Welcome to Litsy!

I had never heard of this author or book before #auldlangspine and I really enjoyed it. It‘s a novella and was great on audio. A giant supermarket is looking to come to a little town and it just so happens to be on the border of 2 worlds. So 3 ladies work together in this story. I was glad to see there are more books with these characters that I can pick up!

Finally finished a book off my October TBR! This novella has a lot packed into it. I think Cornell has done a great job. The world building is solid. I like the subtle magic overlaying the mundane world. He balances the tension and the story‘s pace is perfectly done. And, of course, 3 awesome female MCs. I particularly liked Judith:

“You two . . . you‘re not on my list of what I don‘t like.”

A great little read! Easy to follow, gripping story line. I just feel like it could have been fleshed out some more, especially with backstory for the 3 main characters. For that reason it gets a 3.5/5 from me!

The only downside of this was its brevity. I didn't realize it was a novella, another downside of ebooks, until I started it. Everything else about this, was fantastic, with strong, yet quirky and sometimes irascible, female characters and a plot that kept moving forward. I finished it within a sitting and then immediately grabbed the second, third, fourth.... you see what I mean? Damn good stuff.

My friend mistakenly bought 2 copies of this so she passed one to me and we're now doing an impromptu read along! Really enjoying it so far!

#BookCoverChallenge
Day 215.
Here I will note 365 books (or as many as I will have before I get tired) that have shaped my taste in literature. No explanations, no reviews. Just the cover of the book.
I do not challenge anyone. You are all welcome to take part.

I may never be able to read this book with shedding a little tear at the end

“You two . . . you‘re not on my list of what I don‘t like.”

High praise from Judith 😂

The way of life in Lychford, a small town in England, is threatened by progress. A big box store wants to build on the towns borders & citizens are split as to preserve their town or let the development roll over them.
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One more thing...the town is all that sits between here and a place filled with darkness ready to wreck havoc on our world. And it's up to the town curmudgeon & witch, to try and convince folks of the danger that lies ahead.

This was a fun book and a great choice to start off the Reverse Read a Thon. Loved the characters and look forward to reading more in the series. #deweysreadathon #reversereadathon.

I liked it. The shorter length was a refreshing change, even though it did read sort of like a script. I did feel like the author wrapped up the story though - I will probably read the other two short books in this series.

This was so-so for me. Just as it was getting good it ended. The build up takes forever for a little tiny bang. It is like a bottle rocket. It felt like I was reading a TV show but then the writer has written for Doctor Who. There was some hype about this book but I feel it was just meh. Maybe too short? I feel let down.

Orbital book group, June 2019.

I read the first 2 books quick like a bunny—i loved the modern witch angle and the little puzzle that each story was. When I started read A Long Day in Lychford, it felt different and it‘s apparent focus on politics and Trump and Brexit were a turn off for me. I didn‘t make it very far before setting it down and searching for something else. I really don‘t want trump invading my reading along with everything else.

Some of my favorite books lately, which pass the Bechdel Test with flying colors, have (surprisingly) been Fantasy books written by men. This one has such a strong trio of flawed yet heroic women at its center: Reverend Lizzie Blackmore, recently widowed & struggling with her faith; Autumn, her estranged bff, & the atheist owner of a magic shop who‘s overcome either a psychotic break or a supernatural experience;

*cont‘d 👇🏻

“The telemarketers who called her up now seemed either desperate or resigned to the point of a mindless drone, until Judith, who had time on her hands and ice in her heart, engaged them in dark conversations that always got her removed from their lists.”

Okay, pals. I‘ve narrowed it down to three! Cast your votes!

@Elma @TheLibrarian

@MirrorMask I‘ve got you down for “Wild Snail.”🌿🐌

🌟🌟🌟🌟
Catching up on reviews.
#audiobook
#overdrive

#audiowalk
#800in2018 ✔
#Reachingfor1000in2018 ✔
#Superstretchto1200in2018 ✔
#Goingforlucky1300in2018
#93MileDecember

#audiobook
#overdrive

A crotchety old witch who‘d rather be left alone, a woman coming to grips with the magical trauma of her past, and Lychford‘s new vicar who is experiencing a crisis of faith must join forces to prevent a threat of extra-dimensional proportions...

the building of a fancy new grocery store.

This was quick and fun, if a bit slight. Pictured is my purely fantasy #HeadCasting for the 3 leading ladies.

So nice of this novella to show it works for the MC over 70 category #booked2018 right in the first sentence ☺

Enjoyed this one. Judith is a great character, and I can see the series potential in Lychford. Tor seems to like that in their novellas - a story that stands alone but characters and worlds that invite more stories.

#audiocooking: cranberry balsamic chicken with rice pilaf for lunches this week. Yum!

Lunch with book!

Giving my kindle some attention!!! (That ebook backlog is not going to read itself - am I right?!)

In the small town of Lychford three women have to work together against supernatural forces. Compared to the author's Shadow Police books I found this more accessible, less dark but also less interesting. The best moments are when the three women start working together. Not bad, but not as good as I hoped it would be. There are more novellas set in Lychford.

Book 7 for the #SFFTBRChallenge, prompts 20/21.
@DuckOfDoom

If either of these books is on your TBR, Tor Publishing is offering free eBook downloads for subscribers of their newsletter. Both are the first in a series so this is a great strategy to hook readers. Tor does this a few times a year so I encourage Fantasy and Sci-Fi fans to sign up at Tor.com. I'm not being paid to share this, but if Tor wants to send some books my way I wouldn't complain! You have until 12pm EST on February 2nd.

Finished my 3rd book. I am pretty sure I‘m not going to get 24 hours of reading on but will try my best.

Finished my first read of #boutofbooks ! I enjoyed this novella about a small English town that's on the border of fairyland, and the three women who must unite to save the world when a superstore's presence threatens the fragile boundaries between the worlds. A good readathon read.

Judith, in her seventies, is known as the village crackpot because only she can see the boundaries around Lychford which lead to other worlds. Now there's a weakness in the border, and things are waiting to get in. She's going to need help... 👍 #catsoflitsy

4/5⚰️. Lizzie, Autumn, and Judith join forces to stop a major distribution company from building in their town. With a metaphysical twist.
It was an enjoyable quick read. I will certainly read the next one.

A deliciously magical novella which manages to combine the struggles of a small town against a large corporation with elements of the supernatural and a pervading sense of dread. The author manages to provide a clear concept of the magical system without taking a full length novel to do so. This was a joy to read.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A nice little magical story that I burned through. Always on the lookout for some good witchy fiction. :-)

Three women try to stop a supermarket chain from building a store in their sleepy hamlet of Lychford--which happens to lay on the boundary between two worlds. If they fail, the destruction of the border will open wide the gateways to malevolent beings beyond imagination. 9/10 recommend.

work tomorrow, short spooky-ish read tonight

SpoooOoooOoky new witch book! 👻 #bookriotlive

Ok so it wasn't scary, I just had a moment. There's definitely something lurking so future installments in the series might have more suspense. I love stories of the fey in the U.K., those are the some of best such stories. This is a good pick for #AllHallowsRead for anyone wanting a not too spooky story with witches, and a touch more. #GiveaSpookyBook

The ebook was on sale today and sounded interesting so I bought it to read on some unspecified date in the far, far away future. Then I saw a post about #GiveaScaryBook for #AllHallowsRead and decided I'd give it a go. Well, I'm scared of the dark. I admit it. And the book starts out with something in the dark. Great. I'm sleeping with the lights on tonight.

This novella has been on my TBR list for a while and the ebook is only 99 cents today. Definitely snagging it! 😊
And hey, it fits today #octphotochallenge

How we hangover. 💆🏻

Ebook (not pictured because it's sneaky phone reading while we pretend to be social) + bananas foster french toast, eggs over easy, hash browns, and bacon. Also not pictured: the coffee cup/water glass graveyard.📱📖🍳🍌🍯☕️

#bookandbrunch

😂😂😂

I'm sorry, what? Whose grandmother & why is she sucking eggs?! 😳

Google says this is a British expression, but pardon my reaction running across this saying for the first time in dialogue about church architecture. 😂

Brits- is egg sucking a thing about which grandmothers have knowledge?! Why are eggs being sucked? Why would someone need to explain this in the first place? So many questions.

So this happened last week! My lucky husband got to meet the immensely talented Paul Cornell at Forbidden Planet in London! We both love his work- from the Dr Who episodes and novels, to the Shadow Police series- a must read if you like fantasy! This novella was pretty good too. A slightly spooky read about a quaint English village on the boundary between 2 worlds and the horrors on the other side.

While I feel mostly positive about this, I think the author could've tweaked a few things (like mentioning Autumn's racial identity right from the start). Still, it's not all that bad a read. Love Judith; there should be more characters like her in fiction :).

I loved this short (144 pages) book, though it was annoying to not have it revealed early on that Autumn is black. Race is not a spoiler or gotcha or surprise. (And it was revealed in a casual manner so not a spoiler at all.) Representation matters.

Currently reading

Sold! Also glad that the protagonist appears to be a cantankerous old lady with a strong antipathy for almost everything around her. I could stand to see a few more of those in fiction :D.

I wish I'd thought to check this for length; if I'd known this was a novella I'd've picked it up much sooner. Well, better late than never, no?