Welcome to Litsy!

I love Murderbot, but considering the Litsy rating I was worried about this one. Bri at PRB recommended this on IBD, so I bit the bullet. I loved this. I found myself completely immersed in this world, able to block out the chaos of current events, and I appreciated the escape. I enjoyed the world building via dual timelines. I loved the characters and would read a sequel without hesitation.

Here I am, using up the peppermint mocha coffee whitener and the whipped cream while I tear along through WITCH KING. It seems like a lot of Littens had issues with the pacing, but I really like this back-and-forth structure. It offers up my favourite balance of questions and answers. Doesn‘t hurt that the worldbuilding‘s very cool indeed. Martha Wells has let me down before, but I think she‘s gonna land this one. #AuldLangSpine

This week‘s library haul features a fantasy from @peanutnine ‘s #AuldLangSpine list, Kris Ripper‘s latest (I think), another small town cozy romance, another Junji Ito collection, and some poetry.

Boy, do I have a lot to say about this. I went into this book with little expectation but was still disappointed. I wasn't the biggest fan of Murderbot, but I thought if the same care was applied to the characters it would be a fun read. I was wrong. There was a general sense of lost potential and bad execution throughout the novel. I think it could have been negated with a short prologue introducing the world. --

#Bookreport

📚Currently reading:

🎧Lud in the Mist
🎧Rise of the King
🎧Witch King

Progress:
I didn't finish anything last week, although I am very close to finishing Witch King (78% currently) so that will be done this upcoming week. I've mostly been trying to get through Witch King. I'm reading Lud chapter by chapter daily and I am really loving it. Not so much Witch King. Not sure when I'll finish Lud, but we shall see.

I couldn't relate to characters, they felt too flat. I was intrigued at the beginning but soon noticed how almost nothing was happening. To be honest I was a bit bored. The writing was also overly descriptive to my taste (I don't have to know everything about everyone's appearances).

I wouldn't say that this was a bad read but bland.

#spookoween #serieslove2024

A little reading while my daughter is at basketball practice

This started strong but lost me along the way. I didn't hate it, but I didn't enjoy it either. I won't be reading more of this series. The narrator did a great job though.

Did you know V.E. Schwab has an interview podcast discussing the craft of writing with other authors? I only just learned about it, and enjoyed her chat with Martha Wells, but this is the second season, and she has some of my favorite authors in past episodes.

My current Libro.fm audiobook choice. I'm loving it so far.

Overall, I liked it, but the plot sometimes felt forced. It‘s a soft pick for me. I did enjoy the back and forth between then and now, though I had trouble maintaining the timeline for past events.

A strong recommend for those who enjoy new magical systems mixed with politics.

Another Hugo award nominee.

It hurts me to rate a Martha Wells book anything less than a wholehearted pick, but I just couldn't get into this one. The opening scene was fantastic and I liked the world Wells created, but the story seemed to drag on.

It did get a Hugo Best Novel nomination, though, so a lot of others must have liked it! #hugoawards #hugo2024

#gottacatchemall @PuddleJumper (prompt 55. Sirfetch'd: Titled character)

It‘s been a while since I read an epic fantasy, and this one did not disappoint. It was interesting jumping back and forth in time from where Kai is trying to solve why he was assassinated, alongside throwbacks to his journey figuring out his current set of powers.

Used for #OwlHouseReadathon Matt Tholomule: a well organized leader; and #GottaCatchEmAll Grimmsnarl: read the longest book on your TBR @PuddleJumper

These are the books I've got planned for the #AwesomeApril readathon! @Andrew65

This was such a brilliant fantasy. The world building was phenomenal & the storytelling was thoughtfully paced. It was so interesting following Kai's quest to find answers in the present, balanced by the story of the past which revealed more & more of his and the world's origins.
This book was on my radar but I was hesitant to dive into such a sprawling fantasy. I'm so glad Sarah put it on her #ALSpine list, which encouraged me to pick it up!

I'm behind on reviews but my favorite February read was definitely Witch King - I kept looking for excuses to listen to my audiobook so I could get back to the story!
I'm glad for this bracket by @Catsandbooks as there is no way I can choose between the Queen or King just yet!
#ReadingBracket2024

Martha Wells quickly became an auto-buy author with the Murderbot series. So I of course had to have her stand alone fantasy book. 5 stars! But . . . (1) I wish I could read it again for the first time, and (2) I wish there were more books in this world—I would read them all!

Book 2 for #yearend #20in4

#weekendreads

In between writing sessions, I‘m trying to catch up on some readings challenges I‘ve fallen behind on.

Witch King is from October‘s #trappedinaspookyhouse

The Winter Garden is my Nov book for this round of #LMPBC.

November #bookspin!
@TheAromaofBooks

I wanted something familiar but new, needing media to fill the heavy air but not having the bandwidth to process anything too close to our current reality. Enter the latest Martha Wells, whose Murderbot books have been easy, light reads without being “fluff.” I‘m listening to the audiobook but got the Kindle sample for the dramatis personae 😏

@bnp #lmpbc group F is on the way to you! 🍍🎃

I didn‘t get a group B book last month, but I know we had someone drop… but I don‘t have one to send for @sweetpealsd

The world was interesting, but at times felt overly complicated. Unique though.

@Laughterhp I took your #lmpbc book to the Witch City @Pogue @bnp

I absolutely love Murderbot but this isn‘t it and I just couldn‘t get into it, I hate when authors make it so complicated to follow by creating words and worlds unnecessarily.

This book is a ton of fun! I loved Kai, Ziede, Bashasa, and bunch of the other characters. I‘m just going to assume this will be the first book of a series 🙂

This author has a stunning imagination. If this turns into a series I will most likely read another. Unfortunately this does not substitute for a murderbot fix.

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

Fun!!!

Happy Friday, everyone! 💕📚🌿

Taking advantage of some outside reading time since I'm off today!

So not sure I actually liked this. I don‘t want to say much because it‘s my pick for #LMPBC #Round18.

It‘s a heavy epic fantasy that has a lot of politics. It was interesting and I was intrigued but 🤷🏻‍♀️.

I‘m hoping to mail this out Monday, Tuesday at the latest!

Spent most of the day reading at the park! It was warm but not as humid as it has been, so it was really quite lovely! ☀️🌿📚 Has anyone else read Witch King by Martha Wells? I like her, so I was excited to read this, but it's blowing my expectations right out of the water! It's so fantastic so far!

#BookReport
This week was entirely dedicated to Martha Wells lol. I finished up my Murderbot relisten and absolutely devoured Witch King.

#WeeklyForecast
My goal this week is to make a dent in both of my current reads. Pump Six for the eyeballs and RBC to listen to on my commute because it's next month book club pick at work.

I found this absolutely delightful and would love to see more of these characters and their world. There are like three different magic systems but you're not bogged down with the mechanics of it all. I know there's a segment that are buttmad this isn't Murderbot but I found this to be really lovely and will now have to go back and read more of her fantasy books because of it.

I am absolutely flying through this because I‘m loving it so much. As much as I love Murderbot I can‘t be mad that she is also doing more fantasy.
#CatsOfLitsy

What a delightfully complex world. There is a map as well as a Dramatis Personae! Loved the characters. I hope this is a start os a series. It's a great fantasy read. 3.5 🌟

Today was the first day this week that the air was clean enough to go outside for a nice long bookish walk! The fires from Canada have caused the air here (and lots of other places too!) to be super polluted and unsafe. 😭 I was going crazy with not being able to come to the park and read/walk so I'm really grateful things started to clear up! 🌿☀️

He‘s no Murderbot but Kai the demon is still a character I could root for as he tries to figure out who assassinated him. Kai inhabits bodies of any gender & his closest companion is a witch seeking her missing wife, so I‘m comfortable calling this a queer novel. The dramatis personae takes 4 minutes at the start of the audiobook but Eric Mok‘s performance makes this elaborate standalone fantasy by Martha Wells easy to follow. #LGBTQ

Finished patchwork trousers, which I made from quilt scraps donated from a friend who is no longer able to sew. I listened to the entire 13-hour tagged audiobook while I worked on them. #audiocrafting #LitsyCrafters

#audiocrafting #LitsyCrafters

Bk7Continuing on with my recent #BookHaul is the new book from the author of MurderBot.Unlike those, this one is not SciFi but a fantasy novel. Kai-Enna is the Witch King, but he hasn‘t always been, and he hasn‘t always been Kai. After being assassinated, his consciousness was in a water trap until he wakes to find someone trying to steal his power. But why was he imprisoned? What‘s changed in the world since he was murdered? Sounds fascinating.👍

#Illumicrate signed special edition. The end papers are different images. The front & spine have gold foiling. Purple block sprayed edges on top & bottom & purple on purple digitally sprayed long edge. It‘s pretty I

Just signed up for round 18 of #LMPBC!!

This round is a bit different where you have to put a book down and you don‘t really discuss it with your group! (Terrifies me!)

But if you want to read the tagged book with me go sign up for #groupf!

It‘s a google doc this time, so find the link at @suvata ‘s page!

It was our 6th wedding anniversary this weekend. My husband brought me to the bookstore and bought me some books. ☺️☺️

And then scrolling through instagram a bit later and Claire Fuller was apparently at the bookstore around the same time I did. 🤦‍♀️

#newbooks #bookhaul

A quick trip to Barnes to pick up my free premium member tote and the Witch King caught my eye. I‘ve been in such a 📚 slump, I couldn‘t leave without it after the first chapter hooked me…

This was my favorite book that I‘ve read so far this year! One of a few books that I‘ve finished and immediately started rereading. I love Martha Wells‘ protagonists so much, and Kai is no exception.

I'm gonna post this month's Illumicrate box under a spoiler tag.

Is anyone here who follows me a subscriber? Are the spoiler tags necessary? Let me know your thoughts! 😊

Fascinating world, complex, shades-of-grey, intriguing, & likable characters & a focused, whodunit story set in a fantasy world. The Witch King wakes to find he was murdered &, collecting a group of friends both new & old, he sets out to find the answers to who & why. This isn‘t a sprawling epic fantasy but rather a story about found family & the lengths to which we go to protect those we love. Different from Murderbot but a good read I enjoyed.

Started this one earlier and Wells just throws you right in. Story is switching between present and the past and right now, a lot of the action is taking place at sea! Yep, another book contributing to my new found love for fantasy stories set at sea—this one following after The Bone Ships and Dark Water Daughter…

I find myself torn. I want my Spec Fic writers to swing for the fences. But while I really enjoy the originality and ambition of the worldbuilding it is too much for a standalone. There were too many characters and important relationships were not given the time to gestate. Now I read the whole thing in a day with ease, so it is not fatally flawed. Just not at the same level as Raksura and Murderbot.

Hard choice between Witch King by Martha Wells and Mammoths at the Gate by Nghi Vo.

@chasjjlee