In the Lives of Puppets | 
pickMeet our main protagonist Victor. His father is a machine, his best friend's are a vacuum and a sadistic robotic nurse. They live in a forest, surrounded by nature, peacefully, until the Terrible Dogfish comes and kidnaps Dad.
From there we meet a travelling coachman and his mysterious wonders from the past on route to the City of Electric Dreams to seek help from the blue faries to rescue Dad.
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I listened to this audiobook as part of the Goodreads 2025 52 Week Challenge.It‘s a fairy tale retold.The story is a very clever sci-fi version of Pinocchio.Most of the characters are robots who roam the earth after the humans have been eradicated.The author has a unique way of adding humor to this very serious topic. The banter between the robots is hilarious,especially between the robotic vacuum and the medical machine.This was a very good book
pickI put this as a pick because I know if I read it at a different time I would have enjoyed this book more. I like TJ Klune‘s writing and world building. But since I just finished one of his books I didn‘t care for, I didn‘t like this one as much. As the audiobook person was the same for both.
#unreadbookshelfchallenge
My T.J. Klune shelf is growing. I still need to read the Green Creek series and his brand new one, but living in his worlds makes me happy.
pickOverall, I really enjoyed this adventure! A very interesting take on the apocalypse of humanity at the hands of machines. I pictured Rosie from the Jetsons as Nurse Ratchet, she‘s hilarious. Oh my, and Rambo was the best. I know Klune is an LGTBQ+ author, but the relationship here felt forced and didn‘t add to the story at all. Book #2 in 2025
pickWhat an absolutely beautiful book. Couched very very lightly in the story of Pinnochio, this book ruminates deeply on what it means to be human. I loved all the characters, but especially Nurse Ratched, just because. Vic and Hap‘s blooming and deepening friendship is lovely to watch unfold, as is the exploration of found family and the love that binds us all together. The whole story is so poignant it hurts. Absolutely wonderful.
Two random picks off the tbr for a quiet Sunday at home — first day without social obligations since the 24! I may not move😂 looking forward to some cozy…
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This is darker and more dystopian than what I‘ve read by TJ Klune previously
It‘s a beautiful story but humans don‘t end well in it ( all current indicators show this ending is completely feasible )
#two4tuesday 1. Always a sunset preferably with a book in one hand and a chilled glass of rosé in the other 2. Future, Las Vegas, robots consider yourself tagged ?? if you see this and you haven‘t played already
panThis story is set in a robot-ruled future, full of humor, imagination, found family and love in all its forms. The characters were mostly likable, but I didn‘t connect with the story, especially the second half. While it wraps back into its emotional heart by the end, the journey felt tedious. I had such high expectations after absolutely loving The House in the Cerulean Sea, but this one just didn‘t hit the mark for me. ⭐️⭐️💫/5 ❤️📚
pickI liked characters, there was something really sympathetic in the robots. Victor was also relatable, even though I still wonder why these are marcheted as adult books.
I read this at the right situation, I mean when I really needed something really simple, light, fun and comforting.
#spookoween
This TJ Klune feels heavier, more complicated than the ones I have already read. He is getting his groove on & it‘s breaking my heart & scaring the shit out of me. Posts about the US election feel insane to me. How are some of these people given such a platform? Why are so many people not valued? Ontario 🇨🇦 is following closely, Ford acts like he is beholden only to his cronies and everyone else is so overstimulated they seem indifferent
pickRead this in a combo of print and audio. I liked but didn‘t love this story of when robots take over the world. However, I now want a roomba named Rambo.
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @LiteraryinPA @PageShifter
Finally starting this book alongside The Gentleman in Moscow. Not gonna lie, this one started off unexpectedly slow for me, but Klune's writings is still beautiful as always 🙂
So in love with this Waterstone special edition! My first signed book by Klune, one of my favorite authors! 🥺
#booknerdslife #TJKlune #currentread #InTheLivesOfPuppets
Starting this one today! Love my new fallish bookmark!
“Sometimes , it‘s the smallest things that can change everything when you least expect it.”
Happy fall 🧡🎃
#LitsyLove
I‘m starting this one if anyone wants to join me for a low key buddy read!
#LitsyLove
#weirdwords #weirdwordwednesdays @CBee
Despite having inherited central heterochromia from my mother I seem to be completely incapable of learning the technical word for it, and looked it up for at least the 10th time when it appeared in my reading this week.
bailed#AAM At 36% there‘s nothing I dis-like about it but nothing I particularly like either. I also bailed on The Extraordinaries after just 1 ch. I‘m surprised because I loved The House in the Cerulean Sea & Under the Whispering Door. I have a hold on Somewhere Beyond the Sea but that‘s months out. Hoopla has tons of other options & they all sound really different, but I‘m not exactly drawn to the blurbs so I‘m wondering if it‘s worth trying one more?
pickIn a forest there lives an avatar man Giovanni who has made a human boy named Vic. This fantasy is intriguing and gives the reader much to think about. I liked the nurse machine Nurse Ratchet and the little vacuum Rambo. Hap the robot is rescued from the junkyard. The tale takes the characters on a long journey fraught with many difficult decisions as this group tries to rescue Gio who had been kidnapped. I gave this 4.25/5
pickVery cute. The bickering of the nurse and the naiverty of Rambo annoyed me quite a bit. But the journey they went on made it a lot better. I loved the Pinocchio references, especially the part about consience. I wouldn't read the book again very soon, but I had a nice time. I loved the ace representation!
(audiobook)
"I've never been more human because I breathe, but I can't catch my breath." - Vic
Yes, Vic, I feel you 100%! ??
pickLoved loved loved this #audiobook! Klune is amazing, and Henning couldn't be better if he tried. 😁💚
pickTJ Kline. I never care what it‘s about, I know I will love it. He writes about humanity in all of its unique horrible loveliness. And how we all get to choose who we want to be. Always with accurate, positive queer representation.
“Memory, Victor. There is power to memory. It's tied to the head and… heart but in the end, if there is a war between the two, the heart usually wins out, even to its own detriment."
I never, in a million years, thought I would identify with a little sentient vacuum with an anxiety disorder!
But look and see, a little pinch of Rambo wisdom 💛🤖🩷.
pickIn a book populated with mostly robots, Klune explores what it means to be human. Those pesky contradictions that, as a whole, make us a fascinating, infuriating, and sometimes violent species unlike any other. It's clear that this novel was somewhat steamrolled in the editing stages. I wish it hadn't been made obligatory that Klune remove all mention of Vic's autism. (1/2)
Rereading Klune's books always feels like coming home 🦋.
pickJust a fantastic story populated with wonderful characters (Nurse Ratched!…although not THAT Nurse Ratched) set in what feels like a not too distant future where machines run the world and humans don‘t.
A story about the meaning of family and the love that binds us all.
My first book by TJ Klune…but definitely not my last!
panHonestly this was a bit strange. I was very disappointed. I loved the characters but the sexual / asexual aspects of this book did not mesh with the storyline. It was confusing, disorganized and completely took me away from enjoying the characters' journey.
Not my favorite from TJ Klune 😕
But........ I am SOOO excited for the follow-up book to House in the Cerulean Sea to come out... already know it will be a 4/5 star read!!!
pickThe audiobook for this title is amazing. It really brings the characters to life. I laughed so much. And it is simply a great story.
so-so⭐️⭐️This was disappointing. Klune had good ideas, however he tends to get stuck with alot of unnecessary dialogue which doesn‘t advance the story and leaves the reader time to get bored. This book took me a month to get through. Although imaginative the writing needs to improve.
@MatchlessMarie I LOVE this #jolabokaflodswap, thank you soooo much!
I stupidly forgot to bring this during holiday travels and just got back today so I will be celebrating Jolabokaflod today! I couldn‘t be happier.
As always, thank you @MaleficentBookDragon for organizing!
so-soIts a good futuristic telling of Pinocchio, but it‘s very long and very repetitive at times. About 70% in and it finally got exciting
Not sure how a bunch of robots made me so emotional, but they did. This is my second book by TK Klune and I need to read as many of their works as possible I think. Definitely becoming a new favourite author for me.
so-soDeeply reliant on, and evocative of Pinocchio and at times, The Wizard of Oz, Kline‘s latest stand alone is, IMHO, not his best work. When he breaks free from the earlier author‘s tropes there are flashes of his usual brilliance, and I genuinely enjoyed his characters. Victor, the last of his kind, sets out on a quest to find his stolen creator/father/robot accompanied by sentient and charming machines seeking wisdom, courage and a heart.
pickThis was my first TJ Klune book & i thoroughly enjoyed it. It reminded me a little of A Psalm for the Wild Built but this is much more plot driven. Gio, an inventor robot, isolates himself deep in the forest to bring up his adopted son, Victor, who is human. Together they create a family from discarded robots. But there is danger afoot that threatens this little family. Nurse Ratched and Rambo really made this book hum for me 🥰
pickThis is such a powerful and beautiful story. My daughters bought it for me, thinking it would be a light-hearted distraction read. It was much darker than I expected, but the characters are so very endearing. Nurse Ratched is hilarious. I didn't love it as much as House in the Cerulean Sea, but it was definitely worth the read.
Thank goodness for audio books. The plague has hit my house and I am so sick that even lifting a book is too much effort. Listening to the tagged book in-between times that I am not knocked out sleeping. Lol, I think I have started the same chapter over at least 3 times as I fell asleep 🤒🤧🤢 Audio book, Jello(the only thing I can swallow) and strong meds are getting me through.
pickIn a world populated by robots, Victor is the last human alive. Raised by his father, android Giovanni Lawson, in the woods far from other robots, Victor didn‘t fully understand how much danger he was in until Gio is taken and their home is destroyed.
Vic, along with an anxious roomba, a psychopathic nurse robot, and a memory-wiped human-killing android set off to rescue Gio.
Think a reverse Pinocchio meets Wall-E.
pickThis was probably my least favorite tj klune book, but he‘s fabulous so that‘s not saying it is a bad book. Just that it is hard to live up to the Cerulean Sea. When I read up on the original Pinocchio story, it was incredible seeing how he included the characters and elements but in this futuristic world. Great narration. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I love this opening passage in “In the Lives of Puppets.“ Very excited to dive right into this book!
pickI wasn‘t expecting sci-fi! This is a seriously thought provoking tale of a future when the machines have taken over. It‘s quirky, and some parts really dramatic. But it‘s good and Rambo the vacuum robot is just adorable.
My friend Ken is an ICU nurse so I had to tell him about the amazing sociopathic robot nurse in this book, who I knew he would love. That was a few months ago. Then we had this little text exchange this week. 😂
pick4.5 ⭐You know, how some books just stay with you for a while. This is one of those books. It is a cross between Pinocchio and Steven Spielberg‘s AI, but with a happy ending and a ton of heart. Hap is the last living boy. The world has been taken over by robots. He survives out in the woods with his father Gio, with no knowledge that he is fully unique. Upon accidently alerting the AI overlords that he is alive, dangerous adventure begins to
