pickAmazing!!! So beautiful... I don't really have any other words! I was dubious at the beginning... It felt a bit Cloud Atlas (which I didn't love) but by the gut wrenching end I was completely swept away by all those intermingling rivers.
so-soIm just not a fan of this author. Her character dialogue is juvenile, basic. This is a adults fiction book with fully grown adults as characters and honestly there's better dialogue out there in YA.
There's also a lot of personal rants in here. The whole rant about fish and sanitary towels is one example of how information is shoe horned into the narrative. Its awkward.
And there's no trust of the reader. A good author will show not tell.
pickread There Are Rivers in the Sky in record time—it completely drew me in. It‘s a fascinating account of how water has shaped lives, cultures, and history. The characters and settings were vivid, and I especially loved learning about Mesopotamia and the modern countries that now exist in that region. The multiple timelines were equally compelling, and the depiction of the atrocities people endured was heartbreaking. A powerful, immersive read.
pickA sprawling tale starting in 600BC and then through 1840, 2014 and 2018, on the banks of the rivers Thames and Tigris. This was a very slow burn for me, taking me an age to get into and I did find the interweaving stories differed in strength. That said in the final third all strands pull together in a really beautiful way. Largely a great read, huge amounts to learn and think about, but something held me back from truly loving it.
pickHeartbreaking and beautifully written story about three people whose lives and fates intertwine throughout time, history and the Epic of Gilgamesh. I‘m enamored with Shafak‘s prose —I will definitely read more of her backlist. My only criticism would be that the ending felt a bit too abrupt after 430 pages of build up to find out how and why all three characters were connected.
I don‘t drink alcoholic beverages, and I particularly dislike wine and beer. Recently discovered Töst, a non-alcoholic sparkling beverage made from white tea, berries and ginger. It‘s lovely and very refreshing! (Not to sound like a commercial—I really do not have any stock in this company. ?) Just putting it out there in case others are interested.
Hubby is working 48 hours in a row (2 24-hour shifts back-to-back) so I took myself to the state park at the beach for a little bit of Vitamin D and a nice view for reading my book.
pickWhen ISIS took over Mosul, a small zoo was left abandoned. This book chronicles one man's heroic effort to save the animals who were left behind. It also describes in vivid detail what it's like to have your city occupied by a bunch of jack-booted thugs, (the type of jack-booted thugs that college kids are now such big fans of when they cheer for Hamas).
#2025Book30
pickA common science essay: “describe the journey of a water molecule” is transformed into an epic POV novel based in Nineveh, London, and Iraq. I rooted for each main character for different reasons. Each POV had their own strengths and I loved the history lesson of the Yazidi faith and history. Narin‘s grandmother had wonderful nuggets of advice and one-liners that made the novel worth reading in itself. Wonderful.
If you want to fall asleep with the lights on, you can't go wrong with listening to an AC with your eyes closed after an emotionally draining week. They really are very soothing in audio.
