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Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress
Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress | Dai Sijie
77 posts | 168 read | 79 to read
New York Times BestsellerBalzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress is an enchanting tale that captures the magic of reading and the wonder of romantic awakening. An immediate international bestseller, it tells the story of two hapless city boys exiled to a remote mountain village for re-education during China's infamous Cultural Revolution. There the two friends meet the daughter of the local tailor and discover a hidden stash of Western classics in Chinese translation. As they flirt with the seamstress and secretly devour these banned works, the two friends find transit from their grim surroundings to worlds they never imagined.
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Cortg
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Pickpick

I really liked the way this story is told, like various stories about a particular time that someone would look back on and talk about. It‘s the story of two friends during the Chinese Cultural Revolution that are sent from the city to a rural community to be reeducated and the time spent with the villagers. Different. #Booked2022

EvieBee I loved this one when I read it years ago. 1y
Cortg @EvieBee I don‘t think this one gets the love it deserves 🥰 1y
BarbaraBB I agree, it deserves more love!! 1y
See All 6 Comments
Cortg @Cinfhen @BarbaraTheBibliophage Forgot to mark this on for the challenge ~ set in China 1y
Cinfhen This was really good - quiet but memorable 1y
BarbaraTheBibliophage Perfect choice—good to amplify the quiet stories! 1y
33 likes1 stack add6 comments
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Shaaaannnn
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Trying to finish this one on my two days off! 📚

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jspoelker
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Pickpick

A delightful time piece set in China when people were. Punished for the slightest offense against the government. It‘s a story of friendship and love and managing a normal life among it all.

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hissingpotatoes
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Pickpick

4/5⭐ A thought-provoking, almost understated story set during the Chinese Cultural Revolution dealing with issues of censorship, storytelling, and literacy. It's not a dark book, and the particularly fun/light-hearted moments create a warm, homey reading experience. #bookspinbingo #booked2022

17 likes1 stack add
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Rachel.Rencher
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Lucas brought me coffee in bed on this chilly Sunday morning. 💕

Big news! I accepted my dream job of teaching English at a gameful learning private school. To say I'm excited is an understatement. There will be a big move to a new state soon and I'll finally get to set up bookshelves again! My poor books have been in boxes in the garage for the past year. 💔

Ruthiella Congratulations! 😀 3y
TheBookHippie How wonderful!!! 3y
Cathythoughts Well done 🥳 3y
See All 12 Comments
xicanti Congratulations! 3y
BarbaraBB I loved this book! 3y
squirrelbrain Congratulations! 🎉 3y
Buechersuechtling Congratulations 🎈from the bottom of my heart. 👏🏼 3y
LiteraryinLawrence Congrats on the new job! 3y
Tera66 Congratulations!🎈🎈🎈 3y
Bookzombie Congratulations!!! 3y
Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick 🎊Congratulations!🎊 3y
85 likes12 comments
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ChaoticMissAdventures
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Mehso-so

Weekend read. A quick read but a struggle. I don't know what I was expecting from this but I didn't enjoy it. I might have missed the point but why is this "little Chinese seamstress" going through so much with these 2 young men and they still cannot use her name?

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Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
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Wow!!! I‘m so in love with this sticker book!! I‘m not sure if I will be able to use it!! It‘s gorgeous ❤️❤️ I wish y‘all could see all of the beautiful stickers! I‘m looking forward to reading one of your favorite books Rachel! Thanks for everything!! ❤️❤️❤️

#LitsyLove

iread2much You are so welcome! 3y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @iread2much I can‘t express in words how much I love it!! I love unique things like this! You are the bomb ❤️💚🙏🏻 3y
iread2much @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks 😊 you are awesome and I‘m glad they went to someone who will appreciate them 3y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @iread2much I will cherish them ❤️❤️ 3y
71 likes4 comments
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Emilymdxn
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Today I finally managed to withdraw some money from a dormant savings account I haven‘t been able to access for YEARS. Had to spend a fair while at the bank to do it. Most of the money is going in my Covid-Proofing-My-Life fund but... I had to celebrate somehow didn‘t I?

SamanthaMarie Perfect way to celebrate!!! 4y
AlaMich I enjoyed Balzac very much! 4y
81 likes3 comments
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umbrellagirl
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Left me wanting more. 👍🏻👍🏻

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Tracey3
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Pickpick

Another one from an Ollie‘s book haul. This one was unexpected. I has no idea where this story would end up. I absolutely love when the characters of a novel also love books. The characters in this story go great lengths to read books and share them with others in unique ways. Of course, the Little Chinese Seamstress works her way into this story, again, in unexpected ways.

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Lizzy83

'By the time I could read the revolution had started, and all the books were burned' - Lou

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rockpools
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Pickpick

Well, that went places I really didn‘t expect! But I enjoyed it.

Early 70s, the narrator & his friend Luo are sent for re-education in a mountain village, during Mao‘s cultural revolution. They (& the Little Seamstress from the next village) learn the power of stories & storytellers through films & a cache of forbidden books.

Surprisingly sweet, funny in places, & plenty to think about. And of course the Little Seamstress gets the last word 👍

TheAromaofBooks So glad you enjoyed your pick!! 4y
Lizzy83 I read this a few years ago. Loved it 4y
73 likes3 stack adds3 comments
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rockpools
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Started this this evening. So far, it‘s much lighter than I imagined it to be and I‘m loving it. Thank you so much for sending it my way @kaysworld1 😘- and for the prompt to read it for #bookspin @TheAromaofBooks 😊

LeahBergen I liked this one. 👍🏻 4y
rockpools @LeahBergen Oh good! It‘s quite fun so far, which really wasn‘t what I was expecting 😊 4y
SaturnDoo I liked this one too @LeahBergen 4y
66 likes1 stack add3 comments
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rockpools
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My #bookspin title for the month is Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, which has been on my tbr for years and my physical shelf for a couple of months. If I do #doublespin, it‘ll be Hold Back the Stars - so different to anything else I‘ve read recently.

Both were gifts from lovely #jbuk littens ❤️

Thanks for doing this @TheAromaofBooks - I‘m excited about some sadly neglected titles here!

rockpools @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Looks good, doesn‘t it?! No idea why I haven‘t read it yet. 4y
TheAromaofBooks I've never even heard of either of these! I swear #BookSpin is actually going to double my TBR instead of reducing it! 😂 4y
See All 7 Comments
rockpools @TheAromaofBooks 🤣🤣🤣Oops! 4y
TheAromaofBooks Right? Talk about a backfire! 😆 4y
AlaMich Balzac is a lovely little book! 4y
rockpools @AlaMich I‘m so pleased to hear this! I quite like that it‘s little as well 😉 4y
49 likes7 comments
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rockpools
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Thank you so much @kaysworld1 - this has been on my tbr for SUCH a long time, and I‘m really excited to read more Chinese fiction. I loved your teaser emojis as well- I‘ve been trying to guess since you posted 🤣 Hope you enjoyed your day off. 😘

Cathythoughts How gorgeous! I love this cover ❤️ 4y
rockpools @Cathythoughts Me too! I‘d never seen this cover 🥿 4y
kaysworld1 I'm glad you liked it 😊 4y
iread2much This is one of my favorite contemporary novels. I hope you like it! 4y
rockpools @iread2much Fantastic! Looking forward to it even more 😊 4y
44 likes3 stack adds5 comments
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Nebklvr
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Mehso-so

Enigmatic. Interesting but distant storytelling. Two guys, a young woman, the Cultural Revolution, and the ability of literature to transform lives....a lot to cover in 184 pages. The story needed more pages. A weird shift in narrative sent the last third off the rails.

50 likes3 stack adds
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KarenUK
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#ChinaGirl #WanderingJune @BarbaraBB @Cinfhen
I recently added this to my #tbr as its featured on a current B&N display for Books about Books....
And for anyone doing the #pop19 challenge, it works for the ‘see someone reading on TV‘ prompt.... (it‘s on the Rory Gilmore Book list) 💕📚📺

KarenUK I just spotted on goodreads you gave it 1⭐️ @Cinfhen and @LeahBergen gave it 4⭐️ .... now I‘m even more intrigued! 😂 (edited) 5y
Cathythoughts Beautiful cover ♥️ 5y
BarbaraBB I thought of this one too! 5y
Cinfhen Ha!! I was BORED to death!!!!! But I was also very crabby then😁😜 5y
marleed Those shoes are irresistible! 5y
51 likes1 stack add5 comments
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EmilieGR
Pickpick

Sweet

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Lindy
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Pickpick

An engaging, funny, short (4 h) #audiobook performed by BD Wong, #translated from French by Ina Rilke. Surprisingly gentle in light of its setting during Mao‘s brutal Cultural Revolution, it‘s about intellectual freedom & personal independence, told through the escapades of two teenaged sons of doctors who are sent to be “re-educated” through working among former opium farmers in a mountain village in Sichuan in the 1970s.

Lindy Luo‘s plan to make a country girl more sophisticated through exposure to classics of Western literature reminded me of the aristocratic snobbery portrayed in The Tale of #Genji. @batsy @saresmoore 5y
batsy Interesting parallel, now that you mention it. I love this book, but read it so long ago. 5y
Lindy @batsy I love the way books speak with each other in unique ways, based on our individual reading experiences. Also, I love books like this that demonstrate the power of literature. 5y
batsy @Lindy Absolutely. I was just thinking that I might want to read this again soon, because what I loved about it was how it showed me the power and worth of literature, and art in general 💖 5y
Lindy @batsy 😁👍 5y
50 likes4 stack adds5 comments
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Lindy
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We had been so unlucky. By the time we had finally learnt to read properly, there had been nothing left for us to read.

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Lindy
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The only thing Luo was really good at was telling stories. A pleasing talent to be sure, but a marginal one, with little future in it. Modern man has moved beyond the age of the Thousand-and-One-Nights, and modern societies everywhere, whether socialist or capitalist, have done away with the old storytellers — more's the pity.

wanderinglynn Lovely photo! 💚 5y
Redwritinghood I really liked this book. Hope you are enjoying it! 5y
Lindy @wanderinglynn Thanks! It was taken at Koishikawa Korakuen in Tokyo. 5y
Lindy @Redwritinghood Yes! Scrolling through comments on Litsy and Goodreads, I see that people are divided about the ending. I liked the ending. 5y
45 likes2 stack adds4 comments
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Centique
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Pickpick

Thanks so much for this book @batsy I really enjoyed it! I‘m fascinated by this period but I‘d never read about the re-education process. The descriptions of life in the little mountain village were so vivid. The boys were unlucky but also unsubdued, their small rebellions wonderful, but ... I‘ll say something else marked with a spoiler!

Centique (Cont) The best rebellion was the little seamstress! Despite being in an impossible time, the stories she has read give her the belief to transform and move past the story tellers themselves. Wish we had studied this at school - it‘s brimming with imagery and ideas. 5y
Cathythoughts Great review & beautiful cover 5y
Centique @Cathythoughts thanks Cathy! 😘 5y
batsy I'm so glad you liked it! I thought the descriptions were so vivid and beautiful as well. And yes to the point about the stories we tell ❤️ When I first read it I knew very little about the Cultural Revolution, so it was really eye-opening. 5y
Centique @batsy 💕😊 5y
89 likes2 stack adds5 comments
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Shley9225
Panpan

Yikes. I had to read this book for school and hated every second of it. This book is set during China‘s cultural revolution, something I had never heard about before, but this author writes as though everyone‘s already knowledgeable about the subject. Also, I didn‘t like ANY of the characters. And the book had no plot. ZERO PLOT. Nil. Nada. Zilch. And the ending sucked too. I kept hoping it would get better, but it never did.

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Wife
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Mehso-so

#StackAttack2019 Thought provoking in that it makes me wonder what life would be if books were banned...but overall, meh😐. I like the cover, but it‘s misleading because the shoes look like they belong to a child. No child characters in this book. 1/5⭐️s. A so-so is generous.

Cinfhen Read this for bookclub a few years ago! I HATED IT!!!! it was beyond boring but most of the ladies thought it was good. 5y
Wife @cinfen They loved it? 🤔 Thank goodness that it‘s a short book if you were stuck reading it for book club. 5y
tournevis I meber read it becuase it's not my thing. Still, considering the number of prizes it won originally in French, I'm starting to wonder if the translation is the problem. 5y
69 likes3 comments
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kitteh_reads
Pickpick

Short, humorous pick for our library's book club. It takes place during the Chinese Revolution under Mao, and removes teenagers from families whose parents are doctors or writers and places them under the care of small villages. The process is called re-educating, helping upper society understand the benefits of learning farming and hard labor to provide for a community.

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Silvertongue
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Mehso-so

I learned a lot about what the re-reduction program in 1970s China was like. I also liked the crazy situations the boys got into. I didn‘t like how poorly “The Little Seamstress” was treated in the text—how the boys wanted to culture her and how the narrator was only interested once she became more cultured. Also she had no name :( BD Wong read character voices weird, esp. women. Nearly a pan for how much I felt like she was treated like an object

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Silvertongue
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Going to best my last years time of 17:15, but it‘ll be a close call to see if I make it to the full 24. Weird story, but enjoying having the flexibility of the audio book! #24in48

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mreads
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Mehso-so

Set during China's infamous Cultural Revolution two city boys are exiled to a remote mountain village for reeducation where they meet the daughter of the local tailor and discover a hidden stash of Western classics in Chinese translation. This was just ok and the ending was jarring.
#centuryreadchallenge

tournevis I wonder if the translation into English is the problem. Because it won prizes and such, including the Goncourt, if The remember well. 5y
46 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Simona
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Thank you Barbara for surprise❣️ Thanks to you, I feel very privileged, because I‘m a part of this thoughtful, bookish community 🥰

BarbaraBB You deserve it. I am happy to have met you in this awesome community 💕😘 5y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks ❤️❤️ 5y
Simona @BarbaraBB ☺️ 5y
78 likes1 stack add3 comments
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APLitlife
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Pickpick

Nice little story. Great understanding of how words and books can change lives. #myreadingbuddy

Nute This book caught me by surprise. I loved it! 6y
31 likes1 comment
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APLitlife
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Reading to see if I want to add it to my curriculum. Has anyone read it?

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erzascarletbookgasm
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Two city boys are exiled to a remote village for ‘re-education‘ during China‘s Cultural Revolution. There they are required to perform manual labour until such time the authorities decide. In the village they discover a hidden stash of banned Western classics in Chinese translation and devoured them secretly, finding escape from their bleak surroundings to worlds they‘ve never imagined.
#HeyJune Day 24 #revolution

Cinfhen I somehow missed this book when it first came out, sounds really good!! 6y
Cathythoughts I love the cover ❤️ 6y
SledgeReader @erzascarletbookgasm It‘s been in my TBR way too long! Sadly I don‘t see it moving off anytime soon. #hazardofreadinglife🙄 6y
GypsyKat This does sound so good! 6y
93 likes11 stack adds4 comments
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xicanti
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Pickpick

Apparently 2018 is the year I finally read a serious amount of Chinese literature. So far, everything I've read on this unplanned theme has dealt in some way with survival. Coincidence or national literary preoccupation?

This particular book is a wonder and a delight, what with its focus on the solace two boys take in translated Western literature. It entertained me AND taught me more about 1970s China. Ain't it great when a book does both?

xicanti Also, please tell me all your favourite Chinese novels so I can seek them out. 6y
CaseyTheCanadianLesbrarian Okay, not a novel but an amazing memoir with an unbelievable story and beautiful writing. Queer content too! 6y
xicanti @CaseyTheCanadianLesbrarian that sounds excellent! Stacked. 6y
See All 8 Comments
Graywacke I‘ve had this on my shelf forever. Encouraging comments. No good advice, but I need to read 6y
xicanti @Graywacke that sounds fascinating. Stacked. 6y
TobeyTheScavengerMonk This is a movie! I watched it years ago when I tried to watch all the foreign films in the local Blockbuster. I remember very little (there was a dam? a flooded village?) but I remember the music being gorgeous. 6y
xicanti @TobeyTheScavengerMonk I had no idea there was a movie! I'll look for it. 6y
erzascarletbookgasm If you haven‘t read, 6y
38 likes8 comments
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xicanti
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I finished ANOTHER BROOKLYN and started BALZAC AND THE LITTLE CHINESE SEAMSTRESS while I took an #audiowalk along the Greenway. #Readathon

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Insightsintobooks
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I got this for free from a neighbor. Excited to start reading it. 😁

51 likes2 stack adds
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Dragon
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Pickpick

I‘ve been reading this little book during lunch breaks at work. This is a very interesting story of two teenage boys sent to the countryside for re-education. I found this book especially interesting as I roomed with a Chinese exchange student whose health had been ruined by this terrible practice. Her husband had also been sent to the country to raise pigs. They worked extremely hard to pass exams and go to university outside China.

EvieBee Wow, what an experience! I adored this book and I loved the movie as well. It was directed by the author so it was nice to see on screen how he visualized his book. 6y
Dragon Thanks @EvieBee I didn‘t know there was a movie! So cool. I found myself laughing out loud while reading this book. 6y
batsy The book was very memorable and I agree with @EvieBee , the movie is definitely worth watching :) Beautiful cinematography. 6y
See All 12 Comments
SaturnDoo I really enjoyed this one too. I listened to the audiobook a couple years ago. 6y
Dragon Thanks @batsy I‘m going to have to find the movie! 🐉 6y
Dragon Thanks @SaturnDoo I bet the audiobook would definitely be worth listening too. 😀🐉 6y
iread2much I loved this book, it was such a wonderful read. Like water for a dry mind 6y
Dragon Thanks @iread2much that‘s very well put . 👍😀🐉 6y
Faibka I‘ve never heard of this book but the story sound very compelling, adding it to stack! By the way I also squeeze a bit of reading during my lunch breaks at work 😁 6y
Dragon Thanks Faibka I really didn‘t know what to expect from the book so I was very happy that it was funny and interesting 👍 . I‘m trying to decide on my next lunch book. 6y
Sills @Dragon I try to read classics for my lunch reads. I like the 10 minute reading break from teaching all day.📚 6y
Dragon Thanks @Sills - I agree it‘s a better break if I can disappear into a book 6y
56 likes6 stack adds12 comments
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erzascarletbookgasm
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Different types of #shoes for different purposes. Loved Noel Streatfield‘s shoes series when I was young. Piper Keenan‘s book was a so-so read. The tagged book and Joanne Harris‘s books are on my TBR.
#readingresolutions @Jess7

Cathythoughts ❤️shoes 6y
LeahBergen I was going to post about the Streatfeild Shoes books later today, too. ❤️❤️ (edited) 6y
batsy Streatfeild 💜 6y
Jess7 Nice! 6y
82 likes4 comments
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WhatDeeReads
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Pickpick

What a lovely little novel. My first of 2018 and I‘m not disappointed at all.

#BooksInTranslation

Louise I'm so curious about this one. I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it! 6y
WhatDeeReads @Louise I‘m surprised myself how much I enjoyed it. 6y
BellaBookNook I have had this book for a very long time and I am so glad you reminded me because I wanted to read it! Glad to hear you enjoyed it! 6y
WhatDeeReads @BellaBookNook it‘s a really cute little story! This writer is a master at foreshadowing. That‘s my favorite literary device. The ending surprised me. 6y
36 likes4 stack adds4 comments
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TheAnitaAlvarez
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Pickpick

My granny got me this book the summer I graduated High School, before beginning my English degree. She chose it because it is a book about the power of words and literature, both of my passions. It‘s a beautiful novel, filled with love for books and a desire for something beyond what we are told to wish for, and I could relate to that.
#RoryGilmoresReadingChallenge

8 likes2 stack adds
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bookandcat
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Pickpick

Book 10 of #readathon - another book I had started many months ago but didn't get very far. Able to finish it now! Brief and poetic, set amid the awful Cultural Revolution in China and the resulting "reeducation" of young men and women (and the banned books they try to track down).

22 likes2 stack adds
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tjwill
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#TBR with occupations in the titles. #fallintobooks

44 likes1 stack add3 comments
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GinEyre22
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Catching up on #jubilantjuly : Day 9, shoes on the cover

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Dragon
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This one has been chosen by a few Littens for #shoesoncovers . Do boots count?

57 likes1 comment
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erzascarletbookgasm
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From the Chinese-French author and filmmaker Dai Sijie, a semi autobiographical novel set during the Chinese Cultural Revolution.
#shoesoncovers #jubilantjuly @RealLifeReading

charl08 Love this story. 7y
61 likes3 stack adds1 comment
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heyitsalyssa
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Mehso-so

I've been wanting to read more fiction about China and, preferably, by Chinese authors. Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress is the first in this new venture of mine and, while I liked it, I didn't love it. Maybe my expectations were just set too high. All the reviews call it a miracle and a revelation of a book and I just came away a little disappointed.

BooksAndChopsticks Try Anchee Min maybe, or Amy Tan's earlier works like Joy Luck Club...? Or Any Pearl S.Buck work 🤓 (edited) 7y
heyitsalyssa @BooksAndChopsticks thank you for the recommendations. I actually just finished Joy Luck Club and really enjoyed it. I'll definitely look into the others. 7y
1 stack add2 comments
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tracyrowanreads
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Pickpick

It's a deft and surprisingly amusing story about reading, books, young love ambition, hope, despair, and the power of stories. I enjoyed it tremendously.

Full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1990392913

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tracyrowanreads
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Nightstand, where on rests but a small portion of my TBRs.

11 likes1 stack add
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tracyrowanreads
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It figures. Just started the Sijie Dai last night, and all these show up this morning. #notreallycomplaining