A Closed and Common Orbit | 
pickA great look at AI and human interaction— obviously fit into a futuristic Sci-Fi context, but like most good Sco-Fi, finds its message applicable to today. Totally loving this heady humanistic sci-fi! (“Humanistic” might not be the right word when you consider the detailed world building and species Chambers populates he book with but…)
pickI didn't think it was possible, but I actually enjoyed this even more than the first book in the series.
Becky Chambers writes the most wonderful, relatable characters, even when they're not human, and can bring them through horrifying scenarios in the most surprisingly hopeful yet believable ways.
I can't wait to get my hands on the next book!
pickCatching up on reviews. I finished a reread of The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet (just as good this time 5⭐️) before jumping into book 2.
I very much enjoyed the second one as well. The sentient AI growing into her character was well done & I enjoyed diving into Pepper‘s background. Although I didn‘t quite feel the same sense of belonging at the end of this one as I did with the first. It was there, but didn‘t quite hit the same. Not sure why.
pick#bookspin this month was a reread - still loved this. It‘s really nice to read some wholesome, positive AI for a change!
And I should have a good month of reading ahead as I‘ve been in hospital again after what was left of my appendix got infected so have now had 2 appendectomy‘s 🤯
pickWhile I was disappointed at first not to return to the crew of the Wayfarer, it didn't last long. I greatly enjoyed getting to know Lovelace as she settles into her new life outside of a ship framework, and enjoyed exploring the troubling survival story of a small girl created for one purpose until accidentally unmoored from it. I adored the ending as well. #LGBTQIA #SliceOfLife #Cozy
pickThis wasn't nearly as exciting as the first one but still giving it a pick.
#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks
pickI finished this second book of Chamber‘s series by the pool in Laguna Beach. I‘m glad it wasn‘t crowded because the ending made me cry happy tears. The duet of Pepper‘s and Sidra‘s stories of survival and adaptation were so interesting and compelling to me. Chambers explores the hard questions about existence with such an open hand. It is beautiful to read.
The Ranch at Laguna Beach is fantastic! Especially if your husband has a work trip…
Morning reading with coffee. My “go away I‘m reading” mug has been used so much that the words faded away.
My May favourite was this one. Again this is as far as I have got in the series so far. Something I hope to rectify next year! I was originally disappointed we didn‘t see the same characters again, but ended up enjoying it ☺️
#12BooksOf2023
pickI loved this second book in the Wayfairer series even more than the first. A thoughtful and compelling story about humans and AI, and so amazing and inclusive. 5 ⭐️⭐️🌟⭐️ 🌟
pickBecky Chambers now neck and neck with TJ Klune for this year's favourite author. I have CRAVED fiction that skillfully, compassionately explores what being an AI could be, what it means ethically in a world of humans, and this did it SO well. Very into what is starting to feel like a particular strain of modern science fiction that focuses on the value and quality of life. Happy to go wherever Chambers takes the Wayfarers series next.
Nanobot tattoo: no touch ups required. Somewhere between jealous and weirded out at the concept.
Requesting a job market with more nap-flexible positions, please.
pickThis is how we read early in the morning 🙂❤️.
I love Pepper and Sidra! This book is just as unique and wonderful as Angry Planet. Becky Chambers is one of a kind.
Pepper‘s backstory was the part I liked best, but I enjoyed both timelines. The exploration of defining one‘s self identity was fascinating to me.
I think book three is in my near future.
pickBecky Chambers is just amazing. I love her writing. Her books create a kind of calming effect, comfortable & cozy. The scenes are rich with detail & nearly tangible, yet everything she puts to the page flows effortlessly. The discussion of identity in this book is so well done & her inclusion is perfect. The information was delivered in an intriguing & wonderful, yet gentle way. Her characters not only feel real, I get beyond attached to them.
pickReally enjoying my reread of the Wayfarers series! There's something about the juxtaposition of Sidra and Pepper's narratives about figuring out exactly who they are that just works.
Fellow explorer Watney, on the other hand, was less impressed. #CatsOfLitsy
#JumpStart2023 #ReadySetRead2023: a book with a non-human MC
pick3.5/5⭐ Some parts felt a little more clumsy compared to the first book, but still a fun read.
Life is terrifying. None of us have a rule book. None of us know what we're doing here. So, the easiest way to stare reality in the face and not utterly lose your shit is to believe that you have control over it.
What was the difference between strung-together neurons and a simple bundle of if/then code, if the outward actions were the same?
pickThe 2nd in the Wayfarers series has often been recommended and I am glad I finally gave it the attention it deserved.
Two separate storylines alternate throughout: Pepper‘s origin story as well as Sidra‘s struggles with her new life.
And while I admit at first I dipped in and out, powering through the last half in one go paid off.
Holy smokes the ending is beautiful and perfect and everything reading should be - it brought tears to my eyes 💕
pickI have abandoned everything I was supposed to do today in order to finish this book. It was totally worth it.
Becky Chambers is fast becoming a must read author for me. I very much enjoyed this tale of purpose, belonging and family.
pickI was almost late to work this morning because I didn‘t want to stop reading—I wanted to finish this book!
I adore the characters, and I adore the world. I love how much of this book was about who counts as a person and how to get others to recognize it.
I went to the library to pick up my hold on A Closed and Common Orbit (finally!) and… well, they had a Halloween display… 🧙🏻♀️🦇👻🎃
pickI am loving this series! It is very rare for me to read more than one book in a series anymore and I have already reserved book 3!
I enjoyed 1more than this one, I think the broader look was better for me, and all adults, in this one we spent a lot of time with young Jane and it wasn't as interesting for me. But I love the world Chambers has built and the adult stories and struggles.
Her different species are so interesting &I ❤️ imagining them.
As a software developer, it is very hard to read this book without longing to learn Lattice (the language that power AIs in Chambers's universe).
#SundaySentence
‘So, tattooing . . . you‘ve got a picture in your mind, then you put it on your body. You make a hazy imagining into a tangible part of you. Or, to flip it around, you want a reminder of something, so you put it on your body, where it‘s a real, touchable thing. You see the thing on your body, you remember it in your mind, then you touch it on your body, you remember why you got it, what you were feeling then, & so on, and so on.
I have a million holds in from the library -- of books I really want to read! -- but zero self-control, so tonight's book is a reread of a book I already own.
Starting book 2 of Becky Chambers' Wayfarer series tonight, and I got my new comforter today, which I thought would be perfect for a photo op.
bailedBasically everyone tells me this is their favourite Wayfarers book, if not their favourite book full stop. I expected to adore it. Instead, I liked the beginning, appreciated Sidra‘s disassociation from the kit, and kinda lost interest in the rest. I wasn‘t invested in either storyline, I had no strong feelings for the characters, and the worldbuilding couldn‘t carry me.
I‘m a TOTAL outlier here, though. You should still try it out.
I had A CLOSED AND COMMON ORBIT on suspended hold for about two years because it was never the right time for it. Now I‘ve taken the plunge.
—and I like it a lot as of page 100, but I‘m not desperately in love with it the way all my friends are. 😔 Here‘s hoping I soon hit that magic CLICK moment that takes me from, “This is nice” to, “THIS IS MY ENTIRE WORLD OMG.”
pickI've got to read Cibola Burn and Ancillary Justice in a hurry for #BookSpinBingo, but I think I'll make it at the rate I'm reading right now. I started and finished A Closed and Common Orbit yesterday.
This time I only cried right at the end, but it's still such a special book to me -- I relate a lot to Sidra's issues of embodiment.
pick#2021Book113
I liked the plot of this book better than the first in the series, though I missed some of the characters from the first book. This one focused mainly on two characters instead of five or six, so it was much easier to follow what everyone was up to throughout the story.
pickBook 2 in the wayfarers series- I‘m so glad I was on holiday and could just park up with this one for a couple of days. I LOVED it. I especially enjoyed the dual time periods and getting to follow Pepper as a child. Becky chambers books really reframe how I think about what humanity could become. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
pickGreat follow up to the first book. It's an interstellar character story that even non sci-fi lovers will enjoy.
pickBecky Chambers writes amazing characters! I was worried I wouldn‘t enjoy this book because we don‘t continue with all the characters I loved in A long to a Small angry planet but boy was I wrong! Pepper, Sidra, Blue, Tak and Owl were just as enjoyable. Im looking forward to reading the next book with more new characters. #TeamSlaughter #scarathlon2021 5pts
Naps are the best and I wish more jobs allowed them💤💤💤🛏
pickAt first I was a little disappointed that we weren't hanging out with the Wayfarer crew, but I did really enjoy learning Pepper's backstory and seeing Lovelace adjust to her new life. The back and forth between two time lines was done really well and highlighted a lot of common themes between the two characters. It was interesting to think about the moral implications of AI and how much autonomy they deserve.
#weekendreads @rachelsbrittain
📗 The Thorn Birds, A Closed and Common Orbit and The Hating Game
📗 Both but I tend to read more in the evening.
📗 The Happily Ever After Play List
pickJuly books 5 and 6:
I really liked the first book in Chambers‘ Wayfarers series, so I tore through the next two. I really enjoyed the second (tagged) about an AI deciding what it was to be human, and the backstory of one of her new friends, but the more I think about it, the more I am ambivalent at best about book 3. If bk 1 is Firefly, no 3 is TNG… but more star-eyed and naive. Guess it didn‘t speak to me.
It's been a super stressful week and it's only Tuesday 😓
But I get to try out my new bathtub tray that my sweet boyfriend bought me for our anniversary earlier this month 💕
#selfcarenight 🛀🏻
pickI decided that I needed to read through the entire series again now that the fourth book is out, and it is the best decision possible!
I adore this book as much as I did the first time. Pepper and Blue, Tak and Sidra... Stars they were stunning characters, I loved them all so much. It didn't tear my heart out the way the first book did, but it sure as hell helped to put it back together.
Now if you'll excuse me, I need to read the next one!
pickOh, this book was FUN! This story begins just after the final events of ‘The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet‘, but the story follows Pepper and Lovelace rather than the Wayfarers crew.
Becky Chambers must have an unlimited, boundless imagination. I am in awe of the world she has created.
Such superb world building, but the characters are what make this book amazing. Pepper‘s story was totally captivating.
#ThankfulThoughts @Eggs
#Common
I own the 3 books in this series. I need to read them. Another series to tackle next year.💜📚
