Picked this one up interested in the Scottish folklore aspect. I‘m not really one for thrillers so I think that‘s where this book kind of fell for me… Leigh returns home after her father has died only to come back during October when the Sluagh rule the island that she is from. After the war they have become more violent, leaving the inhabitants wondering if they can continue living on the island they call their home.

A great nonfiction read centering mostly on highly accomplished paleontologist Barnum Brown who discovered the first T-Rex fossil. The book really did read a bit like a novel which I really liked and focused on the Bone War between science and natural history museums during the late 1800s/early 1900s. Discussed how the discovery of the T-Rex has shaped pop culture, movies, and the way we look at science and evolution. A fun read for Dino lovers!

I definitely preferred the two before this one… as awesome as it was getting into the world outside the schoolmance, El‘s character development really crashed in the first quarter of the book (rightfully so) and turned me off of the story. However this novel does make a come back in the last half of the book and ties up loose ends that were left from before. Ultimately a decent end to the trilogy but didn‘t knock my socks off.

Wowza. @Clare-Dragonfly you weren‘t joking on not guessing what was going to happen in this book. It was all over but in a good way😅😅 I feel like this was an excellent starter mystery novel if you haven‘t dabbled too much in that genre. I did take notes to help keep everything in line, not that it helped me guess the ending😆 I really really enjoyed this read and highly recommend it if it‘s on your TBR😊

So I‘m a little over halfway with this read and I have some suspicions of who may be behind all the stuff going on in this book… (there‘s a lot😅) but I can‘t help but think I‘m reading Harry Potter right now🤣🤣

Decided to take notes on my next book club book to see if I can solve the mystery before the end of the book! Featuring my favorite potato #finankitten, he makes a superb writing desk🤣 I‘m not much of a mystery genre reader but this one is intriguing to say the least!

A reread but for the life of me I couldn‘t remember anything about the book from when I read it the first time 🤦🏻‍♀️ and I‘m so glad I reread it. An absolutely wonderful way to tell a story especially during WWII from Deaths perspective. And although it‘s a tough and heartbreaking read, most of the book is so lively following Liesel around!

Took me a bit to get through this book but only because I wanted to soak it all in. Only eleven states in the US have legalized M.A.I.D and have given those with terminal illnesses a choice in how they will die. The author spent five years following volunteers who help with the assisted death process and she was able to write about patients stories on why they wanted to use the Death with Dignity Act! A must read for those interested in this!

After bailing my first read of this book I picked it back up for a book club read. I still really had a hard time connecting with the story and really didn‘t like Nora the MC. The book felt really repetitive and predictable. I do give it props for being transparent about depression and SI and I think it rounded out the story in the end to show how Nora was grateful when given a second chance at living her life.

Well all of you who were saying #finankitten was sitting on this book to spare my feelings were absolutely correct😭 I generally have a hard time with multigenerational stories because I like sticking with one character‘s perspective but this one had such an ease of transferring the main story lines from one generation to the next. Absolutely heart wrenching and a must read. Stunning writing!

In other news Pachinko is loved not only by myself but by #finankitten as well🥰 this is not staged he just likes sitting on books 😆 my kind of cat❤️

I REALLY wanted to love this book. I started it in a cabin in the woods and had my full attention to it despite it being an audiobook (which I struggle focusing on at times). I loved the world building aspect of this book but I did have a hard time keeping track of characters, places, religions. And my biggest complaint is how rushed the ending was!! For such a chunker of a book the ending was merely a blip and I was disappointed by that.

Started this book this weekend after finishing The Last Graduate and boy is it a hefty read so far😅 beautifully written though. It‘s been on my TBR for years and I‘m finally getting around to it🤍 Coffee added for extra support☕️

Finished this one this weekend as well! I liked learning a bit more about Celaenas story and background and really liked the short story format this book had. I know everyone has their preferences on when you should read this book and I‘m glad I read Throne of Glass first personally🤷🏻‍♀️ Onward!

Spent the weekend in a quiet cabin and caught up on my reading🥰 this series is cruising right along and I‘m glad that the third one is out so I can go pick it up and finish the story! The author has a knack for cliffhangers and I‘m looking forward to what she has in store for El, Orion, and the rest of the Schoolmamce

What a great follow up to the first of this series! I know a lot of people has mixed feeling about the original story but I was absolutely delighted with the first and second books of this series. I also listened to it on audible and the reader is perfect for this character!! Excited to see where the open ended ending takes us in the third book. Too bad we have to wait another year 😩

Well this was a fun one! Had a bit of trouble grasping the world it is set in for the first chapter or two but by the end I had a very clear picture of what was going on. I liked the character development within the book and am excited to see where the story goes with the subsequent novels.

Don‘t mind me just crying over here… I was entranced by this read. It kept me on my toes without jolting the story along. There was some sort of poetic grace and structure within this book that just gently pulled you along. I maybe a couple of times wanted the book to speed up a little bit just in anticipation of where was the story going to go! A delight of a read. Even though it was heartbreaking😩

After reading SJMs other series, I figured I would give this one a whirl even though I have tried to read it before. I‘m not quite as wild about this series as the others but I think this book is really setting up for some better reads later on. I enjoyed that this competition that she was in wasn‘t super forefront which I think left space for the main character to settle into the relationships that she will be involved in later. Onward!

My good friend @CissaMae has joined Litsy!! Everyone please extend her a warm welcome and a follow😊😊

Just when I thought I was freed from musketeers the next pick was this….🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️ does anyone have any advice on how to get through a book that you DO NOT want to read for a book club??? #askingforafriend…

An interesting take on a dystopian era novel. Set from multiple perspectives over a seven year period including before, during, and after pandemic. A book that addresses country reform, work drafts, and fertility when a flu takes out 90% of the worlds male population. Heart wrenching and surprising at times realizing how much the world would potentially change without a male population.

Wow I‘m so glad to be done with this book… it was for a book club and although it is a classic and the story and writing have their merits, I just really did not enjoy reading it. I felt like the story was way too long and had us shooting off in random directions the whole time. I will say in the end everything was addressed and closed up which is why it‘s getting a so so and not a pan.

Second in the Poppy War series and there‘s a lot of stuff going on in these books! I have a little bit of a hard time transitioning between events and got lost a couple of times but the book definitely keeps you on your toes. A little graphic at times but seeing as they are in the middle of a war that‘s to be expected. Its not knocking my socks off but I‘m intrigued to see how the third one finishes.

This was a book club pick that I was actually super pumped about and was disappointed ☹️ I listened on audiobook and loved the narrator and the writing but I just could not get into the plot or the characters till 4/5 through the book when it actually felt like things were getting relevant. It was often repetitive and just felt like most of the book didn‘t need to be there.

Wow there was a lot of book in this read😅 starting off as a lowly shop girl and ending several years later in a war torn country and that‘s all in the first book! Interesting concepts of shamanic power intertwined with Chinese history and mythology. I found I was much more interested at the beginning of the book and lost it a little towards the middle but the ending came back around. Look forward to the next one!

Wow this book had me cruising through the pages. Covering multiple areas of why we as a society feel like we are losing our ability to focus. From social media to lack of sleep to possible misdiagnosis of ADHD. A must read!

A most excellent dystopian novel with multiple perspectives both pre and post flu epidemic. Was fascinating to read about how life was perceived to end up post epidemic before we as a society went through our own epidemic. I can see why this book became very popular during COVID era. Amazing way that all the characters were connected and eventually circled back around to each other. Honestly would have loved to have a little bit more book!

After really not enjoying the first two books in this series this one was marginally better. With that being said because there was SO MUCH in this book while the one before it felt like it had nothing at all except the last quarter of the book, I felt like the action could have been better spread to make the series more well rounded. Still not sold on this series and Poppy honestly makes me cringe.

This is disheartening 😰

Honestly was so unimpressed with this book until the last four hours on the audiobook. And that is the only reason it‘s getting a so so. I felt like most of the book was the same conversations over and over again with no movement in character development or plot. However with the last section mentioned above it did make things very interesting and had me jumping to the next book. Hopefully the third one will redeem the series in its entirety.

Spent the weekend glamping in the forest and audiobooked this one! This series was recommended by a friend and although the story is intriguing and I know it‘ll get better this one didn‘t knock my socks off. But I am going to carryon into the next book in the series!

I don‘t know how I forgot to post my #booktree on here but here it is! Been enjoying it for about a week now😍

I mean… it‘s not like I wasn‘t reading that or anything🤦🏻‍♀️😆😸 #hesactuallymycat #finankitten #catsoflitsy

So very true 🥰📚📚📚

An excellent reread of this novel that I can now appreciate it a little more than when I read it the first time. The author has an uncanny knack for writing almost nonchalantly about the horrors of the Great War only because the main character knows no different in his adult life. A hard read but an important one nonetheless. A story of a young German man, Paul, and his comrades‘ lives while on the Western frontline during WWI.

Wowza this was a hefty book. Absolutely heartbreaking novel set on a small island, Jeju, off of South Korea. Between present day and the years of WWII and the Korean War, a story of friendship and hardship, life and death, love and sorrow.

When you start a death doula class and you decide to go to the book store… clerk probably thought I was a bit morbid!💀 I‘ve already read two of these but have loaned them out and will probably never get them back😆

I was a bit hesitant on this read after going through some previous reviews on it. However after listening to it on audio I actually really enjoyed this story! The narrator did amazing and I was very drawn to listening to it. Early 19th century Scottish setting about a young woman‘s ambitions to become a surgeon working with a Resurrection Man to study the human body.

Wowza what a read! It is geared toward a younger audience making it a straightforward read but holds your attention throughout the whole book. I mentioned earlier I initially thought this was nonfiction (😅) so the writer is very persuasive with her prologue and epilogue to set the scene with the main character. A young high schooler becomes famous with his internet sermons under an alter identity.

So I‘m reading this for book club and was absolutely convinced this is a non-fiction book only for the rest of the group to tell me it‘s not????😩😩 I‘m crushed honestly! But that‘s what makes it good writing 😏 Larry is very wise!

Somehow finished this one in a day! A quick read for my work book club. The writing is geared towards a younger audience so it was easy to read and straightforward. I felt like things moved quite rapidly which is usually what happens with younger audienced books but it left something to be desired. A young Russian girl‘s dream to fly with the infamous Night Witches.

Sometimes you get to finishing all your books all at once😅 Another I‘ve been working on for several years and another I hold very dear. A witty and honest take on the life of a mortician and facing your own mortality. Accompanied by the one and only #finankitten #catsoflitsy

I was saying this even before COVID😞 An honest remark even if it hits hard

Now that I have finished two (😅) books this week I figured I should dive into this bad boy when camping this weekend! Not too far in but it‘s already a stunning read!

How our whole book club felt about finishing this book… we all had the hardest time getting though this pick. I personally didn‘t like 1. the repetition of statements, the book could have been half as long without them 2. The editing was terrible I don‘t know how this author was a NYT journalist and 3. The author seemed to change his opinion constantly throughout the book. With that being said I did appreciate the topics that were brought up!

Finished this gorgeous story while chilling at work today. This was one of the dumpster books I saved a few months back and I‘m so glad I did! A warrior and a princess‘ journey to save magic that was taken away from their continent. Many ups and downs but much character growth!

Words cannot sum up the complete awe and appreciation I have for this book. I have read this book over the last year not because it wasn‘t a good read but because I wanted to take in all that it has to offer. The importance of asking our loved ones how they want the end of their life handled and the reality that we need to think the same of ourselves! An absolute pick!

A novel written during the Prohibition era based out of Portland, OR where I currently live! A story about a girl running from the Italian mafia out of Harlem finds herself in the only black hotel in Oregon filled with secrets and mysteries. Many many twists and turns with this book some that seemed to match the storyline and some were a bit out there and surprising! I felt a little let down by the ending but overall was a book I enjoyed reading!

The only thing that didn‘t make this book a bail for me was the authors writing is very good and it was for my book club. It took so much effort to get through the story and I cannot begin to tell you how much the structure of this book bothered me. That‘s all I have to say😒