Just released: June 12, 2018
Publisher: SJP for Hogarth
Genre: Literary, Family, India, Muslim
Hardback: 400
Rating: 4
First sentence(s):
As Amar watched the hall fill with guests arriving for his sister's wedding, he promised himself he would stay.
As an Indian wedding gathers a family back together, parents Rafiq and Layla must reckon with the choices their children have made.
There is Hadia: their headstrong, eldest daughter, whose marriage is a match of love and not tradition. Huda, the middle child, determined to follow in her sister’s footsteps. And lastly, their estranged son, Amar, who returns to the family fold for the first time in three years to take his place as brother of the bride.
What secrets and betrayals have caused this close-knit family to fracture? Can Amar find his way back to the people who know and love him best?
A Place for Us takes us back to the beginning of this family’s life: from the bonds that bring them together, to the differences that pull them apart. All the joy and struggle of family life is here, from Rafiq and Layla’s own arrival in America from India, to the years in which their children—each in their own way—tread between two cultures, seeking to find their place in the world, as well as a path home.
My two-bits:
Tough family struggles that deal with past and present day cultural traditions and lifestyle.
One of those sad and painful stories along with frustrating moments.
~*~
* The first novel from Sarah Jessica Parker’s new imprint, SJP for Hogarth.
Bout of Books 23
read-a-thon
hosted by Bout of Books
August 20 to 26, 2018 signup | details | daily instagram | #boutofbooks @boutofbooks
The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda Shofner and Kelly Rubidoux Apple. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, August 20th and runs through Sunday, August 26th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 23 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team
TBR pile:
A Place for Us
by Fatima Farheen Mirza
-Literary, Family, India, Muslim Amazon | Goodreads | my review | my rating: 4
8/20/18: Started - been working on this one slowly and want to finally finish it this week.
8/22/18: Finished
Murder on the Left Bank
by Cara Black
-Mystery, France, Paris Amazon | Goodreads | my review | my rating: 4
8/20/18: Started - part of my picks last month for Paris in July - finally cracking it open.
8/25/18: Still working on this. Should be done today. Finished in the evening.
News of the World
by Paulette Jiles
-Historical, Western Amazon | Goodreads | my review | my rating: 5
8/20/18: Started
8/26/18: Reading this in bits but will post review next month for a Western theme I am plotting.
Lady Jane
by Cynthia Hand, Jodi Meadows, Brodi Ashton
-Historical, Humor, Retelling, YA Amazon | Goodreads | my review | my rating: 5
8/23/18: Started - loving it so far
8/24/18: Loved it to the end.
Reservoir 13
by Jon McGregor
-Literary Amazon | Goodreads | my review: DNF
8/20/18: Started
8/23/18: Stopped - lost my attention
Children of Blood and Bone
Legacy of Orïsha #1
by Tomi Adeyemi
-Fantasy, YA Amazon | Goodreads | my review: DNF
8/20/18: Started
8/21/18: Stopped - just could not get into it
adventurous, anxious, curious, reader, observer, open
instagram-a-day: currently reading
Tuesday 8/21
Book Plot Emoji - for News of the World by Paulette Jiles.
👧 🐎 🔫
instagram-a-day: favorite color covers
Wednesday 8/22
Literary Villain - he who must not be named aka Lord Voldemort
instagram-a-day: book spine poetry
maestra, open me
sacré bleu
cruel beautiful world
Thursday 8/23
Book Trip - Venice in October for the infamous Masquerade
Masquerade in Venice
by Velda Johnston
-Mystery, Gothic Amazon | Goodreads
instagram-a-day: 5 star read
Friday 8/24
Bookish Playlist - feeling French with my current read, Murder on the Left Bank, so pairing it with Claude Debussy's Suite Bergamasque - Claire de Lune
instagram-a-day: unfinished book series - Crazy Rich Asians
Saturday 8/25
Discover Books - I was excited to see this cover on a Bout of Books related post.
Lethal White
by Robert Galbraith - but we all know it's J.K. Rowling ;-)
-Mystery, Thriller Amazon | Goodreads
instagram-a-day: published in 2018 - just picked this up from the library
Dance of Thieves
by Mary E. Pearson
-Fantasy, YA Amazon | Goodreads
Sunday 8/26
Stretch Goal
I found that I had to revise the reading pile as a couple did not work out for me this round of Bout of Books.
Feeling pretty good that I got around to reading from the tbr pile.
instagram-a-day: series love - Gail Carriger's Parasol Protectorate series
Twitter Chats
(chats last approximately one hour)
TZC = Time Zone Conversion
Dewey's Reverse Summer Readathon
July 27 to July 28, 2018 (start: 5pm 2018 PST)
(details)
TO DO before read-a-thon:
- clear the calendar on event day
- do chores, housework, etc. before event
- plan easy main meals - minimal preparation
- stock up on favorite munchies
TO DO during read-a-thon:
- read, blog, mini-challenge
- go to cafe for lunch and reading
Reading list:
A Place for Us
by Fatima Farheen Mirza
-Literary, Family, India, Muslim Amazon | Goodreads | my review | my rating: 4
When Dimple Met Rishi
by Sandhya Menon
-YA, Romance, Asian American, India Amazon | Goodreads | my review | my rating: 5
Post-Dewey's Reverse Summer Read-a-thon
I did not get to participate as planned. I had originally posted the wrong timing for this event (now fixed) and missed it. However, I was reading and managed to ready half way through A Place For Us.
World Reads blog series challenge is to encourage and promote the reading of global literature. On the 5th of each month Stephanie Jane highlights five books. Everyone is welcome to join in by reading one or more books from a different country each month, write a post about them and include the World Reads banner.
My reading list:
Experiencing India and Indian-American stories this month.
A Place for Us
by Fatima Farheen Mirza
-Literary, Family, India, Muslim Amazon | Goodreads | my review | my rating: 4
The Bollywood Bride
by Sonali Dev
-Romance, Asian American, India Amazon | Goodreads | my review: tba
Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows
by Balli Kaur Jaswal
-Women's Fiction, India Amazon | Goodreads | my review | my rating: 5
River of Flesh and Other Stories:
The Prostituted Woman in Indian Short Fiction
by Ruchira Gupta
-Short stories, Women's Studies Amazon | Goodreads | my review | my rating: 4
When Dimple Met Rishi
by Sandhya Menon
-YA, Romance, Asian American, India Amazon | Goodreads | my review | my rating: 5
Lovely Books and Things
My Weekly Books and Films Update
Linking up with: Stacking the Shelves (details) Sunday Post (details) Mailbox Monday (details)
~*~
HAPPY THINGS:
1. Author events - attended more than one this week
2. Dinner made by the kid - although a simple fare, it was nice to be served
3. Organizing the book shelves - currently most books are kinda sorta grouped together by genre (but not in alpha order) and by recently acquired (basically uncategorized)
~*~
Bought:
Florida
by Lauren Groff
-Short Stories, Literary Amazon | Goodreads
BOOK Passage Corte Madera hosted a literary lunch with Lauren Groff to present Florida. Lauren spoke about the love/hate relationship of Florida living.
Another Sun
by Timothy Williams
-Mystery, Caribbean Amazon | Goodreads
JULY pick for the Foreign Intrigue Book Club (here).
Author events:
A Place for Us
by Fatima Farheen Mirza
-Literary, Family, India, Muslim Amazon | Goodreads
BOOK Passage SF at the Ferry Building hosted a Q&A with Fatima Farheen Mirza to discuss A Place for Us. Neat to see and hear from her family and friends in the audience.
The 57 Bus
A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime That Changed Their Lives
by Dashka Slater
-LGBTQ, True Crime, YA Amazon | Goodreads
THE SF Main library hosted a Q&A with author, Dashka Slater, to introduce her recently released book, The 57 Bus. One of the interesting topics discussed was about gender neutral pronouns.
Two death-obsessed sisters, outcasts in their suburban neighborhood, must deal with the tragic consequences when one of them is bitten by a deadly werewolf.
UNDERLYING girl power and strong coming-of-age messages in this one.
Last Call Pitches (2017)
Pitch Perfect 3
Director: Trish Sie
Screenplay: Kay Cannon, Mike White
Based on book by: Mickey Rapkin
Stars: Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Brittany Snow, Anna Camp
-Comedy, Music | imdb | my rating: 4
Following their win at the world championship, the now separated Bellas reunite for one last singing competition at an overseas USO tour, but face a group who uses both instruments and voices.
FUN addition to this series that has a great action sequence with the Bellas singing to the tune of Toxic by Britney Spears.
After an alien ship crash lands onto a Russian city, many who saw it and the occupants start to question their own existence while there are those who demand the aliens leave Earth.
ACTION packed sci-fi/alien, YA romance in Russia with environmental and political issues hovering in the background. Some cool special effects sprinkled throughout.
~*~
* comment and TELL me what you have acquired for your shelves recently
A triumphant documentary about resistance, UNFRACTURED follows introspective biologist and mother Sandra Steingraber as she reinvents herself as an outspoken activist.
LEARNED about the activist activity on the topic of the historic fight against fracking in New York state. A Q&A with the director and local activists who are part of the California fight.
Mole Man (2017)
Director: Guy Fiorita
Writer: Cassidy Hartmann (story consultant)
-Documentary, Autism | imdb | my rating: 5
MOLE MAN follows RON, a 66-year-old autistic man who has spent the last five decades building a 50-room structure in his parents' backyard. Using no nails or mortar, Ron instead creates perfectly balanced structures from scavenged materials he finds in the woods outside his Western Pennsylvania home. When Ron's father passes away, leaving him living alone with his 90-year-old mother, Ron's siblings are left to figure out what's best for Ron - who has never been officially diagnosed with autism - when his mother can no longer care for him. In an effort to find the money to keep Ron in his home, his friends team up in search of a mythical mansion Ron insists lays abandoned in the forest. But will they be able to find it? And, more importantly, does it even exist? This is the story of an extraordinary life, a family, and the beauty of thinking differently.
Q&A with the director gave a little more insight and update on Ron and his situation. The film presents some history of autism in relation to its affect on family.
AND watched: in theatre
Hereditary (2018)
Director/Writer: Ari Aster
Stars: Toni Collette, Milly Shapiro, Gabriel Byrne, Alex Wolff
-Drama, Horror, Mystery | imdb | my rating: 4
After the family matriarch passes away, a grieving family is haunted by tragic and disturbing occurrences, and begin to unravel dark secrets.
A couple shockers in an otherwise slow moving horror tales that delivers in the end. Oh boy!
AND watched: on DVD
An Autumn Afternoon (1964)
Sanma no aji (original title)
Director: Yasujirô Ozu
Screenplay: Kôgo Noda, Yasujirô Ozu
Stars: Chishû Ryû, Shima Iwashita, Keiji Sada
-Drama, Japan | imdb | my rating: 5
An aging widower arranges a marriage for his only daughter.
SAD but beautiful story of parent/daughter relation in Japan in the 1960's.
Loving Vincent (2017)
Director/Writers: Dorota Kobiela, Hugh Welchman
Writer: Jacek Dehnel
Stars: Douglas Booth, Jerome Flynn, Robert Gulaczyk
-Animation, Biography, Crime | imdb | my rating: 4 Oscar 2018 nominee
In a story depicted in oil painted animation, a young man comes to the last hometown of painter Vincent van Gogh to deliver the troubled artist's final letter and ends up investigating his final days there.
THE story told by way of paintings was beautifully done. Loved how they incorporated Van Gogh's actual works and subjects.
~*~
* comment and TELL me what you have acquired for your shelves recently
