It’s always an exciting day when Bonny and Carole and I announce the next Read With Us title . . . and today’s the day!
Our next Read With Us selection is . . .
The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka.
Yep! We’ve got another chewy one for you. . .
The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida is last year’s Booker Prize winner — and it receives rave reviews from pretty much everyone we know who has read it. (Although Carole recently read it, neither Bonny or I have had the chance yet.) I think it’s going to be . . . a really interesting read, and a fascinating book to discuss together. Here’s the synopsis from Goodreads:
Colombo, 1990. Maali Almeida—war photographer, gambler, and closet queen—has woken up dead in what seems like a celestial visa office. His dismembered body is sinking in the serene Beira Lake and he has no idea who killed him. In a country where scores are settled by death squads, suicide bombers, and hired goons, the list of suspects is depressingly long, as the ghouls and ghosts with grudges who cluster round can attest. But even in the afterlife, time is running out for Maali. He has seven moons to contact the man and woman he loves most and lead them to the photos that will rock Sri Lanka.
So, yeah. We’ve got dismembered bodies, the underworld, gallows humor, the Sri Lankan civil war, and a hard deadline. Definitely interesting!
We’ll be talking more about the book and providing additional background information next month. Then . . . mark your calendars for our blog book discussions/Zoom discussion on Tuesday, September 19, 2023 (7:00 pm Eastern time).
Please be sure to visit the new Read With Us resource page (AFTER July 4) for more information about the book and our discussion. (I’ll be updating the page as Bonny, Carole, and I share more details and links, so it really can be a resource for you as you read – or consider reading – with us.)
We hope you’ll be as excited as we are to read The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida.
C’mon along!
Read With Us this summer!
Definitely looking forward to this one! My library has it (with no wait), but I am holding off until closer to our discussion time.
I read just the first few pages yesterday as it felt a bit different to talk about a book I haven’t yet read, and it is an interesting start (but the dismembered bodies)! I will be learning something through this book, starting with where Sri Lanka is located.
I plan to re-read it in September!
It’s definitely chewy, and I’m really looking forward to rereading it and discussing it with all of you!
Squeeee! My very, very favorite book of last year!! If i could give it more than 5 stars I would. There is so much packed into this book and I’m very happy you’re going to give me another chance to visit with Maali!
I have just settled in with Maali! I am sure I will be eager to discuss this one!