"So, do you miss coffee?"

Today is Monday, and I have tasked myself with the near impossible goal of writing an adequate blog post (and subsequently an Instagram post) before I have to go to work.

Why does this task have such an intense deadline, you may ask. Well, I read this book, and I just cannot wait to talk about it.

What would you miss...

...If you were an astronaut tasked with observing other planets in the galaxy? Try to remember, that it takes about fourteen years to get back to Earth, and just as long for a message to be sent or received. Thus, any news you receive is over a decade old, and you must spend the time you are not working in torpor, which slows your body's aging process as you move from planet to planet.

This is the mission Ariadne and her crew are set with in Becky Chambers' novel, To Be Taught, If Fortunate. Although the chemistry of the crew allows them to operate more as a family than as coworkers, they still face challenges during their decades long mission away from Earth. Every news report threatens tragedy, but every day promises adventure.

Yes, this book is science-fiction, but don't write it off because of its genre. The writing is terrific, and the plot is gripping and unpredictable. There were a plethora of emotions experienced by Ariadne and her crew, both while they reminisce about Earth and while they make startling discoveries, and I could not help but feel these emotions with the characters.

This book is a 5 star novel, without a doubt, and I highly recommend it. Thank you to my coworker who let me borrow his copy after recommending Chambers to me!

To Film or Not To Film

Have you ever read a novel and thought, "This would be a great movie...unless they mess it up..."? I think that To Be Taught, If Fortunate would be an amazing cinematic experience, but at the same time, I treasured reading it and kind of hope that Hollywood leaves it untouched.

Reading this book has made me eager to receive more recommendations, so if you have one for me, please comment below, email me (theopinionatedbookworm@gmail.com) or follow me on Instagram (@theopinionatedbookworm1).

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The Literary Adventures of an Opinionated Bookworm

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