Welcome to Litsy!

@monalyisha I absolutely love your list! Thank you for the excuse to buy the tagged if I don't get it for Xmas 🤣 World of Wonders and Here for It weren't on my radar, but sound like beautifully hopeful reads to start the year. Liar's Dictionary is compared to some of my faves, so I'm all in. The Ogawa and Acevedo were both on my TBR so I'll try to get to those as well (if not in January, sometime in 2022!) and so many more. Bring on the new year!

Preachy allegory, intermittently clever. Still, if there are more I will probably read/listen

I can see where this book might not work for everyone, but it was just what I needed this week... I read it slowly and savored every page 💙
@suvata @DGRachel @rsteve388 I've got to double check who I'm sending this to, but I'll get it in the mail sometime next week! #lmpbc

A sweet novella set in a near future where humans are building a more sustainable, spiritual way of living on the earth following some kind of unmentioned upheaval. Oh and sentient robots who live like nomads in the bush.
As someone else said this is a hug of a book. Sometimes I found the invented gods and spirituality a little twee but it was so well intentioned it didn‘t matter.
And more Spring photos from the park by the hospital.

This short novella was kind of like reading a hug! Dex is a tea monk who goes from town to town giving tea to people who just need a moment to step away from life and let go of emotions. Dex has been doing this for awhile and now need a break themselves so decided to go into the wild where the robots are! Robots are sentient and now one wants to see the world of humans. The characters are delightful, the story sweet and emotional. I loved it!

It's the last day of the marking period, and except for a couple students who are late turning in final papers, I am done with my grading! Time for a little break with a good book 😊 #librariansoflitsy #teachersoflitsy

This was the perfect book for me at the perfect time. I‘ve been feeling worn out and overwhelmed and reading this peaceful story of a tea monk and a robot was a balm. Recommend for a heart-warming read for the stressed out among us.

Haven't even passed the dedication and I already want to gift this book to all my friends...

This wasn‘t quite the large, warm, cozy cup of tea I was expecting, but it was still pretty lovely reading. A journey, the meeting of unexpected individuals, solitude versus community… and I really liked the commentary on the expectations we put on ourselves to have deep meaning in life and reach our potential as opposed to just being. A book to revisit. October #Bookspin complete.

I absolutely loved this story! It can easily be read in one sitting. I'm not even going to attempt to summarize it. The less you know about it the more rewarding it is to read!

A monk and a robot become friends and explore the meaning of life together? Totally my jam! Can‘t wait for the sequel.🔸#septemberreads2021

I love Becky Chambers, but I expect more of an adventure, an exciting story with the warm loving characters she creates. This book is really a fable about what is the meaning of life and what makes us human but there is no excitement or adventure. The two characters are warm and cute but not enough to save the book for me.

I finished this this morning with my coffee. I really enjoyed it and I think it‘s meant to be a series 🤷🏻‍♀️I look forward to seeing more of these 2 characters

A rainy Monday and a long list of things that need doing made immediately more enjoyable ( extra coffee too 🎉🎉)

My most anticipated moment of #Deweys24HourReadathon was going to be starting this one while drinking tea at the bookstore. Alas, the town was taken over by witches. Literally. For the Witch on the Town event. Witches everywhere, including the bookstore. So instead, I get tea and read in the coziness of my apartment, while listening to witches cackle outside. I‘ll take a break for the witch dance party in the street this evening. 🧙‍♀️

Dewey‘s 24-hour #readathon is one of my favorite days of the year! I super treated myself this year by renting a loft above a bookstore in my cute hometown, with a delightful library across the street. I couldn‘t be more excited for a day free of obligations, free to just read. The tagged book is the book I‘m looking forward to most. Anyone else readathoning?

I'd was trying to be good and just browse in Waterstones, but they had this, which I've been looking out for for a while! And it pairs lovely with a lunch treat on my day off.

#LMPBC Round 13 - #GroupE
@rsteve388 @suvata @DGRachel @Johanna414

Updated

Listened to this novella.

A very interesting, optimistic story.

I liked how much more human the robot felt and how 'robot' the human felt at times.

I will reread this; also because of ⬇️

I *loved* this.

It felt like a direct response to Mary Oliver‘s poem “When Death Comes”…but with robots & a non-binary protagonist.

Seriously. IS this a direct response to her poem? If you need me, I‘ll be Googling.

Poem here:
http://www.phys.unm.edu/~tw/fas/yits/archive/oliver_whendeathcomes.html

I wish I liked this more, but in the end I found it pretty meh. Yes its sweet, yes its touching and full of clever dialogue, but in the end it's over so quickly, I felt little impact. 3 ☕☕☕

#September #2021 #MonthlyWrapUp

1. Seeing some friends after a year and a half!
2. The tagged book was damn near perfect.
3. I just finished Steven Rowley's The Guncle and I definitely had a love/hate with the main character!
4. Squishmallows. I realize they are silly stuffed toys, but they are the absolute perfect thing to hug after a bad day.

#WonderousWednesday @Eggs

My second and last book for Sci-Fi September #RoaringWolf. At under 150 pages, this novella fits the category “Warp Speed” (Read in one day).

This was a sweet, gentle story about a human “tea monk” and a robot. I miss the marvelous alien worlds of the author‘s Wayfarer series, but I did enjoy Sibling Dex‘ journey of enlightenment through their encounter with the robot Mosscap. It was replete with Chambers‘ typical positivity and optimism. ❤️

I‘ve practically read half this book in one sitting this morning. I‘m loving it so much. A restless tea monk, robots, and speculations about the future.

Saturday plans. 💇‍♀️

I loved this. It was quiet and cute. Nature was also an important component. I want the next book to see how these characters continue. There's tea in the book too so I paired it with this tea themed washi tape and sticker set.

Tomorrow is the first in-person show I've done in well over a year. I'm not entirely ready to be back in the world, but we really need the income to get us through the fall. So, tomorrow and Sunday I'll be slinging books for #Studio42Books at the Michigan Renaissance Faire. Since I'm a giant knot of stress right now I'm going to spend the next hour finishing my audio book and enjoying this massage chair at my brother's house.

First of a new series. This novella was a philosophy lesson wrapped in a warm hug. There is a YA feel to the story. Interested in seeing where the series goes. 3.5 🌟

Another Becky Chambers book I was compelled to hug when I finished it. I loved this so much. I have so many thoughts that deserve a longer reflection, but for now I‘ll just say how amazed I am that such a comforting, challenging, compassionate story is contained in a 160-page novella. Also: tea monk. I mean, how can you go wrong there?

I can't recommend this book enough! It's so peaceful and beautiful and heartwarming! 🤖💕📚

😍💚💜💛🧡🤖A lovely fable and a love letter to a future and a way of life that can be real. I really wish tea 🍵 monks were a real thing, that‘s for certain.

An incredibly fun & creative read with lyrical, beautiful writing & allegory. Fabulous characters with great inclusion via nonbinary protagonists. Dex & Mosscap are a delight & their interactions are sweet & endearing. The banter is witty & honest & at times hilarious. The gentle way they considered one another's feelings & tried to understand things from the other's point-of-view just warmed my heart. A fantastic read. I'm excited for the sequel.

Definitely NOT in my wheelhouse but I thought I‘d try it out since it‘s so slim. I ended up really enjoying this cozy little fable. Seems like a grown up fairy tale for the modern age. The robots are wilding themselves, away from humankind. There are tea monks!?! And life is pondered, and a journey of sorts takes place enhancing the friendship of Dex (said monk) and their new robot friend, Mosscap. Simply adorable. Meaning of life stuff here!

Trying to finish up a few more books before posting my #BookSpinBingo results for August! This one is so absolutely delightful. 🥰

What a great reading month!
Among my favorites were the tagged, Sharks, Going Postal, Stars and the Blackness, and Truth About Animals.
A lot of books, but not as many pages as I often read, lots of these are really short.

I‘m a firm believer that often a book finds you when you need it. My stress and anxiety about modern life, drifted away during this so beautifully human story (yes there is a robot but it‘s‘ wonderfully human).

IMO, Chambers centers her books around A Point and hammers it in with every other aspect of writing left afterthought. My favorite part of this was the lovely scene of Dex using their hard-grown tea skills. But, shortly after that we took a hard swing toward moral philosophy, and that is not, heh, my cup of tea.

Detail from the gorgeous cover art - Dex on their tea wagon.

Another wonderful book from BC. I can't really be objective about her work because the truth is - her writing is exactly how I'd want mine to be if only I could write! Featuring a non-binary monk (they/them) & a genderless robot (it) as well as all the other things that make BC so fabulous - the intelligence, the warmth, the wit, the wonder, hope & joy, this really is ... cont below ⬇️

review here: https://debbybrauer.org/#a-psalm-for-the-wildbuilt

"We're all just trying to be comfortable, and well fed, and unafraid."

A hopeful, homey, steampunk, scifi novella. Dex is a tea monk who is starting to question their happiness and purpose in life. They decide to head out into the wilderness. In this futuristic world, humans don't travel into the wilderness, leaving it for the robots who left society centuries ago. When Dex runs into Mosscap, one of these robots, he's not exactly thrilled.

4/5 for this one. I enjoyed this one. The characters are so great. The world was very interesting. I will be continuing the series.

A road trip with a robot and a tea monk leads to understanding the importance of self care, the dangers of caregiver burnout, and the radical notion that you don‘t need to be useful or have purpose to be valued.

Yeah, so I may have spent the last 20 minutes of this crying? I‘ll be upfront in that this book hit some deeply held insecurities I have, so if Chambers ever announces another book in this universe I will buy it so fast. 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌗

Made a galaxy mirror glaze for my nibling‘s birthday cake. It didn‘t turn out too bad for a first try. ❤️

#AudioBaking #AudioGlazing

I LOVED this! I‘m very hopeful that the fact that the cover says “a monk and robot book” means that Becky Chambers plans to write more about these characters!

I want to be a Tea Monk. A traveling tea shop, the monk proprietor listening to the patron‘s troubles then giving them tea to sooth their worries? I‘d be great at that job. ☕️😊

I also love that the main character uses they/them pronouns. I want to see more of that.

So excited to start this one tonight. I love Becky's writing - Record of a Spaceborn Few is one of my favourite books of recent years.