Welcome to Litsy!

Vibing with sleepy duck and listening to Sue Monk Kidd.

The Book of Longings was recommended by my friend Amanda for the #12friends12books12months challenge.

It‘s about Ana, the woman who became Jesus‘ wife. She‘s a strong minded woman. Her father was a scribe and allowed her to learn to read and write, and writing was her passion.

The characters in this story are what really make it, right down to mischievous Delilah the goat.

I thought this was a great historical fiction. Highly enjoyed it.

This has been on my list since 2020, and I finally listened! When I heard that the main character was Jesus‘s wife, I was so intrigued, and this was so good. The author imagines who the wife of Jesus might have been, their relationship, and her role in the Gospels. Rather than feeling cringy or heretical, it is a really beautiful, imaginative story that I really loved.

Monk Kidd has imagined a Biblical world in which the women are the keepers of stories through the life of Jesus‘s wife Ana. This is a surprisingly readable and compelling story that bogs down a bit in the middle and has Ana act anachronistically on occasion. It‘s good, not great. Full review at http://booknaround.blogspot.com/2023/05/review-book-of-longings-by-sue-monk-kidd...

My book haul ? from our library trip, they have an adult "challenge", per se, where you either fill out a tic-tac-toe type board or write a review and are entered for prizes and can turn in one for a free book at the library sale. ?

Next row of my #readinglogsnake is The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd. I read this over Easter weekend. This work of fiction tells the story of Ana, who is Jesus's wife. I found this story interesting as it focused more on feminist theology by giving insight into the daily lives of women during biblical times instead of being another biblical retelling. 3/5 ⭐️ #BooksAndCrafts #ARRCReads

Read in December 2022 ...
#Bookly #BooklyApp #GoodReads #Bookstagram #MMDBookClub #OUABC #suvataStats

• TBR since April 14, 2020

Tip: If you read this, don‘t skip the author‘s note at the end.

From the Publisher:

Grounded in meticulous historical research and written with a reverential approach to Jesus‘s life that focuses on his humanity, The Book of Longings is an inspiring account of one woman‘s bold struggle to realize the passion and potential inside her, while living in a time, place, and culture devised to silence her.

After I finished this book, I just lay there clutching it to my chest for a while. I wanted the words to seep into me. Sue Monk Kidd‘s writing was so lyrical and beautiful and feminist. The research that went into the novel was so extensive and I learned a ton, on the edge of my seat all the way up to the heart-wrenching end. Now I feel motivated to learn more about the development of early Christianity after reading this fictional take.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“I am Ana. I was the wife of Jesus ben Joseph of Nazareth.”

It‘s been years since I read anything by Sue Monk Kidd, and this was a strong reminder of how much I love her work.
Feminine, feminist, & spiritual - the author has done what she does best.
Emotional & intellectual, based on heavy research & a reverence for Jesus, I loved this.

I am Ana. I was the wife of Jesus ben Joseph of Nazareth.

#FirstLineFridays
@ShyBookOwl

1) I do although I don‘t read much from that period
2) I loved the tagged book about Jesus and have loved mythology retellings by Madeline Miller, Natalie Haynes and Pat Barker.

Want to play? @AmandaBlaze @Ddzmini @AmyK1

#Two4Tuesday

This is the fictional story of Ana, the wife of Jesus. She is intelligent, strong, bold and brave - and I instantly fell in love with her. To be a woman in that time would have taken a strong soul. Kidd writes with a beautiful descriptive style throughout the book. The characters, even the minor ones, are well fleshed out and you feel as you are there with them. Side note: I also want to learn more about how ink was made in the time period.

Our family vacation continues and the kiddos are down for a nap after our family outing. Now some time to continue reading The Book Of Longings with some strawberry tea. I'm almost a quarter the way through and I'm enjoying thr book so far. I've grown quite fond of the main character!

#ColdTea #Strawberry #VacationReading #MainCharacterLove

Picked this book up on a whim. I hadn't heard of it but it peaked my interest while I was browsing at the bookstore. Going to start it while I sip on my dragonfruit tea.

#ColdTea #Dragonfruit #VacationReading

Reading this one for #literarycrew #buddyread with @Librarybelle It kept me entertained on the bus ride home on Wednesday. I got it for a steal and it‘s a gorgeous version. It‘s the second god book I‘ve enjoyed this year and considering I don‘t believe in him I find this quite interesting.

The Book of Longings made it home yesterday. Thank y'all for a fun round📚
@BookishBelle @Kdgordon88 @DanaManiac
#lmpbc

Breakfast for lunch today. I took myself out to my favorite breakfast spot after helping my mom and aunt with something unpleasant… again. Hopeful for a good outcome and not to have to do this again. 🤞🏻 The nice lady at the counter let me order breakfast even though I got here a few minutes after they were supposed to stop serving it. 💕

#BookReport The Book of Longings was this week‘s winner. I didn‘t expect to like it as much as I did. 4.5🌟 The other two were good solid 4🌟 reads. Looking forward to finishing How High We Go and Hour of the Witch this week. Just started the Gyasi. Spent the rest of the week catching up on buddy reads and will try to stay that way.

The Lioness is my June #BookSpin

As expected I didn‘t have much reading time (sorry buddy reads, I‘m still behind) but I did finish The Book of Longings. I am so glad to have read this book. It felt authentic to time and place. @BookishBelle it is on its way to you today. Great pick, Heather! @HeathHof #LMPBC

A beautiful story meant to be savored

4.5 ⭐️ Such a great read! It‘s en route to you @Kdgordon88 Happy reading! #lmpbc

This story is a tribute to all the women throughout history that have been invisible, silenced, unnamed and voiceless.
Ana‘s ultimate prayer of her heart is to be a voice. The author‘s note explains that Ana is woman with her own quest following her longings in pursuit of the largeness inside herself.
This was a beautifully written book. From the first paragraph, which gave me goosebumps, to the last sentence, which brought tears to my eyes.

“All shall be well…. I don‘t mean that life won‘t bring you tragedy. I only mean that you will be well in spite of it. There‘s a place in you that is inviolate. You‘ll find your way there, when you need to. And you‘ll know then what I speak of.”

Day 4 of #TarotTakeover ?

With The Hierophant, there are often associations with tradition, religion, and dogma. For some, this could signify spiritual familiarity and comfort--but for others, it can be traumatizing. The tagged book asks so many questions regarding women within traditional narratives, and whether "tradition" and "dogma" directly relates to erasure of marginalized voices in history. This one's a favorite!

@ErinSueMreads

This story imagines the life of Ana, spouse of Jesus. The story on its own is a good piece of historical fiction, showing the challenges women faced in that time period. However, the context of Jesus's life and death adds additional interest. I particularly liked the author's note at the end of the book.

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks
#MarvellousMarch @Andrew65

It's going to take me a minute to fully digest this one and the questions it has provoked but it was a lovely, enjoyable read.
#lmpbc
@DanaManiac @BookishBelle @Kdgordon88

Hey group👋 Checking in to see how everyone is doing and if you're enjoying your picks for this round so far if you've started. I've been working on the tagged book, which is really good so far! 🙂 #lmpbc
 @DanaManiac @Kdgordon88 @BookishBelle

An interesting take on a well known story. Ana is the wife of Jesus of Nazareth. Told from her point of view, it's a story about strong women most of whom who didn't have a voice. Since Ana is able to read and write, she records their experiences.

What most sets you apart is the spirit in you that rebels and persists. It isn't the largeness in you that matters most, it's your passion to bring it forth.

#BeginsWith #Book

This one is on my #NYWD list. I probably won‘t get to it in January but intend to read off my list throughout the rest of the year.

OMG @Readergrrl THANK YOU!!! Happy New Year and happy #bestof2021swap!! These books look so exciting and I absolutely love this bookmark! And sketchbooks plus beautiful markers and pens are so perfect for me because I love journaling and drawing! So grateful for your thoughtfulness. Thank you @candority for organizing and I‘m wishing everyone a year ahead full of awesome books and memories!

This is easily the best book I‘ve read this year. I‘m really going to miss Ana, Yaltha, Tabitha, Diodora and so many other amazing characters in this story. I‘ve promised two of my neighbors that they could borrow my copy, but I‘d definitely love to reread it later ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Rosé Friday with my neighbor ladies got cancelled at the last minute, so I‘m sharing it with this one. I get the wine, snacks and book. She gets most of the couch. It‘s a deal we made a long long time ago, and I wouldn‘t dare break it now.

I love finding my own name in books. Especially when it‘s spelled the same way my parents decided to spell it when they named me.

“They‘re even led by a woman, Skepsis, and there‘s a great reverence for God‘s female spirit. We prayed to her by her Greek name, Sophia.”

“I am Ana.” I‘m only 10 pages in and I already really love Ana. Her relationship with her aunt, is the sort of relationship I hope to have with my nieces and nephews as they grow up. @ShyBookOwl

Thank you so much to @Mynameisacolour for this sweet early birthday surprise! I was expecting a book from the trade, which also came today just adding to the fun, but didn‘t recall trading anything else. It crossed my mind that this might be a birthday surprise but, just in case it was another trade book, I decided to open it so I could promptly send out a thank you so much 🥰

I have not yet known how to describe my feeling of this book. Although initially I was not able to get into it, I started to enjoy it since 1/3 of the book. I like it over all but cannot say I love it.
The author‘s note of this book helps me understand this book as I keeps wondering if which part of the content is fictional or not when reading it.
4 or 4.5 stars of 5.

⭐⭐
I soldiered on (at 2.25 speed to get it done).
While the writing quality is stellar, and the narration was excellent, the story was just not my cup of tea at all. I was bored from start to finish and could not garner up one bit of concern for what happened to Ana in the end. I started to give this a so-so, but honestly I feel generous with the 2 stars, so...

I know I'm in the minority on this one. But, yeah, it was not for me. 🤷‍♀️

I'm 1/3 of the way into this one, and I'm just not feeling it. I kept thinking that if I keep plugging along I'll get to a point where I love it as much as everyone else seems to. But 4 1/2 hours in, and I am not enjoying it. The audio narration is excellent, and the writing is fine, but it's just so boring. Should I soldier on?

⭐️⭐️ I really disliked this book mainly because the author chose to portray Jesus as only a man playing a very domestic role. She makes him seem like a jerk in his relationship which is not the Jesus we know from the Bible. I felt like there was no reason to make the character of Ana married to Jesus since her story was so little affected by Jesus‘s ministry and crucifixion. I had a lot of issues with this one. This was my #doublespin No. 6 pick

I picked this book up without knowing anything about it, I just liked the cover. To my surprise it was a Fictional Christian book. I am a Christian myself, tho I don't tend to read Christian books, I ended up really loving this one. I loved the take on if Jesus would have had a wife, I had never even thought about it. It was beautifuly written, and breathed so much life into Ana, his wife. How cool to be married to Jesus?? 5/5 stars

Great story! I am an atheist, but don‘t really doubt that a man named Jesus, who preached love and was crucified during the the time of Herod Antipas, existed. The Romans were fastidious record keepers! I know some are appalled at Kidd‘s reimagination, but I find it appealing to think of Jesus as a real man, compelled to change his world for the better. It gives me more hope to think that if he could act this way, then maybe we all could! 4/5⭐️

What a fantastic book! Check out my review here

https://reecaspieces.com/2021/06/17/the-book-of-longings-by-sue-monk-kidd-suemon...

#joysofjune #anywayyoureadathon @Andrew65 @Eggbeater @MidnightBookGirl @kimmypete1 Ok one book finished! And boy was it amazing!!!

Better than I expected? I didn‘t have low expectations, exactly; just wasn‘t sure. Call me hesitant. I am glad to have read it and expect lively discussions in both books club meetings in June. Loved the author notes, especially and think I will put ALL her books on my tbr.
Review on my blog: caresbooksandpie.com

I need lessons on how to use my new kindle 🤣 I prefer to read books in print - hardcover first, tradeback second, audiobook 3rd, on my iPad 4th and sometimes juggle all at once. Starting this next for two bookclubs. I had forgotten that I bought it when it showed up on my library... “When did I do that?!”

I really enjoyed this HF imagining of Jesus‘s fictional wife Ana. Nowhere in any scripture is a wife mentioned but SMK really created a character who felt very much alive and real. It was clear how much research and time went into the writing of this novel as the details & historical content were stunning. Book did drag in parts and at times felt arduous but I appreciated the full saga & meticulous care the author chose. #FoodAndLit #Israel

I‘m LOVING this audio #FoodAndLit #Israel It‘s very much in the vein of The DoveKeepers & The Red Tent. Two other books I loved as well. If Biblical HF is your jam, pick up this book! Audio narration is wonderful ♥️🎧