Welcome to Litsy!

This very much written for me, a former child who was saved by books. It goes over the edge into too syrupy at times, but still satisfies-- and it's a nice change from the cliche of “you met your life-saving artist and he's a real dick.“ This author isn't perfect, but does not let us down.

And my first full bingo card for #HauntedShelf! I love cards like this because they're subjective. It's really fun coming up with meaningful associations.

Johan wishes everyone happy reading! 😻

#aboutabook #debutauthor #catsoflitsy

This is a fun mix of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory & Ready Player One.
#DogsOfLitsy

Oh how I loved this one! It's been a long time since I read a book in a day because I couldn't put it down. It was just so charming. It deals with some dark issues like addiction & parental neglect, but does so gently without making them the main focus. I loved the world created on the island & the unexpected sweet romance. The whole book just made me smile. I have a feeling you'd need to be in the right mood to for it, but it hit the spot for me.

August 1 #AboutABook @Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

This is a feel-good fairy tale for adults. It isn't at all realistic. Boundaries are crossed that Child Protective Services would never allow these days. You can't scrutinize it too carefully, but you can enjoy the idealistic warm fuzzies if you suspend disbelief. This is a book for adults who remember being captivated and maybe even saved by books as children. Adults deserve fairy tales, too.

#wonderouswednesday @Eggs

1. Friends
2. Uno
3. Done

@Mommamanzi @KateReadsYA @Pageturner1

Thanks @dabbe

1) Gilmore Girls, The Office, Schitt's Creek, The Big Bang Theory, Pitch Perfect

2) Checkers and Dominoes - both with my grandma

3)The Wishing Game

#WondrousWednesday @Eggs

Want to join in @LiseWorks @Librarybelle

Help me decide!! Which book should I read next? I'm super interested in both of these.

People have compared this book to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and I understand why, but it gave me more of The Westing Game vibe. I enjoyed it, although it was a slow start for me. Some things weren‘t that realistic, but the story does show the power of hope (and buckets of money).

This read more like YA but it was still fun and sweet.

Delightfully cozy (except for one surprising serious moment about 85% in).

The Wishing Game is a book inspired by Willie Wonka and it gave me those vibes when I was reading this book. It was so much fun playing a game for a grand prize. I really enjoyed the characters in this book. I enjoyed how the story took place on an island. I suggest anybody who just wants a fun read to pick this up!!!!

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Ballantine books for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Just okay for me. I liked the concept, but I felt like it was all over the place. It felt a little disjointed in spots for me. It definitely reminded me of Ready Player One in some ways. The game and the references to current pop culture were similar to that vibe. It was fun, but it wasn‘t as good as I had expected.

This one goes out to all the adults who were once kids obsessed with reading and who found salvation in books. I simply couldn‘t help but root for Lucy, and I especially loved how the final outcome was forecasted throughout by little references to the Clock Island series (the books within this book).

So wonderful! Enjoyed this one so much! The riddles, love, and heart that flows through this story are heartwarming and comforting. I was smiling from ear to ear through the whole book. #BookspinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Why did I wait so long to read this book??!! It was so good and now I know why it‘s up for book of the year with BOTM!!😍😍

4.5/5 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌗 #wishing #writing

Light pick (3.5 ⭐️) The premise is perfection (reclusive author of an extremely popular children‘s book series comes out of hiding to hold a Wonka-esque competition for his most rabid fans to win the only copy of his next book), but the boring Mary Sue main character with the predictably traumatic backstory (that isn‘t even that traumatic) really brought down the vibe for me. Overall I liked it, but totally understand the mixed reviews.

What a wonderful, charming story. Meg (“short for Megladon”) Shaffer gives us a book that shows us the power of hope, and how wishes can come true.

Jack Masterson is the author of the Clock Island book series. Four adult‘s, all with childhood connections to the author, have been invited to compete for the rights to his latest book. Lucy Hart MUST win to make her dream of adopting Christopher come true. Thoroughly enjoyed this read!

A great day of reading even an #audiowalk
With this sight to behold. 😂

✨ july ✨

i had three five-star reads in july this year:

-the wishing game
-when twilight breaks
-my dear miss dupré

and the wishing game was my favorite of the three.

#12booksof2023

Definitely agree with the others saying it had a Willy Wonka feel. It was fun, tender, tricky and clever. A fast enjoyable read for me!

This is a sweet, touching story, although I don't like that the main character promised a young child that she would adopt him and be his mother when it was very unlikely that would be possible.

12-6-23: My November Book Wrap Up! How sad only 4 books. Now that I am working a full time job here in Philadelphia I don‘t have nearly enough time to read! These were fine with the exception of The Wishing Game being 5 stars. It was a lovely story. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️📖💗

#Rushathon

3 books to go to finish my #BOTM challenge! 🎉 This is one of those “hug in a book” stories, sweet & touching while still exploring some deeper issues like grief & childhood traumas. It gave me all the feels& made me root for Lucy, as well as the other characters. I only wish it had been a little longer so the characters were drawn a bit deeper. Still, a great book when you need a little comfort read.💫🖤⭐️

#HumbleHarvest

What‘s better than wishing on a star? 💫 The cover of one of my current reads & the bookmark I‘m using with it are full of #Stars ✨⭐️✨

11-13-23: My 95th finished book of 2023! Lucy, a kindergarten teacher‘s aide, is a fan of the Clock Island book series. Jack Masterson is the author who actually lives on Clock Island in Maine. Remember Willy Wonka? Well, Jack hosts a game for fans of his series and 4 lucky contestants are brought to the island in the hopes that they will win his newest book, the only copy! This was a heart warming story. I loved it! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️📖#️⃣9️⃣5️⃣

11-9-23: Very excited to start this one! 🎫

Looking forward to both of these.#BookSpin #DoubleSpin #BookSpinBingo

Gatsby is wishing I wasn‘t using her to model my next read. 🤣

A fun book for a rainy day.

I loved this book so much!! I loved how magical and whimsical it is, I was pulling for all the characters, I got teary eyed several times, and I LOVE a good hea. This story hit me in all of my feels. Every one of them. And I can‘t remember the last time I smiled so much at the end of a book. ❤️❤️❤️

“Hate is a knife without a handle. You can‘t cut something with it without cutting yourself.” #truestory

#IdiomInsight

The phrase fair and square is an idiom that means “honest, impartial, and without any sort of trickery.” It suggests that something was done in a straightforward manner, without any cheating or underhanded tactics.

In this book in my physical TBR pile (a recent #BOTM selection) there‘s a contest to win the only copy of the latest book from a beloved author. One hopes that when the winner is selected, they won #FairAndSquare ♟️◼️

I'll go with good not great!

⭐️⭐️The Wishing Game did not hit the spot for me. I expected to love it, bc of the reviews & it was recommended by a reading buddy & we normally have same taste. But I found the MC Lucy to be childish & immature, so her drive to win this contest at 26 years old is to adopt a 7 year old child, when she herself behaves like a child & it left me annoyed from the start. I couldn't get over it and thus could not fully vibe with the story.

I was enjoying this for a while, loving the puzzles, games and riddles. But now that I finished it, it feels sort of frustrating, juvenile and potentially damaging. The main character holds grudges and cuts off important people in her life and characters flippantly throw terms like “mom” and “son” around without a lot of regard for the process of found family.

A “look at yourself in the mirror and figure out who you are and what you really want” kind of book. It took me awhile to get into this. I enjoyed the story but I‘m not sure I understand all the hype and why so many people LOVE this book. Book #49 in 2023

Rocco, my incredibly sweet new buddy, helped me start THE WISHING GAME by Meg Shaffer this afternoon. Shaffer is one of my favourite authors (she‘s also written a ton of stuff as Tiffany Reisz), and the first seventy pages reminded me what a great prose stylist she is. I‘m excited to keep going later this evening.

So, as I‘ve mentioned a few days ago, I‘m trying to get back into my reading life/ community. I saw the posts for #bookspin and thought I‘d try. I hope I‘m participating correctly. I post a list of books I‘d like to read for September and then @TheAromaofBooks randomly draws 2 and that‘s the two I read? I get overwhelmed and end up not reading anything, so this seemed like a fun way to deal with that.

This book is a love letter to those who love books and the power they have, no matter how old you are. Beautifully crafted I dove headfirst into the story and didn‘t want to surface!

Cat mom dilemma… I want to read but to do so would disturb my pretty girl!

This book was very good.

If you mixed A Wrinkle in Time, Ready Player One, and Matilda together, you would get this book! A little dark and sad, yet hopeful and magical, it was different than I expected. It felt like the author could have fleshed things out a little more, bringing the story more depth and staying power. But I love the magical feel, the authentic characters, and the focuses on hope and found family (I cried a few times!)

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

This book hit me in all the right places! The attention given to that spectacular magic we can only get from reading books as children, mixed with the very realistic and often terrifying world so many live in, was so touching. And while there‘s a romantic element of sorts it isn‘t over done or too sappy. This is a bittersweet/sweet and somewhat sappy story and it was exactly what I needed even though I didn‘t know it. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟