#Ingrid Persaud

[caribeandthebooks]

Caribe's Read Around The World TBR - Part 5

Books set in the Caribbean <3

[zoethewriter]

I honestly had such a time reading this book! It's so intense but at the same time, it made me smile, the stories and characters flowed so well and so easily, I wanted to stay with them longer, gardening, eating, sharing a laugh or a drink. And man, when they were hurt, I was also hurt. Because at the core of it, this is a truly heartbreaking story. There are some hard, heavy things passing through this novel, but the author delivers them with such tenderness, it's almost light hearted. Awful events followed by an inside joke and a home cooked meal.

This is a story about who and what family is, a story about loneliness and love and a story about trying your best in the face of terrifying circumstances. I really loved this. I cried bb.

[kimmiessimmies]

People you'd like to get to know better

To be honest, this should be called "What have you been up to?", but that's just me being nitpicky. ;) Thanks for the tag @nocturnalazure

Last song: London Grammar - Strong

Favourite color: Turquoise, but in clothing: all kinds of blues.

Currently watching: A Dutch show about families with teenage children.

Last movie: I can't remember, it's been a while since I last sat down to watch a movie. I have a few on my watch list though!

Currently reading: Love After Love by Ingrid Persaud (partly for research...)

Sweet/spicy/savoury: Depends on my mood and the time of day. I quite like spicy, but not always.

Last thing I googled: Track and trace on a package

Current obsession: Does that have to be food? Because I don't think I have a particular obsession in that area.

Currently working on: My mental health, getting a rather depressing story update ready for publishing (is there a contradiction here?) and working out the plans to redecorate my daughter's room (I love DIY and interior decorating). Always multitasking.

Don't know who to tag, because I think pretty much everyone who follows me has done this already, but let's tag @simsaralove and @danjaley.As always, no hard feelings if you don't do it.

[sammypersaud]

THE BASICS

Name: Samar Persaud.

Nicknames: Sammy, Sam.

Gender: cis Male, He/Him.

Occupation: Sanitation Worker (Garbage Man), Junk Builder.

Age: Thirty-Two.

Birthday: December 15th, 1992.

Zodiac Sign: Sagittarius.

Location: Bighorn Hills, Providence Peak, Colorado.

Birthplace: Providence Peak, Colorado.

Orientation: Bisexual, Biromantic.

THE PHYSIQUE

Eye Color: Brown.

Natural Hair Color: Black.

Height: 6′ 0″.

Body Type: Muscular.

Allergies: None.

Dominant Hand: Right.

Tattoos: Probably some kind of dumb tattoo for @ingridlczano (still pending tho).

Piercings: None.

THE INTRODUCTION

Samar Persaud was lucky early in life; born to two loving parents in a single family home in a quiet neighborhood, with a tall tree overlooking their backyard where he spent hot summer evenings pretending to be a rock climber or a knight or an astronaut, feeling free to go as far as his dreams would take him, forever supported by his family. That luck, however, was short-lived when his dad found himself without a job when Sammy was just five years old. Suddenly, the tree that had held his dreams when he couldn’t carry them all turned into his reprieve from a household, spending every moment he could sitting up in its branches so he wouldn't have to be at home, a home broken by a system that had been a set up from the very start. Hours that passed by in the day soon became something he counted with the number of beer cans stacked up in the kitchen, able to spell michelob before he could even spell his own name. His mom attempted to pick the family back up with a part-time job, but it wasn’t enough to stop the once loving home from falling into disrepair, both emotionally and physically. When Samar was old enough, he learned how to use a hammer and a drill and fixed the things his father was too drunk to fix. His fixes weren't perfect and often cobbled together by other things he found laying around, materials he got for free after putting in some work under the table for local hardware stores, and items he found on the side of the road on trash day. Growing up with Ingrid Lozano was enough to keep his sanity. She was his safe place to land when his home grew too much to handle, she was the rock that never budged in his life, the stability he craved from a family that would never be able to give that to him again. They found exactly what they needed in each other, a semblance of a home they never had. Their friendship eventually bled into more and inevitably, they found themselves bouncing from on to off and back again over most arguments that never really meant a thing when it came down to it, yet both were too stubborn to knock it off. They knew a fight never meant forever though, their comfort in one another running far too deep to call their friendship quits. With her support and unsolicited opinions, he eventually purchased a few acres of land in Bighorn Hills with a house that needed more fixes than his childhood home did and a barn that was empty and full of promise, eventually something he filled with the treasures he would find on the side of the street, sitting out for free, during his early morning garbage shifts. He'd take anything he could find home, storing it until he found the right pieces to fit together, and creating something new out of it. He taught himself how to built, weld, and put together the tiniest, most confusing parts of virtually any machine. On Saturdays in the summer, he can be found at the farmer's market with a stall proudly displaying these secondhand pieces he managed to give a new life to.

THE HEADCANONS

Sam has one cat, a giant orange tabby named Poppy, who enjoys roaming his acres of land, will typically live inside during the winter, and will come and go through an open window in the summer. She enjoys lounging in the barn in her cat bed that he made for her while he's working on new furniture pieces. Unsure of what to do with acres of land and having no intention of becoming a farmer (yet), Samar planted a boatload of flowers across an acre and allows whoever to come pick their own flowers, offering a u-pick option or prepicked bouquets in a little stand near the entrance to the field. The only rule is to leave flowers for others and don't harm the bees that may be around the flowers. He still drives a messy, beaten up pick up truck from the early 2000s that used to be his dad's before the man became too far gone to drive it. He repairs it when it needs to be repaired, but it's generally been trusty for most of his life. This man collects vintage Coleman camping items like his life depends on it. Anytime he sees some on the side of the street, it's the holy grail for him. Sam cleans it up, restores whatever is necessary, and it gets to continue to live on during his camping trips. He plays the banjo. 100% serious. He found one on the side of street once with a bunch of free stuff, repaired and refurbished it, and now it's a gorgeous instrument that he plays around campfires and whenever someone asks to hear it (or doesn't, he's a unsolicited banjo player sorry in advance).

[bibliobethblog]

Happy New Year everyone! Here they are - my top 10 books of 2022, in no particular order. I’ve had a fantastic reading year, 260 books read which I can’t quite believe and the majority of them were absolutely brilliant. We have: Brickmakers- Selva Almada Love After Love - Ingrid Persaud The Mermaid Of Black Conch - Monique Roffey The Count Of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas Devotion - Hannah Kent How To Kill Your Family - Bella Mackie Mayflies - Andrew O’Hagan The Paper Palace - Miranda Cowley Heller Young Mungo - Douglas Stuart The Book Of Form & Emptiness - Ruth Ozeki I’d love to know your thoughts on my selection. It was tough! I’ve read a lot of great books this year and next Saturday I’ll be bringing you my 12 honourable mentions which were all five star reads but didn’t quite make my top ten. See you all in 2023! 🤗😘 #bookstagramuk #booksilovedreading #booksof2022📖 #brickmakers #selvaalmada💕 #loveafterlove #ingridpersaud #themermaidofblackconch #moniqueroffey #thecountofmontecristo #alexandredumas #devotion #hannahkent #howtokillyourfamily #bellamackie #mayflies #andrewohagan #thepaperpalace #mirandacowleyheller #youngmungo #douglasstuart #thebookofformandemptiness #ruthozeki📚#myfavouritebooks2022 https://www.instagram.com/p/Cm2HCklLiO2/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[bookshelfmonkey]

July reading wrap-up

The Icebound Land- John Flanagan- 5/7/23- 8/10 This was better than I remember it being, but I still feel like it kind of missed the mark as a middle grade/young YA book.

Persephone Station- Stina Leicht- 7/7/23- 8/10 A fun and pretty original sci-fi.

When Women Were Dragons- Kelly Barnhill- 8/7/23- 9/10 This was hauntingly beautiful and a really interesting and complex reflection on how misogyny affects our society. I also loved that the dragons were cool in their own right, not just as a metaphor.

The Unbroken- C.L. Clark- 9/7/23- 9/10 This book surprised me in a lot of ways, and was generally a really exciting and well-written fantasy.

Her Majesty's Royal Coven- Juno Dawson- 10/7/23- 9/10 I didn't see any part of this book coming, but it was so good and I loved every piece of it. I also liked how it completely dismantled transphobic ideologies.

Magnus Chase & the Ship of the Dead- Rick Riordan- 13/7/23- 10/10 This is the superior Riordanverse series. I loved the characters so much.

The Memory of Souls- Jenn Lyons- 19/7/23- 8/10 Finally a book in this series was fast-paced enough to hold my attention. The characters developed in really interesting ways and I'm interested to see what happens with the plot in future books.

Love After Love- Ingrid Persaud- 19/7/23- 8/10 This book was not what I expected it to be. It broke my heart into thousands of tiny pieces.

The Other Wind- Ursula K. Le Guin- 20/7/23- 6/10

Mrs. Dalloway- Virginia Woolf- 21/7/23- 7/10 Worked well as an audiobook.

A Time of Blood- John Gwynne- 23/7/23- 8/10

How To Twist A Dragon's Tale- Cressida Cowell- 23/7/23- 10/10 Truly a classic. I forgot how this book ended, and I loved rereading the whole thing.

Sea of Souls- N. C. Srimgeour- 25/7/23- 6/10 Nothing new.

Oakleaf Bearers- John Flanagan- 27/7/23- 10/10 This book is my favourite in the series for a reason. John Flanagan has given me ridiculously high standards for battle scenes in fantasy.

Petty Treasons- Victoria Goddard- 29/7/23- 8/10 A nice way to flesh out the series, but did't do much by itself.

Ulysseys- James Joyce- 31/7/23- 3/10 It tried something new, but it was also very boring.

The Hidden Oracle- Rick Riordan- 31/7/23- 7/10 A decent story, but I really hate Apollo's narrative voice.

A Hero's Guide To Deadly Dragons- Cressida Cowell- 31/7/23- 10/10 A great adventure. I loved the setting of the library and the discussions around censorship.

[stiener]

This year I challenged myself to read 100 books, these are the 100 I managed to read.

I had to read lots of very short books to hit this target including some Faber Stories which have been particularly good and Vintage Minis which cover some big ideas, the best of which this year was Toni Morrison's Race.

Another theme that cropped up (unintentionally) was people killing their family members (3 books) or narrators who are the murderers (5 books). My favourite of these was I think PD James, The Victim.

I've also read some great non-fiction including books on the history of Opium, Tea and the Bible, and some brilliant graphic novels, my favourite of which was Aya, Life in Yop City.

Other highlights:

- Last Night at the Telegraph Club, Malinda Lo

- The White Dress, Nathalie Léger

- Folk, Zoe Gilbert

- Love After Love, Ingrid Persaud

[cupofteajones]

Quote of the Day - June 23, 2021

Quote of the Day – June 23, 2021

[queerographies]

[Love After Love][Ingrid Persaud]

[Love After Love][Ingrid Persaud]

Nell’isola caraibica di Trinidad, abitata da una popolazione mista di discendenza indiana e africana, Betty Ramdin, da poco vedova con un bambino di cinque anni, prende in affitto in casa Mr Chetan. Questi è una persona davvero perbene che presto diventa suo amico e anche una figura paterna per il bambino. Mr Chetan è omosessuale in un’isola dove è impossibile dichiararlo apertamente. I tre si…

[judgingbooksbycovers]

Love After Love

By Ingrid Persaud. 

Design by Jen Valero.

[bigtickhk]

Love After Love by Ingrid Persaud

US: https://amzn.to/3jfdoOD

UK: https://amzn.to/2WxQUyG

[rockislandadultreads]

Queer Fiction: book recommendations

lists in celebration of PRIDE month 

Find Me by André Aciman

No novel in recent memory has spoken more movingly to contemporary readers about the nature of love than André Aciman’s haunting Call Me by Your Name. First published in 2007, it was hailed as “a love letter, an invocation . . . an exceptionally beautiful book” (Stacey D’Erasmo, The New York Times Book Review). Nearly three quarters of a million copies have been sold, and the book became a much-loved, Academy Award–winning film starring Timothée Chalamet as the young Elio and Armie Hammer as Oliver, the graduate student with whom he falls in love. In Find Me, Aciman shows us Elio’s father, Samuel, on a trip from Florence to Rome to visit Elio, who has become a gifted classical pianist. A chance encounter on the train with a beautiful young woman upends Sami’s plans and changes his life forever. Elio soon moves to Paris, where he, too, has a consequential affair, while Oliver, now a New England college professor with a family, suddenly finds himself contemplating a return trip across the Atlantic. Aciman is a master of sensibility, of the intimate details and the emotional nuances that are the substance of passion. Find Me brings us back inside the magic circle of one of our greatest contemporary romances to ask if, in fact, true love ever dies.

Darius the Great Deserves Better by Adib Khorram

Darius Kellner is having a bit of a year. Since his trip to Iran this past spring, a lot has changed. He’s getting along with his dad, and his best friend Sohrab is only a Skype call away. Between his first boyfriend, Landon, his varsity soccer practices, and his internship at his favorite tea shop, Darius is feeling pretty okay. Like he finally knows what it means to be Darius Kellner. Then, of course, everything changes. Darius’s grandmothers are in town for a long visit while his dad is gone on business, and Darius isn’t sure whether they even like him. The internship isn’t what Darius thought it would be, and now he doesn’t know about turning tea into his career. He was sure he liked Landon, but when he starts hanging out with Chip–soccer teammate and best friend of Trent Bolger, epic bully–well, he’s just not so sure about Landon anymore, either. Darius thought he knew exactly who he was and what he wanted, but maybe he was wrong. Maybe he deserves better.

Peaces by Helen Oyeyemi

When Otto and Xavier Shin declare their love, an aunt gifts them a trip on a sleeper train to mark their new commitment--and to get them out of her house. Setting off with their pet mongoose, Otto and Xavier arrive at their sleepy local train station, but quickly deduce that The Lucky Day is no ordinary locomotive. Their trip on this former tea-smuggling train has been curated beyond their wildest imaginations, complete with mysterious and welcoming touches, like ingredients for their favorite breakfast. They seem to be the only people onboard, until Otto discovers a secretive woman who issues a surprising message. As further clues and questions pile up, and the trip upends everything they thought they knew, Otto and Xavier begin to see connections to their own pasts, connections that now bind them together.

Love After Love by Ingrid Persaud

An electrifying novel of an unconventional family in Trinidad mended by their individual, and collective, quests for love After Betty Ramdin's husband dies, she invites a colleague, Mr. Chetan, to move in with her and her son, Solo. Over time, the three become a family, loving each other deeply and depending upon one another. Then, one fateful night, Solo overhears Betty confiding in Mr. Chetan and learns a secret that plunges him into torment. Solo flees Trinidad for New York to carve out a lonely existence as an undocumented immigrant, and Mr. Chetan remains the singular thread holding mother and son together. But soon, Mr. Chetan's own burdensome secret is revealed, with heartbreaking consequences. Love After Love interrogates love and family in all its myriad meanings and forms, asking how we might exchange an illusory love for one that is truly fulfilling.

[sharlbranch]

Spoiler card for Decentred Lit's (@decentred_lit_ja on ig) June Book Box, titled Spectrum 🌈✨. The September pick was Life After Love, by Ingrid Persaud.

[ingridlczano]

He could get away with pretty much everything, and the fact he knew that just pissed her off from time to time. Samar could be just as adorable as he was annoying, and a part of her was glad only one side of him was coming out tonight, especially since she wasn't in the mood to fight.. and that was a miracle by itself. "Did you come to my house to insult me, Persaud? I don't think it's going to end up good for you if you keep it up," the brunette teased, kicking his foot lightly as she spoke, a subtle warning to refrain from calling her a weakling, at least for the rest of the night. Truth be told, she had missed their silly banter, which seemed to be less frequent after he decided to get with that lookalike she despised. Ingrid hated thinking that sometimes, people could just take advantage of him because he was a genuinely nice guy. So, no, she didn't trust anyone else's intentions with him. How could she?

Bursting into laughter at his words, Ingrid rolled her eyes a little. Just the image of the cat with a saddle was enough to bring a smile to her face. "She is kinda bigger than Chips," her voice trailed off as she mentioned their own cat, who would probably decide to come home soon for dinner. "Why don't you give me a lift instead? Are you afraid of what I might do to you in the dark?" she joked, shaking her head. "Dean's not a toy boy, that's disgusting. We're practically related, we could even have the same dad for all I know. Don't make me gag, I haven't even had any food yet," she mentioned, the very thought sending chills down her spine. She liked to think that sometimes, you could choose family after all. "I bet she is. You must be really bored," Ingrid mentioned, already nibbling on a piece of chicken while smirking at him, waving the knife slightly. "Interesting. I've never heard you shame anyone for his job until now. Which means... you probably saw his abs."

@sammypersaud

Maybe the temporary adorableness she'd pegged him with would eventually wear off, but Sammy knew that there was a certain favor he always held with her, regardless of how adorable he was in the moment. Even if he lost his chance to cutely argue his point, he'd still always be just a little bit more convincing than most others in her eyes. That's what two decades of friendship got them. "Oh please, people do it all the time. I guess you can't help that you're a little weakling," he couldn't help but tease, though the grin on his lips made it abundantly clear that it was only that; teasing. Ingrid was a lot stronger than most people gave her credit for, both inside and out. It was something he'd always admired in her — even when they were both battling to the death in one of their arguments that always ended up one of two ways.

"You know I have other ways to move than a truck, right? I mean, just slap a saddle on Poppy and call her a horse... she's almost big enough to be one." A soft chuckle fell from his lips at the thought of the orange cat that had taken purchase in his home. She wasn't even close to horse size, but it was amusing to think about a horse-sized cat wearing a saddle. "But seriously. Humor me at least one day a week and drop me by work at the ass crack of dawn, you can take the truck, and then I'll find a way home. We can't have you grinding down your little legs walking back and forth downtown. At least until you move in with that boy toy of yours." And while the words boy toy to describe Dean weren't anything serious, the turn the topic took made him wish that they had been. "Cynthia is really nice, actually." He defended offhand, focusing on his fork in his mashed potatoes and not the knife in Ingrid's hand. "At least she's not working at a swimming pool like, part time or some shit."

@ingridlczano

[adayinbookland]

Aug 6th, 2020 || 📚August reads 👉🏼 Love After Love & Take a Hint, Dani Brown. . 🌸Love After Love by Ingrid Persaud (tw: homophobia, domestic violence and self-harm). This novel is beautifully written and devastatingly tragic, yet hopeful. We follow three characters and all of them got under my skin. They go through so much and it’s nearly impossible not to care for them, even when their actions and decisions frustrated me due to lack of communication. If only they had sat down to talk things through... but alas, that is also life. Love and its multiple representations are done so well. I was an emotional mess by the end and it’s gonna take awhile before I can say goodbye to Betty, Chetan and Solo. . 🌸Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert. I adored this. It had me rolling from page 1 and it’s such an addictive story - it plays with the fake relationship trope which I love - that it was almost impossible for me to put down. Dani and Zafir were absolutely adorable and their banter was *chef’s kiss*. Despite its light tone, Hibbert deals once again with serious issues such as anxiety and emotional abuse. My only problem? I wanted more of these character and their story. . What was the last book you finished? Did you enjoy it? • • • #adayinbooklandreviews #loveafterlove #ingridpersaud #takeahintdanibrown #taliahibbert #literaryfiction #caribbeanliterature #romancenovels #recentreads #unitedbookstagram #fortheloveofreading #readmorebooks #bookphotography #bookloversunite #augustreads https://www.instagram.com/p/CDjkcp6qitE/?igshid=40ic3y2rv50b

[bookjotter6865]

Winding Up the Week #38

Winding Up the Week #38

An end of week recap

I am returning to the UK tomorrow, which is why my end of week post is with you a day early. I haven’t until now dwelt upon the likely weather conditions at Manchester Airport – opting instead to shield myself from such disagreeable thoughts – but my stay in Cyprus has come to an end, so face them I must. Far more heartening is anticipating cosy times cuddled up with various…