What are some books you adore that you rarely see recommended or being talked about? Feel free to give a little summary :) Heard about them once and then never again: - the Hostage of Empire series by S.C.Emmet. It's an adult political fantasy trilogy inspired by east asian history. It follows the lady-in-waiting of a princess being betrothed and sent over to her fiance's coutry. He's the heir and brother of 5 other princes (from the Queen and 2 concubines) and the FMC and her lady are immediately thrown into court intrigues and scheming from all sides, often with deadly results. It's brilliant and I'm constantly looking for similar books. -The Light between Worlds by Laura E. Weymouth. It's a YA magical realism/fantasy about 2 sisters who crossed to another world as children and started settling there before abruptely getting sent back to our world. One sister wants to forget and move on, the other falls into deep depression, always searching for a way back. It's crazy to me that it's considered YA because it goes DARK, but I'm a sucker for that kind of "Narnia but if they delved a lot deeper with the trauma that this would have created" and that book had me by the throat. Only rarely mentionned: -The Winnowing Flame trilogy by Jen Williams. Incredibly cool and original lore, 3 povs (an excentric adventurer, a witch locked up by a cult, and a.. tree vampire? Honestly, awesome concepts) crossing paths as an acient threat comes back to life, except the race that saved the world before is now almost extinct after their life-force vanished and they turned on humans. -The Conqueror's Saga by Kiersten White. YA (once again, where??) historical fiction. Kind of retelling about the daughter (and son) of Vlad the Impaler, who inspired Dracula. It's about those kids being given to the Ottoman Empire as hostages for political gain and grow up with the son of a Sultan, and how they go from there, as their worldview change (in drastically different ways) while war is forever on the horizon. Lada, the FMC is THE anti-heroine. She's cruel, ugly, ruthless and bitter. I loved her. Her, and her sweet brother, and the sultan's son and their incredibly complicated and heart breaking dynamic while each fights for what they want (spoiler, it's incompatible). -The Deed of Paksenarrion by Elizabeth Moon. A 90s -first military- then epic fantasy about a 18yo woman running away from an arranged marriage to join a mercenary company. Very classic, old-school, it took me a while to get into the 1st, but by the end I felt like I'd gone through hell and back with Paks. -Babylonia by Constanza Casati. It's a famous author, it's wild to me that I never hear anyone talk about it. Reimagining of the rise to power of the Assyrian empire's only female ruler. It's beautiful, it's got the most toxic love triangle (but I say that as a love triangle hate. That one is mutual love and fascination, and adorable, and loyalty, and bitterness through every line of that triangle. Co-dependency, but three-way).

my most anticipated read among the summer readalong🤞 (also long overdue on my personal tbr)

I’m curious—how did you decide on your avatar when you joined Pagebound? I originally picked the goth/emo-looking girl because her haircut was similar to mine. I almost went with the little green witch because she has such a cool vibe, but in the end, I chose my current avatar since I’m a total sucker for romance books. Don’t be surprised if I switch to the little green witch at some point, I just feel drawn to her! I’d love to hear your stories! Did you pick your avatar because it looks like you, fits your favorite genre, or just because it’s cute?

Do you guys own many books? I never did growing up because I went to the library. Even now,I only buy books that I have read and loved. But seeing people on social media's own walls full of books has made me curious about other people's habits. So, I would love to hear about your habits. Do you buy books right away? Do you read all of the ones you buy? How many do you own/do you get rid of many?

Do y'all think there's gonna be blood in this book? I'm not good with blood 🩸😰🤢

Do you ever read a terrible book, or one that frustrated you enough to give it 1-2 stars and get the urge to write a detailed review to blow off steam? I've done it a couple of times for terrible books, but if I'm critical of something I like doing it right. But my favorite thing to do in these scenarios is to put in all my skill in the English language to write a structured essay that my old English teachers would've been proud of, all so that I could hate on the book in peace.

hello everyone!! i just found out about pagebound and made an account right away hihi. im very excited to join and make new friends!! i read a little bit of everything so i would love to connect with as many of you as possible :))

I'm wondering what everyone's preferred time of the day they like to get some reading in? Or when do you have the time to dedicate to reading? I try to read when my son is playing independently. I figured I'd rather him see me with a book in my hand than my phone, plus I want to read anyway. I also read when he goes to bed, and then while laying in bed, which then keeps me up until 1am on my kindle, my eyes fighting for their lives.