Litsy

so-so

I think I‘ve been reading too much dystopian fiction lately, while living in a more dystopian world each day. This #WP25 book about women being detained because of their dreams, ruled by angry white men, feels utterly improbable but I thought the same of what‘s happening right now in the US. It can‘t be? Yes it can 😬
I normally love dystopian books but this one is just okay for me. I blame current politics, not Laila Lalami.

ChaoticMissAdventures

Bookwormjillk I know what you mean. I might need to switch to reading mysteries for a while where there are clear and logical endings. 2d

sarahbarnes I hear you on that. 😑 It does feel like things keep getting worse every day when I think that can‘t possibly get any worse. Taking a break from dystopian fiction might be a good idea - I might need to do that, too. 2d

Jas16 I struggled with the same thing. What is happening in the world is scary enough. 2d

See All 10 Comments

Lesliereadsalot Can see why you weren‘t in the mood for this one. Time for an uplifting book or two! 2d

AmyG Oh, I feel you. 😳 2d

ChaoticMissAdventures All of us in the same boat. I have it as a pick but I also am not going to be reading dystopian for a good long time. I love this picture though! Bring on the spring flowers 🌹 2d

squirrelbrain I can see why you struggled with it. Love your photo though! ❤️ 2d

BarbaraBB @Bookwormjillk @sarahbarnes @Jas16 @Lesliereadsalot @AmyG @ChaoticMissAdventures @squirrelbrain At least we‘re in this together 🤍 2d

sarahbarnes ♥️♥️♥️ 1d

Lesliereadsalot That‘s for sure!🩷 1d

60 likes10 comments

Jas16

The Dream Hotel | Laila Lalami

pick

A woman detained because of future crimes she might commit according to her dreams and the system that keeps her there. Crisp writing and a clear depiction of the helplessness of having your rights stripped away and being at the mercy of the whims and moods of those with power over you. Yet I had a hard time picking this back up after putting it down. I think it was too much for me when I already spend my days in fear watching the news.

squirrelbrain Great review! I agree on the depiction of powerlessness - probably what made it so difficult to read. 😞 4d

45 likes2 stack adds1 comment

squirrelbrain

The Dream Hotel | Laila Lalami

pick

Book 9 #wpf25

This was a scarily prescient read, particularly in the current political climate. Sara is pulled aside on her way through LAX and ‘detained‘ in a facility (not imprisoned!) due to her dreams indicating she *might* commit a crime in the future.

I liked the interactions and the menace in that facility - where the inmates can‘t do anything right so their retentions get extended. I felt that more could have been made of ⬇️

squirrelbrain Eisley and her role in Sara‘s story - it felt like a bit of an add-on. I also thought the ending could have been a bit stronger after all the building-up. But still 4 ⭐️ and a strong contender for my shortlist. 4d

ChaoticMissAdventures It really creeped me out. I kept thinking of those brain implants Elon keeps trying to get people to have. No thank you. I am so paranoid right now I am taking a burner phone through TSA. 4d

TrishB Great review 👍🏻 and definitely full of scary stuff that‘s not a million years away. 4d

See All 8 Comments

Suet624 After reading a very depressing Women‘s Prize longlister I‘ve decided to return this book to the library. I can‘t read yet another book right now that will bring a potential reality into sharp focus. It will do me in. 4d

squirrelbrain @Suet624 - it‘s nothing like as depressing as Crooked Seeds but it‘s really very sinister and too close to home. 4d

AmyG Good review. Thanks! 4d

Jas16 Great review. Totally agree about Eisley‘s story. (edited) 4d

BarbaraBB Great review. I just started this too. 4d

73 likes1 stack add8 comments

TrishB

The Dream Hotel | Laila Lalami

pick

Scary dystopian shit, that‘s not really dystopian. Claustrophobic and you can feel this isn‘t far away.
Great read, even if terrifying.

Oryx This one appealed to me. I'll just leave it resting in the basket... 1w

TrishB @Oryx the bad day basket! Press buy for instant relief. 1w

Leftcoastzen 😱 1w

BarbaraBB Great review. Looking forward to it. 1w

77 likes3 stack adds4 comments

angieinwonderland

The Dream Hotel | Laila Lalami

pick

The writing was so precise it put you in place the entire time. Discomfort, anxiousness, overwhelm, all of it felt alongside the protagonist. The concept was very intriguing, but so damn scary if you allow yourself to think about it a bit further. Like the moment of denial at the cusp of a catastrophe. You need to be in high spirits not to be too affected by the story. That speaks to the writing.

8 likes

ChaoticMissAdventures

The Dream Hotel | Laila Lalami

pick

#WP25 book 7/15
This is very good. It has feelings of Handmaid's Tale to it while being wildly different. The story focuses on a group of women but we know women are not the only ones targeted. The crimes they "might" commit are hypothetical. If you were not paranoid about government monitoring before reading this you soon will be. Everything here feels horrifically plausible (thinking of Musks brain implants people are actually getting)
4/5

squirrelbrain Great review- looking forward to this! 2w

AnneCecilie Now you have me intrigued 2w

TheKidUpstairs I'm so looking forward to this. I loved Lalami's

The Moor's Account: A Novel

45 likes1 stack add3 comments

BacklistReader

Extras | Scott Westerfeld

pan

Well I finished the Uglies series.

They really were just a copy and past of each other. Even this one didn‘t share anything new. The only differences in this one were that it was set in Japan (but you wouldn‘t know till the last part) and it brought in the World Wide Web.

This was another of my #bookspin #doublespin picks, this time for February.

6 likes