A Prayer for the Crown-Shy (Monk and Robot #2)

[SarahKat, Buddy Reads]

This thread is to discuss A Prayer for the Crown-Shy, the second book in the Monk and Robot series by Becky Chambers.

Pages: 152 pages

Length: 1 month (July)

Participants: SarahKat, GailW

Everyone reads at their own pace during a Buddy Read. Because participants can be at different parts of the book at different times, it is extremely important to mark spoilers so that the book is not ruined for someone who is not as far along as others!!!

Mark spoilers by placing {spoiler} before the text and {/spoiler} after the text but use the < and > instead of the { and }.

Here are some questions to help get the conversation started! Feel free to look up discussion questions specific to this book or come up with your own. Just make sure any questions that contain spoilers are under spoiler tags.
Discussion questions are not required but may be a fun way to talk about the book and get to know each other!

Prior to starting:
What prompted you to join this buddy read?
Have you read this author before? What do you think of their other books?

Mid-read:
What character or ideas do you relate to the most and why?
Do you have any favorite quotes or scenes?

After reading:
What was enjoyable or not-so-enjoyable about this book?
Did this book change your perception about anything, either within the book (character development) or in real life?

[GailW]

I was pleased to see this buddy read on the agenda! I already had this slated to read in July for two other challenge prompts - one in this group, and one in a different group, so the timing was perfect. The only book I've read of this author is A Psalm for the Wild-Built, which I loved. It's on my "warm hug" list.

[SarahKat, Buddy Reads]

GailW wrote: "I was pleased to see this buddy read on the agenda! I already had this slated to read in July for two other challenge prompts - one in this group, and one in a different group, so the timing was pe..."

I agree I loved the first book in this series! I hope remember enough of it to enjoy this one.

I've also read her Wayfarers series, which is different but also really feel-good.

I have this on hold at the library so I'll let you know when I start!

[SarahKat, Buddy Reads]

I started and got through chapter 2. It's short but I'm working on other books so I'm going sort of slowly for now.

(view spoiler)[I had forgotten some details from the first book since it's been so long but I love the philosophy and there are some great one-liners in here. It's just a feel-good series.

I loved Mosscap doing all these chores for people and them giving it pebs for its services even though it's an object not a person. I thought that was so sweet, and it was so thrilled with the little note it got!

Also, the first sentence was very apt, as I started this book on a camping trip this weekend:
"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." (hide spoiler)]

[GailW]

I started yesterday but I'm visiting with my Dad, so reading time is a little sporadic. Dex and Mosscap have just met the people in their first stop.

And I enjoyed that first sentence as well. My husband and I were campers - well, he was the campers in our younger days. I was the one wishing we had the money to stay at a hotel!

[SarahKat, Buddy Reads]

I'm finished! Here's my short review.

I need to buy this series. It's just so feel-good. I love Mosscap trying to figure out humanity and humans trying to figure out Mosscap. I love his questions about life and processing big philosophical questions. There is so much wisdom in his ignorance; it's like talking to a young child who doesn't really understand the nuances of humanity and society and has a very simple (and true!) answer for every problem.

It's not realistic and it doesn't wrap everything up in a nice little bow at the end. But that's not what this book is for.

[GailW]

I agree, SarahKat, it definitely is a feel-good story in each book. And I really needed it this month!

I enjoyed "watching" how Dex and Mosscap reacted so differently (if at all) to the surroundings, e.g. Mosscap noticing the trees and knowing what the "crown-shy" term was and Dex, who had lived among it forever, not even noticing it. They were each having an impact on the other in so many ways just by being who they were but accepting that there are always other ways to look at things. The author did a great job I thought of pulling technology into the equation and the question "do we rely on it too much" or "not enough".

My feeling about the ending was that I think both of them were coming to realize that what people needed most was friendship, companionship. The two of them had never really "played" before. The moment was refreshing because neither of them were worried about why they were there or what their purpose was, but just enjoying some spontaneous fun.

Thanks for "hosting" this!