Welcome to Litsy!

My book club‘s February read, this was thought-provoking and made for a fantastic discussion. The premise is immediately engaging: a man‘s dreams have the power to reshape reality. But the way that premise plays out turns the whole “what if your dreams could come true” idea on its head. What if someone else manipulated your dreams and subsequently reality itself for their own (semi-altruistic but ultimately misguided) ends? ⬇️

#BookReport
Had a phenomenal reading week finishing two physical and two audiobooks. Highlight of the week was the tagged. It was just seven hours but packed a punch.

#WeeklyForecast
Goal this week is to finish Burning Stars and make good progress in Counterfeit. I'm trying to carve out more reading time but lately the family has been binging Below Decks in our free time.

Beautifully written look at the nature of reality and good intentions versus repercussions. I wasn't sure of the narrator listening to the audiobook but I was won over by the depth of emotion that he was able to convey.

This is a reread since it was selected by my book club. As before, a decade ago, I really enjoyed it. I love the concepts that it plays with. Also, after 10 more years, it brought up a whole set of novel thoughts (for me). Glad I reread it 🙂

This classic SF novel involves a man whose dreams cause the world to be altered. The jumps to different realities makes the reading challenging, but LeGuin poses many thought-provoking questions.

#BacklistReadathon @clwojick @TheAromaofBooks
#gottacatchemall @PuddleJumper (prompt 22: “Koffing: Dystopian setting“)
#52bookclub24 (prompt 12: “Title starting with the letter L“)

#readingbracket2023 #fiction #authoramonth

What would you do if your dreams came true? This is the dilemma of our protagonist. His initial solution was to try never to dream. He then falls prey to his psychiatrist who uses this ability for his own purposes. A real classic! As a long-standing SF reader, I‘m surprised I‘d never read this book, or this author. I will be adding more to my TBR mountain. Thanks to #authoramonth and @Soubhiville for pushing me once again to try a new to me author

Me at the end of Chapter 7.

#AuthorAMonth

Omg my brain hurts. That was so so good! #authoramonth @Soubhiville

Reading at the Houston Zoo!

Okay, so I‘m not actually digging into my #AuthorAMonth selection until a bit later in June, but since I stirred up so much controversy I thought I‘d pull my copy of this off the shelf now before I caused any more trouble 😅🤣 You ladies can let me know if you agree with my assessment or if I‘m just a wuss. 🤗💙 @BarkingMadRead @dabbe @Soubhiville

Starting my #authoramonth selection today! @Soubhiville

These are so cool!

I‘m, again, surprised and delighted by U.K. Le Guin. This hypnotic tale, in which dreams alter reality, explores a power struggle about whether and how that ability should be used. The characters are embodiments of ideologies and the plot is a thought experiment, but this short novel ramped up the stakes so quickly and turned its twists so sharply that it was also very compulsively readable sci-fi! I especially recommend it to Philip K. Dick fans.

I was motivated to post my 5 fave sci-fi books due to an earlier post from @theneverendingtbr Fifth Season might be pushing the definition a bit, but what struck me as unique was the mixture of sci-fi & fantasy elements. Honorable mention goes to: Necromancer, Recursion & Cat's Cradle. What are your fave sci-fi books?

This week I had the chance of reading 2 very good books:
- Slow Bullets by Alastair Reynolds - an impulse buy at the library sale that turned out to be a great read.
- the tagged book which was awesome, by one of my favorite authors. Written a few decades ago, it felt like it was written yesterday, with all the social and human condition aspects touched (war, racism, power). Loved it! This was also my #BookSpin, so happy to finish it.
Both picks!

This book is AMAZING! One of the best books I‘ve read in a really long time! It‘s a relatively short read, with only 11 chapters and a little 150 pages, but amazing non-the-less. It speaks volumes on society‘s problems and issues of “today” (granted this was written decades ago but still very relevant) and the concept (changing reality through dreams) leaves the possibilities endless for more content. Short read but an absolute must! Read over 3x

A fantastic exploration of utilitarian ethics in a sci-fi, post apocalyptic setting. It‘s like this book was made with me in mind, nearly twenty years before I was born. I adore this story.

The shelves of gravel and the cliffs of rock break from water baldly into air, that dry, terrible outer space of radiance and instability, where there is no support for #life. And now, now the currents mislead and the waves betray, breaking their endless circle, to leap up in loud foam against rock and air, breaking…. #QuotsyJan20

As someone who has strange but realistic dreams, this book was fascinating and terrifying at the same time.

After watching The Jane Austen Book Club yesterday, I was inspired to immediately hit the library to pick up something by Ursula K LeGuin (and a couple of Austen novels I‘ve yet to read). I was thinking maybe The Left Hand of Darkness, but this is the only one they had on the shelf, so I went with it. At about 50%, I‘m definitely enjoying the ethical questions it poses. Still feels relevant.

1. Really great read
2. JJ
3. Onion rings!
4. Possibly dress shopping for my super casual wedding coming up 😊
5. Only one 😔

#friyayintro @howjessreads

Do the ends justify the means?

A thoughtful book about morality, overpopulation, environmentalism, utopian societies, the human subconscious, and the nature of dreams.

Third book down. While there‘s no way I‘ll hit 24 hours of reading done, I‘m really grateful this readathon came along to help me get through some smaller books. I enjoyed this book a lot. I‘ll have to think about this book more to get a deeper appreciation of it but I always enjoy a good “what if?” type of story. #24B4Monday

Mind bending! The way Le Guin shifts the “reality” of the narrative as Orr dreams. It‘s disorienting and thrilling. Kind of fun as you catch yourself thinking, “Wait. That‘s not what his office was like two pages ago.” Living in Portland and looking at Mt. Hood also makes it doubly fun to read.

Today I finished my favorite local independent bookstore‘s monthly #bookclub book. This is one of few sci-fi books I‘ve ever read and it was intriguing. I like being exposed to new books and this one got me thinking. It didn‘t quite end how I expected, but I liked exploring the ideas of dreams, reality, humanity, world issues and power. 3/5 ⭐️ // #scifi #sciencefiction #fiction #review #35before35list

I remember seeing the PBS adaptation of this in high school and loving it. It‘s about a man named George who has “effective” dreams - in other words, his dreams actually change reality. George‘s interactions with a manipulative psychiatrist eventually leads to chaos and the book shows the dangers of having a God complex, even if one‘s intentions seem “good” on the surface. A great read!

I honestly don‘t think I‘m equipped to review but will try.

A man whose dreams alter reality and and a doctor who wants to harness and control those dreams, was fantastic. In a world that has a multitude of problems, the doctors good intentions to control the dreams to make the world a better place, however it comes with dangerous side effects.

God complexes are extremely dangerous even when benevolent.

This is such a good book! I am about halfway through and I just need to read more! Between this, The Disposessed and The Left Hand of Darkness, Le Guin really has written all of my favourite sci-fi! Minerva is keeping me company while I read!

This is a fascinating thought experiment about what could happen if one could change the world with dreams and the way innocuous or even well-meaning desires could go horribly wrong. I did feel the characters were held at a bit of a remove but the concept is great.

#dogsofLitsy #Bindi #Greta #Gunther

Half price books 20% off sale . Like I need more books.😂

You have to help another person. But it‘s not right to play God with masses of people. To be God you have to know what you‘re doing. And to do any good at all, just believing you‘re right and your motives are good isn‘t enough. You have to … be in touch.

1️⃣ Nope.
2️⃣ In Canada, the least bad of these services is Netflix. CraveTV is nearly equal. There is also TouTV, which has French language programming.
3️⃣ SF.🚀🛸
4️⃣ If someone else is watching tv when I'm reading.
5️⃣ What I want is Lathe of Heaven to not be made into a series, but I hear it's in development anyway. ☹️
@Ke633 #tellmetuesday

1️⃣ Surviving
2️⃣ Did not keep count. The tagged book, plus a few other things and fanfic.
3️⃣ Winter, because even though I hate freezing, I hate swealtering heat even more.
4️⃣ I've seen a lot of good ones. The most surprisingly good concert I saw was the Hothouse Flowers in 1990. I was not expecting anything and they blew the house up.
5️⃣ Ok!
@jesshowbooks #friyayintro

@BookishTrish The book is on its way back to you! 😘

1️⃣ The entirely state or the world at this point.
2️⃣ Coffee. Shower. Scheduled tasks. Not talking.
3️⃣ Chocolate.
4️⃣ If I get time, tagged, for #LMPBC #MooseMoose
@Chellebearss #Moodymonday

#triplwthreatthursday @MelAnn
1️⃣ Today? None that comes to mind. As a teenager, Muad'Dib.
2️⃣ Getting better. Kicking this medical mystery to the curb (or kerb, I'm not picky).
3️⃣ ☝️

"Come on up with me," he said. "It's raining already." In fact it was, the endless warm drizzle of spring - the ice of Antarctica, falling softly on the heads of the children of those responsible for melting it.

"The end justifies the means. But what if there never is an end? All we have is means."

#Bookmail no2! Thatnk you @FantasyChick! My son will love the pop corn! #MooseMoose #LMPBC

May Reads. The Lathe of Heaven and Old Man's War were my favorites.

Book. Hangover. Full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2252684225?book_show_action=false&from_rev...

Le Guin is one of those authors I desperately want to love but haven't ever been able to quite click with -- I liked the few things I've read by her but just never could feel that brilliance I knew I was just missing by a handsbreadth. I don't know if it's always been a case of the wrong time or if it was just me (I know it's not her -- I'm painfully aware that her stories are fantastic just without being fully there myself). (Contd in comments)

#currentlyreading I hope Litsy combines editions at some point, there's a bunch for this book.

Finished tonight in a comfy bed at "home" aka the parents. Loved it! A fabulous intro to classic sci fi. Vulnerable characters, the imagined future was vivid and creative yet believable. Thank you so much @DivaDiane @Balibee146 @samharnold for being excellent #lmpbc buddies, looking forward to our round 2.

And yes, we did colour it in Diane!! ❤?????

Reading before work.... #thegoodlife

#currentlyreading
#moosemoose

What's the baby's name?!!! 🤴🤴🤴

What did the hat say to the scarf?
You hang round here, I'll go on a head...

No, I'm going to my parents in the Lake District for some mountains 😁 But I am taking 3 books!

Will Do!

#friyayintro
@jesshowbooks