Welcome to Litsy!

Sloane is a trend forecaster working with a tech company when the unfortunate realization comes to her that the next trend is a return to human touch and away from screens. There is some frank discussion of sex, but the touch of the title is primarily the simple act of humans touching. I found it quite thought provoking.

#ReadingUSA2019 #Connecticut (author from)

#dogsofLitsy #Greta #Bindi

#touch #quotsyapril19

Day 11 - #touch #quotsyapr19

More touching, less swiping. (As I post to a social media platform)

Here‘s my #bookshelfie next to one of my bookshelf/nightstands. I tend to keep the self help books on this shelf since it‘s the closest to my bed and that way I can learn before bed :) @24in48 #24in48 and now to begin my day with some reading before work. And since I slept in more than I intended lol

The almost biological certainty that the more often you checked your cell phone, the more likely you were to find that one message or notification that would improve your entire life

Chuck the gadgets in the garbage, throw away the constant availability, the heightened stress of being always in the know

“People still had the capacity to save themselves from total and irreperable dissociation”

“Shove off the shackles of psychosomatic loneliness”

This is my little book and bag collection from Small Business Saturday. I got more than that but some of the sidelines I bought are quite possibly going to make it into swaps so I‘ll keep them secret for now. #shopsmall

Jet lag is killing me. So I decided to be productive and catch up on some litsy posts that I‘ve been meaning to get to. These are the books I bought on my trip- the bottom two are from a great bookstore in Heathrow! #TBR

The muesli bowl is me trying to recreate an amazing dish I had in Israel. I think the secret is the date syrup! It‘s delicious!

#QuotsyJune18 Day13 #Thread

Personal: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Average: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

I had to give this book a two-tiered rating: one for my own personal enjoyment, and one for how much I think the average reader might enjoy it. I picked it up because it seemed like it would address some issues I have a lot of real anxiety about, and in the end it did speak to those things. I enjoyed it, but this is not a genre I typically read so I don't have a lot of scope for comparison.

#ReadingResolutions #Internet

"The humans were so tired. The environment was shit, people's ability to empathize with others was going to hell in a fair-trade handbasket... It felt like the only thing that people wanted was to stay alive and order takeout and play quietly with their phones."

This book is an odd mix of being uncomfortably poignant one moment and touchingly relatable the next, and I am eating it right up.

My afternoon reading buddy. 😊 He so rarely snuggles up this close! #catsoflitsy

#2017wrapup
The Alpha award goes to an author at the beginning of a promising career. This year it‘s Courtney Maum. She creates interesting, flawed characters, in complicated situations of their own making, and gives them ways out. Some are good ways, like trying to get your wife to fall back in love. Some are ... hallway sex in a Brooklyn walk-up in the middle of a workday with a guy 10 years younger than you. She‘s worth checking out.

Have any of my friends read this? It really intrigued me in-store and while I didn't buy it then, it's still tentatively on my TBR. 🤔😏

I chose this book because I was intrigued by its premise: the conflict between technology and "old-fashioned" human interaction. While I did like the plot, I wasn't a huge fan of the characters and I found it took me awhile to really enjoy the book. In the end, I would say that this was just an OK read.

Interesting! So much to like. Wish it was edited better but otherwise, loved it.

I really enjoyed Touch by Courtney Maum. This thought-provoking and humorous novel explored the idea that the new trend would be human in-person connection and not through our gadgets. Made me want to put my phone down once and awhile!
#touch #courtneymaum #booksleeve #thewordwrap

I liked this, but I didn't- but I did. It's hard to articulate; Ms. Maum's writing is sharp, descriptive, observational. The story plot line was just so so for me. Read it for the language, and the way her writing pulls at the other senses (chapter 27 comes to mind). And for the cover, because Rodrigo Corral hit it out of the park.

I really am so excited to start reading this! I asked the library to order it, and it has finally made its way here. 🙌
And these shadows are 👌

This was a very thought-provoking read. We depend so heavily on technology that sometimes we cannot see the world around us or enjoy life to the fullest. Definitely made me monitor my usage whether I am with someone or by myself.

What I particularly like about the #minimalistcover of this book I reviewed earlier this year is that it conveys so much about the book with so little. #JubilantJuly @RealLifeReading

Maum is a sharp, observational writer, but her ideas are earnest and over-simplified to the point of triteness. It's clear that she was going for satire, but even that fails to resonate as strongly as it could have: it's like she got stuck between satire and sincerity and didn't fully realize either. To her credit, her characters are hilarious and spot-on, and she got me thinking a lot about trend forecasting and how potentially problematic it is.

This book was an engaging social commentary on the digital age and constant need for connection via electronic means. An aging trend forecaster becomes disillusioned with the constant distraction of cell phones and tablets and advocates for more face-to-face interactions. Her boss, the CEO of an electronics company, and her partner, who famously wears a Zentai suit, disagree. Really, the suit should have been enough reason to dump that guy.

Since my afternoon meeting was canceled, I'm taking the time for myself. Starting with $10 wine flight and lunch at one of my favorite local restaurants, followed by library, gym and coffee.

This quiet little park is another great place in my town to relax with a book and iced coffee. I'm waiting for my daughter to finish her X-country practice and this park is nearby. It's such a relaxing place!

When your next read has an epigraph from your favorite: 🙌🏻. Always a good sign.

Hanging out at the Xfinity Center in Mansfield, MA waiting for the Rod Stewart concert to start. Some people tailgate, I bring a book. 👍🏻👍🏻

Up next . . . Another library book to finish before vacation.

All these openings for closeness- all these humans with their disappointments and their desperate hearts, but it's so much easier, so convenient, to blame emotional distance on a lack of time.

"When we start a relationship, professional, romantic or otherwise, even when we're born, we establish these threads of energy that connect us to another person." | I have really enjoyed reading this book. I am certainly on Team Touch!

This book was in a genre I usually wouldn't read but boy oh boy am I glad I did! Excellent book!! I was deeply moved and it couldn't have been better timing. 💜

Next up. I'm very intrigued by this story about a movement to be "anti-tech" or more "in-person" I think this is very applicable to every day life. I'm leaving for Las Vegas this weekend to house hunt and I am going to try to be more present and less on my phone while out there and I hope to integrate that into my life full time.

This is now on my top 10 best of the year, so far. Not number 1 or 3, but around 7. Set in the near future where human interaction has moved primarily online, a trend forecaster realizes human contact will be the need of the future. The problem is her main stance has been around tech and anti reproduction (no sex except virtual). Moves quickly, a fun story, and is plausible. Good commentary too without head bashing. Def. pick!

Slow at first, but once you get into it picks up and is witty and hard to put down. I'd recommend it.

Excellent! Clean, clear writing for a quick and enjoyable read. Perfect pacing. Inviting and relatable characters. Wasn't let down after exorbitantly loving the author's initial novel. 👍🏻👏🏻🙌🏻

Maybe she was wrong, and humanity would never right itself, leaving machine and Homo sapiens to meld into one, tourists now preferring to visit the Grand Canyon virtually because they were too consumed by social anxiety to go that far away. But maybe-just maybe- people were more ready than she thought to shove off the shackles of psychosomatic loneliness. Maybe the revolution could come earlier, if they bucked the trends.

"Sloan always rode the subway when she was feeling blue. The shared solitude of the experience never failed to cheer her: simply watching the faces people assembled as they sat alone in public filled her with compassion. Someone with a forgotten name tag still pinned on their blouse, a lanky boy just broken up with.... All the common hopes and heartbreaks of a short commute."

On point accessibility in this novel: "Visually and audibly the world of today was designed to distract. Before you could give a name to your own feelings, there was something telling you what to think and want. Must-have lists in magazines, billboards on passing buses, push notifications, slogans on t-shirts. How long until quiet trended?..."

After a week without my phone or internet access I really had some eye opening moments on how constantly being connected affects my life and personality. Looking forward to reading TOUCH about a girl who sees a movement in society to focus on human experiences.

Years ago I read her first novel (I Am Having So Much Fun Here Without You) at such a pivotal time for me post-graduation and it really touched me (heh) then so I have high hopes for this. First chapter: pretty interesting background for main character; bizarre. 👍🏻

Although a little pretentious at times, I thoroughly enjoyed Courtney Maum's new novel, TOUCH. It was both devastating and inspiring to see how tech and innovation have diminished our sensory capabilities--our enjoyments in pure, natural experiences and feelings. I found this book to be informative and captivating.

Been reading this today. It starts very slowly, but stick with it! She gets her revelation at about page 100 in the book and it starts taking off and getting interesting. Love the just near future aspect of the book. There are just great paragraphs in this book. Here is one:

"There will be days you'll feel more inspired than others, but inspiration will always come if you show up for the job." ❤️ #touch #bookclubread #firstpost

After-work-out-read✌🏼

Recommending to everyone