Avalon
NZ | šāš¹ | Fantasy, Japanese Lit, Romance, Poetry, Non-Fic || Fighting my TBR so trying not to yoink books š
19753 points
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Spring 2026 Readalong
Read at least 1 book in the Spring 2026 Readalong.
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erintripsey is interested in reading...
Watch Your Orbit (Over the Moon #1)
Etta Pierce
4
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Avalon commented on a post
Avalon commented on Avalon's review of Dracula
I find it difficult to rate Classics, but they are given the 'classic' moniker and persist in our media for a reason. I've settled on a four mainly because of the vast number of interpretations that have kept me coming back to the Novel for the last two weeks, thinking about it, and talking about it. My partner is sick of me rambling about Mina and Quincey, but Mina was a powerhouse that deserved more credit and Quincey is the sort of friend we all deserve in life.
Were parts of this slow, dare I say boring? Yes, but I found the combination of audiobook, physical, and the Dracula Daily subscription to be an interesting combination that kept me going. The Epistolary format helps with pace, but you will naturally find some characters diaries and certain parts of the story more engaging than others.
Did I get frustrated with Van H's never-ending monologues where he rambles about the same thing in convoluted ways? Yes, but I also had a soft spot for his eccentricities and his straddling of mysticism and science boundaries (with Steward) when it came to the supernatural was very interesting. He is often used to drive forward the tension around Dracula, good vs evil, and elaborate on the cycles of life, death and undead. Our boy is a yapper but a pivotal one.
Was it sexist? Yes, but consider the time and place it was written and take a look at some of the analysis I leave at the bottom of this page - I rolled my eyes more times than I can count in this book but I do believe Bram Stoker managed to weave some really interesting commentary on changing gender roles at the time into this novel through the characters of Lucy and Mina, and these can be interpreted as supporting the intelligence and self-determination of a 'Victorian Woman,' or not.
Did I find this scary/ shocking? No I actually didn't! And its perhaps because I've been so inundated with Dracula retellings that some of the magic has gone. I can absolutely see how this would've had a big impact on the audience at the time though, the chapters in the castle do create a creepy atmosphere and there are certain suspenseful moments speckled throughout, but not enough for me. The ending felt appropriate, but rather abrupt considering how much of a build up we had and so any possible tension fizzled out.
P.S. Watch me refer to all my friends like 'Friend John' from now on.
References: Wikipedia - New Woman Movement Nasrullah Mambrol Analysis Fionna C - The Women in Dracula Dracula -literarydevices The Whitby Guide - Women in Dracula Post read Forum Post I made with some good input from other readers āLife Swarms with Innocent Monstersā : the Monstrosity of Gender Inversion in Bram stokerās Dracula by Natalie Diane Cottrill
3Avalon commented on a post
Hello all! I'm really excited to be here with you all as your Quest Host. Please read the following!šø
Info I know Lit Fic can be subjective so I have used the term here and the Quest definition as a guideline, as opposed to a definitive, in order to try and convey that unique feeling these books evoke. Some of these books may straddle the literary boundary, working a bit like a gateway for this Quest, but they contain enough prompting content to meet the definition. As a volunteer, I wanted a space for other passionate readers and interested friends of Japanese Lit to converge, discuss and celebrate. It is natural that not every Author and Book will be to your taste (or mine!) so as the host I hope the variety provided under this Quest definition gives you room as the reader to research and select books while achieving badges. This is a starting point for this Quest and I can't wait to see it grow and develop with your support!
Translated Availability Some of the less popular books in this Quest may not be available in other languages outside of English and Japanese (yet).
Translated Japanese Lit Fic vs English Japanese Lit Fic Currently this Quest includes only translated Japanese Lit Fic. Authors like Ruth Ozeki and Kazuo Ishiguro's novels are originally written in English and because of that, they were not included in the initial launch books. This is still under consideration.
Our Badge This badge is designed to look like a stylised award seal/sticker you'd see in Japan! Think of a Hanamaru or gold star but for adults. The Kanji inside can be interpreted as 'Reader' or 'Bookworm' š®
Recommendations & Consideration Shelf For now, please list recommendations on this welcome post here. I have a public shelf where books under consideration for addition to the Quest will be housed until further notice. Please note that addition to the shelf does not guarantee the book will be added to the Quest. I may not be able to respond to every single recommendation but know I appreciate it greatly!
Updated Feb 20th 2026
94
Avalon commented on a post
Hello all! I'm really excited to be here with you all as your Quest Host. Please read the following!šø
Info I know Lit Fic can be subjective so I have used the term here and the Quest definition as a guideline, as opposed to a definitive, in order to try and convey that unique feeling these books evoke. Some of these books may straddle the literary boundary, working a bit like a gateway for this Quest, but they contain enough prompting content to meet the definition. As a volunteer, I wanted a space for other passionate readers and interested friends of Japanese Lit to converge, discuss and celebrate. It is natural that not every Author and Book will be to your taste (or mine!) so as the host I hope the variety provided under this Quest definition gives you room as the reader to research and select books while achieving badges. This is a starting point for this Quest and I can't wait to see it grow and develop with your support!
Translated Availability Some of the less popular books in this Quest may not be available in other languages outside of English and Japanese (yet).
Translated Japanese Lit Fic vs English Japanese Lit Fic Currently this Quest includes only translated Japanese Lit Fic. Authors like Ruth Ozeki and Kazuo Ishiguro's novels are originally written in English and because of that, they were not included in the initial launch books. This is still under consideration.
Our Badge This badge is designed to look like a stylised award seal/sticker you'd see in Japan! Think of a Hanamaru or gold star but for adults. The Kanji inside can be interpreted as 'Reader' or 'Bookworm' š®
Recommendations & Consideration Shelf For now, please list recommendations on this welcome post here. I have a public shelf where books under consideration for addition to the Quest will be housed until further notice. Please note that addition to the shelf does not guarantee the book will be added to the Quest. I may not be able to respond to every single recommendation but know I appreciate it greatly!
Updated Feb 20th 2026
94Avalon commented on kathytrithardt's update
Avalon commented on a post from the Pagebound Club forum
Hi all, small announcement that streaks were just released on web! We're considering this a sort of "streaks beta" to iron out the kinks before we release on the app (which, fingers crossed, will be available before the end of the week)
You'll see a streak widget on the home feed above your currently reading books. You can edit your past reading history & progress updates by clicking that widget. You can still track progress for today's date as you always have, by clicking the progress bar.
If you have questions about how things work, please click the helper text at the bottom of the edit screen (it says "Missing a book or need help?") or comment here so we can help troubleshoot. If you see a bug, please report via the bug form!
Thanks everyone :)
126Avalon commented on Avalon's update
Avalon finished a book
Earth Keeper: Reflections on the American Land
N. Scott Momaday
1Avalon finished a book
Earth Keeper: Reflections on the American Land
N. Scott Momaday
1Avalon finished a book
When Among Crows
Veronica Roth
0Avalon commented on Avalon's update
Avalon TBR'd a book
The Wolf and His King
Finn Longman
3