Guapa | 
#AlphabetGame one of my earlier book reviews here on Litsy and a five star read 🥰
Do you feel like playing @Reggie @Centique @JennyM
pickAt once funny, cleverly honest, and achingly sad, this fierce and thought-provoking debut deserves to be read widely, if only to discover an amazing writer brimming with imagination and vision. Guapa by Saleem Haddad illuminates so precisely, so humanely, about being different in a world full of beliefs, judgments and prejudices. I loved this book! The tone reminds me of The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen. That witty, wistful and 👇
pickI really enjoyed this debut novel about a young gay man in a Middle Eastern city with echoes of Cairo after the Arab Spring (but I wish he‘d named the place). Rasa faces conflict with his grandmother & losing his boyfriend to marriage. It explores the sense of shame & his conflicting loyalties between his identity as a gay man & an Arab. I loved the friendships & authentic portrayal of middle eastern life - tensions, chaos & society expectations.
pickA day in the life of a gay man in an unnamed Arab country. I have no idea how it was so easy to read, a genuine page turner but also encompassed painful themes with good humour and beautiful writing - 9/11, strained family relationships, revolution, repression, islamism, relations with America. It never felt at all like an ‘issues novel‘ but it still opened my eyes so much. His friendship and found family relationship with Maf made me tear up.
Another rainy day in England, which I‘m not complaining about as summer rain here might be my favourite weather in the world. No plans today so I‘m making progress on this gorgeous book about a day in the life of a gay man in an unnamed Middle Eastern country. My parents gave me this book after a trip to Jordan where they were recommended it by a woman in a bookshop. I read so little literature translated from Arabic, I need to read more!
"Back home I had spent countless summers fiddling with the antenna of the television set, hoping to catch a glimpse of Miss Universe competitions so that Doris and I could cheer for Miss Philippines..."
pickGuapa was recommended to me by a guest on the Reading Envy Podcast a few years ago (thanks Yanira!) - Rasa is a young gay man in an unnamed Middle Eastern country on the brink of revolution. The story starts with his grandmother catching him in bed with another man and then goes back to tell the story of his parents, his American education (and how he struggled with Muslim and Arab identity), and the underground bar Guapa which is a haven.
bailedThis one just wasn‘t for me. I found the writing quite annoying, overly didactic, and whiny. Such an important story, but not told in a way that worked for me at all. Bailed just shy of page 40.
#loversinadangeroustime #timbittunes
Cindy‘s post inspired me!
Loved this book, a total #blameitonlitsy
pickAs promised earlier, I finished this one tonight. It was my pick for #pop19 #24hours, but although it took place in a span of 24 hours, there was so much more going on here. I felt for Rasa, with everything he had dealt with finding himself and recovering from the loss of his parents. There‘s a ton of backstory, and so much to mull over.
Rasa is #fallingslowly into despair as we follow him throughout a 24 hour period, wherein he must battle the political upheaval in the Arab country where he lives, as well as his hidden homosexuality and the fallout from a secret love affair.
@Cinfhen sent me this book two years ago, and after using it as my book for #readersgonnaread, I‘m finally now reading it myself! It is a gripping book that I‘ll be finishing later today. #musicalnewyear
Given the current political situation in the US, this hit home hard.
Rasa, from an unnamed Middle Eastern country, attends college in the US. He hopes to explore what it means to be a gay man, but in the wake of 9/11 is confronted with what it means to be Arab. He finds answers in books.
Happy Saturday! This books is fantastically done.
It‘s officially hammock time! The weather is amazing today ☀️📚😍
Starting this one tonight. I love books that take place over the course of 24 hours!
On my way to Bookclub. I loved it, wonder what others will think?
pickThis story was heart breaking, the weight of 'eib' (a version of shame),determinedly clings to everything and everyone. The characters are struggling to define themselves, whilst the city around them is descending into chaotic destruction. A fantastic debut novel - it wove into the fabric of the story such important history and issues - in such a way they seamlessly floated with the story, with no hint of any heavy handedness.
I might have over stretched myself - I‘ve signed up to 5 different Bookclub meetings on March and I‘m not a super fast reader! One read and just starting in on this for Bookclub meeting number 2! #newyearresolutions !
pickWhat a great book to finish my reading year with. Without Litsy I would never had heard of Guapa let alone read it. I am grateful for the diversity of authors and books I am reading thanks to all you fabulous Littens. #blameitonlitsy 😊🙌📚👏😍
pickSuch a powerful book. There is a lot going on here... a closeted gay twenty-something in an unnamed, war-torn Arab country trying to deal with a complicated love and a difficult family situation. Really good writing - hard to believe this was a debut.
I am very thankful for Litsy, book clubs, and book people exposing me to great reads like this!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
#emojinov #nov📚📷 #📪 I‘ve been on Book Depository Christmas present spending spree 👏.
Whilst I‘m looking for gifts for others I just HAVE to see whether some of the books I covet (that I have unsuccessfully searched for in local bookstores) are available. And when they are, well I HAVE to get them right? 😬
These two Litsy recommendations arrived today. #blameitonlitsy 📚📚📚
Such a powerful read.
I began to understand events in my life as plot points in a narrative of war and oppression, painted across my history with the brushstrokes of innocently asked questions and pointed statements. Why do you force women to wear the hijab? Why is your culture consumed with hate? Why do you produce terrorists?
Maybe she just mimics what she sees? 😂😂 either way, your book is really making the rounds @Cinfhen
Reading a recommendation for #bookriot challenge.
@readsusieread and I are having a bookish weekend in NW AR to celebrate our birthdays and #24in48! We visited the delightful Nightbird books in Fayetteville 🐦 📚
In private I created a secret cage in my mind where I stored these dark thoughts. Like birds, I captured them as they flew by and put them in a cage for a time when I may need them.
Just received #bookmail from my favorite litten, @Cinfhen !! I have two VERY happy girls that were lucky enough to get a gift included for them. 😍 They've never experienced book mail that came with nail polish. 😂
Hazelnut cappuccino before the ten hour bus ride to Munich.
Prosciutto overload with a side of mixed salad (with lovely sundried tomatoes) and ribollita. A Mercato Centrale find in Firenze. The chocolate cake from Il Cioccato E Il Gelato is reputed to be the Setteveli world-champion cake. Naturally, we had to have a taste, while my daughter had her hazelnut creme crepe.
A bunch of #booksSetinMiddleEast #SetNearWhereYouLive 😉Damn, those are both long hashtags, which I may have messed up 😜😜I bailed on the Amos Oz book(Judas) Guapa was EXCELLENT ...the others were ok
Late night companion. I wouldn't have known about this book if not for Litsy people. View of the Tuscan countryside from the balcony of our airbnb in Tavarnuzze - 20 mins or so from Firenze by bus. We seem to be the only tourists around in this charming little town filled with trattorias and pizzerias. Our host was kind enough to gift us with a bottle of Chianti when we arrived from Milan yesterday. It's the little things that make the heart sing.
#setinthemiddleeast #maybookflowers
@RealLifeReading
Another #blameitonlitsy @Cinfhen @minkyb if I remember correctly 😀😀
pickSad, thought-provoking and relevant for lots of different social reasons. Really enjoyed it, and I so wanted a 'happy' ending, which isn't really like me. But it was a fitting ending.
My other Valentine's gifts from hubby 💟 He did well, all highly recommended on here.
so-soInteresting material, a gay Arab coming of age tale and the writing was good. It failed to really grab me though, I'm not quite sure why. I'd have rather read about secondary character Maj, who had a lot more personality. Consumed this via audible and the narration was fine.
#FeistyFeb My first ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️read of 2017 was this #DiverseLoveStory Guapa follows Rasa, a young gay man living in an unnamed Arab country as he struggles to make sense of the life he is both living and hiding. It's a moving story, beautifully written and crafted. I've already loaned my copy to a friend so I'm using a stock photo.
#BestofJanuary #ReadJanuary Overall, I had a very good reading month... #24in48 really added to my totals as did all the reading challenges but these were my favorites of the month! I'll tally up my stats later on today😉
pickWhoops I forgot to take a pic before I returned the book to the library this morning! I had some trouble getting through this. I think some of the literary references (like his mom chopping onions) felt forced and held back a narrative that otherwise flowed really well. But all in all I really enjoyed it. Definitely worth the read!
