Welcome to Litsy!

Ooh! I like this one a lot! In some ways, it reminds me of Martha Wells's Murderbot in that the main character is a (partial) outsider whose perspective on Earth and our species and Americans even more specifically is more poignant because she lacks an expectation of shared humanity with those she observes. It asks the reader, who on the planet *isn't* a visitor here? This is one I want to mull for a while and perhaps gift to a couple of people.

#TournamentofBooks #Shortlist

I‘m liking this list. I‘ve only read 3 and have 4 on my shelves and am interested in a bunch more.

What do you think of the list? What should or shouldn‘t be on there? Enquiring minds want to know.

I got a little excited while visiting our brand new library branch (now we have two branches within two miles of our house!) and checked out four titles from the #ToB25 longlist (plus one more just for fun). Now to tell my secretary to clear my schedule so I have time to read them.

But I guess that means I first need to get a secretary.

Adina is an undercover, asexual alien reporting on human behavior on Earth. Quite the blurb and so many people raved about it that I was sure I would too but I didn‘t. I didn‘t like the writing and thought the story was a bit boring. Glad I finished it. #unpopularopinion.

#WeeklyForecast 43/24

I am looking forward to all of these three books although I probably won‘t be able to read them all this week. I have just started For Reasons Unknown.

Beautyland blends light sci-fi with literary fiction. A sweet coming of age story, charming and emotionally rich offering a perspective on the human experience through the eyes of an outsider. For 80%, I found it charming and compelling, but the story lost steam toward the end. Still, it‘s a unique take on human nature. ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5 ❤️📚

Gorgeous morning! ☀️Enjoying this book! It‘s charming. ❤️📚

⭐️⭐️⭐️ An odd book about being human. I didn‘t love the writing. The story was just okay, too.

Oh my. This was such a unique and tender story. Adina finds out she comes from another planet with a mission to report back to her planet on what humans are like. We watch as she tries to navigate a place in a confusing world of relationships, loud sounds, and bad behaviors.. There are some wonderful observations and great lines in this. I thought it got a little draggy in the middle but the author nailed the ending.

Absolutely amazing novel. My favorite of the year!

A lovely, heartfelt read. A coming of age story with a twist - Adina is an alien born on earth to report on the human condition - it is relatable, thoughtful, and a celebration of life in all its joys, heartbreaks, and banality. Bertino has a talent for walking the narrow edge of “quirky“ stories - just the right amount to delight, and always with purpose, but never so much that it reads as twee, cutesy, or weird for the sake of being weird.

"In spring, the school theater group announced auditions for the play Our Town."

Who else is counting Our Town references in their yearly reading? Tom Lake, Shark Heart, and now Beautyland. It's a hat trick!

I loved this! Readers follow Adina throughout her life, and she feels she doesn‘t belong. She receives fax machine and begins communicating with her home planet and her kind who sent her to earth. She reports on humans and the planet to her superiors. Adina is so relatable! (Just what does that say about me!? 😜) I found this to be poignant, a great read.

Really enjoyed this book. Thought the premise allowed pure and unadulterated observations of growing up and living life. Just a great book!

"It is impossible to be unhappy on a swing. Even at four, Adina knows this. She wants it to be finished so she can be as happy as she needs to be."

What can I say about Adina, an alien from the moment of birth, who moves through time as a human, continually sending messages to her home planet and receiving replies. I found her thoughts on humans and their everyday lives to be the most interesting parts of the book. She knows she‘s an alien and she knows her job is to explain humans and their emotions to her home planet, but she never quite feels anything. Thought provoking.

It took me a minute to get into this book, but once I did it was great. It is a story about Adina, a girl who always struggles to fit in. And that is because she is an alien from another planet. Literally. If you‘ve ever felt like an outsider, this book will truly resonate with you. It was unusual and surprisingly poignant as you get to know this delightfully strange young woman. The book is really about what it means to be fully human.

Bit of snow on the daffies this weekend!

This is my favorite book so far this month! It‘s a beautifully sad story about feeling alienated yet finding those who care told through a unique lens.

Adina is an alien born to a human mother. She communicates with her home world by fax and through her dreams. She finds a connection with a brother and sister but often feels uncomfortable in other situations. A wonderful coming-of-age novel.

Adina doesn‘t really fit in and when her mom brings home a fax machine, she finds out why. She is an alien sent to Earth to study humanity to see if her species can potentially live on Earth, as their planet is dying. This is a sweet, tender book following the arc of Adina‘s life and will make a lot of sense to those who feel like they don‘t fit.