Welcome to Litsy!

Drive by post: great list by BookRiot of their 42 best SSF books of the last decade. I agree with this 💯

https://bookriot.com/best-fantasy-novels-from-the-last-10-years/

#manicmonday #letterA @CBee
thanks for the tag @Librariana
I had to go back and start at the beginning 😂

📚 Alif the Unseen
✍️ Jane Austen (boring I know)
🍿 Almighty Johnsons
🎤 Andra Day
🎶 Always (Bon Jovi)

#curiouscovers #purple has me in the mood to talk about bad ass women of fantasy.
What eclectic wonderful worlds they give us!
@Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

You know the feeling, when you finish a book and you aren‘t sure if the world you wake to is the same as when you started? This is definitely one of those books — wickedly smart and incisive, but at the same time magical and transformative. A techno-fable about a revolution of both thought and physicality.

“‘Your jinn are real,” he said softly. ‘And this is the fiction.‘”

Our main characters have started what promises to be an extremely wild ride, where reality gets turned upside down and inside out. I can‘t wait!

Rereading this beautiful book. Magic meets technology. G. Willow Wilson is an amazing writer. All of her work carries an underlying supernatural tone that draws you in and hooks you.

This book is a weird mix but somehow it works. There's political revolution, computer geekery, and Islam all bound together in an interesting and fast paced story. I had this on my TBR for a long time. I'm glad I finally read it.

#BookSpinBingo square 9
@TheAromaofBooks

At first I thought this was going to be science fiction as the main character is a computer coder but then this weird mix of fantasy comes in to blend genres and it‘s great. I‘ve seen this described as cyberpunk fantasy and I think that‘s a good way of putting it. I think at the heart of this is the way people interact with the world and the ways in which we think shape our realities.
This was my #CalibreRoulette for February

Not in the Litsy database, but set in the same universe as Alif the Unseen, we get a glimpse of at least one character from that book. 😉 A 1950s housewife goes to Egypt with her husband and falls into a cave. What she finds there while awaiting rescue will change her life. Available only from Amazon (boo!) this short story is worth the hour and a half investment, just don‘t expect to like Jean.

I am posting one book per day from my extensive to-be-read collection. No description and providing no reason for wanting to read it, I just do. Some will be old, some will be new. Don‘t judge me - I have a lot of books. Join the fun if you want.
This is day 263 #bookstoread #tbrpile #bookstagram

#bookspin #bookspinbingo I finished this first novel from G. Willow Wilson this morning, and it was fantastic! A mashup of religion, pop culture, and technology, compared to Harry Potter, Gaiman, Pullman, Stephensen. Takes place just before the Arab Spring. @TheAromaofBooks

This is a techy fantasy novel based in the UAE and the middle eastern sand swirls off the pages. I felt these streets, I loved the Egyptian, Indian and American expats along with the locals. This was such a good representation of the UAE I know.

Mixed in with these characters we have religion, Jinn's, computer hackers and a sheikh. This novel shouldn't work, but it does, wonderfully.

Finished the Summer prompts for #Booked2019

Genrebusting
Muslim Author & MC
Book to Movie
Comic or Graphic Novel
Book Gifted to You
Diverse Middle Grade

I liked a majority of them. I really just didn‘t like Aetherchrist and I don‘t know if I‘ll continue on with any of the 2nd books in any of the series.

This book was really good. It‘s about a hacker who gets mixed up with jinn and basically has to run for his life. It was quite the journey. It was an easy read even though I know nothing about hacking or middle eastern culture. Definitely recommend.

#ReadingWomenChallenge - a religion other than own
#Booked2019 - Muslim Author
#ProBookNerdsChallenge - Author of a different race, ethnicity or religion

We are going a short little vacation this coming weekend, going to Block Island to celebrate our 2 year wedding anniversary!

So I of course have to decide which books I want to bring with me. Looking for lighter “beach reads”. We are only going for 3 days, so I should only bring 2 books!

Have you read any of these? Would you recommend them?

I only want to bring paperbacks, since I‘ll be walk/biking with them. Of course none are on June TBR

Mental health day today. Really enjoying this book and snuggling with my sweet boy. #catsoflitsy #sheldon

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! This community has been more than generous this holiday season. And I love the diversity of great books you‘ve sent to me!

Thank you @dariazeoli @aprilpohren @Daisey

Ok #KindLitsy, I am fully blessed, go bless some others on the list too!

I wasn‘t sure about this one until about 50 pages in and now I‘m hooked. Computers, hackers, mysterious books, shadowy government stuff and magical jinn (genies). That‘s a good mix!

Absolutely fantastic, and a nice distraction from the bang bang booms outside.

Day off reading!

My former colleague @doris.hc has just launched Paperflips.com , a website offering recommendations to busy book lovers. I tried the quiz and was recommended the tagged book - sounds exactly right for me! Do try it!

I am disappointed in this book. I found the main character to be a snotty brat, the romance to be unoriginal, and the whole concept that because someone is rich and from a privileged family they aren‘t as virtuous and good as the poor girl next door very irritating. The villain wasn‘t interesting and I stopped reading after about 5 chapters and just skipped to the end. I say don‘t waste your money, 0/5 stars

Holy crap that was amazing. I loved the setting, the weaving combination of magic and science that flows throughout the entire book, and even the characters, though Alif needed a good punch in the face.

But overall, I found the world building phenomenal, and the story itself was fast-paced and had me turning pace after page as quickly ad I could.

4.5⭐️

#bookclubread #readingchallenge

"There is no such thing as evil knowledge."

"I used to think so, too."

Two days in and I'm 263 pages in and counting. Completely addicting, though a lot of the imagery is lost on me and lord knows I can't pronounce half of the arabic words. But nonetheless, I'm loving it.

This book was recommended by a high school librarian after listening to me rave about Salman Rushdie's book featuring jinn Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights. Neil Gaiman blurbs this book on the back cover, praising the author for her myth-making. It was fascinating to see the world from a point of view so often obscured, so widely misunderstood: the veiled women of the Islamic world. They're strong, independent and know how to fight.

Alif, seorang gray hat yang bekerja untuk siapa pun yang membayarnya. Intisar kekasihnya memberi Alif sebuah buku kuno, The Thousand and One Days. Karena buku yang ditulis oleh jin inilah Alif dan Dina mengalami petualangan yang melibatkan jin, efrit, marid, sila, dan berkelana ke alam jin.
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#aliftheunseen #bibliophile #bookstagram #willowwilson #bookstagramindonesia #vikramthevampire

Decided to choose Wilson than Atwood for my next reading

Picked this up a few months ago but haven't read it yet. I love her Ms. Marvel, and the premise of this sounds so fun.

#booksbymuslimwomen #readingwomenmonth
@thereadingwomen

This one has been languishing unread in my kindle for for too long. #booksbymuslimwomen #readingwomenmonth

#aprilbookshowers nothing really stood out as a #bestofapril - ranged from good to excellent - the exception being Goblet of Fire which I gave 5 stars. But 10 books for me is high for a month, so no complaints

I picked up this book thinking it was a story about a computer hacker, but it's that plus magic and legends (which I would have expected had I read the blurb 🙃). The narrator does a great job with accents and different voices for the characters. Entertaining!

I'm going to need my final flight to stay in the air until I turn the last page on this one. I have CONSUMED it more or less without blinking since the airport in Virginia. #readsontheroad

"So the stories aren't just stories, is what you're saying. They're really secret knowledge disguised as stories."

"One could say that of all stories, younger brother."

Totally not what I was expecting, but in a good way. I expected more sci-fi/fantasy since it was a Geek Book Club pick from my local indie bookstore. Instead, it was more real life plus jinn (magical realism??). Alif starts off as a rather unlikeable MC, with very misogynistic views, but as he experiences a variety of surprising/stressful situations, shows real personal growth. I enjoyed the insight into Arabic culture. Fills multiple challenges⬇️

"Dear child, some stories have no morals. Sometimes darkness and madness are just that."
"How terrible," said Farukhuaz.
"Do you think so? I find it reassuring. It saves me from having to divine meaning in every sorrow that comes my way."

Ahem.

Struggling to settle into a book tonight. Here's hoping Sherlock socks are the trick to making this book a winner. #Litsypartyofone #thirdtimesthecharm

That moment when you saw your train coming but you started walking really slow because you needed the extra time to finish the book. It's cool, I'll catch the next one.
#whyaretherenotrainstickers

Hot cider and #bookhaul from an awesome local bookstore that specializes in sci-fi, fantasy, horror, and mystery.

That time when the book you are starting perfectly matches your mug.

A good read. The protagonist spends the first third or so being a bit of a jackass, but the story is so good. A fun blend of technology and mythology.

This was REALLY good. I read it for a book set in the Middle East for the @bookriot #2016ReadHarderChallenge and I wasn't sure at first that it would catch me, but it did. It's about a computer genius on the run from state censors. He's given a mysterious and ancient book, seeks help from jinn, and tries to unlock the book's dangerous secrets. It's really a metaphysical thriller, which I'm not sure I've ever read before. Highly recommend!

Profound quote from a thought-provoking novel.

It's incredible that Alif the Unseen was written *before* the Arab Spring. The Kindle edition includes a remarkable essay from Wilson about this coincidence (along with other fab content that's not in the hard copy). There's quite a bit of NF out now on the varied accounts of the revolutions; I'm choosing one that's still on my TBR (and has a nice juxtaposition of hands ✊✋for today's challenge). #FictionNonFictionPairings #SeasonsReadings2016

#bestblurbs "Open the first page and you will be forced to do its bidding: to read on."-Gregory Maguire #seasonsreadings2016 I am prepared to surrender my will. ?