Far and away, my favorite of this classic series so far. 💚 Adventure, kidnapping, dragons, magic, mystery... what else could you want? ☺️

At long last, my May #BookSpin list! I had a hard time coming up with this list as I tried to limit it to books I have a real chance of completing... May is going to be a little bit of a challenge, but here‘s to hoping. 🤞🏼

Ps: Yes, I purposely added Dune twice. 😄

Those of you who have read this since this whole mess started:

Is this going to leave me feeling hopeful, or despondent? A few months ago I started getting the itch to finish this (I started it a year or so ago) but because of COVID-19 I‘m concerned about what it might do to my mental health. And yet, I‘ve seen a lot of people reading it recently and still enjoying it. Opinions?

April‘s #BookSpin: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (And none too soon!)
How do I even begin to review this?! First off, her writing is simply intoxicating to me. This story could have meandered on forever and I‘d have kept reading because 😍. The third quarter was a trifle slow for me, but I think that was more do to circumstances and my mindset than the actual story. One criticism has been that there are a lot of story lines to keep track of, (cont. ⬇️)

I recently rediscovered this little magnet I picked up at a craft fair last summer, and now it‘s hanging out on the post of my bedside lamp as a nightly reminder that we‘re gonna make it through this. 💛✨

#KeepLitsyPositive

Thanks for the tag @ju.ca.no ! All but a handful of my books are in storage, but I was able to #ISpy these black covers. 🖤

@JazzFeathers @MoonWitch94 @shortsarahrose , can any of you #ISpy any books with stars on their covers? ⭐️😊

My #BookSpin and #DoubleSpin books for April! To be honest, The Starless Sea was one of the a few I was hoping Fate would pass over... no luck. 😆 But, I‘m quite pleased with the second spin and am hoping that will give me another push to finish TSS. Even though I think two more books this month is optimistic, I‘m hopeful. 😊

Thanks for such a simple, fun challenge @TheAromaofBooks !

Guys. This. 😭😭😭🖤

I don‘t know any seniors, but I love this and wanted to share with those of you who might. 🖤

Reading through this series to my son at bedtime. 🙂

My first #BookSpin list! Since I‘m not typically a hoarder of unread books, not all of these are ancient TBRs; some are new, or new to me. The starred ones are ones I have in hand, whether print, digital, or audio, or otherwise have immediate access to. A few are ones I have checked out from the library for the foreseeable future. 😐

I‘m 🤞🏼 for the tagged book. (#10) I‘m already committed to reading it, but I‘m hoping having it as (cont.⬇️)

These two. 😆
#PotterADay #GobletOfFire
@Linsy

#Bookmail is the best mail! Ordered these from my local/nearest indie bookstore when the panic was just starting here. Top three for me, and two Murderbot books to send away 📚📦✈️ to my husband. 🤗 PS: I was too lazy to set up a nice looking photo, so here they are on my Mickey blanket. 😁

Though considerably less whimsical and much darker than the first, I still adored this. Somehow it‘s heart wrenching AND heartwarming, and occasionally both at once. Taylor‘s writing is gorgeous: her imagined world is so immersive and original without being overly detailed, the romance is charming and pure, not angsty or overdone. I‘d like to see a couple characters developed further; I‘d definitely read a sidekick series about Thyon. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📘 My favorites are undoubtedly still fantasy and historical fiction, but I‘m really warming up to mysteries and memoirs have been calling to me as well.

📘 My husband

📘 I‘m spending tons of quality time with my sons, and having to stay in/home all day has really made me reevaluate how I‘ve structured our days up until now.

@Eggs

@Dr.WhoNumber10 @swishandflick @KendallHershey

A rarity for me and and my Merlin 🥰

#catsoflitsy

“Fear was vying with courage, and courage was winning.”

#KeepLitsyPositive

I want to like this, but I simply can. not. stay focused on it. Perhaps that‘s because there‘s so much else going on, or perhaps it simply isn‘t my cup of tea, but at the moment I just feel like I need more depth to stay engaged. There may be a time in the future when I come back to this and enjoy it, so for now I‘m I‘m neglecting to review it because I don‘t think it deserves an official “bail” just yet.

🍀 Maintaining communication with my (currently long distance) husband, and absolutely prioritizing nightly self care (usually reading and a 🍺😜)

🌸 This year I could honestly care less, I‘m looking at being homebound as an opportunity to extent my blankets/leggings/oversized sweater season 😁

🌼 Relieved

🌿 Not sure yet... Tex mex? More likely refrigerator surprise! 😆

“We‘re coming for you whether the Muggles like it or not, you can‘t miss the World Cup, only Mum and Dad reckon it‘s better if we pretend to ask their permission first. If they say yes, send Pig back with your answer pronto, and we‘ll come and get you at five o‘clock on Sunday. If they say no, send Pig back pronto and we‘ll come and get you at five o‘clock on Sunday anyway.”

The world needs more Weasleys. 😆

#PotterADay

“As it happened, there were an extraordinary number of unusual things in his room. A large wooden trunk stood open at the foot of his bed, revealing a cauldron, broomstick, black robes, and assorted spellbooks. Rolls of parchment littered that part of his desk that was not taken up by the large, empty cage in which his snowy owl, Hedwig, usually perched. ...[B]eside his bed, a book lay open... the pictures in this book were all moving.”

Picking up my sister‘s old, well-loved copy of #GobletOfFire in hopes of keeping a little more anxiety at bay in the coming days. So excited for this #PotterADay read along!

@Linsy

“It was the last night of 1937.”

#FirstLineFridays @ShyBookOwl

My small-ish #libraryhaul, plus one of my own. I‘m allowing myself to carry on under the delusion that staying home as much as possible is going to mean more reading time!

Spoiler alert: I‘m already a stay-at-home mom of two boys under 4. It‘s not. 😬

“‘That‘s just his face,‘ said Calixte in a pretense of defending him. ‘He can‘t help having indignant nostrils. Can you, Nero? You probably come from a long line of indignant nostrils. Aristocrats are issued them at birth, along with haughty eyes and judgmental cheeks.‘”

😆

“‘Can we leave the past behind us?” she asked. ...

‘That‘s an excellent place for the past,‘ said Suheyla. ‘If you don‘t leave it there, it clutters everything up and you just keep tripping over it.‘”

“She was an executioner by increments, a master of subtlety and tempter of fate, ever seeing how close she could slice the difference between hate and love.”

Fun read, pretty straightforward if you‘ve played through the first game. 🗝

Do you have any graphic novels to recommend? I don‘t know if I‘ll continue on my little GN streak after I read the next one, but I‘m open to suggestions if you have any favorites. 🤗

Started this one today. It‘s been sitting in my audible library for quite some time and I‘ve heard good things so I‘m giving it a go. About an hour in and I can‘t really see the appeal so far, but I‘ll give it a couple hours at least.

Trying out my first (maybe second? 🤔) graphic novel! I‘ve always really liked the Kingdom Hearts games/universe, so I thought this would be a fun one to start with. 😊

“You don‘t pass or fail at being a person.”

I listened to this like I do most audiobooks nowadays, in fits and spurts, whenever I can, as I go about my life. Sometimes (a lot of times) that‘s only two or three minutes at a time, which makes it hard to give a thoughtful, critical review of them as the story has been so fragmented for me. But I enjoyed this, enough that I will certainly continue down my “I need more Neil Gaiman in my life” path. 🙂

Which is your favorite NG novel?

Some sweet exploration of identity, familial vs. extra-familial relationships, self forgiveness, and making peace with the past. But an abrupt ending that made me question what I was supposed to walk away with.

“elilith (el·LIL·lith) noun:

Tattoos given to the girls of Weep, around their navels, when they become women.”

#FirstLineFridays
@ShyBookOwl

Started a new book journal this morning in the journal my husband gave me for Christmas! The paper is made from recycled stone so it‘s got a lower carbon footprint and all that good, green stuff. 🌳🤓

A quick, cute read written entirely in lists. I‘ve always liked books written in unconventional formats so that‘s really what drew me to it. The story is quite plain for the most part, but the list format makes it charming. A “pick” for me personally, but barely; a “so-so” as a recommendation. See comment for a spoiler on what dropped it down to a so-so. 3.5/5⭐️

“A man who doesn‘t believe in God prays in desperate times in the same way a drowning man attempts to draw breath while underwater. Sometimes all you have left is the impossible.”

I‘ve never read much mystery until recently (trying to change that!) so I don‘t feel very qualified to give a critical review, but I enjoyed this. There were some twists toward the end that felt a little cheap but ultimately it was a fun, engaging read. It presented some ethical and/or (?) moral questions toward the end that I wasn‘t expecting but appreciated. 4/5 🌟

“Grownups don‘t look like grownups on the inside either. Outside, they‘re big and thoughtless and they always know what they‘re doing. Inside, they look just like they always have, like they did when they were your age. The truth is, there aren‘t any grownups - not one - in the whole wide world.“

“How lost do you have to be to let the devil lead you home?”

“Zachary [had] not thought about the fact that the day would go on, that the campus would continue in its routines and he is the only one who has had this universe turned askew.”

Started re-listening to this a couple days ago on my run. It definitely helped me meet my goal of nine miles, but I felt like a huge dork running down the road with a dopey grin on my face. 🤣

The first 60% of this was excellent, although admittedly slow to get going. After that, it seemed like she couldn‘t decide what she actually wanted to write the book about: court politics or dragons. The pacing became inconsistent; too much time on some parts and rushing through others. I buddy read this with my husband, and to use his assessment... (continued in comments)

At the library this morning for one last hour or two of peace before winter break begins and I passed this on the Lucky Day shelf so of course I had to pick it up. Saying goodbye to my to-do list. 😏

Side note: I haven‘t posted on Litsy since I think October, although I lurk now and then. Lately I‘ve been spending more time focusing on interests other than reading, but this morning I‘m taking a few minutes to catch up. 😊

@MoonWitch94 , I love ALL of this! 🤩 Thank you for all of my goodies, most especially the book. I‘ve seen this title a lot for the last few years of course, but I‘ve never seen this particular cover and man is it gorgeous! 😍 As is the journal, and the bonus goodies are perfectly to my taste as well. Many thanks. 🤗

Thank you to @TheBookHippie and @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks for hosting such a fun #winterswap!

So far I‘ve mostly opted for family time over reading time, but I‘m finally getting in a little beach side reading today. ☺️

Decided earlier today to take another stab at this audiobook. I tried it last summer and never got past fifteen minutes. What I heard of the story was fine, but I couldn‘t stand the narrator. (Maybe it was because I was pregnant? 🤔😆) Now, I still don‘t love her but I can deal because the story so far is intriguing at least.

And incidentally, #CoverCrush Day 7!
#7covers7days

An audio re-read. Even more enjoyable this time around since I knew which details and passages to pay attention to. I‘d forgotten quite how abrupt the ending was, though not necessarily in a bad way. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️, every time.

Day 6

#7covers7days #CoverCrush

Day 5

Sorry for the hiatus; those didn‘t have to be seven *consecutive* days, right? 😏 I forgot I even had this because most of my books are in storage until next summer, but I was scrolling through old Litsy post photos and LOOKIE! 👀😍

#7covers7days #CoverCrush