Welcome to Litsy!

I do adore Charlie Jane Anders as a person, but her books don't seem to be mine? 🤷 The message in this is great and to me totally clear, but I felt weirdly distant. I couldn't really imagine the Gelet, and the book should have been split in a trilogy imo. Couldn't understand many of the characters decisions either...

#queerbc @PuddleJumper

I am posting one book per day from my extensive, and ever growing, TBR shelves. Some are old and some are new, some were gifts and some I don't remember why I bought them.
Day 59
#ABookADay2024

I enjoyed the rhythm and pace of this book. I enjoyed the characters and the themes. It was an all around fun read!

#LetterC recs:
The City in the Middle of the Night by Charlie Jane Anders
A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers
A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas
Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @rachelsbrittain #AlphabetGame

I had high hopes for this book and they were misplaced.

This was my least favorite sci-fi read so.far this year. There were scenes throughout the books that I enjoyed but overall I felt this book didn't have a coherent plot to tie everything together. 2 Stars.

#NextReads

Eh, this had a cool premise and some beautifully written insights into society but I was bored for most of the story. It dragged until the last few chapters, finally got exciting…. and then fizzled out like a damp squib. Also I just didn‘t care for any of the characters, especially as they kept on making the same mistakes over and over until I wanted to slap some sense into them! Some people will love this, but it wasn‘t for me. #bookspinbingo

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 300

#tbrmountain #bookbuyingdiet

This month‘s sci-fi & fantasy book club pick.

I finished off the #JoysOfJune readathon with this Hugo Best Novel nominee. I really enjoyed this one -- great characters, an interesting setting and thought-provoking ideas about human-alien communication. #hugoawards #hugo2020

The readathon was definitely a success for me! I finished 2 books that I'd started before the readathon, as well as 2 novels and 2 graphic novels from my Hugo Voter Packet. Many thanks to @Andrew65 for hosting!

Just started this and am digging it so far

This is a hard one to review. I didn't love this book... and I'm not sure I would have finished it if it weren't for book club. The last third of the book is definitely the best. But, there was so much to talk about at book club! Which if we had all liked it or loved it probably wouldn't have happened.

Set in a space colony on a tidally locked planet, with settlements located on the boundary between night- and day-sides. Two viewpoint characters, one of whom lost her entire nomadic community to catastrophe; the other who communicates with natives of the night-side, whom other humans regard as dangerous animals and sometimes food. It's a fascinating setting, and a nuanced story about choosing one's family. (Oh, and futile politics.)

I finished my knitting needle case while I listened to the last chunk of THE CITY IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT. The sewing project came out just like I wanted it to, with room for all the needles I inherited from my grandma and empty spaces for other sizes.

The book was a good ‘un, too. It might have a low Litsy rating, but it‘s exactly the kind of SF I like to come across. #audiosewing

My sandcastle-shaped rum cake was so moist the turrets tore off when I popped it out of the mould. Eek! At least it still tastes delicious, and with social distancing in place I don‘t have to worry about wowing partygoers with my presentation. #audiobaking

Today I made some reusable face pads and finally started a knitting needle case! I‘ve been meaning to make one for years and years so I can get my needles out of the tall cardboard box my grandma used.

THE CITY IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT kept me company while I worked. I definitely like it, but I also adored ALL THE BIRDS IN THE SKY at first and it let me down in the end. Fingers crossed this one fits my tastes all the way through. #audiosewing

I didn‘t get very far into THE CITY IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT on today‘s #audiowalk, but it feels like a book I could love.

Reached p. 100

Still not really into this *sigh* but want to know what is going to happen next.

#buddyread @DuckOfDoom

I consider myself to be an okay fan of science fiction. And I was fine with all of the sci-fi aspects. What I was not okay with was this toxic and co-dependent relationship between Sophie and Bianca. Bianca is a toxic twat and Sophie just keeps making excuses for her. She keeps going back to her no matter how many times she shows her true colors and I just can‘t deal with that. It infuriated me so much I didn‘t even want to read their sections.

It‘s been sitting 1/3 finished in my audible list for over a month now, and with everything going on in the world, I‘m consciously deciding to put it away for the time being. It‘s just too intense for me at the moment. I‘ll maybe revisit it at a later time.

Life on a tidally locked alien planet. Two competing cities located on the habitable strip where it is perpetually twilight. One human creates a life-saving bond with alien creatures that others see as monsters but she comes to realize are part of a technologically-advanced sentient community. Love, betrayal and loyalty amongst friends. Honor among thieves. This book has it all.

The three books I‘m focused on for the next week. Plan to finish tagged book over the next couple of days and hopefully start and finish Creature of Moonlight and Watching You before week‘s end. #weeklyforecast

I had no idea what this story would be about. And even some chapters in, I was asking. But it kept me turning the pages, wanting to know more about this planet and the people both human and gelet. Once I really understood what Anders was conveying, I was utterly in love. Wonderful book.

I had a hard time getting into this, but once I did it turned out to be a sweeping, inventive sci-fi novel set on a tidally locked planet. Convoluted economies, environmental extremes, symbiotic relationships with native creatures, and lots of betrayal. A really interesting story with a wide scope, but I just didn't love it as much as a lot of people seem to.

3.5 stars / ⭐⭐⭐

A sci-fi night!

I have to admit that I‘m bailing on this one as well. I drifted away from it and going back to it feels like too much effort. 😐

Squidapus liked this more than All the Birds. Great sci fi about two women living in the razor thin area between scorching sun and killing ice. Squidapus feels like a lot of sci fi lately haven't tackled transhumanism in a satisfying way if at all. Sophie and Mouth can be frustrating characters but it all services the ideas of letting go to improve oneself on small and large scales. Fantastic book EVEN IF IT ENDED LIKE THAT HOW DARE IT JUST E-

Reading with Riley. I admit that I couldn‘t get through this author‘s first novel but the new one sounds interesting and the ebook was $3 so here we go. I do love the podcast she hosts with Annalee Newitz (Our Opinions Are Correct) so I want to like one of her books.

Welp, this one sure does end abruptly. I really loved the world building and the story was growing on me. I hated the characters and it really really really felt like the book just sorta ended. I don't blame Ms. Anders for finishing the book there, I was getting bored of it too.

4/6

This was the most expensive book I bought at the #booksale. I got it for 8 dollars. Not bad for a HC considering it came out this year. 🤘

So much to love about this complex, wildly imaginative speculative fiction:
*Cast of characters centres on four queer women who have the potential to change everything for the human settlers on an inhospitable planet—saviours or destroyers
*Complex world building
*Intriguing sentient aliens
*Impending climate catastrophe
*Alternating POV chapters are narrated by Laura Knight Keating & Jennifer O‘Donnell in the mesmerizing #audiobook
#LGBTQ

My nephew is heading out to a party / fundraiser for a local farm that was hit by a tornado. This is how farmers party in the Yukon Territory. (I tagged the book I just finished because he looks like he‘s playing the part of one of the characters in it.)

My sister makes me work when I visit her. 😜
Audiobooks are perfect for painting prep.

At the entrance to an Air North 737, ready to settle into my seat with the tagged audiobook. ✈️

In this month‘s episode, we talk about Macmillan‘s new ebook library lending model, what we love about our public libraries, and discuss The City in the Middle of the Night. The book left us disoriented, but in a good way? You‘ll have to listen and find out why! #eclecticreaders Listen at eclecticreaders.fireside.fm/68 or on podcast apps under “Eclectic Readers” and let us know your thoughts!

Two cities on a small, tidally-locked planet have very different ways of surviving in a place where full day and full night are unlivable and everyone lives in permanent twilight. A revolution, alien creatures, creative use of linguistics, full-scale world-building all made for an interesting and thought-provoking read.

This was such an interesting book! Having a tidally locked planet as the setting was different and add that to the themes of time, climate change, colonialism, the “alchemy of being seen,” and transformation was ambitious but done so well. There were many times I was disoriented, or it felt like the story dragged a bit, but I think that was the point. This is a super smart book that I‘d recommend if you‘re looking for a different type of story.

So good!! Read this now, seriously!

This book put down way more than I picked up, I'm sure. Naive, shy, hopelessly besotted Sophie befriends vivacious, self-centered, manipulative Bianca, exploring socioeconomic status, political activism, coping w/trauma, & toxic relationships. Mouth's story takes a slightly different course, asking how to reconcile past & future. Along w/the pondering this story left me, I also liked the writing. It was creative & built steadily through the book.

Change of clothes for the end of the readathon!! I can actually do it. I'm so excited!!! Finishing my audiobook right now, then to finish my physical book.

#24in48

My Week 4 check-in is late, but last night I was out late at the Apollo 11 tribute projected on the Washington Monument. Due to an injured ankle, I couldn't do my usual workouts most of the week, but I got enough walking on the National Mall at night to make up the missing time. And another book down!
 @wanderinglynn
@Crazyspine, @laurar311, @WriterAtHeart,
@mc916, @Honeybeegirl, @BookishBelle, @BookBridget, @Econaghan
#BookFitnessChallenge #BFCR2

Onto 2nd physical book of #24in48

I'm only halfway through, but really feeling the need to hurry and be through with this one - partly because I'm now caught up with reviews for the first time in nearly a year and need more books to post, but also partly because Veronica Mars released early and I'm not caught up with my rewatch! 😲

Read with us! #EclecticReaders

Current read. But I don't get to pick it up again until I do a workout. #BookFitnessChallenge #bfcr2

It was hard to pick just 6, but these are the standouts so far this year. Half I read in the past month because June was a pretty good reading month for me.

#top6reads

I had a great book haul this month! See any that are on your TBR or that you‘ve read and loved? The Rosie Project was my book club‘s pick 5 years ago, so when we got together last weekend to celebrate 10 years we wrote notes to each other in our copies of the book 💖 And I ended up reading 10 books this month, which is a huge number for me 🎉