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#Syria
review
suvata
The Beekeeper of Aleppo | Christy Lefteri
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Pickpick

The story alternates between two timelines: the present and the past.

In the present, Nuri and Afra, a Syrian couple, seek asylum in England. Afra, once a prolific artist, is now blind, and Nuri fears for her well-being. They stay at an English bed and breakfast, awaiting their asylum interviews. Lucy Fisher, a social worker, assists them in the process. The past timeline reveals Nuri‘s life before the war. ⬇️

suvata He was a beekeeper in Aleppo, running a successful business with his cousin Mustafa. They tended to bees and sold honey-based products. Nuri‘s wife, Afra, was an artist. However, war disrupts their lives. Mustafa sends his wife and daughter to England, while Nuri and Afra face danger in Syria. Fleeing their homeland, they embark on a perilous journey to England, hoping for safety and a new beginning. 2w
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quote
lil1inblue
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“The most important places on a map are the places we haven't been yet.”

#ittakesallkinds #withmap

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Yes!! 🙌🏻 🗺️ 2w
Eggs Perfect 👍🏼 2w
18 likes2 comments
review
Decalino
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Pickpick

I read this for a book club, & while it was not something I would have picked up on my own, it was definitely a powerful & memorable read. Yusra Mardini was 17 & a competitive swimmer in Syria when the war started and she lost her home. She and her sister Sara made the long journey to Berlin via Istanbul, including a perilous trip by dinghy from Izmir to the Greek island of Lesbos. A poignant and sadly necessary reminder that refugees are people.

review
AbstractMonica
Pickpick

This 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.

blurb
xicanti
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And now, a tiny bookstore for my little Greek street; which, I‘ve realized, has all its signage in either Turkish or English, so maybe it‘s not Greek at all? Or maybe it‘s on an island that caters mostly to Turkish- or English-speaking tourists?

Anyways, I‘m still here for the tagged book‘s stories and still all *DRAMATIC SIGH* over the huge number of similes and metaphors. #audiocrafting

willaful oooooo! 1mo
UwannaPublishme 😍📚🙌🏻 1mo
dabbe 🤩🤩🤩 1mo
See All 6 Comments
Bookwormjillk 🤩🤩🤩 1mo
Texreader Love this!!! 1mo
tpixie Love the plaster and brick wall & plates! 1mo
47 likes6 comments
blurb
GlassAsDiamonds
Come, Tell Me How You Live (Revised) | Agatha Christie Mallowan
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Okay, gotta get back into the swing of Litsy things… (although honestly, a pox on moving)

1) I have moved 8 times in the last ten years, almost all of them intercontinentally and most with pets…and I could not be more over it (although if you need moving pointers, I‘m your gal!). Most recently was 8 months ago & this one had better stick for a bit.

2. Agatha Christie‘s memoir of her expat life is one of my all time favourites

#Two4Tuesday

TheSpineView I'll be certain to ask you any moving questions going forward. However, I hope to never move again. Thanks for playing! 1mo
CarolynM That‘s a lot of moves! 1mo
GlassAsDiamonds @CarolynM 🤣 yeah… I‘m totally over it!!! 🤦🏻‍♀️🤣 1mo
19 likes3 comments
blurb
xicanti
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I loved Zeyn Joukhadar‘s second novel very much, but their first is trying my patience with its purple prose. It‘s a good example of what I mean by performative purpleness; something that‘s less “how can I convey my characters‘ emotional reality?” and more “look at my ability to cram similes and metaphors into every nook and cranny.”

I‘ll stick with it because I do want the story. The historical bits are much less florid, too. #audiocrafting

Deblovestoread That is adorable! 💜 1mo
xicanti @Deblovestoread thanks! It‘s the first half of a little Greek street. Tomorrow, I start the other side. 1mo
CoffeeAndABook Great review!! And that little Greek street is delightful 👏🏼👏🏼 it makes me so happy to just look at it ☀️ is it a set? If so, where can it find it?? 1mo
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xicanti @CoffeeAndABook yes, it‘s a kit I found on Amazon! There are a whole bunch of them along the same lines, but with different themes. I‘ve already done the little French canal, and I hope to do the firefly forest and the undersea trolley someday. Litsy won‘t let me post the link, but if you search for “Spilay sea breeze book nook” it should come up. 1mo
BookmarkTavern That looks so cute! Looks like it‘s right off of Santorini! 💙 1mo
xicanti @BookmarkTavern I fell in love with that Santorini vibe the moment I saw it. 1mo
CoffeeAndABook @xicanti Thank you so much! I found it 😊😊😊 1mo
42 likes7 comments
blurb
LeahBergen
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My previous read reminded me that I still had this memoir on my shelves. Agatha Christie writes of the time spent with her archaeologist husband on digs in Iraq and Syria in the years before WWII. It‘s incredibly witty!

See, @Tamra ? I‘m really trying to #ReadMyOwnDamnBooks. 😆

Leftcoastzen You have some great old books! 1mo
TheBookHippie These are so pretty! 1mo
CSeydel Nice! 1mo
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Tamra And that‘s a clear win for TBR!! 🥇 😆 1mo
Ruthiella I have a copy (as yet unread) of that too! I‘m all the more excited to read it now after reading the allegedly autobiographical Mary Westmacott novel 1mo
Cathythoughts Lovely book. Sounds good 👌🏻 ❤️ 1mo
batsy How cool! Great cover, too 😍 1mo
Crazeedi Sounds very interesting 1mo
GlassAsDiamonds Omg I adore her writing in this. The epilogue always makes me cry. 1mo
LeahBergen @Leftcoastzen And so do you! 😆 1mo
LeahBergen @Tamra Yep! 😆 1mo
LeahBergen @Ruthiella I really need to try one of the Westmacott books! I have several of them sitting in one of my online shopper carts. 😆 1mo
LeahBergen @GlassAsDiamonds It‘s so chatty and witty! 1mo
sarahbarnes I am also trying to do that! 😂 1mo
Ruthiella If you read only one Westmacott, I recommend Absent in the Spring. It‘s the best of all of them IMO. And the shortest! 😆 Just note, she‘s very fond of using ellipses… to the point of annoyance… 1mo
LeahBergen @sarahbarnes It‘s my never ending goal. 😆 1mo
LeahBergen @Ruthiella That‘s actually the first one I stacked ! And … oh dear… that may become annoying… 😆 Actually, I‘ve noticed her overuse of exclamation marks in this one but I‘m choosing to ignore it, so far. (!!!!) (edited) 1mo
GlassAsDiamonds @LeahBergen I love it, especially the bit at the start in the stores trying to buy winter clothes in spring 🤣🤣 1mo
LeahBergen @GlassAsDiamonds Yes! Trying to get a hat without a massive brim. 😆 1mo
mabell I think I would love this! 1mo
LeahBergen @mabell I think you would, too! 1mo
BookNAround I thoroughly enjoyed his book when I read it. I constantly suggest it to people to see a different side of Agatha Christie. 1mo
LeahBergen @BookNAround I can see why! I‘ll be recommending it, too. 👍 1mo
86 likes1 stack add24 comments
review
Karisimo
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Pickpick

This 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

MeganAnn I‘ve thought of this one so many times since reading it! Definitely an important read. I‘m happy you liked it!! 1mo
32 likes2 stack adds1 comment
blurb
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
Sea Prayer | Khaled Hosseini
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dabbe Lordy, look at that snow! 💜🩶💜 2mo
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @dabbe it‘s 4 degrees here and it‘s freaking me out!!! 2mo
Eggs We had a bit of snow on Sunday. But 4 degrees!!! That must be a record low for your area!! 2mo
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs it is!!! 🥶 2mo
dabbe @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks I'd be totally freaked out, too! 😱 2mo
64 likes1 stack add5 comments