Welcome to Litsy!

This was an enchanting and unique fantasy read!

The story is described by many as Beauty and the Beast meets Howl‘s Moving Castle. I haven‘t seen Howl‘s Moving Castle so I can't comment on that. However, it does have major Beauty and the Beast vibes. As a Beauty and the Beast retelling, the story felt so refreshing because of the Polish folklore.

Full review: https://oddandbookish.wordpress.com/2025/02/10/review-where-the-dark-stands-stil...

I did do a #bookspin list at the beginning of the month and never posted it. I saw that Summerwater (an old fave from my #roll100) and Shanghailanders (a new find at BN) were chosen.

Things are still crazy here. We‘ve gotten Dad mostly settled in the nursing home (after his second major stroke), and Mom or I is visiting every day. Today, I got clearance to bring Molly, and she came with me. It‘s just still a lot logistically and emotionally. ⬇️

I have a lot memories of Dad reading this one out loud to us when we were growing up, but I don't think I had read it since! It's a pretty adorable story about a group of kids who live in a little cul de sac alley neighborhood. The main story is that there is a robbery, but there are a lot of little side stories and it's all such good fun.

#Roll100 @PuddleJumper
#ReadtheUSA - New York
#ISpyBingo (Bare Feet; “Author of“) #BookSpinBingo

Catching up on reviews. I finished a reread of The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet (just as good this time 5⭐️) before jumping into book 2.

I very much enjoyed the second one as well. The sentient AI growing into her character was well done & I enjoyed diving into Pepper‘s background. Although I didn‘t quite feel the same sense of belonging at the end of this one as I did with the first. It was there, but didn‘t quite hit the same. Not sure why.

I liked this first Poirot novel enough that #christiescapers made my final #weeklyfavorite for January but I didn't love it. Red herrings everywhere, and so much talking it almost felt like a play, but an impressive 1st novel! My favorite reads this month are all from the #tob2025 longlist (one from the shortlist) so I'm happy to see it is still capable of introducing me to new authors to watch.
Lots of books in January! And a #bookspinbingo! 🔽

#Read2025

One of my #Roll100 Feb picks (#82 Any Non-Fiction) & also a #BlameItOnLitsy rec from @Kitta (on one of my posts about The Art Thief she recommended this one in the museum theft true crime genre). In this case a 20-year-old American flautist & fly-tying enthusiast steals 299 rare bird skins from a UK museum. I‘d have thought all the detail on fly-tying would have bored me but I found it & the crime fascinating. It reads like fiction.

Bummed to say this, but I am bailing on this one at 57%. It just feels derivative of many other books and I‘m bored. #hailthebail
But another #roll100 tbr pick off the shelves

Very good!
#roll100 @PuddleJumper

This is book 3 in the Mountain Springs series and one of my #Roll100 books for this month.
I not only enjoyed this story, but catching up with the family members from the two previous books. The Christmas setting made me so happy I may need to read a holiday book each month. Happy, heartwarming vibes.

#BookSpinBingo #Roll100 #SeriesLove2025