Goodreads Monday is a weekly meme started by @Lauren’s Page Turners but is currently hosted by Emily @ Budget Tales Book Blog. This meme is quite easy to follow – just randomly pick a book from your to-be-read list and explain why you want to read it. It is that simple.

This week’s book:

Madonna in a Fur Coat by Sabahattin Ali 

Blurb from Goodreads

The bestselling Turkish classic of love and longing in a changing world, available in English for the first time.

‘It is, perhaps, easier to dismiss a man whose face gives no indication of an inner life. And what a pity that is: a dash of curiosity is all it takes to stumble upon treasures we never expected.’

A shy young man leaves his home in rural Turkey to learn a trade in 1920s Berlin. The city’s crowded streets, thriving arts scene, passionate politics and seedy cabarets provide the backdrop for a chance meeting with a woman, which will haunt him for the rest of his life. Emotionally powerful, intensely atmospheric and touchingly profound, Madonna in a Fur Coat is an unforgettable novel about new beginnings and the unfathomable nature of the human soul.

‘Passionate but clear . . . Ali’s success [is in ] his ability to describe the emergence of a feeling, seemingly straightforward from the outside but swinging back and forth between opposite extremes at its core, revealing the tensions that accompanies such rise and fall.’ Atilla Özkirimli, writer and literary historian

Why I Want To Read It

Happy Monday everyone! Technically, it is already Tuesday. Regardless, I hope everyone has had a great start to the week considering how the first day of the week is not really everyone’s favorite day of the week; or, at least the majority of us loath Mondays. How does one really recover from a weekend hangover? The funk lingers but time takes its natural course sans regard to anyone. But I can still wish that weekends were longer right? Nevertheless, I hope everyone was able to rest and recover during the weekend. I hope the break, albeit quick, prepared you for the tough workweek ahead. Here in the Philippines, the heat remains oppressive. I can’t wait for the summer season – it used to be my favorite season – to be over. I sure hope everyone is somewhere comfortable. Anyway, I hope everyone makes it through the week. More importantly, I hope everyone is doing well, in mind, body, and spirit, not only this week but for the rest of the year.

Woah, time has been flying past us. We are already a third through the year. We are already in May. I hope that the first third of the year has been kind to everyone. I hope that the year is going great. I hope that as 2025 moves forward, it gets better for everyone. If it is going otherwise, I hope the coming months will shower everyone with prosperity, good news, and kindness. I wish success and blessings for everyone this year. With the start of the week is a fresh Goodreads Monday update. This weekly blogging meme has, over the years, become a weekly ritual that allows me to feature books I am looking forward to. After immersing myself in the works of East Asian writers for a full quarter, I have pivoted toward the rest of the Asian continent to experience its vibrant culture, diverse people, and colorful history. There are so many good books to read that I decided to extend this journey in May.

In line with the month’s reading motif, I have been featuring works of Asian writers in this month’s Goodreads Monday updates. For this week’s featured book, I am featuring one that I just recently encountered, Sabahattin Ali’s Madonna in a Fur Court. It was through an online bookseller that I first came across the book; I have not heart of the Turkish writer nor have I read any of his work before. A simple search of recommended works of Turkish literature yielded the book, further piquing my interest. Ali’s interest in writing and literature came at a young age, with some of his earlier works – poems and short stories – published in the school’s student paper. Before a career in literature, he taught; he earned a teacher’s certificate from School of Education in Istanbul. While teaching, he kept writing poems. One of his poems even caught the attention of state and not in a good way. The poem criticized Atatürk’s policies, prompting his arrest.

Ali would then be in and out of prison. Upon his final release, he was murdered on probably April 1 or 2 1948 (the date is never ascertained). His body was found on June 16, 1948. He seems to be quite a controversial but interesting figure. While he has been widely read in Bulgaria where he was born, it was only recently that he has gained global recognition, particularly with his novel Madonna in a Fur Coat. It was originally published in Turkish in 1943 as Kürk Mantolu Madonna. It is also considered one of the best novellas in Turkish literature. While I find the premise interesting, I am more looking forward to the prospect of exploring worlds beyond mine. It is also an opportunity to explore Turkish literature further, beyond the familiarity I have with Orhan Pamuk and Elif Shafak.

For now, I just hope I get to obtain a copy of the book. How about you fellow reader? How was your Monday? What books have you added to your reading list? Do drop it in the comment box. For now, happy Monday and, as always, happy reading!