DNF a few pages in. I’m straight up not smart enough for this

I hope this wasn't asked before. I tried searching Hope and I didn't see anything related to what I want to ask.

Initially I wanted to ask if there are books you'd recommend with the vibe of the Good Place (I just finished a rewatch), but as I realise this might be too specific, I wonder if you have hopecore books recommendations. (Or hopepunk) Basically what it sounds like, books that give you hope. If the prompt with the Good Place helps in any way, I welcome those recommendations as well. Basically I want books that I can read when I feel down or hopeless and to remember that as long as we live we can try again and again and again and do better. I hope this makes sense. Looking forward to any recommendations!

PS: my first thought about this category would be Lord of the Rings but I've yet to read the books, sadly.

Already learning a short bit of history, or really the interconnected layers, that I didn't know/wasn't taught/was kept hidden, etc.

A lot of conversations and literature about the apartheid and genocide in Palestine is about Palestine—which is good + necessary—though what I'm finding interesting about this read is how it's already focusing on Israel's destructive power globally from an internal perspective. Being in a US state that makes it "illegal" to boycott Israel, I'm not surprised that my education system failed to teach so much of the global wars and genocides that happened only 50+ years ago.

Lowenstein is connecting just how fundamental Israel's conception is related to weapon manufacturing, privatization, and surveillance intelligence—and how it's used such powers not only on Palestine through decades of experimentation, but also was a major beneficiary in the Rwandan genocide, the Guatemalan genocide, the Muslim Rohingya minority genocide, decimating smaller militant groups and assisting global dictatorships. This illusion of not actively 'getting their hands dirty' (external of Palestine), and placating as this country of peace and financially profiting is... horrendous. How far and wide major colonizer countries have hid and [attempt to] continue hiding the truth of our global history.

Hi guys!!! I’m Sue (or Suzie) for those of you I haven’t met yet! Here’s my first discussion post of 2026!

I wanted to know how you guys rate your books, and why that works for you! Im referring to the overall rating but feel free to talk about how you rate each aspect and how you like to choose emojis. What are you thinking when you rate your books the way you do? I’ll start first!

5⭐️ - AMAZING INCREDIBLE BOOK THAT I LOVE WITH ALL MY HEART!!!!!!!!!! MY BABY OMGMGMG!!! It did not have any major or minor flaws that prevented me from understanding and enjoying. It gave me a new perspective AND/OR it was a story that I 100% will always be happy that I went out of my way to read it. A life changing book! Highly recommended to others!

4.5⭐️ - Really really awesome book!!!! There were one or two minor things that dampened my enjoyment but overall, I could get past them and continue vibing and enjoying the book. I wasn’t taken out of the book more than once or twice, and if I was taken out of the book, it wasn’t disruptive to the flow of me reading.

4⭐️- Really awesome book!!!! There were one or two less-minor-but-not-major things that dampened my enjoyment but overall, I could get past them and continue vibing and enjoying the book. I wasn’t taken out of the book more than once or twice, and if I was taken out of the book, it was only slightly disruptive to the flow of me reading.

3.5⭐️ - Pretty good book overall, it had three to four flaws that I couldn’t forget about and they altered my enjoyment of the story enough to be acknowledged. Those flaws are more on the major side but could be balanced by other good aspects of the book. It’s a good book but it could’ve been spectacular.

3⭐️ - Okay book, I’m not sure how likely I am to recommend a three star book. I’ve seen better out there. There are at least three MAJOR flaws that dampen the quality of the book and it’s hard for the good aspects to balance them.

2.5⭐️ - Most likely a DNF, I could NOT read this book or get past a certain point because there are more than three major flaws. It’s not enjoyable and it’s going to be a waste of my time. The book was boring and took too long to pick up or did not garner my attention for long enough that I could care to finish the story.

2⭐️ - DNF. My recommendation: don’t read this. It was BAD. It’s a miracle if I manage to finish the book at all.

< 2⭐️ - Instant DNF. The book has wayyy too many flaws and needs to go back and be reworked entirely. Or deleted. Publishing this book was a poor choice.

0⭐️ - The book encourages, supports, and/or teaches problematic ideologies. I do NOT support problematic ideologies. Zero stars.

I usually rate specific aspects based on how I felt while I was reading the book. For example, if I feel like I’m connecting with the characters a lot while I’m reading, it’s probably going to be somewhere from 4 to 5⭐️. But I can only really determine aspects while I’m reading and overall when I’m DONE reading.

Looking forward to hearing about your rating systems!