Cloud Cuckoo Land | 
pickA breathtaking, heartbreaking, timescaping adventure, and yet, not, because most of the characters' real journeying leading to growth is internal, is a recognition of the immutability of their paths and at the same time, the value of them as such. Escapism vs acceptance.
As much about the emotional connection each person made to a certain recurring text, as the contents of the book itself. 1/?
pickYep, this is a good one. Much as I expected from the author of All the Light We Cannot See, Doerr brilliantly weaves together storylines stretching over vast distances of space, time, and understanding. I alternated between audio and print on this one, which helped with some of the Greek and gave me a chance to hear Marin Ireland again, someone who's fast becoming a favorite audiobook narrator for me.
Who WRITES such things? The use of language, the discussion of etymology, I'm hooked.
Were it not for the fact that basically every character in this book is in jeopardy, I would be having a wonderful time! ππΌββοΈ
And people WONDER why I don't want to go to space! π«£
Hands down the tagged. Best read of the year so far. For March: it‘s my birthday month! It‘s been yet another year where me and my partner wonder what minor deities we‘ve offended. It‘s just been hit after hit. But we are still blessed in this universe and Spring is coming. I plan to read a lot and take part in all the readathon. And hike and camp in eastern WA State‘s beautiful desert, watch sand hill cranes, see the first flowers. β¬οΈ
I didn't audiohike today, but I did listen to the tagged on the drive to and from the trail. And I have the print book to enjoy while I wait for my kid at his class this afternoon.
pickFive star read for me. I loved how Doerr wrapped all the story lines together perfectly. Loved the themes of choosing life on earth over βin the cloudsβ despite the grief and hardship that comes with love and beauty. I loved how the novel reflected the power of words and story and how they have helped people over millennia weather life and make sense of it. The power of handing stories down and the value of libraries! β¬οΈ
I am sucked into this novel!! I love a novel about the power of story and word. Can‘t wait to see where this one goes! A good companion with a glass of wine on a day that has been a rough transition from vacation back to the home world.
pickI wanted to love this but I struggled with the disconnect between storylines for most of the book. Zeno's story was the only one I felt truly invested in throughout. I will say I loved how the pieces came together but still felt like I needed more from the ending and the characters' destinies. Overall, I'd still recommend.
2/2023
pickThis is a speculative fiction book that takes time to read. Multiple views with multiple timelines. A book within a book. None of this was my cup of tea. I can, however, appreciate the talent of the author weaving this all together. 3 π I almost did not finish, but i got wrapped up in 1 or 2 of the storylines, but they ended vaguely. I still say it's a pick, though.
pickThere are five different stories in this tale the very human need for stories and for the people who cherish and pass them through the ages. The different threads take a while to come together but they eventually do, rewarding the reader who perseveres with a complex and ambitious novel. Full review at http://booknaround.blogspot.com/2022/12/review-cloud-cuckoo-land-by-anthony.html...
pick3 stars: meh, but still worth reading.
I have been so excited about this book for so long, but ultimately, it was a disappointment. The story follows 5 characters, and there were only 2 I was truly interested in fully. The ending is not well explained (it appears the author did not himself know what happened) and the book that the book centers on is not as all-encompassing and epic as I would have hoped.
This has been on and off of my TBR since it came out. Hubby promised to buy me a book since he needed to pick up one while I was at work. I was able to convince him to wait, but he kept his promise of buying the book. 2 trusted bookish friends have recently said it was better than All the Light We Cannot see, so I decided to see for myself. βοΈ
pickFinished last night. Excellent . βοΈβοΈβοΈβοΈβοΈ.
I‘m loving this book. I‘m nearly finished. Much has struck a chord with me, but this particularly said β isn‘t that the truthβ .
pickI almost DNFed this, but it grew on me. It became a so-so for a while, as it was incredibly strange & it took way too long to connect all of the characters. However, I ended up caring about each character so much that I wanted to know what happened in their individual stories only to be more & more delighted by the end. Ultimately, it‘s a scholarly, fantastical, beautiful ode to stories & how they connect us all. The narrators were fantastic too.
pickI couldn't put this down! At times it absolutely broke my heart but I couldn't stop reading. I love this man's writing. Beautiful, thoughtful, just wonderful. βββββ
I had a good long walk through parts of the Botanical Gardens I didn't know existed, and now coffee and my amazing book.
In random order:
πΎ Braiding Sweetgrass
βπΎ Why We Can‘t Wait
π The Hill We Climb
π Unfamiliar Fishes
π΄ββ οΈ Born to Be Hanged
πͺ A Good Girl‘s Guide to Murder & Good Girl, Bad Blood
π» Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts
π§ The Institute
πͺThe Ten Thousand Doors of January
π¦»π» Book of Extraordinary Tragedies
π§πΌββοΈ The Change
π The House in the Cerulean Sea
βοΈ Cloud Cuckoo Land - my favorite of the year
πΊ Wild Women and the Blues
Here are my #Top22of22. It was a great reading year, but even though I read the most books I've ever read in a year, I didn't have too much trouble choosing my favorites. @Cinfhen
#12Booksof2022 June was a great reading month. I enjoyed many of my books that month, but this one was by far the standout. I am not much of a rereader, but I know I will revisit this one. @Andrew65
I also read my #February favorite with my book club.
This might also be my favorite for the year.
#12BooksOf2022
Thanks for asking @Andrew65 !
pickThis was a strange book with multiple time periods. It was sometimes tough to follow, but I enjoyed how Doer pulled all of the stories together.
pickA beautiful story within a story within a story within a story. Vivid details and heart wrenching themes that transcend time, this is an ode to books, storytellers, and what it is to be human. It'll make you want to find and treasure that one old dilapidated and quirky book you hold dear.
pickI liked All the Lightβ¦but didn‘t love.
This is on another level entirely for me and I absolutely loved it. (Started yesterday and just finished and I worked 7-6 today, couldn‘t put it down).
Epic, wonderful story telling.
pickThere‘s always one gem that stands out above the rest and this year it‘s Cloud Cuckoo Land (followed tightly by Trent Daltons All our Shimmering Skies). Visually rich and chronologically layered this is a transportive journey through time and place that channels the art of myth, love, loss and great hope for our planet.
pickThis was an extremely entertaining book. I don‘t think it was nearly as good as All the Light We Cannot See, but we‘ll written and tied together well. Just the knowledge that one story could link hundreds of years and what happens with that story was so wonderful and intriguing. I loved every person‘s story; they were all exciting in their own way.
pickI loved the beauty and heartbreak in this book, it will hold a special place in my library forever. A book that requires recovery is a book worth reading
pickI highly recommend this book. Five story lines are happening, two hundreds of years ago, two in the present, and one in the future, with the common thread of an ancient tale. The characters are so vividly drawn and so interesting that I didn‘t want the book to end. The story that takes place in the future had a real twist and I‘m still thinking about it hours later. I love books like this where you really feel like you‘ve read something.
pickI am sitting in awe having finished this beautiful brutal and bewitching book. The authors note says it is a paean to books. It is the story of a tale, a book and three loners who find meaning and connection to humanity because of their interactions with it. Four people, really. Intricate and brilliant, this one will stay with me in images. Some of the simplest and most complex ideas have already shaped my thinking about my own life and choices.
He that knows all that Learning ever writ, knows only this-that he knows nothing yet.
I bought this when it was first released and am just now getting to it. I am utterly amazed at its brilliance and it‘s readability. Everything I hate about the overdone shifting timelines and narrators, is done here so beautifully. Once again, Doer‘s work takes something familiar (like WWII in atlwcs) and reinvents it and we say, now that is how the tale should be told; that is how writing works.
panπππ I should‘ve bailed. This was a book that I wanted to go in completely blind and I guess that wouldn‘t have helped regardless. The multiple timelines and characters were all too much for my brain to handle. This is a book you‘ll love or you‘ll hate. For me, it was the latter.
2βοΈ
9/17/22
I‘m not really understanding what is going on in this, but I‘m going to finish this because the narration is really good. I hope his previous book is easier to follow.
I also can‘t believe there is a character named Omicron. π³π€¦ββοΈ Others will make sure to stay FAR away from you with a name like that. π
bailedI was listening to this as an audiobook and it was just horrible. Already Doerr‘s descriptions can be overly saccharine, but the narrator took this to a whole new level! How many soft spoken, affected and breathy dialogues can I listen to? Only 39% of CCL apparently. Might read this in print at a later date, but for now my ears have bailed.
Right now, I‘m listening to Cloud Cuckoo Land. It‘s historical fiction and I think it‘s alright.
#currentlyreading
#littenswanttoknow
pickI wasn't sure about this book at first; the beginning introduced multiple characters separated in space and time, mostly children in danger or dire circumstance, and I was worried it would be too grim. Luckily I kept reading. The ancient fragmented story threaded through these seemingly disconnected lives brings everything together in the end, in a deeply satisfying way. It's a chunkster, but ultimately worth it.
bailedI‘ve tried twice with this and just can‘t get into it at all. Found it totally boring and had no connection to the stories or characters. Life is too short!
pickWow. I loved this.
There have been tons of reviews for this book so I‘ll just leave it at that π This was my August #doublespin @TheAromaofBooks
pickAn epic novel that follows the preservation of a manuscript over three different points in time - 15th century Constantinople on the brink of war, a present day Idaho town, and a future space expedition on a ship called the Argos.
Expansive β¨ Survival β¨ Rediscovery
My favourite book among 2022 readsπ»π
#LetterC #alphabetgame @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
Love of nature running through, also a beloved theme.
Captivating writing but not too flowery
Key to long books: short chapters. 2/? 3w
I could guess that others might object to the rep involved in Seymour's character, but I think it's important to recognize the portrayal has more to do with nurture than nature. He's not a naturally/brain-chemically bad seed, but someone who didn't have many sources of solace, who was neglected, or at the very least not provided with the kind of resources that would allow him to thrive, and then misguided, manipulated, and that could happen to any kid. 3/? 3w
3w
Also likely to spike your climate anxiety.
β οΈ Homophobia, internalized homophobia, POW experience, PTSD?, ableism, internalized ableism (how boy with facial abnormality was treated in medieval times) 3w