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I didn‘t appreciate this as much as I feel I should have. Historical fiction in war (WWI) and post-war Africa. Amazing writing, but not my typical read. Read for my country challenge.

#Tanzania #ReadtheWorld2025

Random book from our home library:

📖 Selected Poems 1988-2013 by Seamus Heaney

I forgot to post a picture of my #jolabokaflodswap box when I sent this out last week. It traveled up the east coast and should be arriving today. Enjoy!

#DaysDevotedTo Day 8: #CoffeeTea with a Norwegian novel while I was in Bodo Norway early this year. This is part of the free “fika” offered by the hotel between 3-5 pm and- said to be a big part of Scandinavian culture. Reminded me of our merienda - byproduct of Spanish colonization.

Set in the early 1900's in Kenya & Tanzania, we witness the invasion of the Germans and later the British.

There were parts of this I was totally absorbed in, while some chapters I struggled through. Some characters were really well done and interesting, while others flat and didn't really have a role anywhere.

Now reaching the end, I really like this story (which has been a theme for me with this author's work).

Soft pick. Montale was a poet who also wrote short prose pieces for various newspapers just before and after WWII, most of them lightly fictionalized anecdotes from his own life. This book is a compendium of those newspaper columns, which collectively form a memoir of sorts. I liked the non-linear, piecemeal structure of this, as it seems to mimic what it's like getting to know another person in real life, a series of tiny glimpses that 👇

I liked the premise and how the book started. Even the characters seemed interesting. But, the writing style was not for me. I thought I'd get used to it and that made me read like 40% of the book but it was simply annoying after that.
#hailthebail

#FirstLineFridays @ShyBookOwl

Maybe you'll recall seeing the Amico delle famiglie at my house.

I can only fir the beginning but this is a fabulous poem from an amazing poet. This is how the world makes me feel these days.

#poetrymatters