Welcome to Litsy!

Last year I had a formal book planner but it felt like a chore to fill out. This year I‘m trying something different.

I got this pretty embroidered journal on clearance from Rifle Paper Co during Black Friday — planning on jotting thoughts about each read as I finish/as I go. No minimums, just feelings and thoughts. 😍🫶🏻

The accuracy of this is so real to our current moment - esp in social media. An age of misinformation that isn‘t being solved because “engagement” is valued over truth.

Here‘s my review.

#hailthebail

I decided to start this book last night before bed after I DNF‘d the other book I was reading. This is another book that Simon & Schuster sent me when I used to be in their influencer program. I‘m not liking this book. I don‘t know what‘s going on and in one of the chapters, a man had sex with his wife and he talked about his sex life with her. I don‘t need to know about someone‘s sex life and I don‘t care.

3 Stars • The Future centers around a tech billionaire, Lenk Sketlish, who prepares for an apocalypse by building a survival ark on an island. The narrative explores themes of survival, technology, and power, with characters like Martha Einkorn, a survival guru, and Jimi, a hacker activist, playing pivotal roles. The story critiques societal structures and the ethics of who gets to survive a global catastrophe.

#AboutABook

A few books #SetInFuture or in the near future that I‘ve read over the past several months.

I‘m having trouble getting into this one… maybe I‘ll come back later!

#HailtheBail

This one lives up to the hype! Shelve next to the MadAdam series, Station 11 and, maybe further down the shelf you‘ll find Total Recall and/or Birnam Wood. Stick with it well worth the read- Great book!

1. Yes, I‘m tech savvy. Every time my mom needs help with technology, she asks me and I help her every time.

2. I haven‘t read the tagged book but based on the synopsis, I feel like it does spotlight technology:”The bestselling, award-winning author of The Power delivers a dazzling tour de force where a handful of friends plot a daring heist to save the world from the tech giants whose greed threatens life as we know it.”

#two4tuesday

This was pretty nuts.
At first I had difficulty keeping track of the POVs &their roles. &it‘s at times ridiculous/unbelievable but kind of believable with how AI is taking over the world.
But ultimately I really liked it.
The survivalists, the “good billionaire” fallacy, the plot twists.
How many people would you have to delete to save the world?
-note: the full cast recording of the audio was super well done.

This novel imagines a world decades ahead but with the same potentially catastrophic events threatening civilization (the environment, pandemics, etc). There‘s futuristic technology with leaders vaguely reminiscent of people like Bezos, Musk and Zuckerberg but the conclusions reached in this book would have Ayn Rand rolling over in her grave — a plus imo! There‘s a lot going on here but I would recommend to anyone interested in tech fiction.

I think this might be a timing issue for me. I love the cover and the idea. There are too many characters and I cannot find it in me to care about them or the story. This lovely edition is signed, I am going to keep it and maybe try again later.

This is one for the people who enjoyed Eleanor Catton's Birnam Woods. It has the same vibe, and the writing is similar.

#ReadAway2024 #AwesomeApril #readathon

Finished this Tuesday, my 3rd book for #Roll100 April, roll#6
It‘s my second book from Alderman & while I didn‘t like it as much as The Power, it was thought-provoking & interesting & I thought the twists the story took were well done. The survivalists‘ posts & comments I found distracting & while they were meant to help tell the story & give context to what was going on, they didn‘t add much. A soft pick.

Thank you for the #MotivationalMonday tag @Cupcake12 🤗

1️⃣ Survival, work projects & getting out #LitsyLove replies & packages. 💌📦📬

2️⃣ My boy, Max.🩶It‘s been 14 months since he passed. Someday I will adopt another fur baby but I still need time.😢

3️⃣ A manatee, they are fun, cute, protected & so it‘s illegal to touch them (but they can touch you!) 😉

4️⃣ ✔️(one of them anyway!)📚

Who hasn‘t played yet? Consider yourself tagged! 🤗

Mind meltingly outstanding

It was amazing. I loved it. It was so true and terrifying about today's social media world and the future.

I didn‘t enjoy this as much as The Power. I found it both more difficult to follow page-to-page and the overarching plot more obvious. Low pick. #botm #borrownotbuy

Three tech billionaires are at a retreat when they get a call the world is ending. They board a plane, and it disappears. Who is behind the disappearance? Why is the world ending? Meanwhile a social media prepper stirs up trouble with religious separatists.

I promised myself not to buy new books but here I am...

This was quite the ride. If you enjoyed her first book, The Power, you‘ll likely enjoy this. The Future details a fictional scenario where the social media execs are accelerating the collapse of the natural world through encouraging consumption and spreading false narratives for profit. The book centers around the people fighting back. Edgy, bleak, and righteous. I enjoyed it!

Another terrific book by Naomi Alderman. Tech billionaires leaving the rest of us behind. Great surprise ending. Can‘t wait for her next one.

In the first 3 chapters we follow 3 billionaires who get an alert that an apocalypse has started and they need to get to their bunkers. I was excited. Then we don‘t see them again for 250 pgs. This had a lot to say about community vs the self. The role of the internet. There were 2 great female MCs in here, one a survivalist refugee coming from a fallen city and the other coming from a cult. This could very faintly be called a sapphic romance.👇🏼

A lot to like, but tough to keep believably upping the stakes when you start w/ the world‘s end. High vs. low tech, built world vs. nature, concentrated power vs. collaboration. Survival. Bear & sunset fingernails passage dreamlike & memorable. Could the disappearance of a few greedy billionaires “save the world?” 2023
363 “The end of the world is only ever hastened by those who think they will be able to protect their own from the coming storm.”

I love different books for many different reasons. In this case the sheer scope of the topic, the social commentary and way it made me think about things wins it a 5 star rating. In addition I enjoyed the characters and the plot immensely, especially the slight twist near the end. The very last paragraph did leave me a little puzzled, so if anyone has some clarity on it it would love to hear your thoughts. Thanks to HarperCollins for the ARC. 5/5!

Kristen, thank you for sending this awesome book!!!! I‘m ready to ring in the new year with some techno apocalypse environmental dystopia fiction! Thank you!! Happy holidays!! 🥳🥰 #LitsyLove

So I‘m not sure how I feel about this story. In some ways it feel realistic and terrifying yet what happens later, awesome dream or unrealistic fantasy. Glad I read it but…

The first 3/4 of this was fascinating, causing me to think I was going to want to listen to it again to pick up all the details I missed. But then, it comes so close to devolving into silliness that it made me super disappointed. It never quite recovers from that, leading into an ending I just didn‘t buy. I really wanted this one to be a pick, but I just can‘t get there. #tob24 longlist

This was so good. I need time to process it before I can write anything more coherent than Omggggggg

Interesting plot. Social commentary on many levels.

This book intersected in interesting ways with my recent reading (Elon Musk and The MANIAC) and viewing (Leave the World Behind), as tech billionaires buy into a scheme designed to alert them when it's time to retreat to their super secret bunkers. The Disturbing Bible Study elements felt a bit belabored, but the concept was interesting and I'm glad I read it. Also enjoyed the shout out to Margaret Atwood's Oryx and Crake, a brilliant book.

Choosing my top read for November was actually way harder than I thought it was going to be since I had so many 5 stars this month, one of them being the new Murderbot novel, and those books have been dominating this year. In the end, The Future won it out with its complexity and sheer scope of topics. Very curious to see what will win in December, and for the whole year! #2023readingbracket

Crumpet is helping me finish my November reading #bujo spreads. I finished 16 books, with the tagged being my pick for best read.

Also, I'm re-watching Centaur World, which is the weirdest and best cartoon that's come out recently. 😅

Lovely evening listening to Naomi Alderman discuss her new book, among other things. Really excited to read this one.

This was slow to start but I‘m glad I stuck with it. Terrible people, running the world into the ground in the near future and what happens when people fight back. I liked the juxtaposition of greed and evil, consumption and climate change with religion woven through it all. This one made me think. #netgalleygroup This was an #arc but it is out. #BookspinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

The Future explores the world of tech, billionaires, environmental activism, and luxury bunkers, and boy does the read deliver. It‘s clever, fast-paced, and intriguing, and even plays with the form by introducing a Reddit-esque thread about survival prepping. It‘s more speculative than sci-fi, but the world is still very fleshed out. I‘m so happy I enjoyed this one since my expectations were so high! 5/5⭐️

The Future holds a lot of meaning for people. It could have both positive and negative connotations. It could be infinite or finite. It could lead to peace or war. But what does The Future mean for those people who actually have the power to change the world? That's the heart of the new novel by Naomi Alderman.

I didn‘t love The Power when I read it a few years ago, but this one has been at the top of my highly anticipated list for a while so I‘m excited to dive in!

I liked The Power; I thought it was a clever idea, told simply (in a good way). Conversely, The Future, has a LOT of ideas and the narrative jumps about chronologically and also between characters.

There were also forum extracts that didn‘t work for me (badly formatted on the ARC) and a lot of comparisons with Lot in the Bible so I skipped those bits.

It sounds like I hated it, but I didn‘t; it‘s still a soft pick.

#netgalley #thefuture

Was such a fan of “The Power,“ so I was excited to give this a read. It did not disappoint! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 stars

Full review at: https://erinkonrad.com/2023/11/02/the-future-book-review/

Geat book that makes you think about our society and environment and the direction we are going in right now.
What can we do to improve our future?
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-galley.

This is good. I like this author. Or I liked her other book. Whatever. In this the rulers of the three top tech companies are planning for the apocalypse. Their underlings are also planning. And they each have different conclusions. I think the print cover is a dual image. Fox and Rabbit.

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

Pub date is 11/7/2023
#ARC #Netgalley

Today, I‘m sharing book mail today from Simon & Schuster. I‘m looking forward to reading this.

Summary: A handful of friends plot a daring heist to save the world from the tech giants whose greed threatens life as we know it.

#bookmail

Exciting #bookmail ! #TheFutureIsHere (Thanks, #SimonBooks !) I loved The Power, and the description of this one certainly intrigues.

New Naomi Alderman incoming in November: https://lithub.com/exclusive-see-the-cover-for-naomi-aldermans-the-future

I loved The Power so I'm really excited about this one.