Welcome to Litsy!

Today's #libraryhaul is all ready for August.

This is an exceptional exploration of one man‘s fight for independence in the face of constant hardship. V.S. Naipaul vividly depicts the struggles of Mr. Biswas as he strives to escape the control of his in-laws and carve out a space of his own, with the house serving as a symbol of personal achievement. The novel‘s blend of humor, pathos, and rich detail makes it a moving and insightful reflection on the human desire for dignity and belonging.

A richly polished and moving portrait, written without one speck of superfluous sentimentality. We follow Mr. Mohun Biswas, from his humble birth to a humble death on the island of mid-20th century Trinidad, as he moves amongst a vast myriad of houses, all occupied by an equally vast and comic cast of characters, seeking a house of his own. Background record: “Hits of the Trinidad Tripoli Steel Band: Trinidadian Reggae Style Music” (1973).

Been out all morning and as we were passing Risca library we called in for a nice cup of coffee, which is free here. Risca, South Wales, UK.

Excellent!!!

Starting now. One of the best known post modern classics.

I enjoyed reading fiction/nonfiction from Around the World Challenge last year. I learned there how similar people are worldwide - Africa, South America. It seems contrary to your question though - I enjoyed those books so much.

#widehorizonsreadathon @Emilymdxn

#jennyis30 Hope you have a great year @jenniferw88

Ten weeks before he died, Mr. Mohun Biswas, a journalist of Sikkim Street, St. James, Port of Spain, was sacked.

#PopSugar20 - Great first line

First read of 2020
Covers Trinidad and Tobago for #AroundtheWorld19

Full of what ifs and should have beens. All he ever wanted was a place of his own. Since he was a child, he'd been moved around by people who were stronger, especially by his awful in-laws. My heart broke for him. Naipal's subtle humor was delightful.

#Booked20 head cover
#Classicschallenge2020 @Reviewsbylola

I feel like this photo ought to have a glass of champagne and some confetti in it - congratulations, you finished it! - but all I could manage was the toy caterpillar.

It is a good book, but (a) it's a family saga and I'm not much into family sagas (b) it's long and (c) it is possibly less deep than the author intended it to be.

I don't regret reading it, but struggled for the last 100 pages or so.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

#lifetimereading

Kindle monthly deal #bookhaul . There were a lot of potential crime thrillers as well, but I restrained myself.

I've had a House for Mr Biswas in my shelf for about a decade, but it is so chunky, I never dived in. I find I do better with chunky books on the Kindle. Plus it's on my #lifetimereading plan.

And whatever you think about David Starkey, I find his books entertaining.

It took me nearly 8 months to finish! Other books were always more fun or more urgent 😊. I have mixed feelings... In the end, I think most readers will end up being fond of Mr Biswas, but by way of also being annoyed or infuriated with him a lot of the time! It was really enlightening to discover just recently that the book is based on Naipaul's childhood and I think it definitely needs to be read in the light of his feelings on colonialism.

RIP V.S. Naipaul https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/aug/11/vs-naipaul-nobel-prize-winning-bri...

Sad news. I‘ve only read a few of his books, but absolutely loved the tagged book. Highly recommend checking it out.

We had a public holiday today and after a lot of indecision, I decided to take my kids to one of our favourite restaurants, which is right by a bird sanctuary, while my husband did some work. It was windy and pretty cold today, but we saw some lovelies, including babies (I don't know the English name of the bird though!) A plus for me is when I can get a red cappucino (made with rooibos tea) - are they a thing anywhere else in the world?

Man, I've been reading this for months and still have about 170 pages to go and it's slow going. The writing is beautiful and descriptive but I just find it too easy to put the book down. Maybe I've just become a lady reader...

A beautifully written, and comic exploration of one man‘s life on Trinidad, born at midnight and thus cursed by the superstitions of his family; married by accident (yes, I meant that) and roped into a large, matriarch-ruled family, all he wants is a house of his own. But fate has other ideas. Highly recommend. #100essentialnovels

“Then it was that he discovered the solace of Dickens. Without difficulty he transferred characters and settings to people and places he knew. In the grotesques of Dickens everything he feared and suffered from was ridiculed and diminished, so that his own anger, his own contempt became unnecessary, and he was given strength to bear with the most difficult part of his day[.]”

“And it was a revelation to Mr Biswas that words and phrases which by themselves were commonplace could be welded into sentences of such balance and beauty.” (Gratuitous cat picture.) 😸

I went for a walk on my lunch today and found myself at the library. I picked this up for the #100essentialnovels challenge, and also got a bookmark about our upcoming library sale!

I don't usually do book and food posts, but I was so happy with my healthy, delicious and gorgeous lunch /main meal. Stir fried beef mince and grated carrots, broccoli, sweet potato and sauerkraut. And I'm getting into Mr Biswas more too, amazingly beautiful passages here and there.

I've had some trouble getting until this but I'm finally about 140 pages in. It's a strange book in that most of the characters are ill-tempered and unhappy most of the time and the main character is pretty irritating and infuriating at times; at other times the motives for his actions are simply unclear to me. But I'm interested enough to persevere.

I've been working until 10 every night once toddler is asleep. I'm already behind on my schedule and now my laptop is updating! I just want to cry. Time for reading, I guess?

I decided to make A House for Mr Biswas my next print book. When I opened it, I found this note. Rita Badenhorst was a dear lady who lived in our block of flats. She never married but worked at the library of the University of Pretoria for something like 30 years and she gave her sister, her niece and her niece's husband a home when they needed it. She always looked after people and is dearly missed since her passing.

Here are my options for 3 Books I Own for my own little #Setsof3ReadingChallenge. Vinegar Hill and Waiting for the barbarians have been on my shelves the longest, but they're also the ones I'm least excited about reading. I'll still decide on my final 3 and if I read the others, it's a bonus.

#fallintobooks #day7 - #southamericanwriters

I kinda dig the look of the Everyman's Library: The uniform spines look sharp on a shelf, and it's a series with the good sense to feature built-in bookmarks.

Experiencing this book all over again with its lush language, and great story line.

Recently snubbed by a friend for only reading "kids' books (YA, thank you)" so I am kicking it Nobel prize style. #bkloveslitsy

Sunday afternoon 👌🏻