I'm wondering if this is a common experience. except for classics, I have hated every single book I bought because of book influencers. I vowed never to fall for online hype again (several times in fact) since I know I'm very picky about the books I enjoy. But here I am again, contemplating reading Red Rising, even though I'm 95% sure it's not for me :))

What were your most disappointing reads from book influencer hype? Share them, save us time 🫶🏻

hey guys, I’m so curious as to how you choose the next book you read! There are soooo many books out there ( both on my physical and mental tbr and just in general) and i can sometimes get a bit overwhelmed and find it difficult to choose what to read next. Sometimes I use monthly TBRs to narrow down the choice or even a random spinner wheel, and other times I just pick something based on vibes . But I’m just interested in how you choose what to read next? Are you a mood reader or are you following a set list or something different?📖💓

Hey PageBound fam! Today's my bday, and I want you to send me your highest ranked book (or..books? I'm not picky on how many you send me 😜) in the past year! Because you can never have too many books on your TBR, right??! Thank you in advance, and I hope you all have a wonderful Tuesday! 🩷🌼🥰

Context: I work at a climbing gym as a routesetter, so I and my coworkers put the holds on the walls that people climb. My gym recently adopted the use of this one app where we upload our routes and boulders that we set so people can log their sends in the gym and rate the climbs. A week ago, my coworkers and I were lamenting the app because one customer consistently rates everything 3 stars, and it’s bringing our gym’s rating down. Like, to the point of the higher-ups scratching their heads at it.

It got us on the topic of ratings about books. My boss said 3 stars isn’t a bad rating, it’s average, although most people likely wouldn’t think the same way when looking for a route to climb in the gym. I said when I rate book, 3 stars is generally a decent rating. It may not be a book that I loved or that I would say was for me, but I would still likely recommend a 3-star book to a friend. Another coworker agreed with that sentiment.

This whole conversation got me thinking: at what point do you start to consider a book “bad”? As in, when would you stop recommending a book to someone? Everyone has different metrics they use, and I’m curious to know everyone’s thoughts. For me, I start thinking a book is bad around 2-2.5 stars.

We’ve described our books in 3 emojis.

Now, sum yourself up in three emojis! (And feel free to explain your choices if you want, this doubles as a great “get to know you” method too!)