Welcome to Litsy!

#AutumnPlease Day 3 #CandleFlame

This candle smell so good and I need to read that tagged book another oldie in my tbr😬

@Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Fantastic book. Really nice to read a standalone fantasy for a change rather than a series.

This book is beautifully written and the descriptions of the world, people, clothing and food are stunning and vivid. The story is compelling and the characters fully developed. Loved it.

“Let me hear the tune first,” she says.
There is a pause and then comes the sound of the oud. The three witnesses...maintain straight faces, but the Alif sisters do not even bother. Azizah is snickering while Adila has buried her face in her hands though her shaking shoulders give away her mirth. Amirah has stuck her fingers into her ears. The Emir‘s oud playing is that atrocious.
Thankfully the piece the Emir is butchering is a short one.

Suddenly...the two soldiers standing before her fade into shadowy outlines. Each of them has a golden name embedded in the skin above their hearts. Each name has a different meaning, a different shape...The qualities that compose this Ifrit are in his name...The names glint...Fatima realizes that hundreds of gold tensile strings extend from the names and appear to shape the Ifrit who are no longer shadowy outlines but man-shaped smokeless fire.

At around the 10% mark; it‘s interesting but a bit slow - not helped by the welter of non-English language words (Arabic, Hindi, Punjabi etc). There is a glossary but it‘d be easier to hold 2 pages open to flip between with a physical book than with the e-book.
There‘re also a corresponding heap of religions.

“The books on the shelves of the mahal library all belong to the Name Giver, who, in Zulfikar‘s private opinion, has gone out of control where his book buying is concerned.”

No such thing 😂

💖 💖 💖 💖 🤍

I am posting one book per day from my 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 155.
#bookstoread
#tbrpile
#bookstagram

In Nafiza Azad‘s debut YA novel set in Noor on the Silk Road, she weaves a tale of magic and the importance of names; fiercely independent women; and, perhaps most importantly, the work for harmony within a city of a thousand cultures and cadences.
#candle #sleightheshelves @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @OriginalCyn620

@InBooksILive The Candle and the Flame is on its way to you via UPS. I'm so sorry it took me so long to get it to you! I have a pretty cute excuse though. I meant to mail it on the 31st, but got admitted to the hospital bc of high blood pressure, where I was induced! Little man and I just got released yesterday, so I had my husband take it to UPS to try to get it mailed there more quickly! @suvata @Endowarrior21 @hwestfall #lmpbc #groupd

While I love when authors reply to my tweets, I'm sad that there's not more Noor on the way in the future...

@InBooksILive @hwestfall @Endowarrior21 just so you know, she is one of those authors that will respond to tweets when you all get to read it!

I very much enjoyed my pick for #LMPBC #groupd. It was surprising in all the right ways. A lovely desert fantasy involving many different kinds of djinn and their interactions with humans. Includes heavy elements of found families, discussion of what it means to be evil, feminism, diversity, and a sweet romance. The only thing I'm disappointed by is the idea that as of now, there isn't a sequel planned!

I'll put the pretty jacket back on 🔽

Okay, guys: I've been trying first chapters all week, and I have narrowed it down to these 2 possibilities! The Candle and the Flame is a desert fantasy that deals with djinn and other fantastical creatures, and Song Below Water is about modern-day sirens and includes a fair amount of social commentary.Candle and the Flame is longer and seems more complex, but a deeper fantasy.I can't choose! #LMPBC #groupd @Endowarrior21 @InBooksILive @hwestfall

1) I enjoy washing my dishes by hand. I love brussel sprouts. I am 5'3".
2) Tagged!
3) This is hard. I'm torn between Charley Davidson from my current read because I love her sense of humor and shameless sense of self, or Armand Gamache because he seems like such a wise, calming presence.
#litsylearn @Alora

1. 🔝
2. On my couch, with a tea and a warm blanket
3. ☝️
4. That's a tough choice! I'll say Baby Groot.
#FriyayIntro @4thhouseontheleft @howjessreads

First of all, the writing is damn good. A loving attention to craft + world building that‘s positively decadent. I did sometimes feel like the pacing was sacrificed for the setting. That could just be me though, since I‘m from the dominant culture being described in the story & therefore don‘t need detailed explanations of holiday rituals etc. A stunning, rich fairytale that centers women and explores the nuanced bonds of sisterhood. ★★★★☆.

#currentlyreading | “The desert sings of loss, always loss, and if you stand quiet with your eyes closed, it will grieve you too.”

... now THAT is an opening 😳

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟. I truly enjoyed the authors debut novel. Parts of me reminded of S.J. Mass's A Court of thorns series. I was captivated from the start. The detailed description of food would make anyone hungry lol and lets not forget women empowerment through out the book. Can't wait to read more books from the author:)

A qualified pick, for its independent women & rich #fantasy setting: an Islamic trade route city in a desert, populated by humans & djinn. Also good: use of Indic & Arabic words throughout, the respect for women & importance of chosen family. Not good: cheesy writing: “The stars glitter, smug in the security of their existence.“ “He kisses her with a heart forevers are made of.” I don‘t have much tolerance for romantic nonsense. #YA #Canadian

“Without her, the room was empty.”
“The idea of marrying [redacted] terrifies him, mostly because of how much he wants to.”

I‘m two thirds of the way through and the clichés are irritating, but the setting and characters are compelling enough for me to persevere with this audiobook.

3.5/5

Okay I definitely need to reread this. My brain kept checking out.

Honestly, I don't think the plot was particularly unique. It's definitely been written before. It's the setting and characters which were really the strength and truly the best part! It was a pretty enjoyable standalone that I didn't think was too ambitious but also too surface. For a debut and a standalone, it didn't fall into a lot of pits I find many debuts do.

beautifully designed book + a Canadian author = I need to read

“The way he looks at her makes her feel like a stranger in her own body. The rage persists even when she prays Zohr; she pours her heart out to her Creator and yet...
Does the rajkumar think she ought to feel flattered by his attentions? Or does he think she will automatically reciprocate his dubious affections?”
You tell ‘em, Fatima Ghazala.

Listened to this debut YA by Canadian author Nafiza Azah and really enjoyed it. Engaging setting, complex characters, and plenty of action. #readthenorth

How freaking stunning is this book! I got The Candle and the Flame in the mail today and I can‘t get over how beautiful this cover is?!

Has anyone read this? I don‘t know anything about it but I am so damn keen!!

It seems every time I read a book with a wazir in it, I always find him less than likeable. I'd love to find a book with a likeable (or female) wazir.
That being said, I'm loving this audio so far! I'm finding the characters intriguing, and the relationship dynamics between some of the characters is relatable to me. I've been very stressed and anxious the past month or so, and this is a great diversion from the overwhelming feelings.

B

Today‘s BN book purchase. I had to tech the puppy how to wait in the car. What better place? I can watch out the window. However I may need a sign that says “she‘s is okay. She whines at everything”. Flib was cool as normal giving Demon side eyes that say “would you shut up!” 😁

BTW this book is by a #litsyauthor for any of you trying to fill that hole in a challenge. @Nafiza

Officially released and on shelves!

?IT‘S NEW BOOK DAY!?Here are some of today‘s new books! There are several more out that I am excited about, including THE SATAPUR MOONSTONE by Sumatra Massey, THE CANDLE AND THE FLAME by Nafiza Azad, SHUT UP YOU‘RE PRETTY by Téa Mutonji, WE HUNT THE FLAME by Hafsah Faizal, NO SAVING THROW by Kristin McFarland, DISAPPEARING EARTH by Julia Phillips, and THE THINGS SHE‘S SEEN by Ambelin and Ezekiel Kwaymullina. What are you excited to read? ?❤️?

It‘s so pretty!

I have this galley in my office, but it‘s not for me and I can‘t keep it. 😭. But it is as pretty as it looks.

May 14.

#CoverLove. #YAedition

I am annotating an ARC for a giveaway and it is superbly fun .

The ARCs arrived and I died. Haha. #yafantasy #diverselit #thecandleandtheflame

#OctoberPutASpellOnYpu #Candle

Fellow Litten, @Nafiza has this book coming out in May. I‘ve stacked it based on the description and this gorgeous cover!!! Can‘t wait!!

I am DEAD. My book has an amazing cover and I am so incredibly thankful. The artist is Colombian and has done such an exquisite job. He has perfectly captured the essence of the protagonist.

#thecandleandtheflame #fantasy #feministfantasy

A snippet of the back copy of my book. This is so wildly exciting.