I found out some people use AI to 'read' hard books. Basically what they do is make Chatgpt summarize and analyze the story so they can talk about it as though they've read the entire thing. My question is why?? All the fun in reading is analyzing the story yourself. I genuinely feel superior to these sort of people who proudly declare to the world that they cannot think by themselves. I also hate how using correct punctuation has become synonymous with AI. You can't have em dashes or semicolons or god forbid, a writing style similar to Chatgpt or you'll get accused of using AI. I know the AI bubble will pop some day but I'm scared of how much damage it will do before it's finally gone

Our next Special Event will celebrate Japanese literature, culture and its influence on the world. Like the sakura (cherry blossom) trees Japan gifts other nations to promote cross-cultural exchange, we hope reading these books together will connect the global Pagebound community. We've intentionally selected a broad range of genres and authors to spotlight, so everyone can find a book they're interested in. This event will run from March 15 to April 15.

Check out the Special Events page (in the More tab on the app, or click the pink banner on the Discuss page on web).

The Vanishing Cherry Blossom Bookshop by Takuya Asakura: a translated Japanese magical realism novel about a mysterious bookshop that appears during cherry blossom season (vibes: cozy, poignant)

A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki: a metafictional novel about belonging & home, identity & immigration. Ozeki is the first practicing Zen Buddhist priest to be shortlisted for the Booker Prize (vibes: literary, meditative) - check triggers

The Decagon House Murders by Yukito Ayatsuji: a 1987 translated Japanese murder mystery novel (vibes: a classic "whodunit")

Geisha, A Life by Mineko Iwasaki: a memoir from Japan's most celebrated geisha in Kyoto's Gion district during the 1960s & 70s (the UK title is Geisha of Gion). Iwasaki was one of the geisha's interviewed by Arthur Golden for his book Memoirs of a Geisha that fictionalized her story. It included many inaccuracies, and here, Iwasaki sets the record straight.

What's a Special Event? Each quarter, we run a short 1 month readalong showcasing diverse voices in literature. Read one of the selections and comment or post in the forum during the Readalong to earn a special badge. Unlike Seasonal Readalongs, you do not earn a special badge for reading all the selections.

Excited to see the discussions for this event!

Happy Reading, Jennifer & Lucy

As a big time anime nerd, I used to love watching AMVs on YouTube (living for the TikTok versions of that now 😂). Some songs just work really well for certain storylines and I loved watching the video collage perfectly line up with the beat and lyrics.

Sometimes I find myself making book trailer/music videos in my head to the songs based on certain scenes or events. What are song/book combos that you think make great cinematic moments?? Could be for the whole book or just a specific scene!

Here are some of mine!

• Dynasty by Miia - The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black
• War by Chance Pẽna - A Far Wilder Magic by Allison Saft
• Which Witch by Florence + The Machine - Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson
• Counting the Stars by Boston - Your Lie in April (anime/manga) by Naoshi Arakawa

You’re allowed to read what you want. And if you really want to read this, go crazy. But might I perhaps offer a better option to read instead of this: Geisha, A Life by Mineko Iwasaki.

This is a memoir by the woman Arthur Golden interviewed for Memoirs of a Geisha.

“But why, Megan?” You ask. I’m so glad you asked.

1. Mineko Iwasaki did the interview under the condition that she remain anonymous, which Golden agreed to. However, Golden ended up including Iwasaki by name in the acknowledgments, whilst also making it clear who she was in relation to the book. This was actually taken to court due to the fact that it caused Iwasaki a lot of issues/conflict in multiple facets of her life (social, mental health, professional, etc.), but was eventually settled out of court.

2. Arthur Golden skewed the information he acquired through his interviews with Iwasaki to better fit hurtful Western stereotypes of geishas (equating geishas to prostitutes, among other things). Which just makes it so much worse. Iwasaki wanted to remain anonymous even with what she assumed would be an accurate depiction.

I wanted this information to be out there, on this forum, so people can make informed decisions on whether they read this one or not. And if they don’t, a better book to substitute it with/read instead.

Again, I’m not here to shame anyone who decides to read this. However, I believe knowing the context for media we consume is incredibly important either way.

(edited to fix typos & punctuation)

I've only read 5 books so far this year, but they've all been from different countries/ author's of different ethnicities (North American, Norwegian, French, Russian and Potowatomi) And I've once thought how cool it would be to read a book from each country in the world... And thought I don't think I'll be setting that goal for myself this year, I'll try, I think, to diversify my reading since I already have a good start! This post is purely to share my little observation, but if you have a book from an author, who's from a less known country (in the sense that not many books from there are mainstream/very well known) that you absolutely LOVE, I would be so happy if you shared with me!🌟

I recently read The Book that Wouldn't Burn and I had a really hard time finishing it. I usually spend 3-5 days on a book and this one took a month. I complained about it to my friends/family (non-readers) and they all said something along the lines of "why don't you just DNF it ?"

The thing is I personally don't like DNF'ing books. I feel like I invested time and energy (and also money) and if I DNF, then it's wasted. This means that I will force myself to finish a book even if I hate it, which kinda defeats the purpose of reading for pleasure.

What do you think about DNF'ing books ? Do you do it ? How do you feel about it ?

PS : I am absolutely not judging people who can and do DNF !!