Welcome to Litsy!

This month‘s sci-fi and fantasy book club pick. It‘s all seasonally appropriate and such.

"All paths lead to the same place, and that place is whatever comes next."

#GratefulReads @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @OriginalCyn620

Retold fairytales are a favorite of mine. I saw this book around Christmas time and was so excited to start it. I imagined that I'd be transported to a magical world I'd never want to leave. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. After forcing myself to finish it, I was bored, lost, and confused because it seemed to have nothing to do with The Nutcracker.

Oh well, you can't love them all.

#BCCUNBOXING Received this today as well can‘t wait to read Everything I need to know I learned in the twilight zone 😍

This was an interesting story about Godfather Drosselmeier and how the Nutcracker came to be. It was steeped in both the real world and the world of dreams, myth, and imagination. I didn‘t have any expectations going in and enjoyed this back story even though I found it a bit confusing at times. This was my “book gifted to you” for #Booked2019. ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

I‘m reading this for my “book gifted to you” for #Booked2019. Thanks again, @Victoriahoperose !

I haven‘t done a picture challenge in a long time so I decided to try #LiteraryLuck . I almost forget to post for the first day! 😂 My March #TbrShelfie that isn‘t really on a shelf! This is just the start for March, I‘m hoping to read 17 books off my tbr shelf. Feeling some Agatha Christie right now. 🤔😎

By far the best Gregory maguire book I‘ve read. While I enjoyed this book, it was not what I was expecting. From the tag line on the cover, I expected a full on nutcracker retelling. This was actually Godfather Drosselmeier‘s story, with the bit about Klara and the Nutcracker and the Mouse King thrown in at the very end. So while on one level I was disappointed, I was still able to enjoy this book for what it actually was.

Unfortunately, I didn‘t get as much reading done over the weekend as I had wanted, so I only got a start on this. I‘m coming up on the halfway point and I‘m already enjoying this a million times more than Wicked or Mirror Mirror. It gives me hope for the other 2 books of his I still have on my shelf.

Well, I gave this book until nearly 50%. But it never grabbed me. It‘s a origin story for Herr Drosselmeier from The Nutcracker. For me, it held none of the magic of the fairy tale. Drosselmeier is a wandering kid who never pulled at my heartstrings. He‘s mostly a nincompoop. I give up.

p.s. I knew this #fairytaleretelling prompt for #booked2019 would be a challenge for me. It‘s just not my jam.

Happening at my house right now. We had a busy day, a super yummy dinner. Now it‘s football, naps, and trying to get some pages in on this not-so-good #fairytaleretelling.

I am so disappointed with this book. The beginning started really well and interesting and then it just got boring. I didn't care that much about any of the characters. It just dragged till the end. 2 out of 5 stars.

It‘s been about two years since I climbed in the tub. So I picked up a bath bomb to celebrate! And I‘ve got to spend some time with the book, for my #fairytaleretelling prompt.

#emptynestisagoodthing #missyadontmissya #bathsoflitsy #bathbombsoflitsy

Starting this one for my #booked2019 #fairytaleretelling prompt. Another book with mixed reviews, but so far I like it. And I have two in reserve just in case ...

@4thhouseontheleft @Cinfhen

Where to even begin with this book. I went in thinking it was a retelling of The Nutcracker. This is more like a prequel to the Nutcracker, with some interpretation from the author towards the end. For me, this was not as good as The Wicked Years.

Writing 5/5
Characters 4.8/5 some of the more minor ones could be expanded upon.
Pace 4.5/5 at some points this story just dragged.
World Building 5/5 I enjoyed the world

Overall:19.3/30

My holiday festivities don‘t start until this evening, so using the time to get in so much needed relaxation and reading.

@Gissy - you are truly a sweet, thoughtful, amazing person. ❤️🖤 I just opened the #Nightmare4Christmas package, and everything was perfect! I love it all, and I basically squeed every time I opened something new. The artwork is absolutely stunning, and I‘m loving all the IT gifts. And, of course, the books! 😍 I‘m looking forward to drinking some PR coffee in the mug tomorrow morning!

You really did stalk me well. 😉

Thank you, thank you ❤️💚

He stayed in Meersburg another eight years, until the boys were more or less grown.

This was an odd, fascinating story. I‘ll definitely be thinking about it for a while! A “backstory” to The Nutcracker that tells the story of Godfather Drosselmeier and how he came to carve the nutcracker of fame. I might have enjoyed this more if I had more knowledge of The Nutcracker. That said this made me want to read more about it!

I‘m about 43 pages into this and while I‘m not sure if I like it or not this quote from it is just too relevant not to share.

Was music beautiful because it was full of mystery, Dirk wondered, or was it full of mystery because it was beautiful?

I‘m having difficulties rating this one. I found parts quite boring and skimmed, while certain passages were beautiful. I liked the exploration of the relationship between Dirk and Felix, and there was some fabulous dialogue and wit sprinkled throughout. Just wish it was a bit more engaging. Right time of year for the dark, melancholy mood though.

Please tell me I‘m not the only one who occasionally accidentally orders #largeprint from the library.

What a great ebook deal!

A beautiful, haunting, rambling retelling of the story The Nutcracker

It didn't always make very much sense to me but I enjoyed it nonetheless

I'd like to read this again in the winter. Preferably next to a fireplace, under a blanket, with some hot chocolate 😊😋☕

My 100th book of the year! 💯🎉
#goodreadschallenge ✔️

I‘m not gonna lie; I bought this book because I liked the cover. I‘m super excited about reading it, though. The prose is descriptive and lovely while still reading like a fairy tale

I‘m honestly not sure what I thought about this book, other than I liked it. I‘m not even sure how many stars to give it. On GR, I gave it 3, but that could change.

Whenever I read one of Maguire‘s books, I‘m always wondering what is symbolism and what is straightforward. I never felt this way until I read a review of Wicked, and was so perplexed by what that reader got that I didn‘t, that I wondered if I was missing out [cont. in comments] ⬇️

If I were a Kindle, where would I be? (And it‘s not even mine, it‘s my mom‘s that she let me borrow while I recovered from surgery. 😫) I haven‘t left the house in several days, so it‘s in here. I‘ve misplaced it since this morning, and it‘s driving me bonkers because I always read before bed. I don‘t like starting a new book until I‘ve finished my current one, but I think I‘m going to have to tonight. 😕 I have

The world hasn‘t changed much...😕 #quotsy #currentlyreading

2. Maybe head to Lowe‘s to check out sales on patio furniture.
3. Hotdogs. And every other thing!
#ManicMonday

I really wanted to like this one, but I felt like I spent the whole book waiting for something to happen. Even when something did happen, it always seemed “off camera”.

Doing some extra duty tonight. Basically sitting in a parking lot keeping an eye on a business. The perfect work for an audiobook! #ipromiseimworking

#MarchMunchies #pears ?In the book Hiddensee, young Klara imagines having a cafe with "...chicken and olive soup. Also some pears on toast... " which inspired me to make Pear Toast with Pomegranate and Walnuts as the book-inspired dish for my blog book tour review. It's no avocado toast ? but it was pretty tasty. ??

I started this book yesterday. I've had it for a while but kept putting it off because it has such mixed reviews. So far I like it and I'm interested to see how it unfolds.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I am surprised by how much I ended up liking this book. The Nutcracker is one of my favorite Christmas stories and every time I‘ve read a retelling I‘ve been disappointed. The first half was really slow and I felt no connection to the main character. At the half way point I felt like my perception shifted. I appreciated the writing style differently. It made me think and question things. If you like the Nutcracker, this is worth reading.

Picked up a signed copy of Hiddensee today. Love when I find these hiding on the shelves.

DNF this book. After pushing through almost 100 pages, I gave up on this one because of the writing style and story path.

Struggling through this book so far...

After finishing Caraval, I was ready to read something else. I started Hiddensee last night and I am slowly getting to know the characters.

Hiddensee kept my interest and it was fun to learn about Drosselmeier from the Nutcracker. I loved the Grimm‘s Fairy Take characters sprinkled throughout the book! The ending felt a bit rushed. I actually went back a page because I thought I missed something! Overall, another creative retelling from Mr. Maguire.

I can see the mixed reviews: not as much a nutcracker retelling as it is the story of a boy who grows up in a dark German forest who has a little bit of magic in him. It‘s less about Klara and the actual nutcracker and more about Herr Drosselmeyer growing up.

I can see how this has been getting mixed reviews. It was definitely almost so-so for me. If you're expecting Nutcracker-esque magic, then you'll be very disappointed. If, like me, you always found Godfather Drosselmeier to be extremely captivating and are open to interpretation, you may enjoy it. I appreciate the tonal shift from precious fairytale in the first couple chapters to a kind of sober curiosity. (Cont. in comments)

This was delightfully magical, though threaded through with a sense of regret, too; that there are realms we cannot visit except with the imagination of a child, though it isn‘t until we‘re well past childhood that we have a proper appreciation for those magical escapes. Like all of Maguire‘s works, this was masterfully-crafted. Definite pick. #hiddensee #gregorymaguire #thenutcracker

In usual Maguire style he explores the front and backside and fills in the gaps to what we've all been wondering around the classic tale of the nutcracker. Another interesting work in character development!

"The vagabond human spirit requires a chart of possibilities in order to keep putting one foot in front of another, keep licensing the next heartbeat after the previous."

Trying to spend some quality time with the book while also trying to drown this damned cold with as much Candy Cane Lane tea as I can make. You‘d think people would realize not to ask me questions that require long answers when they realize I have no voice. 🤷🏻‍♀️🤧 (People are dumb.) #hiddensee #gregorymaguire