Welcome to Litsy!

It must be so hard to write a memoir, especially of a life that‘s so foreign to most of your readers. Elena grew up in the 60s-70s of Soviet Russia and writes of her memories. I found her relationship with her mother the most poignant, and the most Russian. :) no happy endings here, at least not American style. But the happiest ending for a Russian leaving when she did - hope.

A memoir of growing up in the USSR-as a girl, Elena had a burning desire to become proficient in English and to experience life outside Russia. After coming to America at the age of 24, she earned a Doctorate in Language Education and currently lives in New Jersey. This was a good story that highlights Russian culture, but my mind wandered often.
#bookspinbingo @TheAromaofBooks

This was clearly a case of, it‘s not you, it‘s me! I‘m way too restless for this right now. This is very much someone telling a story and keeping me at a distance and I need escapism, to be fully immersed at the mo. I may come back to it another day....I may not! 😆 #buddyread

Thanks so much for highlighting this book for our #buddyread @Caroline2 - I really enjoyed it. I liked the author‘s writing style and felt like I learned a lot. I‘ve read quite a few memoirs set in Russia but this felt a bit different - perhaps because she was a child/teenager/young adult.

My only niggle was that there were one or two repetitions of incidents/events that felt like poor editing rather than deliberate, but otherwise I loved it!

Look what‘s just arrived @Caroline2 ! It‘s in pretty good condition seeing as I only paid 70p for it (plus postage).

And I couldn‘t help but notice the title of one of the chapters....🐿

Just let me know when you‘re ready to start the #buddyread- i can fit in with you....😘

#redwhiteandblue

#namastenovember

My reading set up this lovely spring evening. It‘s been a busy day, so settling in a bit later than usual. Normally I enjoy cooking dinner, but tonight calls for take out. While Mr. S runs to pick it up, I‘m catching up on a little reading time. We‘ll be catching up on Game of Thrones, and Killing Eve, this evening. We‘ve been so excited for both of these series to start up again! Anyone else excited for these two? Happy evening, dear readers.

I usually try to fit in one or two non-fictions in my monthly TBR. This month, I‘m finally getting to the tagged book. It‘s been lingering on my shelf for over a year, & was supposed to be a buddy read with a dear friend last January. Needless to say, it‘s now been plucked from the shelf, dusted off & cracked open. I‘m enjoying this coming of age, food memoir, by a strong & resilient woman who grew up in Communist Russia during the 1960‘s & 70‘s.

So for today‘s #tenthavenuefreezeout prompt I thought I‘d go with a Cold War book. I still haven‘t read the tagged book yet but it‘s about a young girl growing up behind the Iron Curtain during the 1960s! 👍🏻 #winterwonderland

As a child of the 80s, I have watched a lot more movies than read book set #backntheUSSR. (Anyone remember White Nights?)
But I heard an interview with this author on NPR years ago, and was intrigued. It seems to be part coming-of-age, part food memoir by a woman who grew up in Communist Russian in the 60s and 70s.
(Sorry for the blurry image - took it from The Telegraph. Nicer than US cover and I liked the subtitle.) #rockinmay @cinfhen

I can't wait till this semester ends and I have time to read for FUN--- my TBR pile is getting too big!📚🤓 #booksarelife #listyrocks