Welcome to Litsy!

I can‘t believe this is Alvar‘s debut short story collection. Truly, easily one of the best books I‘ve read all year.

A brilliant and diverse collection of story stories, set primarily in #bahrain and the #Philippines, captures a wide variety of lives and experiences. They leap off the page. The last story was particularly wrenching. Hoping Alvar publishes more. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ #readingasia21

I‘m very excited about February‘s reading plans!

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I can‘t stop saying how great this book is. Not only does it introduce the reader to a culture and a people that most us don‘t know much about, but it also shows us the diversity in the author‘s storytelling abilities. Beautifully written and a glimpse into another world. I had never heard of this book before nor this author so I am glad I stumbled upon it. A great short story collection that is a great read. #24in48 #undertheradar

Wow, this is a beautifully written collection of short stories. I loved that it gave me a glimpse into a culture and a people that I did not know much about. All I knew about Philippine people was that they were very smart and hard working people (at least the two older ladies that I knew from my childhood). It‘s definitely a must read.

“They can torch your house and rob you blind, but they can‘t take Education from you.”

Almost done with my current read and then I‘ll only have 3 books left on the #LitsyReadingChallenge #BuJo

This has been a long read for me. I‘ve been reading one short story at a time, switching between my hardcopy and Audible. It‘s beautifully written and has been an interesting read. Also, it ended up working for 3 of my challenges. 😁

#BookWithAViewpointOfAnImmigrant @thereadingwomen #ReadingWomenChallenge

#LetterI #LitsyAtoZ @BookishMarginalia

#POCauthor #Booked2018 @4thhouseontheleft @BarbaraTheBibliophage @Cinfhen

#GloryToTheGuild

#NuYear #ReadingResolutions Even though I own dozens of unread books 📚 📚 📚 📚 I still #desire to own more #greed...here‘s a few on my #wishlist....the tagged book was my very first Litsy Book I #stacked ❤️😊

I spent a few hours reading this (I‘m a slow reader). And oh my, I felt so sad for Esmeralda. I just wanted to 😭. I just wanted her to have something to make her happy. It also made me think of how real people‘s lives were impacted on that terrible day😢. Having #mybrats close by helped me keep it together. #TnT #TwinkyToles #TookeyToles #Littenkitten #catsoflitsy #gingerbrat

So far so good.

I think I‘m unintentionally going on a short story collection kick. I just finished reading Ten Little Indians, which was a short story collection and the first short story collection that I read. Now I‘m off to read this short story collection.

I loved this debut collection of deeply moving stories about the Filipino diaspora. "Esmeralda" in particular slayed me, but they're all a gut punch, in a good way. Alvar went to my high school and I'm so proud of my fellow alum, can't wait to see what she does next.

Excellent collection of short stories about the Phillipines and the impact of the Diaspora on it's people.

Loving this collection of short stories! #birthdayspace @Liberty

I got this #bookmail today from the reading women store! I'm super excited! I heard about this on the @thereadingwomen podcast and I was very interested because I lived in Bahrain for a few years, and had a few Filipino friends but I have never read fiction story that takes place there and has a Filipino main character. Also I think this is her debut collection so this qualifies as a #newauthor! #splashintosummerreads

I'm so excited! I just got my first purchase from @thereadingwomen online bookstore! #BookMailIsBestMail! I can't wait to read this collection of short stories!

If you haven't checked out the Reading Women podcast, yet, you really should! @autumnprivett and @kdwinchester are insightful and entertaining hosts and their book discussions are fantastic! 📚💕

This quote is from "The Miracle Worker" from Mia Alvar's collection IN THE COUNTRY. It's one of our favorite stories from this book about Filippino immigrants. Download Ep. 22 to hear our full discussion about this excellent collection of #shortstories. ⠀
#thereadingwomen⠀
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#miaalvar #shortstory #fictionaddiction #reading #bookish #igreads #bookstagram #quoteoftheday #quote

IN THE COUNTRY is one of the books we are discussing on Ep. 22: In the Country of Maladies. It's a collection of stories about Philipinos living in their homeland, America, and Saudi Arabia. Each story had me re-evaluating my perception of immigrant stories and the places they leave behind. ⠀
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Have you read it? What did you think? Do you have any favorite #shortstory collections?⠀
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P.S. Enter to win a copy of this book on our Instagram account.

Happy Saturday! We have a giveaway happening over on Instagram....

https://instagram.com/p/BUUTf3qghv3/

Episode 22 is LIVE 🎉 In part 2 of our month of short stories, we are discussing THE INTERPRETER OF MALADIES and IN THE COUNTRY. Both of these books are filled with stories of people who are trying to find a home in places that are not always welcoming them with open arms. ⠀
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Download the latest episode and then let us know what you think about these books in the comments.

https://goo.gl/3Vixh1

Today on the blog is the Meet the Authors post. We include a short bio, links to their social media pages, and a handful of articles about them and their work. One of the authors we're highlighting this month is Mia Alvar, whose short story collection IN THE COUNTRY tells about the lives of Philippine immigrants living in America and Saudi Arabia as well as the stories of those who stayed home. Link below!

https://goo.gl/u9kNpY

I haven't read many Filipino authors but I really liked this collection of stories about Filipino diaspora in places like the Middle East and the US, including some set in the Philippines #setinsoutheastasia #aprilbookshowers

#FeistyFeb This is a stunning collection of short stories, many with a #WorkplaceSetting . I am on the edge of my seat waiting for more from Mia Alvar!

A needed temporary shift to fiction.

Just got my high school alumnae magazine and thrilled to see Mia Alvar featured. I didn't know her (I got there the year after she graduated) but I do know her mother, who's been prominent at the school forever, and I'm so proud of a fellow alumna's success. I have her book but have been saving it; need to read it soon!

2017 is off to a great start with this collection of superbly written stories. They are by turns moving, funny and heartbreaking. Highly recommend! #januaryread #2017books

..loved Kontrabida which I read through Season of Stories so reading the entire collection in a must!

This is the start of my '17 Book Challenge. I want as many of them to be by diverse authors and about diverse characters. Here is what I have so far:
Read 12 banned books
Read 4 essay collections
Read 4 nonfiction books relevant to today's cultural and political climate
Read 12 of your oldest book in my TBR pile
Read one science book. Read 4 short story collections. Other suggestions?

#SeasonsReadings2016 Some of my favorite books of the year! #WeNeedDiverseBooks

Had a bad day at work, but came home to some great #bookmail Feeling better already! 💕📖💕

I LOVE this book and not just because my husband was born in the Philippines. Today I reread the story "Old Girl" which is about Corazon Aquino, who became the first female president of the Philippines and all of Asia. Her husband was assassinated by the Marcos regime. It takes a certain bravery to return to the country you left behind to make it better, even knowing you face certain death. Today she is an inspiration to me. #hereforthebooks

This is a really impressive debut short story collection. Alvar follows migrants from the Philippines visiting home, expats in Bahrain and the people who never leave. Even though the tone in this stories is quite similiar, plot and characters are very distinct. There is the young man who steals medication for his dying, violent father, the politician training for the marathon & the creative writing student, whose brother has left for Saudi Arabia.

The In Brief book club is meeting Tuesday night at 7 to talk about Mia Alvar's "In the Country" Grab your copy here and plop down with these short stories for your #weekendreading
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#citylitbooks #logansquare #chicago #igreads #new #favorite #book #bookstagram #weekend #reading #inbrief #bookclub #october #weekendreads

This collection of short stories isn't exactly light reading, but it's definitely worth checking out. Mia Alvar is a very talented writer and one who is now on my radar. A strong collection indeed.

It's a lovely day for reading.

September reading recap!

someone is happy I brought home books and a nice new tote bag to hug... #morristownfestivalofbooks #bookandcat #catsoflitsy

Ok, my Litsy peeps, fellow book nerds, I need some help. I am wondering if any of you know of an awesome app that is great for tracking the books that I have in my personal library. It is kind of tough to remember which books I have already purchased, since I have two full big book cases and another two full smaller ones, so I end up buying repeats sometimes. I would like to be able to scan the books into and then make a search for a title. Thanks

Every single story in this collection is amazing and also a gut-punch. All the humanity packed into this, it's just incredible. I finished the last story the way I finished the first, with a big lump in my throat, wondering how tears showed up without me realizing.

#augustofpages #bookphotochallenge some short stories and some non-fiction for me #currentlyreading hoping to finish both this weekend

This book! The stories were beautiful and poignant and real. I really want to learn more about the history of the Philippines now. The stories take you inside a different culture and inside people looking in on that culture. I highly recommend this book.

I love all this about Boston, too. Not that I've ever actually gone skating on Frog Pond. But I like the idea of it. :)

I love all this about Boston, too. Not that I've ever actually gone skating on Frog Pond. But I like the idea of it. :)

Afternoon in the park