Welcome to Litsy!

In 1863, Jules Verne wrote a novel of a future Paris. A Paris where the writers & artists are forgotten, & all is done in service of industry & money. & poor Michel is a poet just trying to survive.

This felt just so very sad. Full marks for the terrifyingly accurate predictions of industrialization, the sanitation/devaluation of entertainment, & the rise of capitalism. Stars taken away for a dull plot & really uninteresting characters.🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑

An in depth exploration on introversion in a world that currently values extroversion.

This was fascinating! A lot of information, along with personal anecdotes made this an interesting read. I wish I had found this book when I was in high school when I was absolutely convinced I was broken in some way, because I was so introverted. There‘s value in how we see the world. 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑

What if it‘s not a prince that rescues Rapunzel, but Jack after his Beanstalk adventures? Together they must face faeries, monsters, & secrets to learn the truth of Rapunzel‘s past & save Jack‘s sister.

This was delightful, if a bit long. It gave me big Gail Carson Levine vibes. There are wonderful little references (Andrew Lang‘s fairy books!) throughout a powerful story about the loss of innocence, standing up for yourself, & family.🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑

W/ old friends coming for a visit, Trixie & the other BobWhites get swept up in the glamour of NYC, a strange statue, & a mysterious poem hinting at a great treasure.

Much bigger stakes in this one, & Trixie‘s recklessness reaches a new high. I really liked how integral Dan was at the end. Loved the intro of Dr Joe, & poor Ms Trask having to corral a bunch of headstrong kids while dealing w/ her own problems.🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑

A powerful collection of poetry following Vuong‘s journey of grief after the loss of his mother.

Incisive and sometimes brutal, this is a wonderful collection. But for me, Dear Rose was the strongest poem, by far, and actually brought me to tears & ended up with me texting my mother to let her know I love her. 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑

The princess is cursed to die by a spindle, she is stolen away & raised as ordinary. But her fairy gifts cause problems, & there is still the curse to worry about.

The scene setting is unparalleled, as I expected from McKinley, but lord the plot is glacial. I think I would have enjoyed this better as an audiobook as the writing is lush & lyrical. & I wasn‘t invested in the romance. I kept thinking Rosie & Peony should get together.🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑

The powerful & brash young wizard Ged summons a shadow w/ no name. His quest to put it to rest will teach him more than he could ever predict.

GODDAMN! The beautiful, soft watercolor illustrations are the perfect pairing to the world of Earthsea. I want to put copies of a few pages on my walls. Everything feels ephemeral, & the story is just as powerful as I remember. This made me want to start a reread of the Earthsea saga.🌕🌕🌕🌕🌗

Honey‘s family is hosting a child violin prodigy while the BobWhites are trying to recreate a collection of pressed flowers for a teacher. Only, there is something out in the local marsh.

This was a mostly Trixie & Honey story. Di is barely there, the boys are in the background, & poor Dan only gets mentioned once. But we also see Trixie learning to not judge people by 1st impressions. & we meet an antagonistic journalist. 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑

Feeling curious & trying to escape a bully, Saffron follows a mysterious woman through a portal, & lands in a world of magic & queens & prophecy.

I love portal fantasies! & this was a fun 1! All the most important characters are women, the fantasy world is queer normative, & such interesting magic. But for such an info dump heavy book, the world itself felt narrow, w/ a rushed romance & abrupt ending. Hopefully book 2 is better!🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑

Trixie & the BobWhites are at it again when sheep thieves are targeting the Belden‘s Uncle Andrew‘s farm!

We get to see the gang investigate another high stakes mystery, meet some new kids, some development on young love, & a dramatic rescue! More importantly, we get to see Trixie fail in her investigations, & then pick herself back up, apologize for her assumptions, & try, try again. It‘s always great to see failure treated as natural.🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑