Welcome to Litsy!

A quick #auldlangspine about me
@monalyisha @CSeydel

1. My name is Sarah

2. My husband and I met in Kansas, but now we live in Northwest Arkansas closer to where I grew up

3. We have two boys (3 and 1)

4. I work as a software engineer

5. Other than reading, my hobbies are knitting, crocheting, and journaling

6. I have one dog and two cats, all seniors now. The kitten in the photo is one of @rachelsbrittain's foster kittens

No sophomore slump from Leila Mottley. My first finish of 2026 and the first off my #AuldLangSpine list. It is a bit of a cheat as I read about the first 3rd earlier this year and set it aside when the world felt too heavy. I needn‘t have worried. Mottley writes about young women in hard circumstances but hope shines through. I sm so grateful @ncsufoxes had this on her list. I might not have picked it back up and that would have been a shame

Lacey‘s novel makes the reader complicit. The superiority you may feel because *you* don‘t need to know the MC‘s gender, age, or race is short-lived. You‘re still demanding something of them simply by entering their orbit. You want them to open up, to talk, to remember, to bond, to escape, to find home, to find friendship, to find freedom. And, by proxy, you want things of the author, too — like narrative momentum. 👇🏻

StoryGraph 2025 wrap-up! My first book of the year was an #AuldLangSpine pick from @Librarybelle and my last book of the year was another #blameitonLitsy book. 😁 I‘m especially proud of #DoorstopKristin, my longest book of the year, buddy read with the #KLBR crew.

Wrap-up link: https://app.thestorygraph.com/wrap-up/2025/barbarajean

My January #bookspin and #doublespin picks are both for #auldlangspine!

I had picked this one up a couple of months ago, and couldn't really get into it, and put it aside, thinking it just wasn't the right time. Turns out #AuldLangSpine was totally the right time! I whipped through this one in three days (yes, I was overly eager and started early, too @CBee 🤣). I love Chidgey's ability to tell the story hidden behind the story, the sense of unease and apprehension she lends with just a few well placed glimpses. 👇

Okay, so I‘d started this a couple of months ago and stopped listening. THEN it appeared on my #ALSpine list from @TheKidUpstairs and I thought, here‘s my sign to finish it! I‘m so glad I did. What a beautifully written, well researched, thought provoking, informative, emotional read this was. #AuldLangSpine @monalyisha don‘t dock any points cause I started early 😂😂

I am very excited for this list from @BennettBookworm !☺️🎊 I will be starting with either the tagged book which is on my TBR too! Or ‘The River Had Roots‘ since it‘s set in faerie! I might also jump back into the Scythe trilogy. I read the first book years ago and loved it. I have read (and ADORED!) both ‘Yellowface‘ and ‘The Wedding People‘. Thank you for such a fun list and thank you @monalyisha for holding this great event! ☺️#Auldlangspine

Another great addition to this mystery series- Kendra is newly married and solving multiple murders with modern knowledge in Queen Charlottes England. Shout out to @Librarybelle for introducing me to this series in the inaugural #auldlangspine when it was #newyearwhodis (hosted by the incredible @monalyisha )

Happy New Year, all! My January #BookSpin list is working hard this year. It‘s got all the books I have in my possession from @Texreader ‘s #AuldLangSpine list and all the books I have in my possession for this month‘s #AuthorAMonth - T. Kingfisher, along with the usual odds and ends. Here‘s hoping the spin makes some helpful choices so I don‘t have to, *gasp* use my own decision making skills! 😱📚😍