DianaD

I have VERY eclectic tastes in reading, music, and art. And I have never lost the ability to be AMAZED every day!!!

1924 points

0% overlap

My Taste

Witches Abroad (Discworld, #12; Witches, #3)

Reading...

A Blunt Instrument (Country House Mysteries, 7)

66%

DianaD commented on a post from the Founder Announcements forum

lucyPagebound

Upcoming Special Event Readalong: Cherry Blossom Festival 2026

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

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DianaD is interested in reading...

20h

Artifacts

Natalie Lemle

For readers of The Cloisters and Counterfeit, Natalie Lemle’s debut novel offers an insider’s view into the world of stolen artifacts and the hidden networks that link museums to organized crime, when a woman is forced to remember the summer she spent on an archaeological dig in Italy, as everyone she knew then may now be in danger. Successful trusts and estates attorney Lena Connolly is asked by a colleague to assist on a case: the Italian government claims an artifact was looted and sold to a museum illegally and is seeking repatriation. The object in question is a cup made of dichroic glass, which would have been rare even in Ancient Rome, let alone thousands of years later. Lena has done everything she can to put the study abroad summer she spent on an archaeological dig in the Italian Alps behind her. Her dreams of being an archaeologist shattered when her mentor Cyrille disappeared and her enigmatic boyfriend Giamma went dark, but with this new case, the past comes roaring back. Told in alternating timelines, Artifacts follows young Lena as she falls in love with both archaeology and Giamma on the streets of Torino while her adult self pieces together what truly happened on the dig, now a fully restored Roman villa with World Heritage status. The dichroic cup, Lena discovers, may have been taken from the very site she helped unearth. Powerful and exuberant, Natalie Lemle’s Artifacts brings readers behind the museum glass and asks questions about cultural heritage and the historical preservation of our shared sense of humanity.

DianaD made progress on...

20h

The Secret Book Society

Madeline Martin

DianaD is interested in reading...

Nicked

M.T. Anderson

From the award-winning and bestselling author of Feed comes a raucous and slyly funny adult fiction debut. Based on a bizarre but true quest to steal the mystical corpse of a long-dead saint, Nicked is a fantastical, genre-defying, and delightfully queer historical romp "Miracles, marvels, saints, sinners, love, plague, and treachery! M. T. Anderson has laid out a medieval feast of a novel, stuffed with everything I could have wished for. If I could canonize him for it, I would. But I’ll settle for shouting about how much I love this book."—Kelly Link, author of The Book of Love "M. T. Anderson is one of our greatest and most precious voices. His books aren't just brilliantly witty and vastly entertaining, they're fixed stars of wisdom and sanity in our increasingly unhinged universe. When lost, I use them to steer by."—Lev Grossman, author of The Magicians Trilogy The year is 1087, and a pox is sweeping through the Italian city of Bari. When a lowly monk is visited by Saint Nicholas in his dreams, he interprets the vision as a call to serve the sick. But his superiors, and the power brokers they serve, have different plans for the tender-hearted Brother Nicephorus. Enter Tyun, a charismatic treasure hunter renowned for “liberating” holy relics from their tombs. The seven-hundred-year-old bones of Saint Nicholas are rumored to weep a mysterious liquid that can heal the sick, Tyun says. For the humble price of a small fortune, he will steal the bones and deliver them to Bari, curing the plague and restoring glory to the fallen city. And Nicephorus, the “dreamer,” will be his guide. What follows is a heist for the ages, as Nicephorus is swept away on strange tides, and alongside even stranger bedfellows, to commit sacrilegious theft. Based on real historical accounts, Nicked is a swashbuckling saga, a medieval novel noir, a meditation on the miraculous, and a monastic meet-cute, filled with wide-eyed wonder at the world that awaits beyond our own borders.

DianaD is interested in reading...

The Book of Longings

Sue Monk Kidd

“I am Ana. I was the wife of Jesus.” Raised in a wealthy family in Sepphoris with ties to the ruler of Galilee, Ana is rebellious and ambitious, a relentless seeker with a brilliant, curious mind and a daring spirit. She yearns for a pursuit worthy of her life, but finds no outlet for her considerable talents. Defying the expectations placed on women, she engages in furtive scholarly pursuits and writes secret narratives about neglected and silenced women. When she meets the eighteen-year-old Jesus, each is drawn to and enriched by the other’s spiritual and philosophical ideas. He becomes a floodgate for her intellect, but also the awakener of her heart. Their marriage unfolds with love and conflict, humor and pathos in Nazareth, where Ana makes a home with Jesus, his brothers, James and Simon, and their mother, Mary. Here, Ana’s pent-up longings intensify amid the turbulent resistance to the Roman occupation of Israel, partially led by her charismatic adopted brother, Judas. She is sustained by her indomitable aunt Yaltha, who is searching for her long-lost daughter, as well as by other women, including her friend Tabitha, who is sold into slavery after she was raped, and Phasaelis, the shrewd wife of Herod Antipas. Ana’s impetuous streak occasionally invites danger. When one such foray forces her to flee Nazareth for her safety shortly before Jesus’s public ministry begins, she makes her way with Yaltha to Alexandria, where she eventually finds refuge and purpose in unexpected surroundings. Grounded in meticulous historical research and written with a reverential approach to Jesus’s life that focuses on his humanity, The Book of Longings is an inspiring account of one woman’s bold struggle to realize the passion and potential inside her, while living in a time, place, and culture devised to silence her.

DianaD is interested in reading...

HILDEGARD OF BINGEN: A Saint for Our Times: Unleashing Her Power in the 21st Century

Matthew Fox

In May, 2012, Pope Benedict XVI formally declared 12th century Benedictine nun Hildegard of Bingen a canonized saint, with the canonization ceremony scheduled for October. He regards her as one of the great thinker who has helped shape the thought of the Catholic Church. Today there are many websites and Hildegard groups that celebrate and honor Hildegard's teachings, philosophy, art, and music. Author Matthew Fox writes in Hildegard of Bingen about this amazing woman and what we can learn from her. In an era when women were marginalized, Hildegard was an outspoken, controversial figure. Yet so visionary was her insight that she was sought out by kings, popes, abbots, and bishops for advice. A sixteenth century follower of Martin Luther called her “the first Protestant” because of her appeals to reform the church. As a writer, composer, philosopher, Christian mystic, Benedictine abbess, healer, artist, feminist, and student of science, Hildegard was a pioneer in many fields in her day. For many centuries after her death Hildegard was ignored or even ridiculed but today is finally being recognized for her immense contribution to so many areas, including our understanding of our spiritual relationship to the earth—a contribution that touches on key issues faced by our planet in the 21st century, particularly with regard to the environment and ecology.

DianaD is interested in reading...

Secrets of God: Writings of Hildegard of Bingen

Hildegard of Bingen

Visionary, mystic, poet, musician, naturalist, healer, theologian-the Rhineland nun Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179) was a Renaissance woman long before there was a Renaissance. This is the first book in English to offer a representative selection of writings from all of her amazing range of work. Hildegard wrote many volumes on subjects from mystical vision to sexuality, from theology to natural medicine—in letters, treatises, poetry, and songs—all in an age when few women wrote more than an occasional letter. She was a woman of extraordinary influence whose work not only surpassed that of her male contemporaries in its range, but also outshone them in visionary beauty and intellectual power. This collection includes a brief biography of Hildegard, and selections from the following works: • Scivias (literally, "know the ways"), the record of Hildegard's visions and her commentary on them • The Book of Life's Merits, visionary work • The Book of Divine Works, a work of cosmology and anthropology • Natural History, a record of plants, animals, and minerals, translated here into English for the first time • Causes and Cures, a compendium of her writing on natural medicine • Symphonia, her songs and poetry • Biographical works • Selected letters

DianaD commented on a post from the Pagebound Club forum

theuncomfypotato

Edited

Bookish Beige Flags

What are your bookish beige flags?

~ I keep the stickers on when it's a special edition 😅

Edit to Add: Beige flag means they aren't bookish red flags and they aren't bookish green flags, but somewhere in the middle

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DianaD started reading...

The Secret Book Society

Madeline Martin

A captivating new historical novel from Madeline Martin, set in Victorian London about a forbidden book club, dangerous secrets, and the women who dare to break free. You are cordially invited to the Secret Book Society… London, 1895: Trapped by oppressive marriages and societal expectations, three women receive a mysterious invitation to an afternoon tea at the home of the reclusive Lady Duxbury. Beneath the genteel facade of the gathering lies a secret book club—a sanctuary where they can discover freedom, sisterhood, and the courage to rewrite their stories. Eleanor Clarke, a devoted mother suffocating under the tyranny of her husband. Rose Wharton, a transplanted American dollar princess struggling to fit the mold of an aristocratic wife. Lavinia Cavendish, an artistic young woman haunted by a dangerous family secret. All are drawn to the enigmatic Lady Duxbury, a thrice-widowed countess whose husbands’ untimely deaths have sparked whispers of murder. As the women form deep, heartwarming friendships, they uncover secrets about their marriages, their pasts, and the risks they face. Their courage is their only weapon in the oppressive world that has kept them silent, but when secrets are deadly, one misstep could cost them everything.

DianaD started reading...

The Good Sister

Gillian McAllister

An electrifying novel about the unyielding bond between two sisters, which is severely tested when one of them is accused of the worst imaginable crime. Martha and Becky Blackwater are more than sisters--they're each other's lifelines. When Martha finds herself struggling to balance early motherhood and her growing business, Becky steps in to babysit her niece, Layla, without a second thought, bringing the two women closer than ever. But when Layla is found dead one morning, at only eight weeks old, Becky is charged with the unthinkable: the murder of her sister's child. Nine months later, Becky is on trial and maintains her innocence--and so does Martha. Unable to shake the feeling that her sister couldn't possibly be guilty, Martha sets out to uncover exactly what happened that night, and how things could have gone so wrong. As the trial progresses, fault lines between the sisters begin to show--revealing cracks deep in their relationship and threatening the family each has worked so hard to build. With incredible empathy and resounding emotional heft, The Good Sister is a powerhouse of a novel that will lead readers to question everything they know about motherhood, family, and the price of forgiveness.

DianaD commented on a post

Booksandcats6

Thoughts from 42%

The more I read, the more I love this book. I don't know what Eliot put in her book, but I'm addicted. These characters are so complex; no matter how flawed some are or how much I dislike some of them, I'll sit and read every long description. And those that I love, ahhh, I want more of them.

DianaD commented on DianaD's update

DianaD earned a badge

British & Irish Classic Literature

Sapphire: Finished 30 Main Quest books.

DianaD commented on a post

cynthialwho

Wise Blood?

Flannery O’Connor should be in American Lit, surely?

DianaD earned a badge

British & Irish Classic Literature

Sapphire: Finished 30 Main Quest books.

DianaD made progress on...

A Blunt Instrument (Country House Mysteries, 7)

Georgette Heyer

66%

DianaD commented on a post

DianaD

Edited

Badge question - problem resolved

Edit: Problem resolved. Thanks all!!

Not sure if this question can be answered here or is more a question to submit elsewhere, but I saw that a new Sapphire badge was added for 30 (or more) read after I received the platinum earlier (the highest badge at the time I joined the quest , with already 32 read). I'm wondering if that gets updated on its own now that the Sapphire is available for 30 - or does something else have to happen??? I don't want to be a greedy badge gus, but that Sapphire badge is SO beautiful, I'd love to display it ❤😍😉 Thanks!

DianaD commented on margot's update

margot earned a badge

British & Irish Classic Literature

Emerald: Finished 40 Main Quest books.

DianaD is interested in reading...

At Swim-Two-Birds

Flann O'Brien

An indolent college student creates a chaotic fictional world in this classic of Irish literature: “A marvel of imagination, language, and humor” (New Republic). In this comic masterpiece, our unnamed narrator—a student at University College, Dublin, who spends more time drinking and working on his novel than attending classes—creates a character, a pub owner named Trellis, who himself is devoted mainly to writing and sleeping. Soon Trellis is collaborating with an author of cowboy romances, and from there unspools a brilliantly unpredictable adventure that James Joyce himself called “a really funny book.” “’Tis the odd joke of modern Irish literature—of the three novelists in its holy trinity, James Joyce, Samuel Beckett and Flann O’Brien, the easiest and most accessible of the lot is O’Brien. . . . Flann O’Brien was too much his own man, Ireland’s man, to speak in any but his own tongue.” —The Washington Post “As with Scott Fitzgerald, there is a brilliant ease in [O’Brien’s] prose, a poignant grace glimmering off every page.” —John Updike “One of the best books of our century.” —Graham Greene

Post from the British & Irish Classic Literature forum

DianaD

Edited

Badge question - problem resolved

Edit: Problem resolved. Thanks all!!

DianaD commented on a post

wormariwood

Edited

How many of these titles have you read?

image of 100 classic books This isn't specific to English & Irish literature, but I saw this list of 100 classics posted by macrolit on Tumblr and it got me wondering how much overlap we all have. Even though I consider myself to be pretty well-versed in classics, I was surprised that i've only read 19 on this list! How about y'all? 👀 (Also sorry about the low resolution but afaik this is the highest resolution image there is ^^; here's the original post link for ease of readability)

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