Welcome to Litsy!

This Snow White retelling was really good. It slowed a bit in the middle but the author did a nice job with the world building and character development.

#14Books14Weeks book 2
#BookSpinBingo
#ISpyBingo
#JoysOfJune book 2
#Roll100

I‘ve finished one book today, so here‘s my reading plans for the rest of the weekend.

Make it a great weekend everyone 💙

I'm 118 pages in and I just don't like it. Ill get it ready to send off soon. @mrsmarch @ozma.of.oz @TheAromaofBooks

First book of the new year!
Last year, with minimal effort, I read 6 new books, all from my TBR stack! So this year I‘m hoping for more!
First book off my stack is this fairytale retelling. I love retellings honestly, and so far this one is really good. I picked it for it‘s snow theme which is perfect for chilly and wet Bahrain weather.
I hope everyone had a happy New Years!
#newyears #1stbookoftheyear #tbr

#AllAboutMe #AuldLangSpine
❄️ I‘ve lived in MA since 2002 & we‘re getting ready for a big storm tomorrow!
❄️ Here are my 3 favorite mammals. I call them “Blondie, Brunette, & Redhead”!
❄️ I designed the quilt block & my mom hand appliquéd it, but I stitched the red for Paul Revere‘s ride.
❄️ I‘ve read 75 books this year & plan to finish 77.
❄️ The pic of me & Riv was taken this summer at Pres J.Adams‘ carriage house at a book signing.

@ozma.of.oz It arrived this morning! #lmpbc

In a kingdom covered in constant winter, there‘s a beautiful princess with skin as pale as snow and hair black as night, and a fair Queen concerned about losing her power.

I loved this! So descriptive & atmospheric, with great world building & character relationships! It slowed down in the middle a bit, & the climax felt a little convoluted. I would have liked a little more development on the romance, but this was a lovely read! 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑

*sighs* just got a shift change at work. So now I get to stay up to reset my sleep schedule. Hopefully, this is only temporary.

But I‘ve got caffeine, chocolate, and books. Time to pull my first all nighter since college! 😂😂

Labeled as a dark, feminist retelling of Snow White, this was a fun read. I wouldn‘t consider it to be any darker than the original Grim version. However it was delightfully feminist & original. I think the author managed to find the essence of the female characters, allowing us to see deeper into their hearts then before & why that might lead them to certain choices. Set in a land cursed with perpetual winter it‘s perfect for this time of year.⬇️

Here's my June #bookspinbingo card @TheAromaofBooks

4 more and I could have cleared the board...

You know i really didn't know what to expect from this one since I never hear it talked about but I really enjoyed it! It was a really fun Snow White retelling that took the characters and really explored them more. I also really loved how they split certain characters into two or combined others. Also Sapphic romance 💜💜

4/5⭐ This is a really great, fleshed out, nuanced retelling of the Snow White fairy tale. The author balanced the magical aspects and action with the exploration of relationship dynamics really well. Definitely one of the better retellings out there.

Can I just stay home & read?

Eh. Absolutely beautiful writing. A very loose “retelling” based off the story surrounding Snow White‘s birth, but that‘s about where the similarities end. Didn‘t mind that, however, as it was a very inventive story. Gorgeous symbolism. It‘s a “So-So”, though, because it felt very dragging...:enough to put me into a small bit of a reading slump that kinda ruined the #SummersEndReadathon for me.

After a late start on Friday & no reading yesterday, I managed to get in 8 hours today for #24b4Monday & #SummersEndReadathon. While I doubt I‘ll make it to 24 because I have other things to do tomorrow, 16-18 hours is a reasonable goal to reach before Tuesday. As of now, I‘ve completed 3 books and am 30% through the 4th.

I don't know what's wrong with me, but I can't get into fairytale retellings 😱 I've tried quite a few and they just don't stick! That being said I still absolutely enjoyed reading this as a group! The beauty of #LMPBC !
I will get this back to you next week @johanna414 Thanks for being patient 😊
@TheBookKeepers @shadowfat

I gave this audiobook a chance and got about halfway through, but it just isn‘t interesting me. Billed as ‘Frozen‘ meets ‘The Bloody Chamber‘ I guess I was expecting something like Angela Carter, but it‘s not.

Got this one in today from our previous #LMPBC group! If you are okay with it I have another book I've been wanting to read and then I will dive into this one. You know I'm good for it and will get it back to you, @johanna414 !
@shadowfat
@TheBookKeepers

This was an interesting take on Snow White, I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. Sorry it took me so long to read @kellyann28 , I'll mail it out to you tomorrow. @TheBookKeepers @Johanna414 #lmpbc

This retelling of Snow White was a sweet tale and a very typical PG YA novel. I would have liked more grit and depth to it, but as it was, it was just very sweet. I felt like there was a lot more that could have been done with the story as it was a great bare bones story. It had elements that reminded me of the Snow White and the Huntsman movie, which I utterly love. That said, it was still a fun read and a great retelling of a fairy tale.

A lot of people don‘t like the book because it‘s slow, but this is honestly one of the best adaptations of Snow White I have ever read. This is about the bond between mother a daughter and the family you choose for yourself. This is about figuring out who you are, beneath the you people see.

Highly recommend

Finished this today! It was fun, but not a favorite. But I‘d still recommend it to the right type of reader. Hard to say more without giving anything away! I‘ll be mailing this to you tomorrow @Shadowfat
@Johanna414 @kellyann28

Beach read this morning! Just got home and I need recommendations for how NOT to fall asleep while reading lol! I‘m at that ultimate relaxation mode but I want to read and not sleep haha!!!

@TheSpineView thank you!!! Everything is so wonderful and I‘ve already lit the candle and it makes my house smell amazing! I‘m so excited to read all of these books and am so happy you threw in A Man Called Ove! Not gonna lie, I did pop a couple of the cashew chocolates and told my husband he had to hide them. They‘re very good and I‘m afraid I‘ll eat the whole bag before breakfast! Thank you!
#scififantasyswap #sffs #litsyswaps #swaphaul

It has arrived!!! @Johanna414 @kellyann28 @Shadowfat #lmpbc

I finished this and will be passing it along on Monday or Tuesday. I really liked it! It wasn‘t super action packed or fast paced, but it was well written and just a solid retelling of Snow White, with some aspects of The Snow Queen added in. Looking forward to seeing what you all think of it! @TheBookKeepers @kellyann28 @Shadowfat #lmpbc

I started this on Jan 4th and struggled. I nearly bailed many times but while it didn‘t grab my attention and was easy to put down, it kept poking at me, demanding to be finished. This is a blended retelling of Snow White and The Snow Queen, but is also very much its own tale. It‘s a tale of love, loss, hope, and redemption, of bad decisions, betrayal, justice, and forgiveness. The more I think of it, the more I appreciate it. It‘s sneaky.

When you really want to curl up in some blankets and read, it you‘re at work and have to grade outlines... I am sooooooo ready for this week to be over!

I‘m usually reading anywhere from 3 to 10 books at a time, so there‘s always something I can just pick up and read without thinking too hard about what I‘m in the mood for. Somehow, the only book I‘m currently reading is an audiobook... which means I have to actually decide what I‘m in the mood to start.
I just spent 5 minutes looking at the covers of these. Then I read the first chapter of each. Then I looked at the covers for awhile again...

Taking a break from the kids and husband to lay in bed with this little cuddler, Ruby, for an hour or so... trying to decide which book to start next. Or maybe I‘ll just take a nap!

Here‘s what I‘m thinking for our next round of #lmpbc #groupg
Any of these look good? Have you already read any? Any you are totally disinterested in?
@kellyann28 @TheBookKeepers @Shadowfat

Thanks so much @bookish_wookish for my #happilyeverafter book and gift. I am so excited to read this!

Every time, I tell myself I will not sign up for the Readathon, and then I do. I‘m going to run two timers...one for #24B4Monday, since that one gives me 3 days and another for #24in48. These are the books I really want to finish this weekend, but if I‘m honest, I‘ll probably bail on the tagged book. I‘m 120 pages into, haven‘t touched it in two weeks, and kind of dread opening it up again. 🤷🏻‍♀️

I‘ve fallen into a tiny slump and it‘s not even a big one. It‘s more a decision of what to read next. I have three books left on my list for the month and I‘m not feeling like reading any of them right now. The cold temps have me wanting to read the tagged book for some reason. No idea why.

I‘m struggling with this book. It‘s interesting, but dragging, and I feel like I have to force myself to pick it up after I put it down. I was going to try switching to audio, but then I saw the narrator. Doesn‘t anyone other than Jennifer Ikeda narrate YA? No offense to those that enjoy her narration, I don‘t. Her voice is like nails on a chalkboard to me. Guess it‘s back to the print copy for me.😔

My original goal for today was to finish this book. I figured 6 hours was doable for a Saturday. It‘s now 9:30 pm and I haven‘t read a single page. Instead, I spent 4 hours reorganizing the bookshelves in my great room and hallway to accommodate all the Christmas purchases. I‘m now going to read until the muscle relaxer I had to take for my lower back knocks me out. What are the odds I‘ll remember anything I read tonight? 🤪😴😴

As a reward for finishing a book I started last year, I‘m grabbing the first of my TBR recommendations from Book Riot. Fingers crossed (and yes, I‘ve been having way too much fun with Photoshop Express).

Thank you @OriginalCyn620 for my #jolabokaflodswap goodies! I can‘t wait to do some reading! Merry Christmas Eve everyone!! Thanks to @MaleficentBookDragon for hosting!

#adventrecommends Day 10
I didn't expect to like this one as much as I did. Surprised myself. It was really good!
#ya #youngadult

I decided to splurge on MyTBR personalized recommendations from BookRiot and my first set of recommendations arrived today and I couldn‘t be more excited. I‘ve only heard of one of these, but I can‘t wait to read all three!

Not a great month for me. Girls Made of Snow and Glass was my favorite, followed by Leah on the Offbeat.
#julystats #julyreads #youngadult

First book read for #24in48! Not a favorite but I admire what the author did with her retelling of Snow White. The main reason this isn‘t a pick for me is because of the lack of urgency. On to the next one!

First book being read for #24in48 is Girls Made of Snow and Glass. Unfortunately I work tonight and tomorrow night so I‘m not sure how much I‘ll be able to read this weekend, but I‘m going to give it my best shot!

This is a BEAUTIFUL book. The writing is gorgeous, the character voices are nuanced and distinct, and the complicated relationship between daughter and stepmother runs so deep it aches.

It essentially mixes the fairytales of Snow White and the Snow Queen, but grounds both in two intense protagonists. It's supurb.

(Also, Lynet has a subplot romance with another girl, which just makes me happy)

#fairytales #fantasy #queerlit #queerya

A rare 5 star review from me. I do not like fairy tale retellings AT ALL and the kingdom setting is so played out in recent YA that it deserves an eyeroll, but this story has its own heartbeat. I really like the writing style. The first few chapters were slow but once it picked up I was not bored again. The past/present transitions were sloppy and could have been better if the chapters were given a past header. I'm very impressed with this debut.

I'm liking this so far. 95 pages read today.

We went to Stranger Con today. Knowing I would be doing a lot of waiting I brought a book but I was too excited to read it! My daughter had a photo op with Mille and Noah, and got Millie's autograph.
I plan to start the tagged book tomorrow.

Brutus is taking a nap while I try out this book this evening. Anyone else read this one? Not my typical jam, but rising/dueling fantasy queens seems to be one of the YA publishing trends I need to get on board with for recommendations for teens this fall.

@LibrarianRyan You are so sweet and thoughtful. The bookhugger is fantastic! I'm so excited to use it! Still waiting on a few more items for your box and then it will be on its way. I appreciate how kind you are. You really put a lot of time in to your creations and it shows. I will read the books soon. Thank you!!!❤❤❤
#makerswap

This is a debut and it shows--slow start and rushed, puppyish ending. She could have stated less outright and trusted the reader more.
But it was still really good. It's a story of the redemptive healing of love between women--I can't remember the last time I read a really good YA mother daughter story.
Lynet was likeable, but for me Mina was the real standout character.
I would definitely hand this to a teen girl any time.