Welcome to Litsy!

Love and Other Thought Experiements is a clever little novel (is it a collection of stories maybe?). In it, Ward explores a host of philosophical questions about life, human nature, connection, and the world. At its heart, these stories are about choices, and the rippling effect that even minor choices have on the shape of our lives and the lives of those around us. An immersive fusion of literary and science fiction.

(Ward, on the right, with her spouse)

This finally finishes the Booker 2020 longlist for me. It checks off some boxes. Healthy same-sex relationships and parenting. Interesting ideas mixed into some story context. It's good, but in an ok-good sort of way. Philosophical in that sterile doctor-office-clean prose way. It has an interesting ending and I probably should think more about it. More likely I won‘t think much about it at all.

My new audio, read by the author, who was also a lead actress in Young Sherlock Holmes. This one is from the 2020 Booker longlist, but was released in the US in September (2021!). The first 30 minutes are terrific. (And it means I have seven books going at the moment. 😬🙃🙂)

Early on in this book Rachel tells her partner Eliza, that an ant has gotten into her eye. From there, we‘re taken on quite a ride. Or as Rachel reads in the prologue, “Thought experiments are devices of the imagination used to investigate the nature of things.” And to me this book reads as several thought experiments. Absolutely loved it.

In her bag was the postcard from her mother. A child stands at a door and knocks. In one word the door opens. In an other, it remains closed. Is the child still the same? All the possibilities, all the directions a life can take.

(To me it seems like the book is exploring this concept.)
(The picture is found online and refers back to The Lemond Gallery.)

But some like to hear about the humans; the soft-shelled creatures destined for self-destruction. Doomed. That is what we believe and had we seen the first Mars river we would have been sure. You do not make escape plans from a life that does not need them.

(picture found online and probably not the first rover)

Something to think about

Ward attempted something really cool here and I liked how each section was prefaced with a thought experiment. I did find that I lost interest as the book went on, though, and somehow felt like Ward was trying to achieve something that she wasn't quite nailing. I'd definitely recommend reading it if you're thinking about it though - I'm glad I did!

Thanks @mklong (and of course @monalyisha) - can't wait to read more of your recs!! #NewYearWhoDis

253 points for the final week of the #WinterGames2020! This has been so fun😍 Thanks @Clwojick and team #merryreaders 🙌

Look what just arrived in the post!! Just in time for me to have a nice evening reading after my first day back at work😍😊😊

@mklong @monalyisha #NewYearWhoDis

So excited about all of the books on the list @mklong created for me as part of #NewYearWhoDis (thanks again for organising @monalyisha !)😊 I'm going to read Love & Other Thought Experiments this month and will probably read a lot of the others as this year goes on!!

@vivastory I'm with you on this one. This started out brilliantly, but I was struggling to get through the last 100 pages or so. Sophie Ward constucts a narrative using devices that I normally love, including different points of view, some of them very spaced out throughout time, but this took a Black Mirror-esque turn towards the second half where I didn't expect it to go. That shouldn't necessarily be a bad thing but, for this novel, it was.

This was definitely a weird book, I almost gave up on chapter 4 about the ant. But reread it slowly and carried on with whole book. It didn't make the shortlist anyway! Still an interesting book! #books

Thank you so much Helen! This looks super interesting - love a new discovery! The cars put a big smile on my face too. Thank you for thinking of me 😘

This book is bizarre. Definitely not what I thought I was getting into. All that being said, I loved the first part. The second part (last 100 pages or so) tested the bounds of my patience and at times I wanted to bail because it seemed so ludicrous. But by the end, I appreciated Ward‘s exploration of reality, human connections, and consciousness. I think she‘s done something interesting, even if it was maybe not the book I wanted.

Sophie Ward's novel begins with Rachel & Eliza making plans for their future, including a baby, when Rachel wakes up one night & claims that an ant has entered her eye. Although sceptical, Eliza in an incredibly moving scene that speaks metaphorically about love (or so it appears) takes a leap of faith & tells Rachel that she believes her. The chapters in Ward's narrative are themselves prefaced by thought experiments👇

I started the tagged book yesterday, but finding it a bit heavy going. I decided I needed a easy mystery book and decided on the second in A Murder Most Unladylike Mystery. It has green sprained edges which I didn't know when I ordered it! #currentread

Rachel picked up the magazine that Eliza had left on the kitchen.

#FirstLineFridays @ShyBookOwl

I didn't think I'd receive this MB Longlist title for another week. Looking forward to diving in.

Eek! I loved this SO much!!

I wish I could provide a more helpful review, but a description could never do the book justice, and I honestly believe it‘s the sort of book where the less you know going in, the better. I can‘t wait for more of my friends to read this one, I am dying to talk about it!