#a prayer for the crown-shy

[sharry-arry-odd]

The thing about fucking off to the woods is that unless you are a very particular, very rare sort of person, it does not take long to understand why people left said woods in the first place.

A Prayer for the Crown-Shy, by Becky Chambers

[a-ramblinrose]

JOMP BPC || January 6 || Books and a Hot Drink:  A Prayer For the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers

[writerlunawinters]

“You don’t have to have a reason to be tired. You don’t have to earn rest or comfort. You’re allowed to just be.” ― Becky Chambers, A Prayer for the Crown-Shy

[ilikereadingactually]

Monk and Robot

A Psalm for the Wild-Built and A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers

please read these books. like right now, request them from your library, order them from your local indie, borrow them from a friend. they're swift and bright and breathtaking. they brought me, for a little while, to a world so quiet and gentle it's almost impossible to imagine--and even in this softest future, being human still comes with pains and sorrows, existential and mundane. these books comforted me the way Dex the tea monk comforts everyone who comes to them for a tailored brew and a cathartic conversation; these books comforted me the way the robot Mosscap comforts Dex in a moment of crisis. these books comforted me the way Dex and Mosscap comfort each other, because even when we think we need for nothing, we're still struggling with the need to understand ourselves, and to be understood.

as you might imagine, i cried a lot. i want to mail a copy of these to every person with the political or financial or positional power to make significant change in the ways we treat our environment. i want to become a disciple of Allalae, the god of small comforts. i want to tuck these books into bed with me and rest.

the deets

how i read it: i read both of these from the library via Libby, but i'm adding them to my definitely-buying list. i regret not buying both the last time i was in a bookstore, i want them in my hands more fiercely than most other books right now.

try this if you: want to imagine a better post-apocalypse, long for beautiful books where not a lot happens (this is what i said to my best friend, right before she told me to read these), enjoy thinking about the human condition, or are tired.

a line i really liked: read: a line that made me weep lavishly

Dex would never forget. "You walked out of the woods, and you said, 'What do you need, and how can I help?'"

Mosscap smiled at this. "I remember, yes."

"Well, I didn't know then," Dex said, "and I still don't. But what I do know is...you help. You're helping me figure it out. Just by being here. You help."

"Then we have the same answer," Mosscap said. "I don't know, either. But you are my best help, Sibling Dex."

[aroaessidhe]

a prayer for the crown-shy out of context

[krakenartificer]

I’m not saying you’re wrong to recommend it, given what you know about me, but that is NOT the next from the series

[hedwyn-here]

I read Psalm for the Wild-Built the other day and adored it, hoping to pick up Prayer for the Crown Shy this weekend.

But I was curious if Becky Chambers has given any indication of what she's working on next, gave her a quick google, and...

To be very clear, Becky Chambers the author is perfectly fine and alive and healthy (so far as I can tell), this result is about a character called Becky in a show called Chambers. But it sure gave me whiplash for a hot second there.

[whilereadingandwalking]

A Prayer for the Crown-Shy continues the work that Becky Chambers began with A Psalm for the Wild-Built: crafting a wholesome, hopeful picture of a post-apocalypse world rooted in fiercely anticapitalist, communal sentiment. The first novella brought together Dex, a nonbinary tea monk, and Mosscap, the first robot to venture into human territory since the robots first rose up and left society forever. Now, they are going on a tour of Panga, so that Mosscap can ask as many humans as possible, "What do you need?" in a sort of ambassador/philosopher role. This book builds so magnificently on the world Chambers has created. How does a system rooted in community wellbeing operate? How does it support its people while making sure no one is taken advantage of? What does it look like, and what moral conflicts remain within it? How can robots and humans benefit from renewed contact? What does self-compassion look like in a society that values community over individuality? It is a joyful and thoughtful story that gives the reader a message of nuanced hope without avoiding the tough questions. The Monk & Robot novellas are quick reads but ones that stick with you. They present an idea of what we could be, a realistic utopia of sorts. Maybe the end of the world won't be the end. It's a message that we need now, and it's twisted into a story of connectivity and friendship, companionship and discovery, that's a joy to read. I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The newest Monk & Robot novella is out July 12.

[paradises-library]

‘What’s the brightest thing you’ve looked at?’ Leroy asked with interest.

‘The sun, of course,’ Mosscap said. ‘What’s brighter than that?’

Dex raised an eyebrow. ‘You can look directly at the sun?’

Mosscap reflected Dex’s surprise back at them. ‘Can you... not?’ It looked between Dex and Leroy, who both shook their heads. ‘Oh, that’s so unfortunate. I’m very sorry.’

- A Prayer for the Crown-Shy, Becky Chambers

[bartonsedai]

It was always a strange thing, coming home. Coming home meant you had, at one point, left it and, in doing so, irreversibly changed.

A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers

[saraquirtle]

"So you see, it was a very sensible introductory question. What is it that you need?" "You thought it might be something basic," Dex said. "Like... we need food. Or living space. Better technology. Something like that." "Possibly, yes. But I've been nowhere with you where those needs aren't provided for. And when people interpret my question beyond the things you require to stay alive and healthy, it gets..." "Complicated?" Mosscap nodded, looking exhausted. "Every answer I've received falls into one of two categories. Every single one." The robot gestured emphatically with its metal fingers. "The first category is extremely specific things. 'I need my bicycle fixed so I can deliver these goods to another village.' 'We need to prepare better for the next time the river floods.' 'I need to find my dog.' Things like that. Either a very personal, individual need or a broader need within the community, but all in all, specific and isolated." "Okay. And the second category?" "The second category is esoteric. Philosophical. I get answers such as 'purpose,' or 'adventure,' or 'companionship.' A broad requirement the person has in regards to feeling satisfaction with their life. Some people lack whatever it is and are searching for it, but others already have it. They interpret the question as me asking what aspects of their lives they would not want to do without, not as an unmet need. And I hadn't considered this, at the start. Must a need be unmet if it is to satisfy my question?" Dex exhaled and shook their head. "You tell me, Mosscap," they said. "I have no fucking idea."

Becky Chambers, A Prayer for the Crown-Shy

[sharry-arry-odd]

Dex threw Mosscap a look and lowered their voice as far as it would go. "What kind of books does Ms. Amelia collect?" "Oh, entirely pornography," Mosscap said. "It was very educational."

A Prayer for the Crown-Shy, by Becky Chambers

[saecookie]

been a while since I haven't shouted NO!! when I realized a book had ended. and it was a normal, not suspenseful end. I just didn't want it to end.

[melladys]

A Letter to Becky Chambers

Dear Ms. Chambers, I do not know if I will ever find the words to adequately thank you. Even now they twist and twirl around my fingers, dancing around the keyboard, all too eager to have their say. But I will try to start with the most important ones. Thank you! Thank you for Sibling Dex and Mosscap! I have not felt as seen as I did peering into Dex’s tender, aching soul. And I don’t mean…

[bigcats-birds-and-books]

9. a book that was better than you expected it to be?

23. the book with the prettiest cover?

34. what's a book you've recommended the most this year?

hello! thanks!! referencing this post:

9. a book that was better than you expected it to be

okay the cheater answer here is ALL SYSTEMS RED, because the cover looks like very Not My Thing, but holy shit it’s one of my all time faves, and tbh i don’t think the cover does the first one justice. (this is the cheating answer because bot is only on my list from this year because i did a Reread)

the non-cheater answer is A SWIM IN A POND IN THE RAIN: IN WHICH FOUR RUSSIANS GIVE A MASTER CLASS ON WRITING, READING, AND LIFE by George Saunders, because i didn’t love it (or the writer lol) at the start but he definitely grew on me by the end! i read it with a buddy as a writer craft thing, which was more fun than i thought it would be.

23. the book with the prettiest cover?

*sweats in covers work As Intended On Me, so most of my impulse buys skew Pretty* THE DAUGHTER OF DOCTOR MOREAU by SIlvia Moreno-Garcia is definitely a top winner (maybe The Top Winner), but honorable mentions to A PRAYER FOR THE CROWN-SHY, KATZENJAMMER by Francesca Zappia, and WHAT WE HARVEST by Ann Fraistat

34. what’s a book you’ve recommended the most this year?

i’ve been infecting everyone i possibly can with LEECH by Hiron Ennes, which has rocketed into one of my all-time faves but please approach with Caution and check the content warnings, because it’s a rough ride.

thanks again for asking, this was fun!!

[quoteablebooks]

They'd spent too much time around tired folks to not recognize the same condition in themself. They were running up against a wall, and it didn't matter whether they understood where the wall had come from, or what it was made of. The only way to get through it was to stop trying.

A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers