Welcome to Litsy!

“…the reality of being here eludes me, I can‘t focus, I am dazed. And I want to stay this way. If I have too much clarity, I will be undone, I fear.”

The powerful story of Sonia Deraniygala, who lost her husband and kids in the Sri Lanka tsunami of 2004

#Waves
#SummerSouls

@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

On the of morning of December 26th, at 7:58a in Sri Lanka, Sonali‘s life changed forever. This is a memoir of the tragic, horrific events of that day—and her grief journey from the moment she realized her family did not survive the tsunami wave that morning. Grief knows no bounds and too often we push it away instead of facing it. It doesn‘t go away; you just make room for it. The author discusses the moment she saw the wave, her moments⬇️

This book moved me so much and I cried for her. Sonali writes on her grief after her parents, husband, and two sons pass away in the tsunami that wrecked Sri Lankan shores. It‘s powerful and beautifully written. Definitely recommended.

#alphabetgame #letterW @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

In 2004, at a beach resort on the coast of Sri Lanka, Sonali Deraniyagala and her family—parents, husband, sons—were swept away by a tsunami. Only Sonali survived to tell their tale. This is her account of the nearly incomprehensible event and its aftermath. 😥 A great book 📚

#tsunami #conflictedworlds @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Read in one sitting, heartbreakingly beautiful

Beautifully written but a heart-wrenching story. This was my #readharder2020 for a book about a natural disaster. I can't imagine.

This is a #LMPBC book from last round. I was riveted by the author‘s recollection of being swept away by a violent tsunami, and just as riveted by her feelings and thoughts immediately afterward. The grief she experienced over the loss of her family was intense and I think she was brave to give an honest and unflattering report of her behaviors. Tough read for sure. 3/5🖤s I‘ll get this in the mail soon Nichole @Princess-Kingofkings

@Wife I adore this card. I learned about Queen Liliuokalani last year as our homeschool group prepared to learn about Hawaii. No worries about my book. Someday the #MittenLittens will meet.

First book for #LMPBC read & headed to @TheBookHippie Group V @Wife @Sward7 Thanks @suvata 📬

My first book read for #LMPBC Round 008 Group V ~ unthinkable, sad, irritating, silly...life can be stranger than fiction. @suvata @Wife @TheBookHippie @Sward7

It's here...my choice for #LMPBC Round 008 Group V @Wife @TheBookHippie @Sward7 I'm super excited to try something new with Litsy friends.

This may be the saddest book I‘ve ever read, and I‘ve read a lot of sad books. And yet - this book is also very beautiful. 💔

Unrelentingly serious

This book is less a story about the South Asian tsunami and more a story about the author reclaiming her memory and her peace after her family is swept away.

This broke my heart. Emotional memoir of when the author‘s entire life was ripped from her in the 2004 tsunami that claimed the lives of her two children, her husband, and her parents. The audio was breathtaking, as the narrator seemed on verge of tears the whole time too. #LitsyAtoZ:D #readmyowndamnbooks

Although this took me forever to finish (starting school, new puppy, new house, etc), I feel accomplished that I finally finished a book that I read for pleasure. The beginning of this biography started fast, loud, and made me anxious. I was glad when it started to iron itself out. Extremely heartbreaking retell.

A memoir by a woman who lost her husband, two sons and parents in the tsunami that struck the coast of Sri Lanka on Dec. 26, 2004. It's difficult to review because the story is so incredibly tragic. However, the writing was a bit ... I guess detached? Perhaps the author needed that emotional distance to be able to write about her staggering losses. But for me, the account seemed to be missing ... something. 3 stars, but still recommended

#MonthOfMemoirs

The author survived the Sri Lanka Tsunami Of 2004 to learn her husband, two boys and both parents were killed by the storm. This memoir recounts her grief and how she came out on the other side.

https://wellreadneck.wordpress.com/2018/08/19/wave-sonali-deraniyagala/

It‘s a good day to read, everyone! Current book: Wave by Sonali Deraniyagala, my book about grief for the #BoldlyRead2018 challenge. It‘s the memoir of a woman who lost her entire family in the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. A heartbreaking & touching read.

Heartrending, beautifully written memoir of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. #tragic #readingresolutions @Jess7

Day 8 - Heart-wrenching: There are several books that I have decided never to read again, not because they were poorly written but because the stories were sad, mournful, raw, heartbreaking & they took me to an emotional place that I seldom like to visit. This book did that. It was a painful story. The descriptions of the depth of sorrow were so real & aching that you feel yourself sinking under unrelenting waves of despair.⤵️ #ReadingResolutions

Wow. Sonali Deraniyagala has been through the unthinkable and still has grace and perspective. Her pain comes through so clearly and so does her intelligence and wisdom.

Wave was one of my favorite books last year. The author survived the 2004 Sri Lanka tsunami but lost her entire family--parents, husband, and two children. This memoir chronicles her journey through her grief. Not an easy read by any means, but one that has stuck with me. (And it's on sale now!)

The morning of December 26, 2004, the tsunami in Sri Lanka took Sonali's mom, dad, husband and two young boys while she miraculously survived. This is her struggle, her saga: poised and beautiful, frank and heartbreaking. 5/5 ⭐️

If anyone did enjoy this and is interested, I recommend the film "The Impossible" featuring Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor. They portray another couple who, along with their kids, are also caught in the same tsunami - this time in Thailand. Interestingly, the family on whom the film was based was present during the whole shooting process and apparently many of the extras in the film are actual survivors of the tsunami. (2/2)

Would not have chosen to read this for myself had it not been this month's selection for my local library's book club. I've never felt the urge to rubberneck at crash scenes which is kind of how I feel when reading memoirs of survivors of some sort of traumatic event. One exception was "Five Days at Memorial" perhaps because I'm a healthcare provider as well as a southerner and the subject matter deeply resonated with me. (1/2)

A quick Google search for the tagged book (on my Neverending TBR) brought up a number of other #bookishwaves for #booksacrossoceans

@pri_bibliophile @mellisarock

Sonali loses her entire family in the 12/26/04 tsunami and writes a book about it. Obviously devastating and heart wrenching, and shows how grief stretches into the future. I'm sure it was therapeutic to write but sharing it with the world must have taken super human strength.

I don't know if it's Overdrive or my public library that has put together this list of "Beach Reads", but these two, while both very good books, are some of the last I would want to read while on the beach. ?

Powerful and sad yet empowering

Starting this tonight... I should prepare myself for tears, shouldn't I?

This book💔

I got tired of death and destruction in my steampunk novel, so I decided to read a nonfiction book. Picked up this one and knew from the first chapter that the raw grief and anger pouring out of the pages was going to destroy me.

Drinking tea from my secret Santa in a cup from my secret Santa and trying to work my way through a pile of books I'm speed dating. #hotdrinkandabook #seasonsreadings2016
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(what is book speed dating? It's a way to cull your stacks or tbr in an intentional way. I had made a goal to do six piles in 2016 and I'm scrambling to make that goal! Read more on my blog http://readingenvy.blogspot.com/2011/06/speed-dating-books.html)

Lots of #onewordtitles on my shelves. All of these are unread so any reviews/suggestions you may have would be most welcome! Please disregard the chewed up rug - that was a gift from our former foster pup. ☺️ #photoadaynov16

I have never read a book so sad. 💔💔 Yet filled with so much love. 💗 Kiss your families people and appreciate what you have! #nonfictionnovember

I am listening to this book and every time I turn it on it rips my guts out (another reason I am reading amazing, happy ending romance). It is so beautiful, her depictions of motherhood to little boys is spot on and perfect but in the context of her story also crushingly sad. I cry every time I listen yet I keep going because it is so powerful.

"My surroundings were as deformed as I was." Describing herself as deformed caught me off guard at first, but it's really brilliant. She had survived the tsunami physically unscathed (relatively), but losing her entire family--husband, children, and parents--left everything else about her deformed. This book is making my whole heart ache. ???

I read it once before I became a mom and I read it once after becoming a mom. It was still heartbreaking but in a much stronger, piercing way.

Wave by Sonali Deraniyagala is an incredibly powerful memoir about the loss of her family (her husband, sons, and parents) during the 2004 tsunami in Sri Lanka. Deraniyagala says so much in this short book as we read about her tremendous grief and memories of her family. It took a while for me to read this book because the devastation is so heavy, but it was worth it. It's definitely one of the most #MemorableMemoirs I've ever read. #Booktober

Wave is a heartbreaking account of the 2004 tsunami which struck Sri Lanka, killing the author's husband and sons. It's an amazingly written book with such clarity and beautiful phrasing, which makes her grief and devastation leap out of the page and grab you by the heart. I was completely broken reading this.

This is definitely a #memorablememoir, perfect for #booktober. The image is 'Under the Wave off Kanagawa' by Hokusai 🌊 @RealLifeReading

August was a huge #bookhaul month because of a book sale and birthday money. #augustofpages For more details you can see my blog http://readingenvy.blogspot.com/2016/08/new-books-in-august-2016.html

"I am in the unthinkable situation that people cannot bear to contemplate." #augustphotochallenge

Lost things under "heart breaking events in life that most people never fully recover from." Sonali was in Sri Lanka in 2004 when the tsunami. This is the story of not only the wave, but living after losing so much. Painful to read but poignant and honest.