Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion

This thread is to mark your completion of the July challenge for the prompt: "a book set in space." You can join in with the group read of The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, or pick a different book to satisfy this challenge.

Please include the following:

Title:
Author:
Did the setting play a big role in the plot?
Would you recommend?

No other posts in this thread please.

Title: The Tomb
Author: S.A. Bodeen
Did the setting play a big role in the plot? Yes, it was very important.
Would you recommend: No. This was a massive cliffhanger ending (which I hate) and reading it was a chore- I certainly don't want to read the next one.

Title: The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet

Author: Becky Chambers

Did the setting play a big role in the plot? Yes! HUGE!

Would you recommend? YES!! Cannot wait to read the other two in the trilogy!

Title: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Author: Douglas Adams
Did the setting play a big role in the plot? I would say so
Would you recommend? Yes, it's a great light read. It's short and there are lots of places I actually laughed out loud, which I don't often do while reading.

Title: The Consuming Fire (#2 in the Interdependency Series)
Author: John Scalzi

Did the setting play a big role in the plot? Yes - the whole book is set in space, either on habitats or ships

Would you recommend?
Yes, to anyone who likes space opera with a solid dose of humour. But you would need to read the first one (The Collapsing Empire) first.

Title: The Restaurant at the End of the Universe

Author: Douglas Adams

Did the setting play a big role in the plot? Yes.

Would you recommend? Absolutely! But the reader may need to read its prequel first.

Title: Saga, Vol. 6
Author: Brian K. Vaughan
Did the setting play a big role in the plot? Inasmuch as it takes place during a universe-encompassing war
Would you recommend? Absolutely! Although people should probably start with the first one. :)

Title: The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
Author: Becky Chambers
Did the setting play a big role in the plot? Yes.
Would you recommend? Definitely! I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. I'd like to read the other books in this series.

Amanda wrote: "Title: The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
Author: Becky Chambers
Did the setting play a big role in the plot? Yes.
Would you recommend? Definitely! I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this boo..."

There is a Buddy Read in July for the second book, A Closed and Common Orbit, in the 2019 Reading Challenge group. Also, an August Buddy Read is scheduled for the third book in the series, Record of a Spaceborn Few. I understand these two follow-ups do not directly involve the Wayfarer crew, which kinda makes me sad! Though I cannot imagine they aren't also very enjoyable!

Title: The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
Author: Becky Chambers
Did the setting play a big role in the plot? Yes
Would you recommend? Yes. Lots of fun.

Title: The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
Author: Becky Chambers
Did the setting play a big role in the plot? Absolutely
Would you recommend? Yes! One of my favorite books of 2019!

Title: The Stark Divide

Author: J. Scott Coatsworth

Did the setting play a big role in the plot? Yes, it's a story in three part, one set entirely space as they try to get the planetary 'seed' in place to terraform a new world for a dying earth and the other two parts, traveling to and colonizing this world. It's a generational story.

Would you recommend? Yes I would (and it's the first in a really good trilogy)

Title: The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
Author: Becky Chambers
Did the setting play a big role in the plot? Yes.
Would you recommend? I would. This book was an unexpected surprise. I don’t normally read sci-fi genre, but I may rethink those choices after reading this book. While at times it was a little slow, I really grew to like these characters and realized it was not a book about action but about the lives of these people living on this ship. I was surprised at how I was moved (there might have actually been a tear 😁) when Kizzy was opening up to Jenks about her feelings towards him. Really enjoyed this one. Good choice.

Title: The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
Author: Becky Chambers
Did the setting play a big role in the plot? Absolutely!
Would you recommend? Yes I would. I'd say it's a little slow in the beginning, especially for those who don't usually read sci-fi type books. But stick with it! I fell in love with each character. I will definitely be continuing on with the series!

Title: The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
Author: Becky Chambers
Did the setting play a big role in the plot? Very much
Would you recommend? Absolutely. This was a very enjoyable book.

Title: The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
Author: Becky Chambers
Did the setting play a big role in the plot? Yes. Beyond that it’s set on a space ship that creates shortcuts through space, I think that the setting in space creates the necessary intimacy for the character development, which is what I really thought drove the plot.

Would you recommend? Absolutely. I love it.

Title: Sovereign
Author: Jeff Hirsch
Did the setting play a big role in the plot? Yes
Would you recommend? This really isn't a genre I like, and I honestly found this book a little confusing so I would not recommend it.

Title: Dawn
Author: Octavia E. Butler
Did the setting play a big role in the plot? Yes.
Would you recommend? Yes! While this isn't my usual genre, I really enjoyed the story and the writing. This is book one in the Xenogenesis trilogy (also referred to as the Lillith's Brood series based on what I see in GR) and I'm curious to find out what happens next.

I'd originally picked a non-fiction book for this prompt (Endurance: A Year in Space, A Lifetime of Discovery by Scott Kelly), but decided to double-up since the whole book doesn't take place in space. Space is central to book since it's about how Kelly became an astronaut and how he came to spend a year at the International Space Station -- the chapters go back and forth between the year in space and his background. I would definitely recommend it!

Title: Artificial Condition
Author: Martha Wells
Did the setting play a big role in the plot? Yeah mostly.
Would you recommend? YES! I loved it even more than All Systems Red

Title: The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
Author: Becky Chambers

Did the setting play a big role in the plot? Definitely

Would you recommend? I didn't love this one and had a hard time getting into it until more than halfway. So I would only recommend to someone who I am sure would like it.

Title: All Systems Red

Author: Martha Wells

Did the setting play a big role in the plot? Yes! Loved the details of the planet the story was set on.

Would you recommend? Yes! I have the next book ready to read! I'm excited because I loved this one, and Ariel says she loved Artificial Condition even better!

Title: The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
Author: Becky Chambers
Did the setting play a big role in the plot? Yes
Would you recommend? Yes, I was dreading this prompt, but this was a great way to cross it off the list without being too spacy.

Title: Binti
Author: Nnedi Okorafor
Did the setting play a big role in the plot?
Yes, especially as it affects her journeys and her studies.

Would you recommend?
Yes! I am soooo not a sci fi or space addict, so I planned on reading a Douglas Adams book. But I read Binti for a different challenge, and I loved the character! I enjoyed her and the book so much, I read the rest of the trilogy.

Title: Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void
Author: Mary Roach
Did the setting play a big role in the plot? Of course!
Would you recommend? I'm very happy to be doing this challenge as I discovered this book and this author. I'd recommend to everyone, even those not really interested in the space race, as I was.

Title: Aurora Blazing
Author: Jessie Mihalik
Did the setting play a big role in the plot?
It's a space opera, so definitely.
Would you recommend?
This is the second book in a series. This book follows a different character than the first book but there are spoilers ish.