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Liberty
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GIVEAWAY #14: Stick a fork in me, I'm done! For my last giveaway of the weekend, these 'last' books. To win, make a post about your favorite book from last year, use the hashtag #THISISTHEEND, and tag me in the photo. Do this by 5pm EST (April 23rd), and I'll randomly select one winner. (US only, sorry.) Good luck! โค๏ธ๐Ÿค˜๐Ÿป๐Ÿ“š

JanuarieTimewalker13 You really hung in there!! Thank you for all your effort. 7y
104 likes3 stack adds1 comment