Welcome to Litsy!

Choice #2 of #profstaceytbr book club is the book tagged. If you are looking for a witches theme book club/buddy read for October, join us by downloading the fable app and using the link below to the club. All are welcome!

https://fable.co/club/prof-staceys-tbr-book-club-with-stacey-lettini-33812063356...

This was a page turner for me. And it gives me another bingo. #Scarathlon #TeamHendrix #Screamathon #SpookOWeen #Wickedathon #OutstandingOctober #BookSpinBingo #ReadWithUs

At the half-way mark: bailed. The story is like an overwrought Hallmark movie … with witchcraft. A debut novel with some nice, albeit trite images. Maybe Ms Fox will grow into her craft.

This book wasn't what I expected but in a good way. It was gothic and dark, and covered topics that some might find upsetting. The overall atmosphere of the book was strange and it made the book mysterious. I liked Lydia as a MC as she liked reading and had a herb garden. The romance reminded me of Pride+Prejudice at first, and it's a big part of the story. I wish the book had more witchcraft other than the last half, it seemed more of a thriller.

"Never stop learning. A lifetime is not long enough to gather up all the knowledge of our kind. That is why we pass it down."

Thank you @bookish_wookish I love everything in my #CreepyChristmasSwap package the peppermint popcorn smells amazing and omg Oggie from NBC 😍. The bookmarks are adorable the candle was in one piece. And I can‘t wait to read the books. The chocolate was already claimed by my hubby lol. @teebe

Did some audio cookie prepping as this has to be refrigerated overnight. I was going to make some other cookies but ran out of sugar lol. With the baby I might be making cookies over several days.... #merryreaders #wintergames @Clwojick

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Started it for the spooks, stayed for the:

Historical Fiction ✔️
Gothic Lit ✔️
Fall Vibes ✔️
Haunted House ✔️
Ghosts ✔️
Witches ✔️
Scandals ✔️
Romance ✔️
Plot Twists ✔️

An absolute page turner. Couldn‘t put it down.
Still waiting on my John Barrett, though. *sigh*.

I probably won‘t finish anymore book, so here‘s my #SeptemberStats

Finished 15 books this month
5 Audiobooks
3 Middle Grade
2 LGBTQ+
3 POC
11 Women Authors

Made 2 #BookSpinBingo ‘s

I‘m happy with my month! Liked almost all of the books I read.

#BookReport - I finished 7 books this week! I have no idea how that happened. 3 were audiobooks. And they were all great and I loved them all with the exception of 1 that I was eh about.

Since I just finished Mexican Gothic last night, I have nothing In Progress at the moment.

#WeeklyForecast - Start and Finish Dresden on Audio
And start these 2 books to try and get a bingo! And I‘m sure I‘ll pick up a couple other things.

Got my first bingo!

This book was sooo good! Definite fall vibes. I couldn‘t put it down at the end!

Creepy house ✅
Ghosts ✅
Witches ✅
Scandal ✅
Romance ✅

#BookSpinBingo
#SuperSeptember - Book 4 finished

Here is my #SeptemberTBR - with these books, I should be able to get 3 bingos 🤞🏻🤞🏻

Can you tell I plan to be in the gothic mood? 😂

#bookspin #bookspinbingo

If you get new shelves but don't christen them with a few new books, did you really get new shelves?

I really enjoyed Willow Hall so I have high hopes for Pale Harbor! I know the author has a new one coming out soon too so looking forward to that one as well.

#bookmail

Oh I should've learnt that I don't get on with YA fiction! I liked the Gothic premise of this book but it was so predictable and full of teen angst; a plain-looking girl meets a dark, serious, troubled boy, while she's being guided by supernatural forces to discover her family secrets and the power within herself, yadda yadda... I'm afraid I got frustrated and lost interest after about 80 pages! ⭐

I loved this throwback to gothic literature. Witches, ghosts, scandal, a small New England village in the 19th century...Yes, please!

#NFNov #Confession I miss fiction! I am loving learning about different topics but I miss fiction so much!

Absolute gem! Loved it! Amazed

1. The Witch of Willow Hall
2. Not sure! But definitely will be reading The Supernatural Enhancements within the next month for LMPBC!
3. The Cuckoo's Calling

#weekendreads @rachelsbrittain

Currently reading this gothic-y, witchy read. Perfect for mid-october. #currentlyreading #historicalfiction

One of the cool elements about this book is that the heroine, Lydia, likes to read gothic fiction like The Monk and Mathilda, and yet she somehow becomes entangled in a story of her own just like the same kind of books she reads about: shocking, dramatic, uncanny. I loved the meta idea entwined. This book reads more like a gothic book with a Regency Austen romance blended in more than an outright witch story. Another pick.

This one was probably bound to be a good one for me: historical fiction, witches, a little bit of spookiness, and just a touch of romance. I really liked the main character and the way the tension builds throughout while more and more secrets are revealed. Good writing and great narration on the audiobook make it another #screamathon pick.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Really loving this one so far. @StillLookingForCarmenSanDiego You know me all to well. Thanks my friend ❤️

#7Days7Covers Day 5 #CoverLove
@UwannaPublishme want to join in 😺

I love books about three sisters. And also historical fiction. And also books about witches. So this was right up my alley. I also love how much the name of the author sounds like a witch name too.

Oh my goodness! Thank you for the lovely birthday surprise, @FantasyChick ! I love it! ❤️❤️❤️ I‘m really looking forward to reading this!

@TheRomantiCate such wonderful gifts and such a wonderful package!!! I love everything so much! Sweetie you outdid yourself 😍😍😍 Thank you so very very much for everything 😘😘😘

#MysteryMessageSwap

For others who have read this, does Catherine have a SINGLE redeeming quality?! I‘m 70% through and she is still the worst at this point...

“I don‘t know what it is exactly, but I feel safe when he‘s nearby. Not that there‘s any reason I should be afraid. It‘s more like finding something you never knew you were missing.”

“I test my smile the way she always does in the mirror, but the result is strained, and instead of looking pretty and lighthearted, I look like a bee just flew up my skirt.”

“The house, with its strict walls and severe lines, is shamefully out of place, something modern dropped down somewhere as soft as feathers, as twisty and spreading as willow roots.”

Reading date with these two 💝

These two books arrived in the mail today!
The Witch of Willow Hall and When We Left Cuba. #BookBuy

A spooky historical fiction is exactly what I have been craving. The first half of the book was dramatic and unsettling. I felt as if I were in Willow Hall with Lydia. My only complaint is that midway through it turned to more of a romance and had less paranormal aspects.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book was so good. It was filled with drama, scandals, plot twists, and intrigue. Hester Fox's debut novel was beautifully written and I wasn't able to put it down. There wasn't alot of witchcraft or ghosts which I was surprised by but I think it made it more realistic since in 1821 secrecy was key for anyone who was suspected of witchcraft. It was a great read and I can't wait for her next novel! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

"Why couldn't mother have gotten here a cat, I I think as I said off into the thicket behind the old building, wiping rain from my eyes. Cats don't go romping about in downpours. Cats stay warm and dry in front of a fire, just like I wish I was right now." ?

"We've only been here a day, but it already feels too full of ghosts of a happy family that might have been."

"Catherine I told me that bad children were often sent to Australia, a desert land where they were forced to build their own prisons out of sun-baked mud bricks. The only food was rats roasted on spits, and there wasn't a book on the whole island."

So I finished #24B4Monday Day 1 with 7 hours and 42 minutes. Finished one book and am hoping to finish a couple more by tomorrow. Have a couple ARCs I need to finish. Can't wait for tomorrow

@TheReadingMermaid @Andrew65

I‘ve been into light escapism reading lately. I‘m digging this one so far. ❤️

I love maps in books. They help keep everything straight. I used to ignore them and one day I looked at one and realized my idea of where everything was in this fictional world was all messed up 😂

OMG I'm so excited! I almost bought this book the other day and today I went and got my mail and my sister got it for me as a surprise! Can't wait to read it!

Donuts, coffee, and a good book... Starting the day off right 🍩☕📗

Current read & cookie 😋

I went into this expecting a lot of fantasy with some gothic interweaving and lots of magic and supernatural happenings. So I was not expecting the more emotional and romantic focus that was most of the plot. While it was interesting and I did enjoy this book, it really wasn't what I was hoping for. I felt like there was so much else that could have been done, especially with the ambience and beautiful writing.

I‘m not going to finish another book tonight, so here are my January reads. Not a strong reading month, but The Passage was 800+ pages, and I had a really busy month at work, so I‘m still proud of my progress. Emma was an Audible production, An Absolutely Remarkable Thing was from #BOTM, and the tagged book a library checkout, so I was pretty omnivorous with my reading!

Settling in for a reading bath. 🛀🏽📖

Stopped by the library to see if they had a specific book, ended up checking out four unrelated books when I couldn‘t find the first book.

I have to head back to work tomorrow so I was going to go to bed early. But then this happened...

Here's my stack for #24b42019!! I'm really looking forward to this #readathon. I'm quietly confident I'll hit 24 hours this time!
I'm already a decent way through 'The Greatest Love Story Ever Told' and 'The Raven Boys'.
The top row are audiobooks that I aim to get through, and the tagged book was a Christmas gift from my mum.

@Andrew65
@TheReadingMermaid

I'm not sure which of the books I bailed on I should nominate.

There were quite a few.

#unpopularopinion

I didn't like the tagged book. It was very slow. It seemed to drag. Also, some of the descriptions just didn't make sense.

#worstreads

I received this as a book club freebie. Not sure how the other members will like it. I thought it was well written and kept my interest. There wasn't a lot about the ghost aspect, and I didn't find it very creepy, but it was a nice story.