Welcome to Litsy!

Bailing 100 pages in. Scalzi is always hit or miss for me. I love the idea of this book - the moon has, in an instant, turned to cheese and no one knows why or how it what is next. Scalzi uses interviews, news reports and (for me) way too many pov. The book is creative but I have been sitting here for the last 40 or so pgs wishing I was reading Blake Crouch's Project Hail Mary instead so I am going to stop now

The cozy small business story of Legends & Lattes meets the progressive sci-fi of Becky Chambers, with a flavor entirely its own, in this fresh, heartwarming tale about a motley crew of robots launching a restaurant amid PTSD, prejudice, and review bombing in a future post-war San Francisco. I ATE this UP and already miss the team at Automatic Noodle and the friendship, pride, and love found at the bottom of a bowl of their biang biang noodles!

Just wonderful. I love that it was thoughtful and emotional and clever as well as hilarious. I love that it was an ensemble piece, almost more of a connected series of short stories, and yet tied in so well, repeating characters every once in a while and well-framed by the lunar cycle format. Certainly 'cheese moon' is sci fi (or in other hands pure farce) territory, but as Scalzi does so well, this was mostly humans 1/?

I've never been one for physical activity, especially if it's to a practical end, so to relieve me from the tedium of mowing the lawn, we got a robomower!
In best Asimovian tradition, he's been anthropomorphised, and named Ian, after letters in his serial number. 🤖
I can take no credit for setting it up, which my practically-minded son kindly did when he visited yesterday.
Book and a glass of wine in the late evening sun? Don't mind if I do 😊

In a dystopian future, a bloody war recognizes California as an independent nation away from the U.S. From the wreckage, a group of robots are reactivated and decide to rebuild by starting a successful noodle shop in the Bay Area. As their popularity grows, so do their detractors as negative reviews, xenophobia, politics, and anti-robotic sentiment attempts to tank their restaurant as they continue to persevere in this cozy sci-fi novella.

Loved the first half and then I don‘t know how I finished this. I need more action and lots more science. Thank goodness I watched the movies first…how did he write this? I made it through but will rewatch the movies to see if I really now get it. 😬 We don‘t all have to love what everyone else loves!

Next up. I can‘t believe I haven‘t read this yet.

(1984) It's a collection of three interconnected novellas, about a failed revolution on Mars and what happens after, set in the 23rd-27th centuries. The “icehenge“ of the title is a megalithic structure on Pluto, which may have been constructed by Martian rebels, or by aliens ancient or recent, or something else. I quite liked the premise and the epistemological themes, but found it difficult to engage with the story.

4.5/5

On a distant planet, in the far future, humanity is conquered by aliens and a group of researchers are captured and forced to prove humanity's usefulness. I liked all the different perspectives throughout the book, particularly the alien perspectives. Some part of the book felt like sci-fi horror for me. I didn't figure out the bigger twist of the series until after I finished reading, but I am excited to see where it goes.

#netgalley

e-book: The Mercy of Gods by James S. A. Corey
audiobook: The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake

I think I'm on track to finish both this weekend.
#weekendreads @rachelsbrittain