Welcome to Litsy!

Good morning, everyone! The moment you have all been waiting for!! Our official #BookSpin number is THREE! Our official #DoubleSpin number is FIVE!! I have thoroughly enjoyed looking at everyone‘s lists & am really looking forward to seeing your reviews!!

My next post will be the #BookSpinBingo card. I am NOT tagging anyone on that post!! If you want to bingo, please just check my profile for the card. This saves me having to double tag ⬇

I didn‘t realize how appropriate this would be to read during December. It may partly be reading it during this season, but Buechner‘s reflections here all seem to center on and circle around the Christmas story—and on Christ—moving through themes of darkness and light, doubt and faith. Buechner‘s writing is gorgeous as always, and the prayers that conclude each chapter are especially rich & meaningful. This was my November #DoubleSpin. ⤵️

I really, really liked this—and I also read it at the beginning of July, so my memory is a little sketchy.

Poirot is called in to solve a 16-years-old case, by the daughter of the woman who was convicted of the murder. He examines the accounts of the five people who were present, investigating the contradictions and conflicts between their memories of that day. I went back and forth on who I thought was the murderer… ⤵️

I‘ve loved John O‘Donohue‘s writing in the past. His book of blessings (To Bless the Space Between Us) always has something rich and meaningful to offer, and I‘ve often come across quotations from O‘Donohue‘s work that are exactly what I need when they cross my path. So I had high expectations for this one, having had it on my TBR for some time.

O‘Donohue offers an exploration of Celtic spirituality as he examines friendship, the senses, ⤵️

This is a quiet, internal story, with abuse, abandonment, and unanswered questions at its heart. Julia—pregnant at 41—returns to her hometown after 23 years away. She‘s searching for answers & some measure of resolution about her past. I appreciated the nuance with which Hegi paints her characters—acknowledging both the repercussions of abuse & abandonment, and the unreliability of memory—as Julia struggles to reconcile the past & move forward.⤵️

The #BookSpin fates are whispering “read your challenge books.” My BookSpin will fulfill 1953 for the #192025 challenge AND # 15 (BIPOC author I‘ve meant to read) for my #50x50 birthday challenge (which I‘ve neglected in favor of finishing 192025 😆) My #DoubleSpin is any #50x50 book. I‘m debating between the three on the right: Last Unicorn (classic children‘s fantasy), Mabinogion (Arthurian), and Hungering Dark (published before I turned 10).

Oh, this was good. Rich world-building, unique magic system, complex characters, nuanced political dynamics, and a fascinating examination of power, culture, history, and gender. All wrapped up in a fast-paced chosen-one/coming-of-age story with a (very complicated) found family vibe. The author makes bold choices here, exploring several very heavy themes and offering some jaw-dropping twists that kept me on my toes. Now I need the sequel!

Fast-paced, snarky, ridiculous, and fun—this was just as expected. During the COVID pandemic, Jamie takes a job working for a secretive “animal rights organization” and finds himself part of a team studying and caring for, well—Kaiju. On an alternate world adjacent to our own. Naturally, hijinks ensue. I read this for my #50x50 challenge, for prompt 12 - a book I gave to someone else but still haven‘t read. (Well, now I have 😆) ⤵️

I loved this. Manguel writes about being a reader in ways that are so relatable, even though I‘m pretty sure his reading is much more erudite than my own! Starting with reflections on setting up his own library, Manguel uses each chapter to examine a different aspect of libraries—the library as myth, as order, as space, as imagination, and so on. He brings together historical tidbits about personal and national libraries with his own reflections⤵️

🤖 Finished System Collapse yesterday, completing my Murderbot re-read
⚔️ Started Guards! Guards! for #OokBOokClub
🐶 Beautiful Joe is ongoing for #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMAdjacent
📚 I‘ve been parceling out an essay per day of The Library at Night, which is my May #BookSpin and also a pick for my #50x50 challenge