Welcome to Litsy!

Wow, wow and more WOW! Just a truly awesome book!

I enjoyed the quirkiness and playfulness with language in this book, but in the end it didn‘t really add up to anything for me…

I couldn't get into this. Hard to explain why. Maybe the voice of each character was too similar? It was well written and I wanted to like it but couldn't. I bailed. 😔

I may have found a cheap bookstore...

#WanderingJune This book has been sitting on my shelf for too long. When a friend mentioned her daughter wanted to read it I gifted it to her... but not before taking a photo 😊🥳😂 This story is set #DowninMexico

🎉📚🎉 It‘s heeeeeere! If you were waiting for or just want to find a way to push your reading in 2019 here is Book Riot‘s Read Harder challenge: https://bookriot.com/2018/12/12/2019-read-harder-challenge/

I loved getting to know the people living in Belldrop Mews but Alfonso was my favorite character. I‘m glad I stuck with this one. #womenintranslation #mexico

Just started reading Umami! #currentlyreading #augustisatrip #mexico #womenintranslation

I was super excited to see this book by a Mexican author translated from Spanish on scribd. I really wanted to read this when it first came out but couldn't get my hands on it cheaply. #scribdpicks #womenintranslation #womenintranslationonscribd @mhillis

The car is my new favourite place to read 💗

Just finished this beautiful and uniquely written book. I want to know so much more about these intriguing characters. The writing was lovely and it‘s really unique storytelling. Wish there was more. So satisfying but so many questions.

Just finished The Obelisk Gate. Switching to Umami now 😁 #ATB #24in48 @Erin7

My library haul that I am hoping to make a dent in this weekend with #ATB #24in48

Mixed feelings about this one. Took a long time to read and no real outcome.

Enjoying this lovely book and some very tasty Chinese food.

My lovely friend @Jess7 requested to see some of my #CoverLover books 💚Here are three beauties from my TBR shelf... #ReadingResolutions

Making my way through the bingo challenge! My current read, Umami, was first chosen for its beautiful cover. #LitsyReadingChallenge2017

My next book takes me to Mexico City into the world of a 12 year old girl who grows a garden while grappling with some of life‘s hardships. I can‘t wait to get started! The cover was so beautiful and I love the name of the book so I bought it! I have a serious book problem...

The "quietly devastating" description of this book is spot on:
"I should have used her name so much more... I threw away thousands, millions of chances to savor it in my mouth. When I spoke about her I would say 'my wife.' When I called her I said 'love.' When I messaged her I wouldn't even greet her. I wrote pithily, as if we were immortal: 'You home for lunch?'"

Is there anything better than starting a new book on a 3-day weekend? Got this (translated) beauty from The Booksmith in SF. #translation #booksmith

A wonderfully told story set in the heart of Mexico City over five years by four different voices. Written by Mexican-born Jufresa, and translated into English this was a great book to read for women in translation month. While the primary theme is loss, it is written with humour and great talent for words and storytelling. I promise you will know what the heck umami is after reading this, and you will be inspired to grow a milpa!🌱🌱

Really enjoying this one so far... I'm late on women in translation month, but what odds! The characters in the compound all have their houses named after tastes on your tongue. Sweet, bitter, sour, salty and the indescribable umami. Which I still am struggling to comprehend. Imagine living in a house called sour. Ha.

Two from my TBR shelf that features #hispanicauthors @JoeStalksBeck @Tiffy_Reads #SoManyBooksSoLiitleTime

Has anyone read this book in its original language (Spanish)? This book had enough interesting and insightful perspectives that it I kept reading, but overall it was a confusing book. I'm not sure if it is the translation or the overall writing style that made it seem like nonsense at times. It was set in Mexico, but the characters weren't stereotypical in any way, which I liked. I'd love to hear from anyone who has read it in Spanish!

Beautiful novel about loss, grief and craving; and 5 narrators, each responsible for a year (2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000). Jufresa lets us know right away that a 5 year old has died, as has a middle aged woman, that someone's mother ran away but came back, and that another character is struggling with an eating disorder. All of these people's lives intersect at Belldrop Mews, where they live. https://cannonballread.com/2017/08/constant-craving/

June reads 📚 I apologize for the inactivity lately, I just finished a week at music camp and now I'm leaving for Europe tomorrow! #travel

Took me a little bit to understand what was going on, but after that it was really good. A story about different characters who are all neighbors dealing with different types of grief. Interesting, funny, and heartwarming.

Good morning ☀️ gonna finish this one today over coffee

Reading books where the main characters are children is often a wake up call. She's so blunt! #afternoonreads

Early morning reading in bed. I have to finish the books from the library before I leave for Europe!

Some quality classical music humor early in the morning 👌😁🎻 #morningreads

Starting this one today. I'm in love with the cover ❤️❤️ #summerreading

Picked these ones up from the library today. Which should I read first and what did you guys think?

I can not be trusted anywhere near a bookstore?Nor can I be trusted when I hear about a "deal"???it's all good...got these 4 books and the tote for under $24.00 #HappyDance ??

#mexicanormexicanamericanauthors #maybookflowers

#MayBookShowers One from Mount TBR. I'm pretty sure I added this one based on the cover alone.

Of the novel's many narrators, I most enjoyed the thoughts of the retired professor, a widower whose narration mostly related to his deceased wife and the time they had spent together. His musings on time, love and purpose were at times quite profound. A good novel for pondering some of life's important questions, but the lack of differentiation between its several voices felt like a significant weakness.

#MarchintoReading #startswithU @RealLifeReading This is in my TBR & part of my LitsyAtoZ challenge. Love the vivid colors of the book jacket❤📚

Today's #bookhaul 😊 None of them were on my TBR, but they all look so good - I couldn't resist!

I think this book has an interesting perspective and I appreciate the shifting voices. But it may be one I have to come back to.

So many books I #missedoutonin2016 #ReadJanuary @RealLifeReading Like so many Littens, #toomanybooks #toolittletime

Like its title, this book is savory. Starting with a story of a girl who decides to plant a milpa to help her deal with the recent death of her younger sister, it flows into other stories of grief, from relationships, to childhood, & regret. Yet it does so with kind humor. Jufresa paints beautiful, unique characters while exploring grief, a thread that binds us all, & uses it to examine community building & life in contemporary Mexico City. 🏠🌵

Starting a new book for #Diverseathon with a late-night snack because it's been a long day. Really looking forward to Umami! You can't really tell from the Kindle version but the cover is striking. It centers around a drowning that takes place in Mexico City. It's also blurbed by Valeria Luiselli, so that's good enough for me. 📖🍫

#bookandyourfavesnack #readjanuary

We love books in translation! Here are just a few of our favorites, old and new. What are your favorites?

I really enjoyed this! It takes a look at family, friendship, and loss, and also at food. I enjoyed my time with these characters -- they are memorable, well-developed, troubled, interesting.

#litsyreadingchallenge2017