everyone had a mortal instrument series phase, right? like everyone went shadow hunters mode xtreme, right?

ya was such a specific genre at that time and all of the books are so nostalgic to think about. i always wonder if i’d still like them if i reread them as an adult. i’m not sure if i want to because i don’t know if they’ll hold up. has anyone reread a book from their teenage years as an adult and still really loved it? what was it and why? i’m so curious!

What’s a word you’ve pronounced wrong because you initially only encountered it in books?

Post inspired by my recent discovery that I’ve been pronouncing "facsimile" incorrectly for years 😔

“Sizable numbers of survey respondents in … the United States (21 percent) — perceiving the great replacement — believed their governments were hiding data about large numbers of immigrants. One-third of Americans respondents agreed that ‘immigrants are invading our country and replacing our cultural and ethnic background,’ with the number increasing to two-thirds among republicans. Another poll found that more than 30 percent of American respondents—including one-fifth of Democrats— think that ‘there is a group of people in this country who are trying to replace native-born Americans with immigrants who agree with their political views.”

I think I need to lay down on the floor after reading this section specifically. Realizing how mainstream this fringe theory has become is nauseating. It’s bad enough to hear echos of my conspiracy theorist family members touting these concepts and concerns throughout my life but to realize they’re now in good company is harder to stomach.

I also found fascinating the section highlighting specifically that anger which is often incited by social media platforms is a key element in moving towards authoritarianism. In particular the fact that often social media platforms are VERY aligned with authoritarianism in a weird mutually beneficial relationship, not just in terms of finance / regulation / political power but also in terms of features. Rage-inducing content performs better and keeps users engaged which feeds authoritarian thinking. Bot farms which similarly are used by authoritarians, benefit the platform as it looks to investors that there are more “active users”. And we aren’t even talking about advertising yet!

Hello Boundlings! Let’s play a quick game that relies entirely on your phone’s predictive text 👀

Use your predictive text to finish the following sentences:

1. I want to read a book about…
2. I gave this book five stars because…
3. The main character is a…

Here’s mine! ⬇️😆

I want to read a book about the history of the universe but I’m afraid to ask the questions of the world because I’m too lazy.

I gave this book five stars because it was my first time seeing a book about the past two decades and it was so interesting.

The main character is a very cool guy who has been around since the beginning of time but he was very much in love with the idea of being a star.