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:

Of Loss and Lavender by Sinan Antoon

Blurb from Goodreads

In this achingly beautiful novel of trauma, memory, and identity, two Iraqi men struggle to start a new life in the US after the Gulf War.

Sami, a retired doctor, lives with his son and grandchildren in Brooklyn. As he tries to navigate this new city, it becomes increasingly clear he is losing his memory due to dementia. Every day he sinks deeper into old memories of a life in Iraq before the war.

Omar arrived in the US with no family. He has run away from Iraq with a fake identity. As a deserter, he was punished by having an ear cut off. In Baghdad, this is an unmissable mark of shame. Omar works menial jobs, creates a new identity—comically passing as Puerto Rican—and dreams of reconstructive surgery to get his ear, and his dignity, back.

Their stories converge powerfully when it becomes clear they were connected in Iraq at a moment that was pivotal for them both. Deftly exploring the aftermath of war and relocation, Of Loss and Lavender creates a moving portrait of life in exile.

Why I Want To Read It

Happy Monday, everyone! Just like that, we are nearly midway through the seventh month of the year. How time flies! As always, time takes its natural course, ever flowing forward, with no regard for any of us. It does not wait for anyone. As such, I hope the year is going—and will continue to go—well for everyone. I hope the rest of the year will be kind to you all. Things are still erratic, whether at work or in geopolitics. I hope the tension in the Middle East begins to de-escalate and that peace is gradually restored. I also hope things start to slow down at work. They have been hectic lately, and I am hoping things will start looking up. Anyway, I hope everyone has had a good start to the workweek. I hope everyone is in a place of comfort. The new week beckons with hope and fresh starts, and I hope it unfolds in everyone’s favor. Wishing you continued success and happiness. I hope everyone is doing well, in body, mind, and spirit.

I know—not many people get excited about Mondays (though I’m sure a few are out there). I, too, am not exactly a fan. Still, I hope that as the week moves forward, you gradually gain a semblance of momentum. I hope everyone’s workweek goes smoothly. More importantly, I hope everyone is doing well—mentally, emotionally, and physically. After spending the first two months of the year reading works by Latin American and Caribbean writers, I have spent the following four months reading the works of European authors. I chose to read European writers because most of the books on my 2026 reading challenge list are by European authors. I am thankful that I was finally able to complete all the books on my reading challenge lists. With the start of a new month, I also commenced a new literary journey. With July being my birth month, I have commenced a venture across Asian literature. I am currently reading Elaine Castillo’s America Is Not the Heart.

As I am in the midst of a venture into Asian literary territory, I am featuring Sinan Antoon’s Of Loss and Lavender. As the year approaches its halfway mark, literary publications have begun sharing their lists of the best books of the year so far. This is how I came across the Iraqi writer and his novel Of Loss and Lavender. It was actually a fated encounter because the book aligns with this month’s reading motif, i.e., Asian literature. It was listed by the New York Times as one of their best books of the year, so far. Actually, it was only today that I came across Antoon, who I just learned is a highly regarded writer within Arabic literary circles. However, his reputation goes well beyond Arabic literary circles. He has been lauded by his peers as one of the great fiction writers of our time. He has received various accolades across the world. He has published poetry collections, but he is more renowned for his novels.

It was in 2002 that he made his literary debut, with the publication of إعجام (I`jaam: An Iraqi Rhapsody), a widely acclaimed novel in the Arabic world. In 2023, he made a literary comeback with the publication of Khuzama in Arabic. In 2026, Antoon self-translated his novel as Of Loss and Lavender; interestingly, Antoon is also a translator. There are certainly several reasons to look forward to the novel. For one, I haven’t gotten the chance to read the work of any Iraqi writer. Further, the novel promises to be an exploration of the Iraqi refugee/exile experience. I have read the perspective of other nationalities, but I have yet to read about the Iraqi perspective. For now, I hope I can secure a copy of it. How about you, fellow readers? How was your Monday? What books have you recently added to your reading list? Drop your thoughts in the comments.

For now—happy Monday, and as always, happy reading!