Welcome to Litsy!

Just finished. I have been reading this one for a while. I moved towns. Lost reading motivation for a little bit. Almost gave up but pressed on. I think there were 10 parts of this book. It was a bit of a winding ride with alot of ups and downs. Overall I thought it was a beautiful story that carried me along for the ride.

“The Covenant of Water“ weaves a beautifully intricate tale, seamlessly blending elements of fantasy and adventure. The narrator's skillful delivery brought the characters to life, making their struggles and triumphs feel incredibly real....
Full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5577140912

Saw @Soubhiville post and explain how to get this from StoryGraph (a new feature if you select the month and scroll to the bottom)!

This was a great reading month for me, I usually average 2 books a month.

Favourites were The Covenant of Water (tagged) and A Sweet Sting of Salt.

Salt doesn‘t have the best reviews but I found it engrossing and just what I wanted mood wise, whereas Covenant was just fantastic.

The Covenant of Water is a lusciously descriptive novel I was completely immersed in, the characters their interesting backstories, and interconnected lives. Verghese writes with such passion about relationships, history, and medical procedures. I loved the audio but the medical procedures were not my favorite.
Such wonderful symbolism throughout this novel
#ReadAway2024 book 21

Starting The Covenant of Water 💧📚🤓

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Wow

This one is heavy, bother literally and figuratively, at >700 pages, but it‘s worth it. But I loved it as I loved his last novel, Cutting for Stone.

This reminds me a bit of A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry, an epic tail of loss and life. Which was written by my English teachers husband, and is fantastic if you get a chance to read it.

This novel follows 3 generations of an Indian family following their life‘s ups and downs.

My reading buddy, Hazel, needs attention!

Making good progress on this. It‘s a huge book but so good! 550/700 pages in.

#catsoflitsy

Reading after canoeing in Algonquin Park, Canada, while my family goes on a hike! I like to paddle but hate hiking lol.

Loving this so far but I‘ve got a long way to go.

Just a few pages in that magic book-chemistry was there and I was instantly absorbed into this epic family saga centred around the family estate of Parambil in Kerala, India. The story spans 1900 - 1977, across three generations, many of whom suffer the mysterious “Condition” which makes them avoid water, at risk of drowning. There are so many threads and strands here, such a sad but beautiful story, I loved it.

Oh man, what a book! This will live rent free in my head for a long time. I absolutely loved the characters, the setting, the plot, all of it!

Wow what a big story! I feel like I‘ve been immersed in this story for months even though I finished it in days. Spanning generations this book connects people and families through life and tragedies and ends with a beautiful surprise. It‘s a long book, I‘m not going to lie. I almost gave up a few times when things would lull but then something would happen that would reel you back in. It was worth sticking it out…beautiful story!

Time to start a new book!
I loved Cutting for Stone and my brother gifted me this on a recent trip to India. 💚

Despite being 467th in line for this book, it's somehow become available. The cover is kinda cut off for the ebook so I'll use this photo instead.
I had Cutting for Stone in my pile for years before I just read it and actually really liked it much more than I thought I would. So, I've decided to try this one out also

Oklahoma Litsy friends, you good? Tornadoes all day and into tonight have me up right now. About to head to bed to read a bit to wind down and try to sleep. Pictured is my peony blooms that I'm not sure have survived the storms.

Still making my way through this lovely book, and I think I'd like to re-join #LitsyLove but I'm not sure how to go about doing that. Can anyone help?

It was good, as predicted. But too long. Couldn‘t this story have been told in 400 pages rather than 715? Enjoyed learning more about leprosy and the Communist movement in India.

This book is 715 pages long and takes place over 77 years in South India, following multiple generations of a family with a hereditary curse involving aversion to water and a tendency to drown. It was absorbing, & I enjoyed it, despite my own aversion to magical realism & gruesome depictions of medical procedures. Around page 400 though, I started getting sick of the relentless tragedy. A memorable, often beautiful novel, but crushingly depressing

"She is twelve years old, and she will be married in the morning."

Tackling this hefty book set in early 20th century South India for book club--I'm normally not a big fan of either magical realism or gruesomely detailed medical procedures, but this is a gripping read so far.

#FirstLineFridays
@ShyBookOwl

#

Starting today. I purposely lowered my yearly reading goal to read more chunky books, so here goes!

#bookspinbingo

Great book. Really insightful into life in India over multi generations. Easy to read and captivating

I love building these grids because it‘s not until I build one that I consider the entire reading experience. The tagged is epic!

5* = Loved It, want to shout out loud about this book! I do/will own/keep a physical copy. A+
4*= I liked it, would love to discuss. Solid B
3*=Meh, no need to discuss. Avg C
2*=Nope D
1*=DNF F

What did I just read! I finished sections of this book and spoke out loud to the universe and author as though I could somehow effect change or come to terms with my nooooo‘s. My IRL bookclub does not discuss this book until June so I just want to reread these 715 pages over and over again.

I loved this read! It was a long book but I never got sick of the story of the family. Each character was a welcome addition and likable. I could clearly picture Paramble in my mind and would recommend this novel. 5/5

“The Ordinary Man has managed something extraordinary.” 💛 This touched me.

#two4Tuesday @TheSpineView
1. I daydream about the future a lot, I will likely retire this year but I have a lot of unknowns niggling at me. What does the future look like for me and my family. I hope it‘s a warmer location at some point, lots of exploring and finding new purpose.
2. Any magical realism inspires me but also family epics in different places has me wondering about what it looks like. The tagged book right now has me dreaming.

“It‘s fiction! Fiction is the great lie that tells the truth about how the world lives!”

It‘s awkward to be the only person posting about this book who didn‘t love it. I thought it was in desperate need of editing and lacked continuity. He touched on so many interesting topics but didn‘t develop any of them. I think it would have worked much better as a collection of connected stories. Disappointed 🫤

I simply adored Verghese‘s Cutting for Stone, and this one was equally fantastic. They both share the author‘s gorgeous prose, fascinating medical plot elements, and evocative descriptions that create an almost tangible sense of place. Covenant of Water spans three generations of unforgettable characters, multiple locations around the globe, and is just impossible to put down. I inhaled it in three days, despite it‘s chunkster status. Loved it.

What a lovely story. I was so happy it was a lengthy book as I wanted to sink into the story. It‘s interesting, heart breaking at times, and beautifully told. You will be glad you invested the time.

“‘What mistake is that . . . Celeste?‘
‘The mistake, Digby, of choosing to see more in your future mate than the evidence has already suggested.‘”

My second time reading this and I still love it. A real work of art.

I loved this book. It is massive and quite an undertaking to read, but it is worth it. Some of the passages are just so beautifully written that they stopped me in my tracks. It follows a family in India through the decades as they deal with the family condition. By the end, the author ties everything together perfectly.

“Lena takes Digby‘s hand. ‘Digby,‘ she says, surprising him by using his first name. ‘How can I repay you? You saved my life. We‘ll be offended if you don‘t visit us at the estate. You need a holiday. Please promise me you‘ll come?‘ Digby‘s sputtering reply isn‘t convincing. ‘Digby,‘ she says, ‘do you have relatives in India?‘
‘No, I don‘t.‘
‘Oh, yes you do. We‘re blood now.‘”

Both of my book clubs this month are reading this chunkster so I probably ought to get started.

Taking advantage of the fact that it is still above freezing and not snowing here to get some lunch (egg and cheese on a cheddar chive biscuit 😋) and a snowball latte (chocolate, vanilla, and coconut). Really enjoying this book so far. For such a #chunkster it moves really quickly!

“She is twelve years old, and she will be married in the morning.” #FirstLineFridays

Decided to take a day off. Enjoying a hot crafted press, bagel and cream cheese, and a cake pop while starting this book. #CoffeeAndABook

#12Booksof2023 @Andrew65

I couldn‘t resist and started in on my 2024 list. This is a re-read for me!

My top two were very different: an epic multigenerational family story vs a book-centered fantasy!

My favorite book of June and of the year. I‘ve been waiting patiently for January so I can read it again. (I have a “rule” against reading the same book twice in one year.)

#12booksof2023

Little one wanted to color together, so I took advantage of the time. I promised my husband I‘d commit to the bookshelf TBR this year, so my lists are LOADED with #Roll100 reads. Also features some #AuldLangSpine choices andddd one VERY long book club book to start off the year. Hoping to be a busy bookworm and kick off the years starting to tackle some major 2024 reading goals! Thank you, hosts!#bookspin #doublespin #bookspinbingo #Roll100

I plan on doing a round 2 of reading the chunky books from my shelves in 2024. I tagged The Covenant of Water because I forgot that chunker for this picture! But I‘ll definitely be reading it for this personal challenge.

I feel like I have been with my current audible and kindle reads way too long, even though I am enjoying both. They are both chunksters but I hope to finish them by the end of the year (in 7 days!!).

I didn‘t even get halfway through this last time I borrowed it from the library, I had to put it on hold and have waited months to borrow it again. Hopefully I can get it finished this time!

Three generations in 20th cent. southwestern India. Tender, personal, moral tone. Epic (LONG) scope w/ detailed if typed characters, like the Dickens referenced. Art & medicine. Fable & legend. Does feel like nat geo, India for the outsider? 2023

839 “She washes up, still marveling at the connections in her world, invisible or forgotten, but there all the same, like a river linking people upstream with those below, whether they know it or not.”

This was a soaring epic following a family in India from around 1900-1970. Gorgeous writing, intense sense of place, and a compelling plot made this fly by. Just shy of 5 stars because I felt it got a little too much in its own head at times and it could have been a bit tighter. But overall a sad but gratifying read.

My idea of a great shopping trip!#BlackFridayShopping#BYOB

Can‘t wait to read these!!

#Trees
#HumbleHarvest

🌳 🌲

“Of course! I have my book”! #TheCovenantOfWater#AbrahamVerghese