Welcome to Litsy!

Favourites from the first half of 2025.
Upon reflection, these are the most powerful, memorable, beautiful, enjoyable reads from January to June .
From the top left to bottom right:
Non-fiction memoir and general, graphic novels, art non-fiction, poetry, picture books,
Fiction: fantasy, sci fi, contemporary/historical, crime, horror

Currently loving the tendency of all characters, upon learning the moon has been transformed into cheese, to ask, “What kind of cheese?“ It's probably what would happen in real life! 😂

I am a big Scalzi fan and have read many of his books. This one didn't land as well for me. The first half really pulled me in, and then it started to drag a little. I did enjoy the vignettes of someone's life each day of the moon crisis. My favorites were the billionaire and the cheese feud.

My first time reading two #authoramonth books in a month! @Soubhiville

This was really interesting from a format perspective. The moon turning to cheese for no discernible reason? That's the foolishness I have learned to expect from this author.

#AuthorAMonth @Soubhiville

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

This satire on our weird times makes excellent use of terrible cheese puns and is also very schadenfreudelicious... I half wondered if Scalzi wrote it as therapy. It suffers from not having a main character to follow and root for and inevitably comes off feeling insubstantial, like the lightest cheez whiz instead of a solid slab of cheddar. Just fine, if that's what you were wanting on your cracker. Pairing: Martians, Go Home.

Today's beach read. #AuthorAMonth

48/100 You know you're reading a gifted writer, when he/she can take the daftiest idea possible, and turn it into a fun and enjoyable story. While not as funny as say Starter Villain, it made me smile and chuckle often. I enjoyed the various POVs, how the average person was effected by the change in the moon, along with the rich and the powerful people in government. I don't think sweet is the word I'd use but it's more lightly amusing ⬇️

Low end of the pick scale. I‘d have liked it better if I‘d known from the beginning that it‘s really a series of interconnected perspectives of characters that will never meet, but I kept wondering when all the threads would connect. Still, it‘s a ridiculous but funny premise that Scalzi uses to also be thoughtful. Wil Wheaton, as always, is a great narrator. Continued with The Dead Zone on my #audiowalk

April wasn't a great month of reading. What I read was just okay, so while I pick Scalzi's “When the Moon Hits Your Eye“ as my top pick for April, it only comes with a so-so approval rating. I am moving it forward over The Black Cat Tail Assassins, but that's only because I felt just so-so about that book too. #bookbracket #2025bookbracket #readingbracket #readingbracket2025

Stopped at 10%. Usually I love Scalzi, but i could not get into this story. Normally I fly through his pages, but I was creeping along with this one. Like reading just a few pages each sitting.

I wasn‘t looking forward to continuing, and even worse, I started dreading picking up my Kobo. That‘s when I knew to #DNF. Maybe I‘ll try again someday.

Bailing 100 pages in. Scalzi is always hit or miss for me. I love the idea of this book - the moon has, in an instant, turned to cheese and no one knows why or how it what is next. Scalzi uses interviews, news reports and (for me) way too many pov. The book is creative but I have been sitting here for the last 40 or so pgs wishing I was reading Blake Crouch's Project Hail Mary instead so I am going to stop now

Just wonderful. I love that it was thoughtful and emotional and clever as well as hilarious. I love that it was an ensemble piece, almost more of a connected series of short stories, and yet tied in so well, repeating characters every once in a while and well-framed by the lunar cycle format. Certainly 'cheese moon' is sci fi (or in other hands pure farce) territory, but as Scalzi does so well, this was mostly humans 1/?

What if the moon suddenly turned to cheese? What are all of the plausible scenarios that would occur within the government, NASA, the church, etc.? How would that impact the average person? Complications and hilarity ensue, and it is a wonderful whimsy. 5 stars!

1. Heck no! I work at a public library and a pet peeve of mine is patrons who come in on the last day to file taxes asking for tax forms.
2. Silly 😁
#TwoforTuesday @TheSpineView

I listened to this audiobook (narrated by an excellent Wil Wheaton) while spring cleaning, and it was somehow perfectly attuned to the strangeness, absurdity & atmosphere of dire calamity that characterize our world today. To be clear, it's about what would happen if the moon suddenly and inexplicably turned into cheese. Events are seen through the eyes of characters from all walks of life, in vignettes ranging from the silly to the truly poignant

When the Moon Hits Your Eye, by John Scalzi (2025)

Premise: The world is stunned to discover that the moon has been turned into a cheese-like substance.

Review: Scalzi‘s two previous books dealt with ordinary people dealing with extraordinary situations, and here it‘s the whole world dealing with an extraordinary situation. On the plus side, this allows him to cover a wide range of opinions and experiences about the event. Cont.

My husband was with me today, so we listened to this. I love that Wil Wheaton narrates Scalzi‘s books; he‘s so good! The ridiculous premise here is that the moon has suddenly turned into cheese; shenanigans and conspiracy theories ensue. #audiowalk

How would folks behave if the moon suddenly turned into cheese? This book is told from a number of perspectives and tries to answer that question. As with all Scalzi, it is also funny and irreverent 😊

In John Scalzi‘s signature style, his latest is a wild, silly, and occasionally thought-provoking ride. Read my full review here: https://debbybrauer.org/#when-the-moon-hits-your-eye

Publication is expected March 25.

#NetGalley #TorPublishingGroup #TorBooks #WhentheMoonHitsYourEye

The moon has turned to cheese. & what does everybody do? Hit up Reddit, buy books, throw Flip Off the Moon parties, & have an existential crisis.

This was very silly, but very fun. We get a whole bunch of POVs which frustrated me a bit as nobody got a lot of time, but I loved the different media types from Reddit to chat conversations. The jokes were great. I enjoyed this, but the way everything was left felt a little bit of a let down.🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑

The plot synopsis for the new Scalzi lolol

At least I‘ve got a book with me while getting this emissions test done. 😅

There are several, but Scalzi is a favorite. And if Wil Wheaton narrates the audiobook, I will be in geek heaven.

#SundayFunday @BookmarkTavern

#NetGalley #ARC #MountARC

Expected publication: 27 March 2025

I'm shamelessly quoting from the Afterword and Acknowledgements of the review copy I was generously granted: this is "a book about the moon turning to cheese, [...] each chapter represent[s] a day in the lunar cycle, each chapter with mostly different characters in mostly different places in the United States, reacting to it in ways specific [to] them alone"

⬇️

"... I have a briefing with the president in exactly half an hour, and because we all know he doesn't bother to read the daily intelligence briefing, it will fall to me to explain what the hell is going on. So explain it to me. Use small words on me so I can use smaller words on him...."

Mr Scalzi, you scare me. This book is supposed to be published next spring. Means you wrote it last year(?).

Opened my #NetGalley account to check the pub day of a different #ARC and finding this new addition to #MountARC ???

"One day, suddenly and without explanation, the moon turns into a ball of cheese.
For some, it‘s an opportunity. For others, it‘s time to question their life choices. How can the world stay the same in the face of such absurdity and uncertainty?"

Pub Day for UK is 27 March 2025