@shanethe_readingrat recently made a post 🔗here about matching an album with a book and it got me thinking- do you listen to music while actively reading? If so, does what you’re listening to change from book to book? Is it always the same? Or just whatever you feel like? I personally don’t listen to music 95% of the time- there’s been a handful of books that I have a playlist for which I’ll listen to while reading them, but other than that I like to put my earbuds in and not play anything just so people won’t try to talk to me and I can focus🫣

I have a lot of books. A ton of ebooks but also between 1000 and 1500 physical books, and I keep adding to those because I like to support local, independent bookstores. I got to them, I buy books, journals, pens, whatever.

Well...I also like to have a glass of wine now and again, and I like to support small, family-owned wineries and wine bars. So I've joined a few wine clubs, through which I have regular pickups of wine. I've known for a while that I'm accumulating the wine much faster than I'm drinking it. I'm just not a very heavy drinker as a rule. So, when I get new wine I just stash and figure I'll get to it eventually.

I'm cleaning up today and decided to finally count the wine bottles and...I have 62 bottles of wine. I'll never drink all that. I'm compiling a list of people to give things to.

I promise I'm not a hoarder!

Besides books, what do you all, er...accumulate?

First off, I cannot fathom the idea that this is actually happening, some inner subconscious part of me refuses to believe that multi-millionaire AI companies are actively taking physical books and manuscripts, some of which have only single copies (that was genuinely horrifying to me, like there's no tangible evidence of this document having existed anymore once they're done with it??), cutting off their spines, essentially decimating them, then scanning their texts to FEED AND IMPROVE THEIR OWN MINDLESS, SOULLESS, UNTHINKING ROBOTS SO THAT THEY CAN PROFIT? And yet, I know it's true, I know it's happening because I know that people can do this and not give a second thought about it. Can you tell that I'm seething? Second off, I know people are comparing this to Fahrenheit 451 and 1984, which is a completely apt and vaguely terrifying comparison, because it's always haunting to read a book that presents something in a less than admirable way and to see it take shape in your world, in front of your very eyes is, honestly, genuinely upsetting and rage-inducing to me. But personally, more relevant than either of the above-mentioned books, is a book I read a long time ago called Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine. While it isn't exquisitely written or even too conventionally "out-of-this-world", I just love it for its originality and world building and general plot. So when I found out about Anthropic and its drive to scan all these books to enhance the text-based element of their AI models, hence effectively the only way to access these destroyed physical books is through AI, I was reminded of Ink and Bone, where physical books are banned and the only way to access any book is through a tablet-like device called a Codex, which can pop up any book you ask for from its own pre-decided specific registry. And that struck me as so similar to where we're headed, it's honestly scary. That's why I always ask people to read this book, lol. Anyway, I had to share this and Pagebound was the only place I could think of. What are your thoughts?

Good afternoon Bookaholics!!

How is everyone doing?

My question today is... 🥁

What is your opinion on 'Blind Dates with a Book'? 🤔

What are your plans and goals for the next month? I have 39 books on my plan 🫠 Mostly netgalley ARCs I'm way behind on. I also want to finish the Miles Franklin shortlist before the winner is announced this week. And get started on the Booker longlist.

Mine is right before bed 😴

Most of the people I regularly chat with and have some camaraderie with are here. I found them here, so I kinda need to post this here, so I am, nervously.

I am realizing I may not be as male as I always thought I am.

This is not directly related to books, but it seems they have played a not insignificant role in this.

I have been asking other queers, and apparently,

"never read a single romance all my life but now for the past 3.5 years have read nothing except sapphic romances" , "couldn't bear to read anything with primarily cis-het relationships" , "the more sapphic romances I read the more I wish I was a lesbian" ,

are big flags that things may not be as straight as I thought they are.

The more I read those romances, the more I ached for the company of lesbians, and eventually, by happenstance an opportunity landed in my lap and I wasn't expecting anything but for several days I was among queer people and I had never felt so relaxed and accepted and comfortable in my life and I have rarely befriended people this easily.

I blurted out all this to some of them at a party and they said, "Yeah, we were picking up on your queer vibes". And I was dumbfounded, like, I have queer vibes??? Apparently the more I interacted with them over several days, the stronger my 'queer vibes' became.

I am suddenly feeling so relaxed all the time, and the constant undercurrent of unwarranted fear that has constantly played in my mind's background has suddenly ameliorated.

Somehow, over 3.5 years, the books precipitated all this, and the safe space in this community where I could unreservedly like and discuss all the queer erotica and raunchy stuff and realizing how much more I enjoyed that over discussing cis-het erotica played a big role in helping me express myself.

I am confused but mostly excited and what the hell is going on...

Happy Wednesday everyone!!!

What is WWW Wednesday? Well, some people say it's "What We Weading Wednesday" but the Ws actually refer to the "what" in three questions!

1. What are you currently reading?

2. What have you recently finished reading?

3. What will you read next?

I'd love to see your answers!

It's time for the pagebound version of "which way do you hang the toilet paper roll". I need to know!

Do you log the last page you read or the next page you are going to read?

I asked a friend, @UnPancito, and it turns out we do it different ways.