Welcome to Litsy!

Well, gosh. Sometimes a novel can sneak right into your heart when you‘re in an emotional place, almost like the author themselves knew you needed it.

That was this book for me, a warm hug. A reminder to care about the people around you. What a gift. Another shining example of finding a new favorite author through #AuthorAMonth. 💖

You know, sometimes you see your sign.

Glimmers are important. 💙

This week has been heavy to say the absolute least.

Grateful I have books — and you all — to keep my mind off some of the frustrations I feel. Distractions and Joy are not nothing in difficult times.

Wishing everyone peace and empathy. 💙

Library run to pick up my #AuthorAMonth choice (no hold list required for once, found it on the shelves 💪🏻) and grabbed the one on the right on a whim from the New In shelf. Seems like everywhere I turn people are in a frenzy about the upcoming Wicked film(s) — there‘s even Starbucks drinks in its honor. 😂

I cannot get enough of this cover! I enjoyed this story but the characters felt one-dimensional. I read this right after Emily Henry's latest and I may be unfairly comparing them. I kept it as a pick, but I wouldn't move it to the top of the TBR.

A novel about ghosts, abuse, absent family, and found family. Nothing deep and nothing new. Charaters' pasts feel more like a plot device than truly being explored. 2 🌟

HPB buy!

"There are birds, and then there are other birds. Maybe they don't sing. Maybe they don't fly. Maybe they don't fit in. I don't know about you, but I'd much rather be an other bird rather than just the same old thing".

I did not realize I had so many dark blue book covers ???

#DarkBlue
#CoverLove

@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

#summersouls #birds @Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

This book uses birds in a unique magical way!

Reread and enjoyed it much more the second time. Such a beautiful found family story with a mystery and some magical realism elements. 5⭐️

#Read100 pick done! #bookspinbingo!

I really enjoyed this! Great characters.❤
Reminds me of a few truths I've come to believe. 1-everyone has a story, all we see when we meet people is the tip of an iceberg
2-some people come into our lives when we need them most
3-life contains magic, mysteries that we can't explain
4-living has it's ups and downs, the bravest thing to to persevere through the dark times to get to the light

⭐⭐⭐⭐

I know that SAA is prolific & well-loved; this was my first time reading her writing. It was…sort of a mixed bag. I liked her characters. I thought they were sweet. I enjoyed the magical elements (especially the ghosts) & the light romance. It bothered me that Charlotte, blonde & boho, supported herself by doing henna (cultural appropriation). The worst of it, though, was the sheer number of similes & metaphors per page. It was a little absurd. 😬

Tackle the TBR 🤓📚
What are you reading?
#boleybooks #otherbirds #SarahAddisonAllen #bookbeast #libby #bookbuds #bookchat

“How odd that pretending to be someone else has made me happier then I was when I was just being myself. It's almost as if, once I got over the guilt of loving my future more than I loved my past, my old life dropped away and became make-believe, and my present life became my second birth.”

#MagicElement
#SpringSkies

@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

A charming book. I have struggled these past few months to finish a book after my dad passed. He was also a book lover. I came across this book and loved it. A lovely story with a touch of fantasy and ghosts. Strangers coming together to find themselves and connect with others.

4✨ This was a slow read for me. I think the worlds this author creates takes me a while to grasp. They are so unique, mysterious, and magical. When I work out what is going on it‘s really magical, and this one especially touches the heart with its mastery. #ReadYourKindle @CBee

My third #AuldLangSpine book of January! This was a charming story of the residents of a strange little condo on a touristy island in South Carolina. All of the residents (both living and ghostly) had terrible, tragic childhoods, and the story follows their journey to love and healing.

January is finally over 👏🏻👏🏻 I had a good run with books ❤️ Other Birds was lovely! What a beautiful, magical story of about love, friendship and chosen families

🎶Today I‘m gonna read, read, read, read, read - read all day, read all day🎶

I‘ve hit the point in winter where I don‘t want to go anywhere. I have enough books to last me until spring ( 2026) and I can get chips delivered #winning

#midwintersolace #naturalitsy Other Birds is on my TBR cart aka the pile I want to read more than the pile on the floor or the pile on the shelves 😆🤦🏻‍♀️

#12booksof2023 @Andrew65

3.2⭐️ It was ok, but I expected more. It dragged on a little bit for me, but I loved the idea of it. This was my #doublespin for my #bookspinbingo.

#Birds 🐦🐤🐧 #HumbleHarvest 🍂☕️🧣🍁🥧🕯🍎

#BookNerd 🤓📚💙

“It was an odd feeling, when she really thought about it, not having anyone in the world who knew everything about you and loved you anyway.”

Wonderful story with the very best magical realism 💫🩵✨

#Birds

#HumbleHarvest

@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

My #BooksSpin and #DoubleSpin for the month. #BookSpinBingo

Finished my #bookspin and #doublespin without a lot of time to spare! The Bookstore Sisters was too short for any good character development or intricate plot, so slightly disappointing. Other Birds was a nice mystery with a strong found family story, although characters are rather simplistic. It also involved ghosts, but in a magical realism way rather than horror. I enjoyed how the author portrayed them!

@TheAromaofBooks

I read this for work but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I liked the way it looked at grief and identity. I also enjoyed the found family vibe.

Trying to finish the book club selection for work during the quiet moments since I have to lead the discussion next week!

#BookReport
I feel like I did barely any reading at all this week but I did manage to catch up with GotChapterADay and make headway into the tagged for work and Boneshaker on my commute. The only one I didn't touch this week was Orphan's Tales.

#WeeklyForecast
If I stay on track I should finish GoT this week and I would like to finish Other Birds as well.

A soft pick for me. It was whimsical and lovely, but I didn‘t fall in love with it like I know others have.

This was beautifully written and I liked the story a lot. I did have a hard time keeping everything straight that was going on in this book. I loved the characters and the vibe of this one, but I did find myself getting lost a lot while reading it.

This book was sweet. A little sweeter than what I'm used to, it takes place on a marshmallow island ffs, but I liked the ghosts and the invisible pet bird.

This is my first book by this author and I have to say I am really enjoying it so far. I especially like ghost chapters that give us more insight into the various characters and why they are the way they are.

July #wrapup

Really hard to pick a favorite this month, some really good ones. I loved Other Birds, Allen is one of my favorite authors. My least favorite of the bunch was But Have You Read The Book, that was just ok.

Love love this book and author
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Can't put it down amazing 😍🤩

I loved this and it was so refreshing after Demon Copperhead. Certainly a totally different book; style and genre - I can‘t really compare. I love this author and am glad she is back at it! #MillionairePie #MagicalRealism #QuirkyCharacters #Ghosts #FriendsareFamily

#weekendreads

I love nothing more than a lazy summer Saturday with my latest reads.

Happy 4th of July 🎉 Sitting in 100 degree weather, feet in the doggie-kiddie pool (which dogs won‘t enjoy 🤨) and wanted a fun read. Risking #tubsoakruin #hardcover #DogsofLitsy (Esther in background) Drinking a #GinandTonic #LifeisGood #LifeisBetterwithaBooktoRead ☀️🍹📚 🐶 #NoChallenge #GrabbedOffShelfAtWhim #HopeitisGREAT #ReadingWhatever #ChallengedOut #Happy4thJuly2023 #WhenWillMyTomatosRipen 🍅 #Impatient

I really loved this book. And I‘m so happy I did. I‘ve read a few books recently that I just couldn‘t get into, and that hurts my reading mojo. Sure, i plod along, but it harshes my reading mellow! But recent weeks have been much better, and this book is a keeper. A fast read, bittersweet and magical, highly recommended.

Pic is of Sir Murray and his cows in our side yard.

An interesting paranormal flavored magical realism tale. Charming & cute with fun characters & great development of a found family. Some very sad circumstances that had me aching. The mild twists were well-written & the soft magic of Allen's writing is soothing. Comforting despite some heartbreaking & serious situations. I didn't want to put this read down & stayed up late to finish in a two day binge. Emotionally wonderful & beautifully written.

Good grief, I love her writing. Read this in one sitting. I've missed her so much - obviously out of her control because she fought cancer. I'm so glad she's writing again.

As always, her twists/revelations made me sigh with happiness.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

My first book of May is done! What a crap month it‘s been. Thank god Hubbys home & ok, though he was bloody lucky. Finally got my mind settled enough to read a book & it was amazing! Such a beautiful “found family” story, I really hope she writes a sequel like she did with Garden Spells, these characters are too lovely to let go🩵 #BookspinBingo #Bookspin #Booked2023 #FeaturingNeighbours #ReadingTheUSA #SouthCarolina #ReadySetRead #52BookClubRC

A new/different tone. But sweet charcters and challenges.

Another book I wasn't expecting to love!! A motley cast of characters are collected in the Dellawisp Condos on Mallow Island, all sort of broken with their own sad stories. A tragedy brings everyone together and some truths to light about our past, what we desperately cling to and how that can affect our futures. There were more tears than I counted on but a solid & whimsical magical realism read.

Oof, this pregnancy has been rough. Even in the second trimester, my nausea is triggered by reading and other go-to stress relievers. Going from my usual book-a-week to barely being able to get through one during the whole month has been brutal on my mental health 😪

That being said, I'm so happy with my most recent choice. This was light but still impactful, and it was just what I needed this rainy weekend 👍

I read SAA as a young adult and she was magical to me at that point in my life. It seems I‘ve evolved as a reader, and though I can still appreciate what she has to offer, I‘m not wowed by her latest offering. I did enjoy the southern setting, the food descriptions 🤤, and the found family aspect.

I enjoyed this though it has more potential than follow-through! I liked the setting and all the characters, but it just didn't come together in a way that was satisfying for me. I enjoyed being in the world though!