Welcome to Litsy!

#Read2025 Told from two different perspectives in two different eras, I enjoyed hearing how all the pieces fit together. How much can a 21st century American woman really know about a woman who lived in 18th century London? From finding a single vial in an impromptu mud larking excursion, a budding historian takes an intellectual journey as well as a journey of self-discovery.

will be devouring this this long weekend #readinglife #readinggoal

I know this book has gotten some mixed reviews, but I think that has more to do with misleading marketing than any issue with the story itself.

Do not go into this book expecting the excitement and suspense of a murder mystery. There is no big moment of revelation. There is, however, a wonderful slow build up, a weaving of past and present into a tapestry of feminine strength and self-determination. I found it beautiful and mesmerizing.

#WickedWhispers Day 24 prompt-potions
@Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

#HauntedShelf #FrightClub team @Jadams89
#BookRecommendation Unpopular opinion but I enjoyed this book and the cover is beautiful 👌

815 pts (previous) + 30 pts (current) = 845 pts

Miss Priss says hello 🐾🤎 🍂

Planning on reading this one soon! #TBR

#WickedWhispers
#Potion

Thanks to these Litsy folks for today‘s prompt:

#WICKEDWHIPSERS
@Eggs
@AlwaysBeenALoverOfBooks

TODAY‘S PROMPT: POTION

A great read - her second book was not a good one for me!!

Have you read The Lost Apothecary or The London Seance Society?

Thanks to these Litsy folks for today‘s prompt:

#WICKEDWHIPSERS
@Eggs
@AlwaysBeenALoverOfBooks

TODAY‘S PROMPT: POTION

A great read - her second book was not a good one for me!!

Have you read The Lost Apothecary or The London Seance Society?

Finally finished this one!!! Caroline has rekindled her love for history after stumbling on the mystery of an 1800‘s apothecary. Loved the travel in time between two women navigating their own personal heartache and life story. 💜🧪🖤 #BlackCatCrew #HauntedShelf #WordSearch #TBR

#weekendreads So thankful for a slow Saturday and am definitely enjoying this one!!! 🧡🖤💜Not my typical genre, but I am loving it so far with the back and forth POV with every chapter. A little mystery, a little spook, and some modern heart break…yes!!!
@Avanders @KadaGul @BookmarkTavern @JessClark78

#withdualtimeline #aboutabook @Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

This felt more like a cozy mystery. It was pretty muted. The characters feel mostly forgettable.
Reading it with my eyes was just okay. But the audiobook really pushed it to ⭐️⭐️⭐️ for me.
Not a bad book at all, just not for me.
Spoiler in comments.

07.19.2024

This cover had me at HELLLLLLLO! 😍

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Beautiful cover with a wonderful story within the pages! Two timelines and three character perspectives, but all transitions were seamless and easy to follow. Another great #audioread!

Enjoyed ‘The London Seance Society‘ so I went ahead and read this one too, I did the audio edition.
I liked this one a bit more than I did LSS. Strong women, friendship, strong women. If you been around her long enough you know I love a strong female character/bad ass female. Those book had several.
4⭐️ highly recommend.

My bookclub pick. I was hyped for it and given my Herbalism studies, this should be far more interesting and entertaining. But it fell very flat with me and in many ways far too unrealistic when it came to the modern timeline (specifically her Cambridge studies). I definitely didn't love the motivation of the apothecary either.
Pictured is Bloodroot, sanguinaria canadensis- toxic.

Fantastic read! This was my book club‘s choice and my #bookspin for March. Told in a dual timeline between current day and the late 1700s, with three narrators (one present and two past), this story has twists and turns and a puzzle to solve. Caroline discovers a vial that takes her on a historical journey to uncover an apothecary‘s secrets. Strong female characters, self discovery and mystery, woven together into a fast paced novel. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Started this one tonight. It is my Book Club‘s current pick. It hooked me right away, and seems like it will be a fast read. ❤️📚

2/5 - Very light so-so
I would have preferred a story only focusing on the past, as the modern story is 1) a pseudo self-help disguised as fiction (a crisis in the marriage, she leaves to be alone, after not even a week, she's on the mend, all that peppered with self-analysis 🙄), and 2) highly unrealistic (in relation to the studies in Cambridge).
The story of the apothecary is interesting, but the end is... disappointing.

Edit: the more I think / talk about this book, the more I hate it. Changing from "so-so" to "pan". ?

This book was great until the last third. Without spoiling anything, it just felt like the ending was rushed. I don't normally say this (in fact I usually say the opposite), but I think it would have benefitted from another hundred pages or so.

Whyyyy did it take me so long to read this one?! I'm sailing through it.

Happy New Year, everyone! Cheers to discovering great books and crushing reading goals in 2024. 🍾🥂📚

My favourite book for February was The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner. #12booksof2023

Tackle the TBR 📚🤓
What are you reading?
#boleybooks #TheLostApothecary #SarahPenner #bookbeast #bookjoy #bookbuds #bookchat

#AutumnPlease #Poison

#AutumnPlease
Day 21 #Lost
#BlackCatCrew #Scarathlon
@Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

#Lost 💖 #AutumnPlease 👻🎃🕷️🤍🧡🖤

#BookNerd 🤓📚💙

Thanks to these folks for the Scarathon fun:

@Clwojick
@StayCurious

TODAY‘S CHALLENGE: POTION/MAGIC

I‘m sure everyone has read this book…if not, you probably will want to.

Who wouldn't like to solve a hundred-year-old mystery and especially one that had to do with poisons that were used to kill unfaithful husbands or boyfriends.

FULL REVIEW: https://tinyurl.com/ajuuknhx

I really liked this one. I have always been into potions as a kid, trying to mix "potions." So I feel like this book resignated with me. Also, the vibes are immaculate. I'm so glad I read this in October. The old time Lodon vibes ✨️yes✨️ I'm giving 4.5 instead of 5 because there were parts I thought were drawn out and wordy.

#FFFS

Wow wow wow! Thank you so much @Chrissyreadit for the amazing #FallingForFallSwap goodies! I absolutely love the campfire/s‘mores theme, what a cute clever idea! The candle smells wonderful and I can‘t wait to bake some goodies with the loaf pan and the baking cups. I‘ve been wanting to read both of those books too - my daughter read DJ&TS and highly recommended it but somehow I haven‘t gotten around to it. Thank you! 🍁🏕️ 🔥🧡📚

Thank you so much, @dabbe #book2book
@AllDebooks

2.5/5⭐ Eh, it was just okay. The themes of history in the margins and self-actualization could have been interesting, but they were hammered to death with telling over showing. The constant switches between POVs/timelines made it difficult to stay grounded. The ending was muddled and vague in a way the book hadn't led to. The audiobook narrators were very good. #buzzwordathon

To me, the allure of history lay in the minutiae of life long ago, the untold secrets of ordinary people.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️I can see where some would find this to be a slow moving, maybe even dull story. I loved it. But I have a deep love for herbalism, plant medicines and a splash of magic 💫 not so much a fantasy as a historical fiction with a hint of magical realism. Told in dual timelines London 1791 and Present day. #botm #thelostapothecary

#Book2Book @ALLDEBOOKS

Open to all who signed up using the form in #AllDeBook's original post. 🤗

@LiteraryinLawrence, @Soubhiville, @Cuilin, @TheBookHippie, @Lizpixie, @Clwojick, @Chrissyreadit, @BookwormAHN, @CSeydel, @julieclair, @Catsandbooks, @bcncookbookclub, @TheAromaofBooks, @Tineke, @Bookish_Gal, @KateReadsYA

When a friend buys you four books that are all spot on with your preferences…..I feel so SEEN!

Which one should I start with?!?!

#ThisIsLove #BooksAreMyLoveLanguage

#BookBinge
#IncludesRecipes
@Eggs
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Is it okay if some of the recipes are for poisons? 😃☠️🤷‍♀️

The historical storyline of the poison apothecary kept me listening. The present storyline was a distraction - I think generally when I am in the mood for historical fiction I prefer to remain immersed in the main period setting.

What was most enjoyable to me in this novel was the historical research in the present day to try and discover the supposed serial-killer apothecary in 1790s London. I love any book that makes me want to dig deeper into a topic. The present day difficulties between Caroline and James I could have done without, but I know why they were there. Overall, a soft pick, but I am intrigued by Sarah Penner and will read her 2nd book as well.

Thanks for the tags @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @IndoorDame @Cuilin
What a fun post! 🤩🤗😍
My current read is THE LOST APOTHECARY, and the song I chose to match it is “Criminal“ by Fiona Apple.

ALL are welcome to play! 🤗

I created a Spotify song list for all of the songs from this prompt so far. Feel free to add to it! The Title is “Litsy #BookNotes“ and here's the link:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0BweE8nr34nXd8ooqLtjey?si=8221fbe1136d4f3f

#BookSpin
#DoubleSpin
#BookedinTime

Thanks again for hosting, @TheAromaofBooks! 💙🖤🩵

Started reading this yesterday in an unexpected errand because it was the only thing available… and so far I‘m not sad I did. It has been quite a pleasant serendipity.

Very interesting story of an apothecary who helps women poison the devious men in their lives.

#thelostapothecary #withanindigocover

Read it in a day! Very fast and satisfying read set in London but spread out over 2 and a half centuries. The lead character is realistic, has normal reactions to life around her, and she has an interest in forgotten/lost history. The POV is split between 3 women of varying ages and eras (main character is the modern-times character), their stories intertwining to create a cool, atmospheric tale that you are sure to dig!

Told from the perspective of three different women in two different times, The Lost Apothecary is the story of a woman who uses her knowledge of 18th century medicine to help the women of London kill the men who wronged them.

It was ok. I think I would‘ve enjoyed it more if it went more into the apothecary story and the modern research. I struggled to care about Eliza at all.

This was a mid book for me. Nothing remarkable, quick simple read. I liked the premise and wish we got more of the historical aspects or a story that focused on their journey more. I also was not a fan of the husband at all and have a spoiler related question in the comments for others! This is something I‘d recommend to people who are just getting into reading and need a simple story with slight intrigue.

Started this book 2 days ago as next in #blindbookdate series and it‘s my #bookspin for June! Only a couple chapters left so I‘ll finish it tonight!

Decent standalone read. Finding happiness, dont need a man- vibes.
It's nothing earth-shattering but quick read based in 1700s and modern day.

I liked this book despite all the things wrong with it. I loved the idea-a secret apothecary where woman can purchase poison to right the wrongs men have created. Yes! Old timey London! Yes! Multiple POVs! Yes! Pointless side story about a cheating husband? Toss it! Obsession by multiple characters with babies? Blah! The “I‘m not like other girls” attitude of the main character? Ugh! It could have been an amazing but even so, it‘s a fun read.

This book tells a dual-time story of three women in London; the dark past of a woman-owned apothecary. The plot kept my attention — even though it‘s a bit unbelievable. There were some good twists! But the characters brought it down for me. They felt one-dimensional, & I did not understand their decisions most of the time. I could definitely see why someone would like this book, but it just wasn‘t my top pick bc I often value characters over plot.

Great cover. Great subject matter to play with. Quick read. But… there were definitely some character issues. At points there were actions that just didn‘t make sense and had me shaking my head.

I‘ll still give it a pick though. It just could have been so much more.

For me, so-so