As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow | 
pickRecommended to me from a book group member, and now I need to tell them how deeply this book gutted me. I hadn‘t really understood what was happening in Syria, and now I have a story that really puts so much of it into perspective. Fantastic and difficult and oh so necessary.
pickSet in Syria during the uprising, we follow Salama, a girl in her late teens, battling day to day life under the Assad regime.
With the recent fall of Assad, this felt like a timely read.
I want to read these books to understand some of what's going on politically in Syria and to see the everyday person having to life under these circumstances. What does survival look like for someone whose country runs in their veins.
Fantastic book.
Day 3 brings you my book of the year, As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow. This book brought out the feels and has stuck with me for a long time. #12BooksOf2024 @Andrew65
pickIt's hard for me to find the words to express how moving this story was. It was absolutely heartbreaking but also had moments of beauty and love. I'm so glad I finally had the chance to read it.
#readaway2024
pickI finished this last night. While the characters' story is fiction, the events in the story are based on true events. This packs an emotional punch. I loved the writing. There is a bit of a twist that I did not see coming. I admit that seeing the current images coming out of Gaza also made it a tough read, for me, for the realism it added.
"I want to believe it's worth it," I say. "The revolution, I mean. But I'm scared."
"I think it will be." Kenan smiles softly. "Empires have collapsed throughout history. They rise, they build, and they fall. Nothing lasts forever. Not even our pain."
Who else does this to themselves? #moodreader
"I wish we were being broadcast live on every channel and smartphone in the world so everyone could see what they're allowing to happen to children." (Not part of the quote: Sadly this hasn't helped do what it should considering all the smartphone footage of the children in Gaza, Palestine.)
pickThe author explains she wrote this book because she wanted to give personality and voice to the statistics resulting from the Syrian crisis. I tell you what, she succeeded. I was gutted reading this book and had to put it down several times to give my broken heart a break.
My daughter brought these over today. Tress will be my 1st Sanderson book. She read it and loved it. And I've heard only good things about As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow. She knew I wanted to read it so she bought it for me. I've begun it, and I'm already anticipating heartbreak.
pickCharacters were likable but I also loved that they did mistakes and weren't flawless.
This was a bit rough to read, this told about people who were living in the middle of the war and there weren't that many happy moments.
This had some repetitive sentences and also could have been a bit shorter. But this was pretty intriguing to read.
pickHeart wrenching but necessary account of the civil war in Syria through the eyes of a future refugee. After having lost her family, still a teenager, she continues to experience the horrors first hand while working in a hospital and coping with her traumas.
"When I leave, it won‘t be easy. It‘s going to shred my heart to ribbons and all the pieces will be scattered along Syria‘s shore, with the cries of my people haunting me till the day I die."
pickThis was such a beautiful and devastating story. Set during the Syrian revolution, a young pharmacist student loses everything. What used to be her family and home are just a painful memories now. She‘s surviving with the help of her best friend, and by fighting to help unfortunate civilians stay alive at the local hospital. This was such a sad story, but so important to read.
pickThis is a beautiful up-close telling of events in Syria in 2011. It's one of those hard but necessary stories. A nineteen year old girl is faced with the impossible decision of staying and starving in her worn-torn country or leaving for the risky life of a refugee. There is trauma, but the author ends with a note of hope. Highly recommend! Thanks to @meganann and @monalyisha for making me aware of this through #auldlangspine
"Because I see the love you have for me. I see your sacrifice and your kindness. I focus on the hope rather than counting my losses. I have love in my heart because of you.
Because of all the help you gave me when... when they took him away.“
"Don't focus on the darkness and sadness, If you do, you
won‘t see the light even if it's staring you in the face."
#aslongaslemontreesgrow
pick🎧 If you liked The Nightingale &/or The Book Thief, this is similar but set in Syria. Good book!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️3/4
pickA gut wrenching, important, beautifully told story rich with so much humanity.
I absolutely loved this book! Finished it earlier this week and I‘m still thinking about it often while not really sure I have the words to fully express everything I felt and thought while reading. I will be buying my own copy eventually as I checked this one out from the library. And will be passing that copy to everyone. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
pickWoof. This book was wrenching in all the best ways. I loved the lyricism of Salama's thoughts and the romance she shared with Kenan. Best have some tissues nearby for this one. #yalit
bailedNot the right book for me. I can see the appeal and the importance of shedding light on the reality of Syria's story, but I couldn't get past the fairytale romance stuff - I'm too old for that.
Last: Authentically, Izzy (so fun!)
Current: As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow (#botm #bookspinbingo)
Next: Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
A very heart-wrenching book that is so well told, it will stay with you for awhile.
pickThis book humanizes the characters in such a beautifully and hauntingly relatable way as they decide whether to flee the Syrian civil war and take refuge in Germany or stay. It's a modern story where PTSD was personified in a way that makes you feel like you've held the MC's hand through trauma while also giving you an important look into her decision-making as a survivor with a calling to heal. It was multi-layered and truly an incredible debut.
Homemade pumpkin bread and a new book to start my weekend 🥰
What is everyone reading this weekend??
pick4/5 stars. Beautifully written and extremely moving story of pharmacist student living through the Syrian war. I‘m not a big cryer but I cried big. The only criticism is the most pivotal moment of the book happened about 100 pages from the end. The story lagged a bit from then on and could have been condensed to leave the reader with the biggest impact. A lot of triggering events throughout the book.
pickWow! I read this in a day. Not easy to read about what happened in Syria, but important.
My October BOTM box FINALLY showed up this afternoon!
I‘ve heard superb reviews about this one from those who got their boxes sooner than I did!
(Thanks USPS! 🙄)
The cover is STUNNING!!
Hopefully the next few days of travels will afford me enough of an opportunity to break away for reading through this one while I anticipate what will hopefully be great picks for November boxes!
