Welcome to Litsy!

(1980) Two immortal humans -- one a killer and the other a healer -- are lovers and rivals and the parents (figuratively and often literally) to communities of super-powered humans, set against the backdrop of the Atlantic slave trade. It's a disturbing read because of its gaze at abusive relationships and abusive social structures, but also a very powerful one. For my taste, it's the most effective of the series so far.

Anyanwu and Doro are powerful, immortal, godlike beings who may or may not be human. What a wild, up and down ride with a slow burn satisfying (?) payoff. It was a lot of fun seeing the ways that Anyanwu challenged Doro, and I loved the insight we got into her body-focused powers (which reminded me of the Ooloi from Butler‘s Xenogenesis saga). Used for my before I was born prompt for #RushathonChristmasBingo. #Classic #SciFi #Spirits

Finished the last book of my first #RushathonChristmasBingo bingo! I‘m close to two others so far, but I don‘t think I‘ll get that 400+ pages prompt. #BookBingo

I'm close to my first bingo for #RushathonChristmasBingo as I work on finishing Wild Seed (my published before I was born pick). #RushathonBingo

My husband had several seizures yesterday (he had a first back in 2019) and is in the ICU last night and tonight to evaluate any further seizure activity.
I spooled these books up earlier this week for #RushathonChristmasBingo, but now I think I'm going to need something a lot lighter to read!

#Scarathlon - Photo Challenge - Orange

Octavia hasn‘t let me down yet! Hoping to get to this this month but if it doesn‘t happen, it‘ll be a November read for sure. Picked it up at the Ripped Bodice in Brooklyn.

#TeamWhoYaGonnaCall

This was an amazing story, and Robin Miles did a stellar job narrating. I‘ll definitely be continuing the series!

I have been sitting with this book for a couple of days. The focus on breeding was so unsettling.
The writing is lush and captivating. The ending propels you to the next book in the series.
Overall it gives much to think about, what is it to be immortal, how do you come to view life when you do not know if yours can end? What if you need to kill to keep living, do you?
I can see why people call her a Queen of fantasy.

"She turned away. They were on deck, so she stared out at the sea where several large fish were leaping into the air and arcing down again into the water. She had watched such creatures before, watched them longingly. She thought she could do what they did, thought she could become one of them. She could almost feel the sensation of wetness, of strength, of moving through the water as swiftly as a bird through air."

#20in4

Goals:

Finish: True Biz ✔️ Chain-Gang All-Stars ✔️ Untamed State (not finished, 100 pages read)
Read : When We Were Birds ✔️
Stretch Goal: Dawn -. Replaced with Wild Seed ✔️

Pretty good weekend! I am struggling a bit with Untamed State so not surprised I didn't finish it.

Thanks for hosting @Andrew65

Two weeks ago was Octavia Butler‘s birthday. Had cancer not taken her too soon, surely she‘d still be writing today at 75. It‘s a terrible loss for SFF readers everywhere. This book is a unique take on modifying human DNA to include supernatural qualities over the course of centuries. Incredible pair to read alongside Upgrade by Blake Crouch. Same topic, vastly different executions.

Full review https://www.TheBibliophage.com #thebibliophage2022

I have had a long affinity for magical showdowns. My love for this trope originates with my childhood fascination with the '63 animated film Sword in the Stone. Produced by Walt Disney & based on Arthurian legend this was a childhood favorite, especially the wizard duel between Merlin & Mim at the end. In Butler's truly epic Wild Seed immortals Doro & Anyanwu are at odds with one another from the moment that they meet in 16th century Africa.

I'm a little under halfway through, but this book is excellent so far.

Octavia Butler never disappoints and this book, the first in the pattern it series, is an interesting story about two immortals who each have abilities that make them god like to other people. This was an excellent, rich, deep story that brings to light what it would be like to be immortal.

Finished this epic tale of two immortals who have found each other and are in a constant battle of love and hate. It was a little slow to start, but intriguing enough to continue and I‘m so glad I did. A fantastical take on historical fiction. I‘ll definitely be continuing the series. My first read from Octavia Butler and I absolutely buy into the hype. Beautifully written. #doublespin for August

I started the audiobook, but I needed the print version to finish. The audio is a good reader, but the cadence was comforting and I kept falling asleep. Once I switched to print, I was able to connect to the story and finish it.
This is the story of Doro and Anyanwu, two immortals with exceptional gifts. Doro uses his power to gather and breed gifted humans. Anyanwu is a healer.
Excellent and disturbing. I want to read the series.

Some lakeside reading of my #doublespin

#BookReport
This week I managed to finish two of the Patternist series books in my omnibus edition but then I needed a break and went on to the SFFBC selection of the month. I think I enjoyed Wild Seed the most out of the three.

#WeeklyForecast
My goal for the week is to finish Many Colored Land and then the rest of the Patternist series. Slowly but surely catching up with my BookSpin backlog.

This is a most unexpected story from Butler since I consider her more of a Sci-Fi author and this is a paranormal historical novel. Good plot and loved the originality. I thought thre characters of Doro and Anyanwu were perfect and I could feel the pull between the two immortals. However, I thought the setting was lacking. I always want the setting to be described in lush, vivid words and I didn't get that with this one. Though not my favorite⬇️

So excited about my list for #NewYearWhoDis from @Laughterhp ! The House on the Cerulean Sea was on my list too, and I also spy several other favorites (Six of Crows and Gideon), not to mention several on my TBR as well as lots that are new to me. Thanks for all the work you did in pairing us up and putting this all together @monalyisha ! Cant wait to start digging into these books in January. I already know Wild Seed will be first up!

The #FallReadathon goal was to read for 8 hours over 4 days. I did that and a little more! 🎉 Started and finished 2 books (Aster's Good, Right Things and How To Slowly Kill Yourself and Others in America), started Wild Seed for the #OEBSlowRead, and listened to 75 min. of a David Graeber (💔) audiobook I'd started before the readathon. 📚

My first #bookspinbingo book this month is an omnibus of Octavia Butler's Patternmaster series. First is Wild Seed (in order of story chronology, not publication - think Magician's Nephew, not Lion, Witch, Wardrobe). Published only a year after her standalone classic Kindred (1979), Wild Seed is also set in antebellum USA. Instead of time travel, here we interact with the practice of chattel slavery through the viewpoints of two immortals. Cont.

Another tale of cruelty, power, and presumption. I don't know if I ever want to discuss a book more than when I finish a Butler novel.

Loved it. Gripping psychological struggle between two Africans with fantastical gifts. Takes place over centuries of American history. Looks at slavery, autonomy, inherent abilities, building communities, family, and more. This novel makes any investment in the series worth it!

Read 13 Books
3 Audio
6 #ReadBlackAuthors
11 1/2 Women Authors
1 #ownvoices for Neurodiverse

Finished 7 #BookSpinBingo (with no bingos)
Finished 4 more #SummerFun prompts (still no bingos)

Favorite Reads: Tagged, Daring and the Duke, Girl in Disguise, and The Mothers

Honestly I really only disliked 1 book this month

#JulyStats #JulyReads

At the service center getting my car detailed, so I'm indulging in this audiobook.

Finished my #BookSpin book! Still don‘t have a bingo.

This book was a little slow to start or slow for me to get into. Once I had some time to sit down and get into the book, I was hooked. I definitely want to read the rest of the books in this series! It such an interesting take on sci-fi. And such a great love hate relationship.

That brown blob is my dog trying to photobomb 😂
Haven‘t been a Litsy this week, super busy at work and no time

Continuing on my Octavia E. Butler binge with Wild Seed, the first novel in her Patternist series! I stacked this book from @xicanti who described it as “the X-Men across 150 years of African and American history,” add in eugenics and that is damn accurate! Wild Seed is a brutal, century-spanning book that transfixed me utterly. I love how Octavia E. Butler seems to counterbalance the horrors of history with the unrelenting agency of her heroines.

The writing is magnificent. I had a hard time reading the difficulties Anyanwu went through, but sometimes having your eyes opened is uncomfortable. I will definitely be continuing the series. I can't wait to see what happens to Anyanwu and Doro and their children. Looks like I've got a huge pile added to my tbr stack.

My #BookSpin and #DoubleSpin picks are perfect for #ReadBlackAuthors for July.

I‘m still waiting for my copy of the Vanishing Half to come in but I‘ll hopefully be reading Wild Seed this weekend.

My local indie started doing curbside pick up last week. You order books online/pay and then schedule a time to pick them up. It‘s the closest I‘ve been to a bookstore since last year.

Picked up my 2 books for #black publishing power and The 3 Body Problem for July/August #BBBBC pick. I got Lies My Teacher Told Me in the mail today too. I ordered it from Bookshop.org about 2 weeks ago. Still waiting on 3 more to come in.

#bookhaul

Wow! Octavia Butler's characters and complexity leapt out of every page. This book, spanning centuries, centers around two god-like beings with very different worldviews. The tension between them propels the story. I could not put it down.

It's in development for a series on Prime by Viola Davis and Nnedi Okorafor. I can't wait to see how they capture it!

This book challenge is making the Twitter rounds.

So many great books out there! Just finished How to be an Antiracist (excellent) and now moving on to Octavia Butler's Wild Seed. It's in the works for screen adaptation by Viola Davis and Nnedi Okorafor (who wrote the amazing Binti books).

Here‘s the 2 books I bought to support Black publishing. I bought them from my local indie. Unraveling was sold out, so I have to wait for it to come in so I can do curbside pickup.

I‘ve been dying to read these books, so this gave me the push to bump them up on my TBR and buy them.

#blackpublishingpower #blackoutbestsellerlist

😳😳😳

WILD SEED is “Octavia E. Butler does the X-Men across 150 years of African and American history,” and if you think that sounds awesome YOU‘RE RIGHT! It‘s frickin amazing!

I‘m especially impressed with how Butler writes hope in desperate circumstances. She‘s so, so good at demonstrating how people hold on to their agency in situations designed to wear them down. There‘s a lot of cruelty herein, but it‘s always countered with compassion.

I‘m loving Butler‘s WILD SEED, y‘all. This morning, though, it hit me that it‘s an intensely cruel book—which wouldn‘t be all that noteworthy if I hadn‘t recently abandoned Atwood‘s ORYX AND CRAKE because its cruelty shut me out.

I ruminated on the difference, and I think I‘ve determined that Atwood assumes the reader‘s complicity in the cruelty while Butler assumes the reader will rail against it. Now I‘m down a CanLit thematic rabbit hole.

AHHHHH this was a hard one to read, knowing that things change and there are sequels but hating, HATING one of the main characters so much, and hurting for the other one. Whew, this is going to be a VERY interesting TV series! #sciencefiction #ThePatternist

Following the news that Nnedi Okorafor & Wanuri Kahiu are writing this series into an Amazon TV show, I decided I needed to get off the duff and read the books ... which I already owned, luckily. So, started this today. Do I have time to finish in April? MAYBE!!

Finally!!!! Someone is adapting one of Octavia Butlers books 🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾 https://www.essence.com/entertainment/amazon-wild-seed-viola-davis-julius-tennon.... @EchoLogical so beyond excited 🤩

Can't even begin to explain how weird and wonderful this one is. Octavia Butler manages to paint the most intricate portraits of her characters, without ever resorting to flowery prose. And the subjects she tackles - wow! I'm left with a total love-hate relationship with Doro, & the feeling that his son Isaac and Sam Hamilton (from East of Eden) woud be great friends #brilliant #octaviaforthewin

Loving this book, but really struggling to put my finger on why it reminds me of East of Eden. In many ways Isaac reminds me of Sam Hamilton, but it's definitely more than that. I might drive myself crazy trying to figure it out - too bad I can't just let it go because then it would probably come to me in a second. Anyone who read this and got the same feeling I have?