Welcome to Litsy!

It‘s been a minute since I read this, but two things I know about myself. 1) I don‘t always want to be happy; and 2) I don‘t like to be told what to do.

Williams is so brilliant and creative! I love how her books are set in the future but she doesn‘t over explain technology and allows emotions to shine through.

This novel in stories centers around Pearl, who operates an Apricity machine. It tell you three desires that will lead you to happiness. But Pearl isn‘t exactly happy. She‘s divorced and her son has an eating disorder. But Williams gives her a great story arc full of growth.

So tickled by my #speculativespringswap !! @Avanders you are so sweet and seriously spoiled me! I love it all so much!! 🥰 I've been dying to read the tagged book and my library doesn't carry it. I love the book sleeve - it's the perfect size for my kindle too! And the wrapping paper you used was so gorgeous! I almost didn't want to tear it 😅 Thank you thank you for a wonderful swap 💖

I'm just going to say it, this one let me down. I love Speculative fiction and this had some cool concepts but that ending 🥴

I just started this but had to stop and post. It starts with this word and the definition. I have a new favorite word!

I am posting one book per day from my extensive to-be-read collection. No description or reason for wanting to read the book. Some are old and some will be new. Don't judge me - I have a lot of books.
Day 268

#tbrmountain #bookbuyingdiet

"She felt as if her entire life had been denoted with an asterisk, the instructions simple enough until you scanned down to the bottom of the page and found the long list of exceptions and addendums."

2/5⭐

This book started out so good, but then it only went downhill. There was no plot and the changing POVs didn't make it any easier. This book had such a promising premise, only the execution really lacked in my opinion. It left me disappointed and unsatisfied

On to the next one, apparently first published using another title! The tagline on the back intrigues me: 'If a machine could offer a prescription for happiness but you might not like the results would you take the test?' Would you? 🤔

Katie Williams‘s literary SF novel is a thought-provoking look at technology, the search for happiness and people‘s desire to be told what to do and whose plot revolves around the relationships between its characters. However, some storylines are left unresolved while others have only a weak resolution and the Apricity technology is largely unexplored as a concept such that the book isn‘t as satisfying as it could have been.

A novel that almost feels like a series of connected short stories, this is heavily character driven and examines our emotions. It was really interesting and I enjoyed it a lot!

This reminded me a of The Circle by Dave Eggers, it‘s a more realistic futuristic tale and very well written. You get quite lost in the story and there‘s a 6 degrees of separation to the characters so I found myself pausing at points going “wait, who is this?” as we switched point of views. It‘s a quick enjoyable read

I‘m starting to think I choose books that match my bedroom

This one has me thinking of The Circle

I really liked this book. Vignettes which were connected by characters. A world not too far in the future where there is a machine that tells you what you should do to be happier.

Funny story about this. A friend of mine had me for Secret Santa and I opened this book and thought the cover looked cool but hadn't heard of it. I asked her if she had read it and she said no. I asked why she chose it and she told me she found it on my Goodreads TBR list... woops! I mindlessly add a lot of books but luckily this one looks great!

It is 2035 and the Apricity machine can read DNA to tell a person the simple things they can do for happiness. This quirky novel reads closer to linked short stories and I really enjoyed it. I found the concept unique and the writing engaging.

#dogsofLitsy #Gunther

This was such a promising book and I couldn‘t believe how underrated it was. But after reading that ending I‘m just lost and confused. That was a big pile of nothingness. All the intrigue tapered into an ending that felt abrupt and bland. Kind of upset because I really thought I‘d discovered a good book. Wondering what the editors were thinking? Feels like a rush job.

Currently reading and it is so underrated!
Also; I‘ve written an essay to address the bookworm shaming and elitist attitude that unfortunately exists on Bookstagram and other Bookish communities. Thought I‘d share the link!
https://sumaiyyareads.wordpress.com/2018/12/02/we-need-to-talk-about-bookworm-sh...
#booklover #bookstagram

Good read, ending wasn't as great as I hoped.

• This one is getting better; I'm enjoying the descriptions •

• "He always seemed like such a nice and polite young man...And then they find the bodies in the basement." ?? •

Really liked this one about the power of happiness. In the future a machine has been invented that can tell its users what they need to do to obtain happiness. But what is the definition of happiness for each person?

This was fine. I doubt I will remember it in a month but a good palate cleanser, particularly after Sabrina, which wrecked me a little bit. Definitely a borrow not buy

Saturday plans

I really enjoyed this intriguing book about Pearl, a dutiful employee of the Apricity company, and her son Rhett, a teenager struggling with severe anorexia. Apricity offers a test that will give the client recommendations to increase their happiness: eat more ice cream, stop talking to your brother, cut off the tip of your index finger. This was a highly memorable look at what it means to be happy.

Going into work late due to the massive flooding meant I got to finish this without a late fee! The narrative switched between first and third person and between characters which worked surprisingly well. It wasn't what I expected but I enjoyed it!

“Her arms were plump and liver-spotted with a fine mesh of lines at elbow and wrist, as if she wore her wrinkles like bracelets, like sleeves.”

The writing is beautiful

“They were still doing it, too—affairs and alliances, feuds and grudges long held—it was just that now they were older, which meant they were running around headlong with their little paunch bellies jiggling before them.” 😆

#currentlyreading #fiction #bookquote #newrelease #librarylend #tech #future

“Pearl had worked as a Contentment Technician for the Apricity Corporation‘s San Francisco office since 2026.”

This one already has “The Circle” vibe going. We‘ll see, the writing is good so far 👍🏼

• this one sounds just weird enough to work •

#currentlyreading #newrelease #fiction #librarybooks #hardcovers #weirdbooks

I really, really liked his, read it in basically two sittings. It‘s speculative fiction that questions happiness and technology and relationships and art and all while being entertaining and mildly amusing and slightly melancholy. I have a feeling this one will stick with me and I can‘t wait to see what Katie Williams does next. 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

My morning - I raced through the first 100 pages of this one last night because I love it so hard. What is happiness and should that be our ultimate goal? Who decides? Right now, happiness is coffee and a good book!

July's reading stats! I'm most of the way through a 20 hour audiobook that I'm enjoying but ngl, I've picked up some shorter ones I'm just itching to read.

And now for something totally different.

My hold for Smoke and Iron finally came in! I love this series. #libraryhaul

Eh. I get what this book was trying to do, but I found it a little too “avant-garde” for me. Everything about this novel had a sort of vibe. It was sort of futuristic. It was sort of funny. It was sort of sad. It was definitely a commentary on our times. I sort of got it, until I didn‘t.

The premise of my next read is definitely unique!

Bizarre and fascinating vignettes from a handful of interconnected characters‘ lives make up the narrative of this novel about people trying and failing to find happiness and contentment amid the disconnectedness of modern life. If you love speculative fiction like I do, definitely pick this up.

Williams' novel is simply put both weird and wonderful. It's set in the near future and is centered around a machine that can give people specific recommendations to make them happier (oh if only this existed!). Although the book is separated into chapters, it actually felt more like linked short stories to me. I'm surprised this one hasn't gotten more love - I'm obsessed with the magical realism tone! #arc ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Three cheers for #bookmail!!!

A surprise in the mail from the lovely @JazzFeathers - Thank you so much, Sarah! I'm excited to read your book!

And an ARC of the tagged book, which has drawn comparisons to Black Mirror. ❤

This was an easy and quick read. It was enjoyable but not gripping. The book is much more about character relationships than it is about the future, and in fact Williams‘s future differs so little from present day that I wonder why she even bothered creating a future world. Williams is a good writer though, and I would read more by her.