Welcome to Litsy!

Finished 02 February 2025.

This quiet, powerful story tackles school bullying, anxiety, stress, forgiveness, & friendship. Seven students, victims of school bullying, find themselves traveling through a mirror & into a mysterious castle where one of them will be granted a wish. The story unfolds slowly as they overcome their distrust, learn to open up & trust again, & as they find the courage to confront their fears. Twists at the end offer even more emotional depth. ❤️

Today‘s reading is an award winning book from Japan…

What girl dinner looks like for a bisexual bibliophile? From the other night, as always my self cafe involved way too many drinks and books 😂 I ended up reading Funny Story and When Breath Becomes Air instead of Lonely Castle in the Mirror that night, but potayto potahto. 🙃

I feel conflicted abt this one bc it's a slow starter but it was honestly a good read if you get through it. I think it's less abt feeling a connection to these middle schoolers and moreso feeling compassion and understanding. I even teared up a bit. It's giving Your Name (anime) and After School Nightmare (manga). Some heavy topics

This is a story about kids who stop going to school, why, and how they grow to care for each other

Someone at work accidentally spoiled the identity of a character because they thought I'd finished it 😂😂😂 but it's ok, I'll act surprised when it happens lol #netgalleybacklog

Yes, Yoshi- among the countless cat beds we have, my books are definitely the most comfortable choice 😂

Currently reading and loving tagged book! I will definitely need to finish it this weekend, I‘m so intrigued! It‘s a quick read with deep topics. (Mainly bullying and its effects)

So glad I read this book! It follows the lives of seven struggling middle school students brought together through a portal that suddenly appears in the their bedroom mirror. As they spend time together they learn to support and find safety in each other, gaining confidence in themselves and a renewed hope for future. I appreciated that the book did not minimize the emotional impact bullying and the affect it can have on how you see yourself.

I love the title and cover of this, so I thought I‘d check it out.

I loved this so much. A perfect slow weird magic realism read that was SO original and unpredictable, quiet and gorgeous, and made me so emotional at the end. I loved the castle and how it worked as a space. It was such an interesting dreamed up space outside time and the real world. I really really love books wirh interesting approaches to imagining new weird dream spaces.

An extremely slow burn for the first 70-75%. Extremely character driven, lots of internal reflection, and surprisingly candid discussion and healthy relationships.

And that last 25% hurt my heart so bad I was crying while walking my dog.

So! I gotta recommend.

This was lovely & so unusual—I don‘t read books in translation often enough. The cultural differences & overall flavor of the novel were super interesting. It‘s less about the mysterious castle in the mirror than it is about the impact these characters have on one another—from depression, isolation, and loneliness, to connection & friendship. And the ending…🥹 This was a very huggable book, and a comfort read in spite of some of the heavy content.

Yay, it‘s #BookSpin day! I‘ve put together my #BookSpinBingo board, even though the odds that I will complete a bingo are rather low. If only all the chunkster buddy reads had lined themselves up in a row. 😆 I‘m tempted to cram in Bellwether & Havenfall for a bingo there on the left…or maybe one down the middle…but I‘ll see how the month goes.

BookSpin is tagged and DoubleSpin is the second Aristotle & Dante book. I‘m excited about both!

Next read. I‘m not blown away by the writing so far but I‘ve heard good reviews so I‘m hopeful.

Just finished this book. I am SOBBING at this ending. 🥺 and I can't tell you why without ruining it.

This was so good, especially the last 50 pages. I don't think I have ever reacted to a book this deeply before.

12/10 highly recommend.

7 students are lost and scared of the world until one day their bedroom mirrors shine brightly. One by one they enter a lonely castle. Their mission is to find a single key to unlock one single wish.

This list looks great! https://bookriot.com/books-like-studio-ghibli/

My current read for my bookclub with friends. This was my pick this month. ?

"Would you share your deepest secrets to save a friend?

In a tranquil neighbourhood of Tokyo, seven teenagers wake to find their bedroom mirrors are shining.
At a single touch, they are pulled from their lonely lives to a wondrous castle. They are confronted with a set of clues leading to a hidden room where one of them will be granted a wish."

Seven young Japanese students, all of whom are not regularly attending school, find themselves invited through a shining portal in their mirrors to a castle where they‘re given the chance to compete to have a single wish come true, under the mysterious supervision of a little girl in a wolf mask, in this moving, inventive, and hopeful novel about loneliness, connection, and belonging, highly recommended for fans of The Midnight Library. 💫🏰🐺

My initial impression that I wouldn't like this book turned out to be wrong, I'm pleased to say, as I ended up really enjoying it, and caring about the characters.
It deals with anxiety, bullying, isolation and how a sense of belonging can arise. The fantastical setting makes it mysterious and puzzling in an engaging way, but it's the relationships between the young people that are the heart of the tender and emotional story. 4.5🐺

I picked this up on a whim, it being displayed in the adult (with a small 'a'!) section of the bookshop, but it turns out to be a YA, which I usually find unengaging. That was the case for 50 pages, but I think I'm being drawn in now I'm at page 66. Too early to be sure about it though.
Seven middle-graders slip through their bedroom mirrors into a castle, where the Wolf Queen tells them they have a year to find a key to the Wishing Room, but ⬇️

I LOVED the ending of the book, I thought it was brilliant! Unfortunately, I wasn‘t crazy about the rest of it. There were too many explanations leading up to the end (and too much dialogue for me). Everything felt very choppy, and I had a hard time really getting immersed or falling in love with the characters. Like I said, the ending was perfect but wish it was more captivating leading up to it. Found myself desperately trying to finish it.

I‘m having a hard time getting through this book. I like the concept of the novel, but it‘s moving rather slowly. My biggest dislike is how dialogue heavy it is. There‘s ongoing pages of 7 characters going back and forth- so I‘ve been losing interest rather quickly every time I pick it up to read. I have a little less than 100 pages till I finish it, so I‘m gonna try my hardest to just get through it 🥴 leaving books unfinished is not my thing.

Super excited for this one 🤗

Mr K has taken to getting involved in #jolabokaflod ! And he choose me this book - he‘s not a reader but he can choose great reads for me! 🥰

I'm super pumped for this November Bloomin' readathon put together by booktubers alyvee and kirstea. 🌻🪴🌷🌵

I may be being overly ambitious, but I put together a TBR of 14 books to check every box. I'll post that as well because I'm overeager. 🙃

No longer able to attend school a group of junior high kids are pulled into the world of a mysterious little girl and her magic castle. These children are brought together neglect, isolation, bullying. The anxiety from the main character's own bullying episodes is constantly palatable. But in the end she finds the confidence through friendship and knowing she's not alone in her feelings to find her way in the world.

Worthwhile read!