So I've been reading through the reviews written by people I follow (love being able to filter the feed on profiles!) because I'm nosy and looking for recs - and to help me learn to write better reviews.

It got me thinking about what type of reviews I like to read and are helpful to me, and I just know that everyone has different 'requirements' for what makes a review good for them. It's making it really fun to look through them, knowing that what doesn't quite work for me will work for someone else.

For example, I prefer an almost negative amount of 'spoilers' (this is probably just my disinterest in hearing/reading premise recaps - if I wanted to read the blurb I would have, and I generally don't), an overview of the vibe (including tone, setting/time, genre/sub-genre), and a couple of reasons why the book worked (or didn't work) for the reader.

What about you? What do you prefer to see, and write, in reviews?

I'm a mood reader, which is why I still cannot make a dent on my ever growing TBR (I am always on the mood for a re-read).

However, I want to start having Monthly TBRs as well so that I can hopefully read more books (as that's where the magic lies). Is there any way that help other mood readers keep up with their monthly tbrs?

I don't want to hate on a book that I read just because I wasn't craving or in the mood for that type of story when I read it.

Tl;dr: need advice on how a mood reader can follow through on monthly tbrs.

I see there’s a none option for reading status as well as the option to delete the book from the library. What is the purpose of using the “none option”? I’m assuming it keeps one’s posts, reviews, and other activity with the book, but what’s the reason to switch to none? Temporary leave from specific book updates because there isn’t a “hide book” feature?

Just trying to press the boundaries of the app to see why things exist.

The List feature on here is such a fun way for individual users to curate collections for the community, but I feel that it can sometimes be hard for well-made lists to receive traction - especially if they come from users with less followers! - so I wanted to take a moment to create a thread for people to shout-out their favorite lists made by other people which have 10 upvotes or less. I'd love to hear about why you like the lists, too! & if we get enough posts on this thread, I'll link them all into this top post so it'll be a little repository for the future

Here are some of mine:

The Gauntlet by @Piranesi (5 upvotes) - What with all the talk of 'personal curriculums' that have been floating around, this is such a timely list! The basic premise of this list is to read books which increase in difficulty as you go. We start with PJO The Lightning Thief and end with The Book of Disquiet by Fernando Pessoa, with titles such as The Princess Bride by William Goldman, Beloved by Toni Morrison, Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov, and The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner in between. The gamified aspect of "leveling up" as you go is super fun and engaging, and I personally think it's really cool that it's like we have our own English teacher/prof curating a syllabus for us!

Fantasy and organized crime by @cetra (6 upvotes) - One of my favorite niches in the vast realm of fantasy in general, this is a small by diverse list of fantasy that involves criminal underworlds, con artists, rival families, and shadowy assassins set in worlds that bring in the magic and wonder we expect from fantasy.

castlevania type beat by @thetravellingcat (4 upvotes) - I devoured the show (both the original and Nocturne) on Netflix earlier this year, so I thought it was really fun that someone had put together a book list for it on here! Classic medieval/gothic/horror vampire vibes, romance included but optional

Intro Poetry - Taste Finder by @Avalon (8 upvotes) - I feel like people don't talk about poetry as much on here, it was cool to see that someone had started putting together lists for poetry collections. This list touches upon a variety of themes and authors as a way to help provide a "gateway" to finding other poets who resonate with you

Non fiction science books for bio/chem/phys/med by @Wolkenlaeuferin (7 upvotes) - A fun list of non-fiction books centered on natural science topics, from my personal favorite niche (nature non-fic) to topics like the chemistry of money and cancer and coding/computer programming. I enjoy the range of topics in this list, and I think it's a well-curated collection to get started with reading about non-fiction that's interesting