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Thistlefoot
Thistlefoot | GennaRose Nethercott
In the tradition of modern fairytales like American Gods and Spinning Silver comes a sweeping epic rich in Eastern European folklore--a debut novel about the ancestral hauntings that stalk us, and the uncanny power of story. The Yaga siblings--Bellatine, a young woodworker, and Isaac, a wayfaring street performer and con artist--have been estranged since childhood, separated both by resentment and by wide miles of American highway. But when they learn that they are to receive a mysterious inheritance, the siblings are reunited--only to discover that their bequest isn't land or money, but something far stranger: a sentient house on chicken legs. Thistlefoot, as the house is called, has arrived from the Yagas' ancestral home in Russia--but not alone. A sinister figure known only as the Longshadow Man has tracked it to American shores, bearing with him violent secrets from the past: fiery memories that have hidden in Isaac and Bellatine's blood for generations. As the Yaga siblings embark with Thistlefoot on a final cross-country tour of their family's traveling theater show, the Longshadow Man follows in relentless pursuit, seeding destruction in his wake. Ultimately, time, magic, and legacy must collide--erupting in a powerful conflagration to determine who gets to remember the past and craft a new future. An enchanted adventure illuminated by Jewish myth and adorned with lyrical prose as tantalizing and sweet as briar berries, Thistlefoot is an immersive modern fantasy saga by a bold new talent.
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Yuki_Onna
Thistlefoot | GennaRose Nethercott
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#ItTakesAllKinds @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs
#RoadTrip
#Mythical
#War
#Fantasy
#WithMurder

I love love loved this book! 🐥🦵🏃🥀🖤🏚️💂📝🖋️🕯️🎻🪄🎭⚔️🚬⚰️🪦🗿🦿🐔🗣️

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks 🖤🖤🖤 4d
Eggs 🖤🧡🖤 3d
23 likes2 comments
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Yuki_Onna
Thistlefoot | GennaRose Nethercott
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Breanne1 I loved Thistlefoot! 3w
Yuki_Onna @Breanne1 I just finished it today and I love it, too! This one will stay with me for a while, that's for sure... 1w
20 likes2 comments
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Yuki_Onna
Thistlefoot | GennaRose Nethercott
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#FirstLineFridays @ShyBookOwl

'Behold: Kali Tragus, the Russian thistle.'

Making slow progress through this one, yet it's a steady one with much pleasure. So far, it's fabulous.
A dark modern fantasy steeped in Yiddish folklore, a road trip through the vastness of the USA and the heritage, myths and memories of its immigrants.

#folklore #fantasy #myths #legends #Ukraine #EasternEurope #Russia #BabaYaga #legacy

18 likes1 stack add
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HeyT
Thistlefoot | GennaRose Nethercott
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Mehso-so

I only picked this up for the SFF book club and was kind of really invested in the beginning but a little over half way it kind of slowed down a bit and it felt like a chore trying to finish. I think there's a lot to unpack about trauma and memory but I didn't really connect to the way it was laid out.

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HeyT
Thistlefoot | GennaRose Nethercott
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Trying to finish a big chunk today to keep on my monthly goals target. Rolo is asleep on the job.
#DogsOfLitsy

dabbe 🖤🐾🖤 1mo
BookmarkTavern No! He‘s doing an amazing job! 💖💖 1mo
22 likes2 comments
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HeyT
Thistlefoot | GennaRose Nethercott
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It is a very cold, rainy, and really slow day at work so I figured I might as well get a few pages in.

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HeyT
Thistlefoot | GennaRose Nethercott
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I‘m enjoying the tagged but what makes it extra special is Sierra decided to ignore the dog and hang out with me while I‘m reading.
#CatsOfLitsy

dabbe 🖤🐾🖤 2mo
24 likes1 comment
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bookish6
Thistlefoot | GennaRose Nethercott
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I wanted to like this more than I did.
I felt like a few characters didn't even need to be in the story.
I really enjoyed the chapters from the house's POV. I also enjoyed Bellatine and Isaac's story, but I thought more could have been talked about revolving their gifts.

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jen_hayes7
Thistlefoot | GennaRose Nethercott
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Baba Yaga is one of my all-time favorite folktales. Needless to say, I am really enjoying this book. We get different perspectives, characters you love and characters you love to hate. It was so easy to get swept up in the story. I‘m about 60% through and have loved every minute. #botm

GondorGirl I really loved this one! 5mo
jen_hayes7 @GondorGirl I did too! Will probably be one of my fave books of the year. 5mo
10 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Kenyazero
Thistlefoot | GennaRose Nethercott
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Pickpick

A friend recommended this delight of a book to me and I loved it. It explores myths and legends, cultural destruction, Russian Jewish heritage, and the role that stories play in both culture and heritage, all wrapped up in a fantasy-horror book with a fun cast of characters. I saw one reviewer characterized it as culturally apropriative to have non-religious characters with Jewish heritage as the main characters, but I enjoyed (more below ⬇️)

Kenyazero …having characters like this because that‘s my experience as well. I am not religious, but have Jewish heritage. #LGBTQIA (edited) 6mo
Clare-Dragonfly That seems like an awfully strange thing to take exception to. Many modern Jews are not religious. 6mo
Kenyazero @Clare-Dragonfly Definitely feels a bit strange! 6mo
16 likes3 comments
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Victoriahoperose
Thistlefoot | GennaRose Nethercott
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Pickpick

I loved how this started. It really got my interest in the beginning and the story was so well written. I really enjoyed all of the characters including the house and the story behind each of them. It was a little slow at times for me, but I still loved the writing and the unique/weird story that the author told.

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Rissa1
Thistlefoot | GennaRose Nethercott
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1. Childhood nickname. 2. Thriller. 3. Summer is my favorite season 4. I believe in spirit entities 5. USA 6. Wife, Mom and everything that entails. Library volunteer. #Scarathlon #TeamCryptKeepers @LiseWorks

LiseWorks Got to love the Thrillers, thanks for playing. 6mo
21 likes1 comment
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BookishTrish
Thistlefoot | GennaRose Nethercott
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Pickpick

Excellent reading view (with a window seat no less!) for this excellent fantasy novel ❤️

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BirdLaVie
Thistlefoot | GennaRose Nethercott
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Mehso-so

Thistlefoot is bound with searing history, imaginative force and deeply profound moments. Though there was so much here and I was moved by the message of the novel and certain passages, it overall lacked cohesiveness and I struggled to follow along at times. Baba Yaga‘s perspective was my favorite to listen to 🎧 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

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Kenyazero
Thistlefoot | GennaRose Nethercott
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Weird coincidence! I started this book yesterday. Yesterday evening, I was working with a journalist who told me about his Jewish heritage on his dad's side, and his family fleeing the pogroms in Russia. Today, I reached a part in this book where one main character reflects on his own Jewish heritage with ancestry fleeing the pogroms in Russia.

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Kenyazero
Thistlefoot | GennaRose Nethercott
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A friend recommended this book to me and I'm already entirely in love 😍 The descriptions paint such vivid pictures not only for the senses but also for the emotions. It's fun seeing elements of Baba Yaga folklore popping up, and illustrative pops of references to Jewish culture. As a bonus, the audiobook is narrated by the same person who read The Diviners, who does an amazing job!

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Ellen_C
Thistlefoot | GennaRose Nethercott
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Pickpick

Combination of the history of pogroms vs. East European Jews and the fairy tale Baba Yaga. The Yaga siblings have inherited a house on chicken legs from their deceased great grandmother but a shadowy figure is intent on hunting it down and destroying it. Why? Themes: generational trauma, persecution, using fear to spur violence, importance of stories and remembering. https://cannonballread.com/2023/08/thistlefoot-a-novel-elcicco/

7 likes1 stack add
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Ellen_C
Thistlefoot | GennaRose Nethercott
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Pickpick

Outstanding mix of history and fairytale. The Yaga siblings have inherited a house on chicken legs from their great-grandmother but a dangerous entity wants to find and destroy it. Combines the history of East Europe‘s pogroms with old folk tales. Themes: importance of stories and remembering. Brilliantly done. https://cannonballread.com/2023/08/thistlefoot-a-novel-elcicco/

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Cazxxx
Thistlefoot | GennaRose Nethercott
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If a story does its job, it doesn't ever end. Not really. But it can change. This is the nature of folktales. They shift to fit each teller. Take whatever form suits the bearer best. What begins as a story of sorrow can be acknowledged, held like a sweetheart to the chest, rocked and sung to. And then it can be set down to sleep. It can become an offering. A lantern. An ember to lead you through the dark.

52 likes1 stack add
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eol
Thistlefoot | GennaRose Nethercott
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Pickpick

Reforging generational trauma into remembering and respect for one‘s own history.

The characters ride on the edge of being unlikable. It‘s done skillfully, though, so the reader emphasizes rather than gets annoyed. The story has three layers—the dark and fairytale-like past, the allegoric plot of a puppet show, and the modern-day present.

I loved how carefully constructed it was, although the jumping between layers was a bit distracting.

4/5

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ChaoticMissAdventures
Thistlefoot | GennaRose Nethercott
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Bailedbailed

Oh no! Unpopular opinion. I couldn't care less about anyone in this story.
While there are bits and pieces that I can see could be interesting, it is just not holding my attention and I am not wanting to pick it back up, so I am bailing.

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CaitlinR
Thistlefoot | GennaRose Nethercott
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Pickpick

“There is a shtetl called Gedenkrovka, in the Smiliansky district of the Cherkasy region of Imperial Russia …” Nethercott (a fine poet) has crafted a wondrous, terrible debut novel that weaves together two timelines united by the children and descendants of Baba Yaga. Her children were threatened and her are descendants are being stalked by a dybbuk created one terrible day in 1919, and still furious that the house, Thistlefoot escaped a pogrom.

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Lindy
Thistlefoot | GennaRose Nethercott
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Pickpick

A retelling of Russian myth, plus traditional Jewish tales & the true history of pogroms in Eastern Europe, combined with a contemporary American setting imbued with fantasy—this adventure is right in my wheelhouse. Told from 3 POVs: close 3rd -person of the two youngest (and queer) members of the Yaga family, plus direct address from a sentient house on chicken legs. Enthralling! #LGBTQ #Audiobook read with vocal adeptness by January LaVoy.

35 likes2 stack adds
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Lindy
Thistlefoot | GennaRose Nethercott
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Funny how truth changes in the telling, how a person becomes a myth, how a myth becomes a hero. Do not mistake Baba Yaga for the hero of my stories. She is not. She is not the villain, either. She is only a woman.
(Internet image)

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Lindy
Thistlefoot | GennaRose Nethercott
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A house can be burned, a story cannot. What is a house but a container for a life? What is a life but a container for a story? When a container is broken, it does not destroy the contents, it sets them free.
(Image: the author and her puppet theatre)

33 likes1 stack add
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booksandsympathy
Thistlefoot | GennaRose Nethercott
Pickpick

I put this book down for a while to read the library books that all came in at once, so it took me a while to read it. It wasn't a book I felt I could read quickly. This book needed to be read slowly and thought about and truly savored. I feel emotional now that it's over and I don't usually get emotional when I read. It was weird and magical and oh so beautiful.

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booksandsympathy
Thistlefoot | GennaRose Nethercott

"There are no ghosts of the dead. And yet, this is a ghost story. There are no ghosts of the dead. But events? Events, if they carry enough wailing, can leave a mark. Can squeeze themselves into terrible shapes, grow arms, legs, a head on which to wear a hat, feet on which to follow you. Events - they have a way of coming back."

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booksandsympathy
Thistlefoot | GennaRose Nethercott

"You know the only real way to respect people whose lives are over? Or those like me, whose lives never even began? You prove to them that you aren't wasting yours."

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Laughterhp
Thistlefoot | GennaRose Nethercott
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Panpan

Wow, I did not like this book. I‘m not sure why I finished it. I was about halfway through and already miserable. I didn‘t really like any of the characters and found it very boring. A retelling of baba yaga (and all I could think of was John Wick).

I hope you all like it better than I did. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Moving on.

#BOTMbacklog

TheBookHippie Oh no I love Baba Yaga and I have this in my backlog too! 12mo
Laughterhp @TheBookHippie You might love it! I just found it a bit boring. 12mo
TheBookHippie @Laughterhp I‘ve found this to be true with many Baba Yaga retelling stories. We shall see. 12mo
48 likes3 comments
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Read-y_Picker
Thistlefoot | GennaRose Nethercott
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Pickpick

“What happens when the walls we raise outlive the dangers they were built to keep out? At what point does a fort become a cage?“

I really enjoyed this story. It's kind of a Baba Yaga origin story, as discovered by her descendants after they inherit her infamous cabin on chicken feet. I personally connected with the historic theme of displaced jews in Russia. It really added depth and humanity to the Yaga history.
5 ⭐️
#Doublespin

Read-y_Picker Finished it off with some traditional lore. It was interesting seeing the themes and events repeated throughout many variations of Baba Yaga stories. Definitely going down the rabbit hole this month. 13mo
30 likes1 stack add1 comment
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JoeMo
Thistlefoot | GennaRose Nethercott
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Bailedbailed

It‘s frustrating, but I‘ve borrowed the audiobook twice and I just can‘t get into this. I‘m still only 2.5 hours in, which feels like it‘s been 20 hours, and I just don‘t have the patience for the slow pace. Some say it‘s riveting, others complain of the pacing but state that the ending makes or saves the book. Hopefully I‘ll find out for myself someday, at a time in the future when maybe I‘m more well-rested and focused! 😂

Read-y_Picker I'm reading this one and really enjoying it. Almost done now, actually. If I look back MAYBE it wasn't a roller coaster all the way through.. Lots of allusion to events that they only explain well into the 2nd half but yeah. Totally worth the read in my eyes. Sometimes audio just doesn't allow you to get invested enough. Also it might be a bit confusing because the POV if constantly shifting between the 2 MC, their ancestor and the house itself. 13mo
JoeMo @Read-y_Picker I‘m actually opposite of a lot of folks…if I can‘t get into a book, I often try the audio version and have an easier time as long as the narrator has a pulse. I didn‘t have an issue with the story switching perspectives….except I just wanted to learn more about the house and not the siblings, who I just haven‘t been given a reason to care about in the early stages. Glad to hear it may be worth it if I ever try it for a third time! 13mo
Read-y_Picker @JoeMo 83% in and I still know nothing about the house lol 13mo
JoeMo Damn it…I only cared about the house! 😂 13mo
34 likes4 comments
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booksandsympathy
Thistlefoot | GennaRose Nethercott

"Things happen that we cannot speak of. These rememberings are prickly like blackberry briar in winter, with no leaves to soften them. And the very worst thing about memory, the deadliest, most brutal part: memory can be forgotten. But a folktale - a folktale can never be forgotten because it wiggles & rearranges until it sits neatly on the heart."

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Chrissyreadit
Thistlefoot | GennaRose Nethercott
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Options for #lmpbc group F.

See All 17 Comments
persephone1408 @Chrissyreadit I'd like to read either girl serpent thorn or other birds 13mo
gossamerchild @Chrissyreadit I've read Other Birds and The invisible Library. Any of the others look great! 13mo
Laughterhp I‘ve read Girl, Serpent Thorn and The Invisible Library. My top choices would be A Master of Djinn or Thistlefoot! But I‘m okay with any I haven‘t read yet. 13mo
Chrissyreadit @gossamerchild @persephone1408 what would your next choices be? 13mo
persephone1408 @Chrissyreadit don't matter to me 13mo
gossamerchild @Chrissyreadit A master of djinn sounds fascinating 13mo
persephone1408 @Chrissyreadit let me know your pick please😊 13mo
Chrissyreadit @persephone1408 A Master of Djinn 13mo
persephone1408 Great! Now all I need is @gossamerchild pick 13mo
gossamerchild @persephone1408 Johannes Cabal the Necromancer 13mo
56 likes17 comments
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booksandsympathy
Thistlefoot | GennaRose Nethercott

"People in our family, we're born with thistles in our feet. It's why we're always traveling. Because if we stood still, the thistles would prick us."

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StaceGhost
Thistlefoot | GennaRose Nethercott
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Pickpick

Highly recommend! Puppets, magic, folklore— this might have been a perfect read for me 🏡 I really needed it at the moment, too ❤️✨

Haus by Laura Tempest Zakroff of Owlkeyme Arts

Buy a print or stack of cards at https://owlkeyme.square.site

36 likes3 stack adds
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BookishlyPleasant
Thistlefoot | GennaRose Nethercott
Pickpick

Absolutely gripping! This was a beautifully written story about families, generational trauma, and folklore with unreliable narration that left an ache in my chest. The Yaga siblings/family were written with such quality that I feel everyone will be able to see a bit of themselves and their families in them.

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kellyann28
Thistlefoot | GennaRose Nethercott
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Pickpick

I finished Thistlefoot this week for another traveling book group and it was quite a read! Overall a lovely message with very complex characters. I thought the middle lagged a bit but the ending was perfection! I loved all the Baba Yaga stories woven in throughout. Using this for #booked2023 A Title with a Proper Noun
@Cinfhen @alisiakae @BarbaraTheBibliophage

Cinfhen Im super curious about this book!! Glad to see you enjoyed it💛 1y
32 likes1 comment
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booksandsympathy
Thistlefoot | GennaRose Nethercott
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I'm not certain what happened to my post from last night, but it's gone now. 🤔 Anyway, I started this book last night about the Yaga siblings who inherit a sentient house on chicken legs named Thistlefoot which has arrived in America from Eastern Europe. Unfortunately a sinister figure also arrives at the same time with dark secrets from the past.

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Breanne1
Thistlefoot | GennaRose Nethercott
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Pickpick

A beautiful story about the importance of bearing witness and passing on legacies no matter how painful they may be. I loved this book and consider it a five ⭐️ read. #botm

14 likes1 stack add
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ICantImReading
Thistlefoot | GennaRose Nethercott
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Here are some of my favorite reads of 2022! I have to give the top spot to Thistlefoot! 🏚🍗🍗🖤

jlhammar Tell Me Everything and Crying in H Mart were so good! Really looking forward to True Story and Thistlefoot (both on my shelves)! 1y
ICantImReading @jlhammar oh I hope you love them! Both very different, but (in my opinion) so so good! 💜 1y
43 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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Twainy
Thistlefoot | GennaRose Nethercott
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Pickpick

🎧 Entertaining! A dark fun quirky fairytale retelling! Heavy on the “QUIRK”. Good narration! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/3

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StellarDoc
Thistlefoot | GennaRose Nethercott
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Reading by the (TV) fire .

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Johanna414
Thistlefoot | GennaRose Nethercott
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Pickpick

A low pick... it had a loy of potential, but didn't quite live up to my expectations

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Read_By_Red
Thistlefoot | GennaRose Nethercott
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Pickpick

Thistlefoot is easily the best novel that I have read all year. The story and characters are gripping and entertaining. I especially enjoyed hearing from Thistlefoot within the narrative. The descriptions are nothing short of amazing, creating a detailed and complete picture of the settings, the characters, the action, etc. There are also sections full of thought-provoking words and ideas that are so insightful. This was a hard one to put down.

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Addison_Reads
Thistlefoot | GennaRose Nethercott
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Another favorite from 2022 for #adventrecommends @emilyrose_x

This is one of my favorite fairytale reads and definitely one of the best Baba Yaga stories I've ever read.

If you like fun, adventurous stories based on classic fairytales but with a modern twist, check this one out.

32 likes1 stack add
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underground_bks
Thistlefoot | GennaRose Nethercott
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Pickpick

An estranged brother & sister from a family of puppeteers inherit Baba Yaga‘s iconic house on chicken feet—and an ancient and terrifying foe—in this playful, powerful, and heart-wrenchingly wise novel that brings Jewish folklore to a modern, magical realist American setting. Thistlefoot has so much to say about generational trauma, history as haunting, the redemptive power of remembrance, and the healing potential of storytelling. A tour de force.

GondorGirl I ADORED this book! It was so unexpected and beautiful. 🥰 1y
underground_bks @GondorGirl truly an unbelievable debut! 1y
ICantImReading This is one of my favorites of the year! 1y
See All 8 Comments
underground_bks @ICantImReading mine too 🤗 so many masterpieces this year! 1y
Palimpsest Great review! 1y
Texreader Brilliant review! 1y
underground_bks @Palimpsest thank you so much!☺️ 1y
underground_bks @Texreader thank you! 🥰 1y
30 likes4 stack adds8 comments
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Addison_Reads
Thistlefoot | GennaRose Nethercott
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Pickpick

I have been excited to get my hands on this book and it was such a fun read.

You guys are tired of me saying it I'm sure, but I LOVE Baba Yaga stories. This adventurous modern fairytale had a lot of unexpected moments, but in a good way. The writer captured the folklore well and also added in elements that made this story feel fresh.

One of my favorites for the year. 💚

GondorGirl This was SO FREAKING GOOD! 1y
40 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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ICantImReading
Thistlefoot | GennaRose Nethercott
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Pickpick

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thistlefoot is a STUNNER. Nethercott nestles elements of traditional folklore into a modern setting, spinning a gorgeous contemporary fairytale of ancestral trauma, remembrance, and hope. Settle in to savor this beautiful story - unforgettable characters, adventures, and discoveries await! #BOTM

Addison_Reads I just started this and I'm loving it so far. 1y
nichollinlove I'm so excited to read it! 1y
ICantImReading @Addison_Reads @nichollinlove can‘t wait to see what you think - I hope you love it!! 🖤❤️🤍 1y
60 likes3 stack adds3 comments
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bridge12
Thistlefoot | GennaRose Nethercott
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Pickpick

This one is a bit difficult for me to rate. It was a very slow build, honestly almost boring, but the ending and storyline was excellent. The ending saved this book for me. 3.5⭐️ #botm

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LittlebearReads
Thistlefoot | GennaRose Nethercott
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Pickpick

This was so good, I am not even sure there are words to express it adequately! The central themes could so easily have been delivered in a too morally instructive manner, but Nethercott strikes just the right tone.