The Spellshop | 
This Friday morning looks a lot different from my usual Friday mornings. 😌
#currentread
LeeRHarry Loved this one - enjoy! ☺️ 2w
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Loved this one 💫 2w
37 likes2 comments
This Friday morning looks a lot different from my usual Friday mornings. 😌
#currentread
Read & Relate 📖📱🎧
w/ @tbrgirlies_bookclub @_booksofjoy
Currently reading Spellshop, my first @sarahbethdurst 📚🏡
Also cross stitching JJK🪡🧵
#spellshop #sarahbethdurst #ebook #kindle #audiobook #crossstitch #jujutsukaisen #totefairie
so-soI liked this, I just never really felt compelled. I dunno, the stakes were low? The characters lacked depth? Objectively, neither of those are true so I‘m not sure why it felt so shallow to me. I really like the idea of stories in which every problem is solved by people being kind and in community, but other than Becky Chambers, I haven‘t loved a story like that.
One of the things I love about my Kobo Clara is the button location. The page turn buttons are on the side front and the on-off button is on the other side on the back. They aren‘t in a place where I will accidentally hit one when trying to hit the other… and more importantly, for this morning‘s purposes, there‘s no button on the bottom (unlike on my Kindle) so I can hold it upright on my bath board without worrying about turning it off!
pickSarah said she wrote the book with love and as a gift and it really really shows. I loved this so much I‘ve stayed up until 4 hours before I have to get up just to finish it. Soft and lovely and wonderful. Even if Kiela did make me feel possibly a little Too Seen.
pickThis is a soft pick. It‘s not a very serious read but it is extremely whimsical, cozy, and comforting. It was just the palate cleanser I needed after reading two darker stories in a row. The romance is cute and the setting is magical. The story shows us that even with all the bad life throws our way, we can lean into the good in the way of friendship, love, and the little things like a good book, a pastry and a cup of tea (coffee in my case).
Why did this languish on my shelves for so long? It‘s delightful!! 💜
pickNot as good as I hoped for, but still pretty solid. I listened to it on audio while diamond painting and it was perfect for that.
"Times had changed. The world had changed. I can change, too."
pickThis book was like a fuzzy blanket for my spirit right now.
This cozy fantasy follows an antisocial academic who is forced to leave everything she knows and start over with just some forbidden magic and her sentient talking spider plant assistant.
The characters and setting and creatures were so absolutely enchanting, I didn't want the story to ever end!
pickThe Spellshop follows Kaz a sentient spider plant and the librarian he assists Keila. They are librarians in the great library of Alyssium, a place where the empires knowledge is stored and protected only allowed to the elite few. That is at least until the revolutionaries set fire to the library and they are forced to flee with the few books they are able to rescue.
pickKiela and her talking spider plant Caz escape the burning of their great library in the huge city where they live. They find refuge on the island where she was born, along with the spell books they smuggled to safety. They decide to create a jam shop and soon they are surrounded by new friends like the merhorse herder and the local baker. Cozy to the max and a lovely read. (Warning: the book will make you want to eat toast and jam.)
pickDefinitely should be sleeping but I stayed up to finish this one! Whimsical is a good way to describe this book and the characters. A story of hope, friendship and community! I can‘t wait to read The Enchanted Greenhouse!
pickDefinitely fits the cozy category. Doesn‘t mean there weren‘t moments of distress but satisfying ending. A lot of cute for people who love books, baking, gardens, and magic. Love the designation of garden plants as book genres. That chapter with the tree spirit bears was beautiful. Initially the narrative felt kind of cold to me. Like I couldn‘t really connect with Kielan but didn‘t even think of it by the middle and through the end.
Started this one on my lunch break and I have The Enchanted Greenhouse on deck! I had to bail on The Bewitching because it was due back to the library and I was having a hard time getting into it. I‘ll give it another try when my hold comes back around.
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
In the acknowledgments, Durst says she wanted to write a book that felt like drinking hot chocolate and then says, “We‘ve all been through a lot over the past few years. This book is my gift to anyone who wants to escape and sink into a world filled with kindness and enchantment.”
And those two ideas really show exactly what she‘s done here. I loved every cozy page of this and am looking forward to reading more from this author!
I couldn‘t resist this when I got the email that it was the Barnes and Noble pick for the month. I already added it to my TBR, but when I saw the purple edges. 😍
pickThis was a sweet book, much like the jam it features. I loved the characters, especially Caz, and the warmth they brought to the story. And warmth is all through it, from the people to the setting to the conclusion — it‘s all like a warm hug. Themes of found family and finding one‘s true self run through the text, and there‘s a little adventure in there too. A wonderful escape into a lovely world. I mean, LOOK at that cover😍
Something soft and cozy for a cool and cloudy Sunday morning — and recovery from the Handmaid‘s Tale😅
pickThis was a fun fantasy, heartwarming, and charming albeit a bit hokey for my tastes. Kindness should be the way of the world and we should all have a friend like Caz.
First Quarter Fiction #ReadingBracket2025
This was a tough decision. I had to sit with the finalists for a bit to decide what went on. Ultimately I decided on this cozy fantasy, which was like a warm hug in book form.
Thank You @TheSpineView for creating this fun play-card & Thanks for the tag 💕🐎📚💝.
1- Since I was around 13 years old 📚💝.
2- The Spellshop 🪄📚💝💝💝.
#Two4Tuesday
#thespellshopreviewedbyanncrystal
#litsycommunitylittenanncrystal
pick#Read2025
Finished last week, this book was sweet & cute & exactly what I needed for a crazy week at work & the insanity of the world. It was a good mood enhancer in between some tougher books too. I love the escape of cozy fantasy where good prevails. Caz & Meep were adorable & it made me crave tea with bread and jam. A hug in book form. 💚💚💚
#two4Tuesday Thanks @TheSpineView for the tag!
1) paper crafts, pet my cat, go to museums, picnics, memorable trips, thoughtful gifts, when someone else cooks, watch movies, listen to music, Litsy, play dominoes with my parents (I used to take long walks but my back pain won‘t let me)
2) tagged: the feel good book of 2024
so-soSweet, cute, but I don't know if I will remember much of this novel in a couple of weeks. Good break from all the awful news in the US and the world.
pickI need, NEED cinnamon rolls and raspberry jam after reading this book. Cozy and comfy, absolutely charming.
Going on sick day number 🖐🤧. I've taken 3 days off from work so I feel like I have to go in tomorrow even though I could probably use a few more days in my couch cocoon. This suuuucks. Thankfully the book is pretty cute.
Aaand I'm laid up in bed with a flare up that feels like the flu, so I'm diving right into this cozy little fantasy. 💜
pickI had a few quibbles with this (relationships rather rushed), but I loved Meep and Caz, and the details of the work, and it was a fun cosy read.
Didn't manage to finish The Spellshop yet, it's taken me forever, but maybe this evening? I have no other plans, as long as I finish up studying. I love Meep!
Taking a bit of a break right now and looking at my January stats. It felt like I wasn't reading much, but that was really just in comparison to December, when I read 66 books (total includes manga, graphic novels, novellas etc).
Maybe I will sneak myself back on the #BookSpin wagon too...
[sneaks in quietly: long time no see!]
I've been partway through this for... uh, too long. I don't even know why; I guess it wasn't a good match for my mood. Anyway, I want to finish it up today, because I really love Caz (the sentient spider plant) and I want the cosiness.
pickIntrovert-to-the-extreme Kiela has found purpose in her job as a librarian but when rebels set the building on fire, she escapes with 5 crates of spellbooks and Caz, her only friend who is also a sentient spider plant. Without a place to go, she returns to the island where she was born.
Short on funds and skills, she turns to the spellbooks and builds herself a successful jam business and life.
So cozy and delightful.
pickThis cozy fantasy oozes comfort and kindness. I‘ll admit I bought this book for its gorgeous cover and the escapism, but my immersion in the story was interrupted by several continuity errors, and there was A LOT of repetition. Overall, I enjoyed my time in The Spellshop. Now, to fulfill this craving for raspberry jam and/or cinnamon rolls…
#OffMyShelf (newest book)
From the Acknowledgements page, “We've all been through a lot over the past few years. This book is my gift to anyone who wants to escape and sink into a world filled with kindness and enchantment.”
With cozies, I like to read the Acknowledgments first because, often, I find a little backstory or context, which adds to the vibes while reading the story.
#currentlyreading
#OffMyShelf (newest book)
I started a book club with my coworkers! This is the first pick. 📚
I need this so much right now. I just finished Witchcraft for Wayward Girls, which was an amazing book that bruised my soul. Now I need the book equivalent of a hug 😅💗
This book is pure magic, with one incredible scene after another. If I had to select one chapter to favorite, or one scene, it would be this one 😍💝 just amazing!
#thespellshopreviewedbyanncrystal
