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The Sleepwalker's Guide to Dancing
The Sleepwalker's Guide to Dancing | Mira Jacob
Of all the family gatherings in her childhood, one stands out in Amina's memory. It is 1979, in Salem India, when a visit to her grandmother's house escalates into an explosive encounter, pitching brother against brother, mother against son. In its aftermath, Amina's father Thomas rushes his family back to their new home in America. And while at first it seems that the intercontinental flight has taken them out of harm's way, his decision sets off a chain of events that will forever haunt Thomas and his wife Kamala; their intellectually furious son, Akhil and the watchful young Amina. Now, twenty years later, Amina receives a phone call from her mother. Thomas has been acting strangely and Kamala needs her daughter back. Amina returns to the New Mexico of her childhood, where her mother has always filled silences with food, only to discover that getting to the truth is not as easy as going home. Confronted with Thomas's unwillingness to talk, Kamala's Born Again convictions, and the suspicion that not everything is what it seems, Amina finds herself at the centre of a mystery so tangled that to make any headway, she has to excavate her family's painful past. And in doing so she must lay her own ghosts to rest.
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alisonrose
Pickpick

Poignant, heart-wrenching family story that is beautifully written with genuine & relatable family relationships. Loved seeing the family‘s Indian culture front & center, too. However, it‘s too long and bogged down by many scenes that were drawn out way more than necessary. Didn‘t like the traumatic career event in Amina‘s past or her “secret” work habit, both felt kind of exploitative & unnecessary to the story. A good one, not great. 3/5 ⭐️

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alisonrose

How to explain that she felt like if she cried, if she actually started, she might never stop? That it felt too bottomless, like jumping into one of those cave pools that was the size of a pond but actually thousands of feet deep?

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alisonrose

Small and dark and tucked into his white coat like a check in an envelope, the man came to an abrupt stop when he reached them, smiling with a precision that suggested military training or a sociological disorder.

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alisonrose

There are small blessings, tiny ones that come unbidden and make a hard day one sigh lighter.

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nannermc12
Pickpick

Love love! I related to the main character so much. I am usually a slow reader but I zipped through this book.

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alisonrose

Night noises snaked through the phone line, pressing New Mexico right up to Amina‘s ear—the hushed applause of the wind rolling through the cottonwoods, the hollow scritch of crickets echoing against the mesas, the click of the gate latch in the garden. Amina shut her eyes and felt herself in the darkening yard with the tickle of the wild grass at the back of her knees.

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alisonrose
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Started this last night and already loving it. It was super annoying to have to work all day and not get to read until now! #NowReading

31 likes1 stack add
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JoyBlue
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Mehso-so

The story is, at turns, funny and heartbreaking. By Book 10 (there are 11 books, each with

JoyBlue Why does my review keep getting cut off? Let's try again:

4y
JoyBlue The story is, at turns, funny and heartbreaking. Before Book 10 (there are 11 books, each with 4y
JoyBlue I give up! No review today, I guess.
4y
See All 6 Comments
JoyBlue [reported to Litsy] 4y
DaveGreen7777 Yikes! Hope Litsy fixes that soon! 😩 4y
JoyBlue @DaveGreen7777 So do I! 🙄 4y
50 likes6 comments
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Joanielovesbooks
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Next

Joanielovesbooks Really enjoyed this one! 4y
16 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Come-read-with-me
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Pickpick

This is a poignant and heart-felt story about a family facing the issues of life and death, mortality and what it means to be immortal. As a daughter whose Mum is at the stage of her life where she spends most of her time in the past with dead family member, this book was particularly salient to me. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ with lots of tears.

mayakh About halfway through this book right right now and loving it! 5y
22 likes3 stack adds1 comment
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Laughterhp
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1. Celebrated my bday this weekend by doing a corn maze🌾 and visiting Newport Vineyards for wine 🍷
2. Laying in bed 😬
3. Tagged!
4. Groceries
5. Snacks

#humpdaypost

MinDea Belated Happy Birthday! 🎉🎉🎉 6y
42 likes1 comment
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Laughterhp
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Pickpick

I don‘t think I‘ve ever read a 500 page book faster. I flew through this book once I started reading. It was tragic and heartbreaking and Amina has gone through a lot in her life, before turning 30. I liked the way this book moved and the way the author handled the flashbacks and connected all the different stories. There is a lot of sadness but also happiness is found in this story.

Great pick for #LTLMPBC

Ajessgirl I‘m so happy you loved it!!! 6y
DebBates101 Im excited to read it! 6y
65 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Laughterhp
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I got your package today @Ajessgirl !! Can‘t wait to read this book! Thanks for the goodies! That candle smells really good and love that it is literary themed! 😊 #LTLPBC

DebBates101 She‘s good at this isnt she? 6y
Ajessgirl Yay!! I may or may not have smelled every literary candle twice and obsessed over whether author or scent was more important before making my selection. 😂 @DebBates101 😘 6y
DebBates101 @Ajessgirl 😂😂 oh, no, we would never do something like that 6y
47 likes3 comments
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Ajessgirl
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Finishing up my #LMPBC pick over brunch. It took me a bit to get into it and keep the time shifts straight, but now I‘m really enjoying it. Centered on an Indian-American family, it focuses on family dynamics and the modern immigrant experience. Will be so curious to hear what you think, @DebBates101 and @Laughterhp !

DebBates101 Cant wait to read it! I guess I need to do my review, too. Oops 😕 6y
35 likes1 comment
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Briget66
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“Cooking was a talent of her mother‘s that Amina often thought of as evolutionary, a way for Kamala to survive herself with friendships intact. Like plumage that expanded to rainbow an otherwise unremarkable bird, Kamala‘s ability to transform raw ingredients into sumptuous meals brought her the kind of love her personality on its own might have repelled.” 😏

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j.devard
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To anyone who's read either one of these books, what can I be expecting?
#Review #NewPurchase #BooksForLife #BooksAreLife #TBR

Buddys_Momma Welcome to Litsy!!! 6y
swishandflick Ooh, pretty covers! Welcome to Litsy 🤗 6y
WiseGirl13 So pretty!! 6y
SheilaChew Those hashtags - 🤓 #brilliant 6y
40 likes2 stack adds5 comments
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Megabooks
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Dollar Tree book haul!! I‘m really happy/surprised to find some of these there. Happy dance!! 💃🏻💃🏻💃🏻

AmyG I found some good books yesterday, too. 👍🏻 6y
Megabooks @AmyG just looked back at your haul 👍🏻👍🏻 6y
ElishaLovesBooks @Booksandcooks this post inspired me to go to the dollar store! I got 6 books-I didn‘t see any of these though😀#blameitonlitsy 6y
See All 6 Comments
Megabooks @ElishaLovesBooks Yay! I love bargain books! 6y
TricksyTails I need to get to The Dollar Tree! Who knew?! 6y
Megabooks @TricksyTails Yes! I didn‘t until recently. 6y
117 likes1 stack add6 comments
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Alytrue
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My reading buddy this afternoon.
#catsoflitsy

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Yeah_I_Read
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If you enjoyed Goodbye Vitamin you will love this. I actually could only think about how much I loved this book while reading Goodbye Vitamin and that's probably why I never finished it. The themes are similar. The daughter comes back to the family home to help care for her increasingly unstable father. It goes into more depth than GV and the story is much more fluid. So honestly even if you didn't like GV you should read this lol.

73 likes4 stack adds
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Mixedreader
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Pickpick

Walking through the library, I remembered this book, marveling at the length and committing to reading it. It was such an incredible read; a family saga of love and struggle and heartbreak and rebuilding connection. #libraryfinds #bookmemories #diverselit #diversebooks #womenwriters #family

13 likes2 stack adds
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Tex2Flo
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Novella is helping me read by being strangely quiet during the day. Just started this one bit already love the relationship between the mother and daughter.

KarenUK Oh my! My heart just melted 💕😍 7y
KarenUK Hubby says hi to his favorite sleepy girl 7y
3 likes2 comments
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Stacy84
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DebinHawaii Nice haul! 📚👍 7y
SharonGoforth The McBride is so good!! 7y
Buddys_Momma I enjoyed the Sleepwalkers Guide and Padma's book, both good 👍🏽 7y
55 likes4 stack adds3 comments
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valeriegeary
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Settled in for the evening to finish this one. Charlie Waffles is keeping me warm.

Faibka 🐶💜 7y
Emory Such a cutie! 🐶❤ 7y
britt_brooke 💕💕💕 7y
59 likes2 stack adds3 comments
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valeriegeary
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I've really been enjoying this book. The complicated family dynamics. The juxtaposition between past and present. I'm not ready for it to end!

auntie_jenn one of my favorites from 2015 ❤️ 7y
valeriegeary @auntie_jenn Finished it last night! Loved it! 7y
auntie_jenn did you read @Pronounced_ing 's EVERYTHING I NEVER TOLD YOU? My other top pick from last year. 7y
valeriegeary @auntie_jenn Yes, I loved that one too! 7y
41 likes3 stack adds4 comments
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valeriegeary
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Nothing like a dysfunctional family to put me in the mood for Thanksgiving. #diversereads #overthis #readoverthis

rachellayown I really enjoyed that one. 7y
46 likes5 stack adds1 comment
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Looksandbooks
Pickpick

Vibrant.

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Well-ReadNeck
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#somethingforsept #SeptemberPhotoChallenge A few women writers currently on my shelves.

ApoptyGina69 Terrific grouping of women writers for sure, but I LOVE that vase! 8y
Well-ReadNeck @ApoptyGina69 Thanks! We love folk art of all kinds! 8y
MLRio Oh I love that spine on the US edition of 8y
Sydsavvy Loved that book😊 8y
110 likes4 stack adds5 comments
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jetspins24
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#Recommendsday pick - This was a surprise favorite of mine from last year. I completely loved it. Great depiction of complex family relationships, grief and loss, feeling like an outsider - an observer of your life more than a participant in it, ghosts, and the family that you make out of choice and necessity. Really beautiful writing and lovely characters.

megt I loved this! It was so beautifully done. 8y
26 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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jetspins24

#Recommendsday pick - This was a surprise favorite of mine from last year. I completely loved it. Great depiction of complex family relationships, grief and loss, feeling like an outsider - an observer of your life more than a participant in it, ghosts, and the family that you make out of choice and necessity. Really beautiful writing and lovely characters.

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Sydsavvy
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Pickpick

Here is a good one on Kindle sale today. Something is wrong with the narrator's father so she must come home. She proceeds with grace and humor, while looking back at the past, the Indian-American immigration experience and her extended family, and her own come-of-age story. Loved it. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

17 likes2 stack adds
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jenniferdoyle
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Excited to finally be reading this! Not that she'd know me, but Mira Jacob was my editor at Babble Voices years ago, and I've been wanting to read this ever since it was released.

Well-ReadNeck Just picked this one up recently! 8y
7 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Michele1
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How adorable is the author, Mira Jacob?

bookishchelle Aw so adorable! I have this on my shelf, but haven't read it yet. 8y
42 likes4 stack adds1 comment
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Michele1
Pickpick

I loved this - especially all of the layers.

Sydsavvy I did, too! 8y
1 like1 comment
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daniellemohlman
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Pickpick

I absolutely loved The Sleepwalker's Guide to Dancing. And I'm so glad I chose this moment to read it. It's a multi-generational Indian immigrant and Indian-American story (that takes place partly in Seattle!) exploring the home you leave & the home you choose. Absolutely gorgeous & heart-rending.

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daniellemohlman
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Nothing relaxes me more than reading on my lunch break. And The Sleepwalker's Guide to Dancing by Mira Jacob is so beautiful.