As cute as this book is I will not be reading the sequel, too much leveling up for me. It just got too repetitive. ( )

Adorable +1

Stuff and Nonsense, the first book in Andrew Sieple's Threadbare series, is the most unique and adorable LitRPG I've read. That's right, adorable. As a bonus it also has a healthy dose of humor. The story follows Theadbare, a toy teddy bear golem, and his little girl, Celia. The book begins as Threadbare has just gained sentience and is starting to learn about the world around him.

Threadbare gets into a lot of innocent trouble while initially leveling, though he doesn't know that's what he's doing at first. Celia helps him out significantly as does Pulsavar the family cat. The story doesn't stay completely innocent though part of me wishes it had. I could easily have enjoyed a slice of life story with Threadbare, Celia and Pulsavar. There ends up being a lot more going on than it initially appears and is revealed as the story progresses. The pacing is spot on throughout.

Unlike other LitRPG's I've read this one is not a human player logging into a virtual world to play a game. Instead the characters live in a world that has stats, levels and classes along with some rules that govern how they work. It's a refreshing take on the genre. Telling the story mostly from a teddy bear's point of view adds on to the uniqueness. Even though Threadbare technically doesn't have a mouth to speak with, that's the type of stuffed toy bear he was created from, he has his own "voice" and we get his point of view through his thoughts. It was great learning about how the world works right along with him. This little teddy bear has a lot of depth to him.

I listened to the audio book narrated by Tim Gerard Reynolds. Reynolds tells the tale masterfully, giving it a story book feel that matched the writing wonderfully, even during the action scenes. When I reread that last sentence doesn't seem like should work but it does.

Thanks to my friends at the Vagabond Treehouse for the recommendation. Work it! I'm looking forward to continuing Threadbare's story soon. ( )

I love this book and am getting started on the next book in the series right away! This is the second book I’ve read in the GameLit genre and it is great. The fantasy world and story are captivating, Threadbare is totally adorable, and the other characters are well-written and interesting. ( )

I'm not a gamer, but even so, the story had me hooked as this innocent teddy bear so blithely became almost human through leveling up and gaining skills just like in a video game. There's a bigger story going on, but the novel stays tightly focused on Threadbare. Mr. Seiple does a good job of showing the bear's ignorance and also the slow process he goes through as he gains skills and knowledge. ( )

Stuff And Nonsense by Andrew Seiple is quite a delightful fantasy! In this land, about forty years ago numbers started popping up and letting the citizens know about their strengths and what makes them level up. Now it is normal for them to see numbers and achieve wisdom of strength quick and easy by doing a task.
In this land there is a man that is trying to make an army of golems but starting out practicing with toys, this is how we get our star of the book, Threadbear! Threadbare gets into a lot of trouble as he is learning, leveling up, and caring for his little girl. The book is filled with good and the bad. Someone is after the old man's magic and the little girl.
Nothing is as it seems. Other than a scattering of a few curse words, it would definitely would be kid friendly. I got it for my grand daughters that are 12 and 13. I am sure they hear worse at school.
Threadbare definitely is high in charisma in my eyes! I give him high marks for cuteness!
The narration was outstanding! Brilliant performance! ( )