Welcome to Litsy!

So good! This almost felt like a series of disconnected fairy tales in the beginning but then settled more into a novel. Maybe it‘s the Love Actually of book bans and closet Nazis? Whatever it was, it was pretty damn good. It did drag a bit at the end, stopping it from being a five star read for me but it got close.

My January #DoubleSpin

My January 2025 #Bookspin and #Doublespin wintery picks are done and dusted.
Both were solid reads that made the cold and snow characters in the stories.
Neither knocked my socks off but I enjoyed reading both.
The tagged book was a #netgalley arc, so thanks to them for giving me a copy of the book for an honest review.
That‘s 2 more stripes on Rebecca my knitted #ReadingSnake (horror and thriller)

This is lovely. I'm going out on a limb and comparing it to Three by Valerie Perrin. I loved that book. I loved this book quite nearly as much.

#DoubleSpin @TheAromaofBooks

US pub date is 5/20/25
#ARC #Netgalley

Wow! Another book my daughter has been trying to get me to read for a long time, and damn if she wasn't right! This is not your typical YA fantasy. It has it all: history, folklore, action, and romance, all while deftly addressing racism and sexism, both historical and modern. It's simultaneously disturbing and empowering. I have book 2 waiting on a shelf, but I need a breather before going in. This was my January #Doublespin @TheAromaofBooks

So I was a little annoyed that this book was more about two people working at a newspaper than about children being sold out of desperation in the 1930s. But after a bit I became so immersed in the story that it didn't matter anymore.

3/80

January #DoubleSpin #BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

#ReadingMyTBRs #Read2025 @DieAReader

I loved the Arc of the Scythe series, so of course I wanted to read this volume of short stories that Neal Shusterman and a few other authors wrote taking place in the Scythe world.

I was surprised that the other authors just co-wrote with Neal, I was hoping for some completely different voices. They all have the feel of the trilogy. But they were mostly enjoyable. The only one I didn‘t like was Perchance to Glean, about dreams.
#doublespin

Yeongju leaves her old life behind and opens a bookshop in Hyunam-Dong. She learns how to navigate her dreams along with reality and societal expectation, makes a group of friends, and everyone helps each other think about where they are in life and where they want to be.
I have to say that some bits felt particularly poignant as I am a bit fed up with work at the moment. So it definitely left me with some things to think about!

#DoubleSpin

This was a nice coming of age story about a boy who has no one and nowhere to go. It was a lighter, quick read and I felt connected to the characters. Mostly fiction, as the only real historical fiction is the giraffes being driven across the country. But it was nice to see that story become a story. Giraffes humming is probably my favourite fact I learned.

#JumpStart2025 #DoubleSpin @Lizpixie @TheAromaofBooks

My #doublespin for this month was a book for Ellie‘s (our daughter who will be arriving in May) library. For the rest of the time I‘m pregnant, I want to read children‘s books from my collection and choose my favorites to include in her first library in her nursery 😊 this was my first read and I really enjoyed what a simple, but heartfelt, story it is ❤️

Two children are left by themselves in a house with no furniture and enough hermetic for some days. Their mum‘s boyfriend promises to return. As the days go by he only doesn‘t return, but as readers we realize that the world Smith has created is a little different from ours, and her world scars me. I hope we never end up living in that world.

I can‘t wait to read the second book in this duology when it‘s published in May

#DoubleSpin January