Welcome to Litsy!

A #holidaytradition is going to the old world Christmas market. It was finally open this year so munchkin got to go for the first time!

Also this weekend 2 episodes of holiday baking championship and the very cute movie Arthur Saves Christmas. #wintergames #teamgamesleighers @StayCurious

Just finished this delightful read! On a whim, I took a chance on it. I was not disappointed. I wish sometimes we could go back to simpler times. #WinterGames #HolidayRead #ImpulseRead @FantasyChick @Clwojick @StayCurious

Starting this Serial Reader book for #WinterGames #JingleBallers I will add when I finish.

I found this so boring! I really struggled to finish it

This is a short, sometimes sweet, & sometimes turgid account by Irving on the customs of a traditional English village Xmas. I started off on #serialreader but switched to the Gutenberg ebook which has all of the artwork, verses, etc. The delightful illustrations are a big part of the book's charm. Irving is best when he describes events plainly; I felt transported to another time & place. But when he puts on his Pontificating Authorial Voice, 😴.

I really enjoyed this picture of English Christmas past. The writing was quite witty, and it was so easy to picture the various characters and experiences Irving described. I loved the scene with the schoolboys sharing the coach home. Timeless! Also interesting is that the traditions carried on by the Squire were out of date by a couple of centuries at the time Irving experienced them in the mid 1800s. A true anecdotal peek into history.

"I found the tide of wine and wassail fast gaining on the dry land of sober judgment. The company grew merrier and louder as their jokes grew duller." Sounds about right! ???

I think I expected something a little different from this one. It's a description of old English Christmas customs, narrated as the author spends Christmas at an English manor house with the family of a friend--presided over by an old-fashioned Squire. There's not much of a narrative arc--and I don't think there's supposed to be--but I wanted more story. I also hear it's better with the illustrations- which were missing in #serialreader.

Latest #bookishhaul courtesy of my Mum and an old friend. These super old editions of daddy long legs, treasure island and old christmas have been passed through the family to me (as apparently I'm the only active reader/book lover). The brown book is a collection of letters of Madame de Maintenon - I know very little about it (research time) - and was given to me by a friend who knows I love books. 📚💚