Welcome to Litsy!

1. Several years ago, my alma mater had to select a new mascot. There was a poll, and the winner was a griffin. Though that wasn‘t my initial choice, the griffin has grown on me.
2. The tagged book features a wyvern that‘s also a library. This year I might actually read book two.
#two4tuesday

I made it to the pentalogy book series of my reading challenge. My library loans for Catherynne Valente‘s Fairyland series arrived in the nick of time. A second storm is on its way starting 3am Friday and continuing into noon Saturday.

After months of lingering around the house, the tagged book finally graduated to my DNF list. My son liked it okay, but I just couldn't get into it. I forgot to take a picture of it before my spouse took it back to the library, so here's a photo I took to try and figure out how to adjust the cupboard hinges.

As a fan of Catherynne Valente‘s adult novella The Past Is Red, it was high time for me to check out her acclaimed middle grades fantasy series. If you love portal fantasies, where for instance 12-year-old girls are transported by magic into realms far stranger than our own, or book-reading dragons, evil marquesses, flying jaguars, mermaids, and a whole lot of Wonderlandian nonsense, this is the book for you!

Reading and hydrating after my booster. I really thought I had read this one already and figured it would be a re-read when it came up in my son's homeschool curriculum, but I have no memory of this story so far. Which doesn't necessarily mean I didn't read it before, but it's as good as new-to-me so far!

“No #oak gnarled and orange with October is half as bright as the boughs that bent over September‘s head, dropping their hard, sweet acorns into her spinning spokes.” #QuotsySep21

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This was a fun middle grade read. It takes a lot from Alice‘s Adventure in Wonderland. It is pretty dark, has a very likable female lead character, has a fun cast, and an interesting “villain”. I enjoyed this one.

Listened to the audiobook this time and still absolutely adore this story. Valente is a magnificent storyteller

#bookspin @TheAromaofBooks

A surprisingly nuanced and lyrical fantasy middle grade book which is probably inspired a little by the Wizard of Oz and Alice in Wonderland.
The audiobook is read by the author. Will definitely be reading the next book as this series shows alot of promise.

I'm fairly certain Valente read Alice in Wonderland and went “Hey - I can do better than Wonderland! And I'll make it a fairy tale while I'm at it! Challenge accepted!“ I wish this book had come out when I was still a kid. I think I'd have been obsessed with it. I'm just finally just reading it while in my 30s.

I'm excited for the day when I can share this book with my girls. There is no higher praise.

#bookspin @thearomaofbooks

TO LOSE YOUR HEART

Hearts weigh quite a lot.

So #bookspinbingo this month was a disaster 🙈 the only book I crossed off was the tagged middle grade fantasy (which was a fab read!). I think I‘ve got to the point in the term when I‘m counting down the days until the holidays and reading fluff 🤪 @TheAromaofBooks

I finished my #bookspinbingo book for November! So this was a fab middle grade fantasy romp full of charm, humour, and a fiercely brave heroine you couldn‘t help but root for. 10 year old me would have loved this. 32 year old me loved it just as much - and very much appreciated the sly narration! @TheAromaofBooks

My #bookspinbingo for this month 📚 the tagged book is my #bookspin while The Book of Koli is my #doublespin read. I‘m looking forward to all of these! @TheAromaofBooks

I was tagged by @Lollymya and the host 😉

#thoughtprovokingthursday @BayouGirl85

From the book tagged or one in the series “A Library should not shush; it should roar!” -Catherynne M Valente

Much agreed!

@Pageturner1 @iread2much want to play?

I grew up reading the Oz series, and these books are the closest I‘ve ever read to recapturing that magic. The first book was my favorite, but I just love the way Valente writes ❤️ #doublespin

Fun book! I‘ll have to get around to reading the rest of the series one of these days. #strangetitle #biblioMAYnia

This is kind of scarlett, right? @rwmg

Reading pile! Also featuring my Wonder Woman journal and tablet, Tangelo.
#currentlyreading #femmefantale

"I have to keep going always, and even when I get where I'm going, I'll have to keep on. That's living." -Catherynne Valente

- This is my first post on here! I'm new to Litsy but i already want to abandon other social media and come live here instead. Please treat me kindly as I settle in ?

(Illustration by Ana Juan)

#new #yanovel #quote #fairytale

Imaginative. Beautiful writing. Totally enchanting story.

Liked it, didn‘t love it. Definitely not just a children‘s fairy tale story- there are some graphic deaths in this book! I enjoyed the references to other tales, and the creativity in the world-building of this. The narration was unique and contributed well to the storytelling aspect of this. Overall, a 4 ⭐️ read.

Also, I ended up owning 2 copies of this book. Would anyone like to trade for something off my TBR? ☺️

Playing with my new French Press this morning! As a coffee lover, I was tempted by the simplicity of the device and it‘s promise of the best tasting cup o‘ joe I‘d ever have. I finally caved in and got one. 🙈

Joining me this AM is September. I‘ve had so much fun tagging along on her adventure! I want my very own Wyverary like A-through-L. 🎃🐉

Last day of teaching summer school means final exams! 📝

Taking full advantage of proctoring to start a new read, while enjoying a mixed berry & PB smoothie 📖🍓🥜🥤

I'm out of town and away from my shelves so I had to search through old photos for today's #redandblack prompt. This is the best I could do 😁 #colormepretty

#QuotsyJuly19 Day 15: #Key figures prominently in this fairyland series. The books grow on you, much like September.

Just started this but I‘m really enjoying it. I had plans for yardwork but it‘s so nice out I think I‘ll just read for a bit instead. 🌞🌳🌼

@PagesByTheWater This literally made my day. 😂

So sweet of you to send this along to complete my #HappilyEverAfterSwap package! I love the style of the artwork on this bookmark. 😍

Please provide more details on this hilarious mishap ASAP. 👀

1. Done 2. Nope 3. Yes 4. No 5. 🍀🍀🍀. #hellothursday

#QuotsyMar19 #jewel

So... I‘ve ended up with two copies of this book. 🙈

Anyone know the difference between these editions? So far, all I can tell is that the right one has an author interview and some bonus material, yet less pages than the left one. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Also, does anyone want to #swap for the extra copy? 💌

The main character in this series is named September which is A) a pretty great month, if I say so myself (😆) and B) a good candidate for #UniqueCharacterNames. Pretty cute book, too 👍🏾

#LiteraryLuck @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @vkois88

@LibrarianRyan and I are hosting this #buddyread in March (after our #epicfail of an attempt in November...) Open to anyone interested in joining! 😊

@LibrarianRyan & @mcipher are hosting a #buddyread and I've been meaning to read this one ever since my dad bought it for me over a year ago! No more excuses!

@mcipher and I were supposed to #buddyread this in November but we failed dismally. She was way better then I. But we decided to try it again this month. We thought some of you might like to join in and and beat us to the end.

To keep myself honest I‘ll be posting my thoughts and progress on the days listed.

This is the most adorable gift box!! 2 books I‘ve been *wishing* for, a (book)ful of truffles, and a literary coffee mug of the classics! I feel spoiled 🥰 Thank you so much!

#HappilyEverAfterSwap