Saturday in the Stacks

Monk & Robot Series – Review

Saturday is the perfect time to wander through the stacks (that’s librarian-speak for “bookshelves”) and talk about books and the people who write them. Pull up a comfy chair and settle in, because today I want to chat about a series of books so good they make me cry: the Monk & Robot series by Becky Chambers.

Have you ever read a book so good it makes you mad? That was me with A Psalm for the Wild-Built, the first book in Chambers’ Monk & Robot series. I was initially drawn to the book for one reason – it was little. Now you know my secret: I adore little books. Not because they’re short, I just…love the feel of leafing through a small book. Physically small. Little books. I love them.

My local Barnes & Noble tapped into my weakness by making a whole display for “pocket sized books” and A Psalm for the Wild-Built was on there. I picked it up, loved the back-of-the-book summary and figured I’d give it a try.

I devoured the book in one sitting. And by the end, I was crying. Crying actual tears. I felt so seen, so understood, and the writing was so beautiful. Once I got my emotions under control, I immediately went in search of the second book, only to discover it wasn’t out yet.

Outrage.

When the second book, A Prayer for the Crown-Shy, hit shelves, I bought it at once. But I didn’t read it until a few weeks ago. Why? I wanted to savor the experience. I wanted to be sure I was reading it when I most needed it. And, I’ll admit, I was a little afraid there was no way the second book would live up to the first.

Boy was I wrong. THE SECOND BOOK WAS EVEN BETTER.

If you’re a fan of cozy scifi, of a hopeful future, of philosophy, of love, of just damn good writing, you need to be reading the Monk & Robot series from Becky Chambers. If you’ve already read it and are as obsessed with the books as I am, let’s chat about it in the comments! NO SPOILERS.