pick4⭐️ What a tough book to read! 😅 Platonov deployed so many layers of irony in this story of communist experiment in a district named Chevengur. It‘s not easy to realize the dream of creating a perfect communist world. The communist intellectuals themselves were not sure about the concepts and implementations. It‘s really a brain-wrecking novel but I‘m also encouraged to read Platonov‘s other works now 😆
pick4⭐️ I was looking forward to reading this book because 1. It‘s Kempowski!, and 2. It‘s rare to have WWII story from Germany‘s POV. This is an autobiographical novel of a boy growing up under Nazi rule. Reading this book ~80 years after the actual event, I don‘t see anything ordinary about his childhood. I was fascinated by his bohemian family, and how they dealt with the disruption of war.
Happy Wednesday, Littens! I have not been reading for the last two weeks!! 🙈 Somehow I have no mood to pick up a book… which is so weird!
🖼️: Pinterest
I had no idea about Andrey Platonov and his works; all I knew is that NYRB said that it‘s good and so I decided to read it. The Chandlers translated this novel and they translated Vasily Grossman‘s works so I trusted them. So I read the first chapter and thought “wow so this is about the famine period! This is going to be tough!” I then flipped to the translator‘s note and Robert Chandler‘s first sentence says 👇🏻
I thought that I would have time to read after I submitted my module assignment early last month, but nope! Work has been crazy recently. This week alone, I have 6 presentations to do. And I‘m also fatter so I‘ve been spending more time at the gym recently 😤 I need time to read! A friend suggested audiobook for the gym, but the thing is… I can‘t audio and cardio 😆 I‘m pretty sure I‘m getting side eyes from my unread books 😑
pick5⭐️ Wow wow!!! I love this novel so much!!! It‘s crazy family saga and all the characters are just insane! I was impressed that Morante could keep the momentum until the end. She‘s a genius 🤩 Grab this as your next read. The chonkiness doesn‘t matter you‘d actually wish for more. This is my first Morante and as usual, thanks NYRB for publishing this gem.
At the airport‘s bookstore and am attracted by this cover 🤪 Is it any good?
Not book related, just wanna share the chill vibes of these Balinese stray dogs. They ignore the tourists and dominate the beach. Life goals!
If you need a chunkster now, I recommend this book 😍 I‘m about 30% in and the experience is like watching Taiwanese TV drama but with a lot of hand gestures 🤌🏻 I‘m loving this!!
I hope to finish this series this year 😜 Seems to be my annual resolution hahahaha but let‘s make it happen this time😅 I started this in January 2020, btw 🙈
pick3⭐️ I like this new translation work; I cannot imagine reading this in verse 🙈 I wish that Gogol didn‘t burn some of the part 2. I‘m really curious what he had in mind for Chichikov‘s ending. What‘s the original plan? How would it end in part 3?
All that Gogol mentioned here about society is still relevant today. We have not changed after all, and this was written in 1840s.
Our Silent Book Club is getting attention; we are featured in FEMALE magazine this time.
https://www.femalemag.com.sg/culture/book-club-literature-reading-booktok-singap...
Current stack
so-so2⭐️ With the exception of a few, thin NYRBs usually disappoint 😕
pick3⭐️ Jane Ellen Harrison was a Hellenist, a famous scholar during her time. What an interesting charater! I would love to have her profession if I could do everything all over again 🤪
Just started this book this morning, and I like it so far. Harrison‘s funny and witty - she made me smile 😍
pick4.5⭐️ In this book, Zola chose the themes of poverty, alcoholism, and domestic violence. Zola being Zola, he didn‘t hold back 😭 My heart broke for Gervaise Macquart 💔 and she‘s been haunting me. I can‘t stop thinking about her.
I started this book last year but I stopped halfway. I picked it up again recently and I have about 80 pages left. It‘s sooooo sad 😭 I will forever remember Gervaise Macquart 😢
pick4⭐️ Yay, I finished the book! It took me slightly more than 2 weeks, eventhough the Librivox audio is just around 40 hours 🙊 I wouldn‘t survive this without the audio, really. Story-wise, I was more invested at the start than at the end. I don‘t know, I guess I was expecting more fireworks. I still prefer David Copperfield to this.
💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻
So many characters!!!! 😅
I must thank this lady Mil Nicholson for her brilliant reading of Bleak House. When I was in the first chapter I knew that I wouldn‘t survive reading this book if without the help of an audiobook. I searched online and my local library to find the voice that I like. I‘m lucky to find one https://youtu.be/uXt5OlPkAos?si=cljPizg3PBQE5BvQ Two days in, and I‘m already at 22%. That‘s pretty amazing, thanks to Mil.
Just started this chunkster. I forgot how verbose Dickens is; he wrote one lengthy paragraph about the fog 😑😑😑 Luckily, I found an audiobook on youtube https://youtu.be/uXt5OlPkAos?si=bF0lunVhndkEEWxB Reading/listening combo works best for me
pick4⭐️ Another enjoyable read from Mary Lawson. I like how the three characters are connected, how they are actually reflections of one another. There‘s something about her writing that I really like… simple, engaging, and addictive 😍
pick4⭐️ What a gem of a novel! 😍 Macaulay follows the fortunes of the Garden family and life in England from 1879 to 1923. I like the emphasis that nothing changes in human life. Look at us! Here we are in year 2024 but we behave the same as those before us. It‘s true that history repeats itself.
I‘m loving this story! My first Rose Macaulay and I think I will be hunting for all her books. Have you read any by her?
The movie adaptation 😻 with Audrey Hepburn.
I found the full movie on youtube. Lucky me!
https://youtu.be/yOzGfSFTmuE?si=vKB3pJOJPjayiNvE
pick3⭐️ Ariane is a young girl who‘s had many lovers but eventually finds herself stuck in a relationship with one Grand Prince. I enjoyed the first half of the book where the focus was on Ariane and all the men captured in her web (a new guy introduced in almost every chapter 😂). She‘s quite a character! Unfortunately, I got bored in the second half where the two lovebirds tried so hard fighting their own feelings 😑
pick3⭐️ This novel really invited me to experience the hell parents have to go through when their child disappears without a trace. The story was set in the 80s and the reference to drugs and homophobia feels like a time travel to that era. #persephoneclub
Littens, I have turned into a British aunt! I‘m eyeing this tea set now 😝, thanks to Kevin Lee Jacobs‘ youtube channel. I usually use my Japanese teapot and cups, but I think it‘s time to switch 😅
https://youtu.be/8LCHP2pQdv8?si=z_IK45HsPZdXXSB4
pick4⭐️ Mary is a clever girl starting her way in the world but she also thinks that her mother hates her. While she struggles finding her actual self and her happiness, her dysfunctional family limits her freedom. This autobiographical novel is not for those wanting a cheerful read but it‘s beautifully written. I love how Mary‘s voice matures as she ages.
https://open.spotify.com/episode/0YcQ58I3FJ5xaNNCLdZ0Bu?si=jHFAV2aeTWu2zbjRwFOhb...
Otw to my hometown for Chinese New Year celebration 🎉
In today‘s Straits Times 😄
My Silent Book Club is in the paper 😀
https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/introvert-happy-hour-silent-book-clubs-a-...
Jerry Saltz‘ apartment 😍 I want one for myself.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C2h5GOJLqDc/?igsh=cG0wcTFvbHNpNnA1
pick5⭐️ Wow! I‘m glad that I decided to give this book a try. What a captivating story! I love how she uses dual-timeline and that she brings in another individual as a close observer of an intense sibling rivalry. Mary Lawson is a wonderful story-teller I want to read her other books now
I need a good afternoon tea session one of these days 😃 For those in NYC, have you been to Tea & Sympathy? It looks good!!!
https://www.instagram.com/teaandsympathynyc?igsh=MXVlMWk0YTh5MjBtbw==
Planning ahead for my Chinese New Year holiday 😄 I will be visiting my hometown for 18 days in February. First is to decide what books to bring with me 🤪
Spending 1 hour on a treadmill is a chore so I have been listening to podcasts while struggling with my run/walk. And I came across this episode discussing Mary Lawson. Never heard of her, never read her books… but the interview intrigued me and Libby has the tagged book. Hurrah! I started it and kinda like her writing… it‘s engaging, too!
https://open.spotify.com/episode/5zIVqLotaPk38aDqpKaPg6?si=te1orrVXSRy-CdZbTsRv4...
Forgot to post this. Books (from my shelves) I read in 2023 🥳 Meanwhile, I bought more than these in 2023 🙈
pick4⭐️ I don‘t hate this book but I don‘t love it, either. The writing is wonderful eventhough the tone and theme is soooo depressing I don‘t know why I chose this to start the new year. She probably wrote this to cope with her mental issues. I‘d love to know if she wrote it to let the world know how bad her husband had been to her.
![[tagged book]](https://image.librarything.com/pics/litsy_webpics/icon_taggedBook@3x.png){kind=icon}
