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I bought this book solely on the fact that the cover was absolutely gorgeous!! Bonus… it was also a beautiful novel!

#sundayfunday @BookmarkTavern

Now, I can imagine your surprised expressions: wait, Iranians watched Columbo? Just think about it: from the moment the United States rests one authoritative hand on a country's politics, with the other hand it loads the people with all sorts of military, industrial, cultural, and food products. Imperialism is no joke! Not only did Iranians watch Columbo, they also watched Bewitched, Little House on the Prairie, Peyton Place...

You've probably noticed that since mobile phones became ubiquitous, there's an imaginary line separating people of childbearing age. On one side are the people who have pictures of their kids set as their backgrounds, and are always waiting for the first possible opportunity to turn their phones so you can see them.....

[Bit of a jump from discussion of the Iranian revolution...]

I am still wondering how I feel about this book . I did like the relationships between the characters but I would have liked to see more political drama and hardship in reference to the characters.

Beautiful, all of it. The lives and history of all involved with Cafe Leila. The family history and the love and heartache of this family. The food, oh my gosh. Even the bratty teenager. The love of a homeland. The rich and beautiful culture of Iran along with its terror.

#BookBracket2025 was very hard for July! I read six 5-star books, including two audio adaptations of all-time favourites, Anne of Green Gables and Dykes to Watch Out For, plus TJR's 1980s lesbian astronaut book and Alison Bechdel's brand new graphic novel. I decided Martyr! was the winner because it's so beautiful/complex, but I had to sneak in DTWOF as a wild card because it was so well done. It was so fun seeing my old comic friends in new form!

Don't know how to describe this except as a masterpiece, one of the best books I've ever read. It's got the most beautiful, insightful, poetic writing and deep feeling for its characters and their crises (material, spiritual, existential, relational). Reading this only once feels like just scratching the surface of its meaning and beauty. Also: queer love!!

"Love was a room that appeared when you stepped into it. Cyrus...stepped."

Beautiful work. Equal parts adorable and harrowing. How had I not read it before?! By chance I found this on a sale table the week of the (most recent) bombings of Iran, what a context to be reading it in. History rhymes indeed, and the people always suffer for it.

The history of Iran just before, and following the revolution was interesting. I didn't care for the writing, however; and it was too long.

45/80

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