Welcome to Litsy!

#HaikuADay #HaikuHive

Yesterday I was watching a red-crested cardinal scavenging outside the coffee shop & it reminded me of one that hung out in another coffee shop & would fly in daily & grab a sugar-in-the-raw pack, fly back outside & open it up & share with friends. (Excuse the bad photo!) He‘s the inspiration for today‘s haiku.

Red-Crested Cardinals

Bold red mohawks fly
Scavenging with bright-eyed flair
Cheeky sugar thieves

I enjoyed this book, I learned a lot about the history of Hawaii and it makes me more interested in returning to the islands.
This book focused on the missionary take over and interspersed modern and historical facts. The different voice actors were a nice touch as well. I do wish there had been more discussion about the modern Hawaii independence movement.
3/5 read for a history of Hawaii and listen to this for good voice actors.

This is perfect for AAPI history month. If you are not familiar with the Hawaiian language I would recommend the audiobook. I am so alternated between audio and physical. It is the story of 3 generations I loved how Hakes explains the history and trauma of Hawai'i and weaves it with Hi'i story. An excellent book to really understand the islands from a native perspective.
4.25⭐

#HaikuADay #HaikuHive

Lazy Sunday breakfast delivery. I was craving Loco Moco, a ubiquitous local dish & my inspiration for today‘s haiku.

“Broke da mouth” is a pidgin Hawaiian saying for when something is incredibly delicious.🤤😋

Sunday Loco Moco

Rice, patty, gravy,
egg—stacked in wild harmony
Hot mess, “broke da mouth”

StoryGraph says it‘s this chunkster by James Michener. In fact, four of the top ten in length are Michener books. I went through a phase in high school and college where I gravitated to his epic books, and there are still a few that I need to work through on my TBR list. #sundayfunday

While there are some random features I miss from Goodreads, I appreciate that StoryGraph allows for sorting by page length.

Decent crime fiction. This was a random library pick because it‘s an Edgar winner, has a 4.42 on GR, and Dennis Lehane recommended it. I was curious about the Hard Case Crime covers, and they all seem to be like this! (There‘s almost no sex in this one. 😙)

Cute, fun picture book about a little girl finding the bravery to help her grandma & to live “Aloha.” Sweet read or read-along for ages 3-7 for AANHPI heritage month! #kidlit #aanhpiauthors

#WeeklyForecast
Must finish Some Desperate Glory, it is due back this weekend. I am enjoying Dark Maestro and it comes out tomorrow! (Not doing great with arcs). I want to read a bunch of Patricia Highsmith this year so hitting up Deep Waters, still chipping away at Beautyland. Audiobook is Hula (tagged) for AAPI month.

This was my first James Michener book.It will not be my last.All I can say is WOW!It was a very long read-over 1K pages,small font and barely any margins.It‘s one of the best books I‘ve ever read.I learned so much about the history of Hawaii,beginning at its birth during the ice ages.To me,the moral of this story is that it takes all kinds to build a strong community,and it‘s better to work together than to fight. Something we can all learn from

What a gorgeous Hawaiian mystery drama!

I‘ve been to Hawai‘i many times, but surprisingly I have never been to Kaua‘i. I was very eager to get a glimpse of the island through this book and it did not disappoint.

This book may be classified as a mystery, but it is so much more than that. It explores Hawaiian life, especially the family dynamics.

Full review: https://oddandbookish.wordpress.com/2025/05/03/review-kauai-storm/