Welcome to Litsy!

In September we checked in with Imri, Tep Tep and Churo the Hutt. I love them. What did y'all?
In October we conclude the High Republic with Trials of the Jedi. And I feel like I'm finally able to keep up with everyone.
As always if anyone wants to be added or removed just let me know. And May the Force Be With You Always 🚀
#StarWarsBuddyRead

Listed as a trilogy but actually the 4th book I‘ve read in the “Revelation Space” universe. After thousands of pages and over 15 years reading these books, I can believe how bad this was compared to the previous ones. If I hadn‘t invested so much time in this series I would have bailed on this one. I think Reynolds‘ agent must have been negotiating his Q9M pound deal as he wrote this so he just phoned it in. A boring, padded anti-climax

I loved this fast-paced, genre-bending novel that seamlessly switched between POVs and perfectly balanced the science-fiction with the mystery. I enjoyed watching each character‘s story come together and overlap until the aha moment of why we‘re getting each of their POVs.

The only thing that put me off a little bit was Andy. (Slight spoiler in comments.)

#arc

#ClassicLSFBC
This is one of PKD's more surreal novels, one of his later ones leading towards the VALIS books, so the plot is minimal and ideas & archetypes are prominent.
The story begins in a future pseudo-socialist dystopia: Joe leads a pointless, unfulfilling life, filling his time with vacuous games played remotely with people he's never met. In an episode of mental crisis, Joe is saved from the secret police by a mysterious alien entity, ⬇️

About 50% through. A few quotes so far:

“Each living entity passes through periods of expansion and contraction.”

“There is no abstract way of determining the limits of one's force, one's ability to exert effort; it can only be measured in...a task which brings into view the actual, real limitation... Failure will tell me as much about myself as will success.”

“Failure is valuable...it tells us the limit of ourselves; it maps our boundaries.”

"His father had been a pot-healer before him."

#FirstLineFridays @ShyBookOwl

A human and and alien, each representing a rival multi-species consortium, court the ruler of a new alien species they are competing to bring in, and things get interesting.

I picked this up on a whim, and I'm glad I did. Unique, humorous, and full of heart, this book delivered more than I expected, from thoughtful questions about building relationships across cultures to AI translation software with a sarcastic streak. Definitely worth a read!

I didn't read last month's #ClassicLSFBC selection due to a library delay, but I am reading this month's (not least because I nominated it, so I really should! ?).
I had an uncertain feeling that I had a "Potteries" bookmark that would be an appropriate match, and I was right - in my uncertainty! I don't have one. So the pictured is not the best example of #BookmarkMatching but it shows elements from the baked clay Minoan Phaistos Disk ⬇️

I'd be lying if I said the idea of finding a hole in a green space to hide from the world for a bit never occurred or appealed to me. Suppose this comes under the heading of 'forest bathing'? 🤔😅

Here's to a little joyful excess.