Lately I have been obsessed with science fiction once again. I always loved this kind of books (or movies), but I noticed that I didn't read it as much as I wanted to, so this year I decided to change it and I read quite a few really good books in this genre, but I still want more and more. So, my question is what science fiction book would you recommend for everyone who is a fan of this genre? Which books need more recognition?

The earlier post about page limits (I can’t remember who posted it!) made me realize something very funny about myself: I would rather read one 1000 page book than a 3 book series that adds up to 1000 pages.

If the subject matter was within the realm of what I find interesting, there is a 10% (maybe) chance I would read the whole trilogy but like a 100% chance I would read the whole book.

And I wonder if this means we can map everyone onto two axes: long and short (vis-à-vis book length) and series vs one-off.

Tag yourself, I’m long one-off (calling this quadrant The Tolstoys). First person to claim each quadrant gets to name it 😏

I'm a big reader of memoirs, and I love learning about the lives and perspectives of people completely different from me. I realized recently that I've been ignoring books from people that don't agree with me politically and that's a bias I want to challenge. I think everyone has something we can connect on. So I'm (a queer socialist) humbling asking for memoirs that will help me understand a more conservative / republican perspective. Preferably not politicians, more everyday people that have more conservative views. It doesn't need to be the focus of their story either.

Aloha Bookaholics!

How has everyone's week started of today?

My question for you all is...

What is your favourite non-fiction? And is there any you would recommend besides your favourite? 🤔

”We do not need heroes. We need people who are committed to one another’s survival, who are willing to act on the basis of that commitment.”

Yessss. Change is built by ordinary people choosing each other, over and over again.

This chapter keeps pushing back against the idea that one person has to carry the weight of the world. Instead, it asks us to share that weight. To be present. To care consistently. To build relationships strong enough that no one has to survive alone. It isn’t asking us to become heroes. It’s asking us to become neighbors. Friends. Community.

There’s something both comforting and convicting about that. Comforting because it reminds us that we don’t have to save the world on our own. That’s terrifying and discouraging. But it also reminds us that we do have a responsibility to show up for the people around us. Not to wait for someone else to fix things, but to trust that transformation begins when we commit to one another’s survival.

Howdy! I'm going to be embarking on an 8+ hour drive with my dad in the coming week and I'm looking for a good audiobook that we can listen to together. I am not usually an audiobook person (I like my music too much but my dad and I do NOT have the same taste in that) so I have no clue what's good out there/who the good narrators are. We are also both the most indecisive people on the planet lol.

For reference, he was the person who got me into science fiction as a kid. He gave me his copy of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and we (still!) watch Star Trek together. He's not super picky, he likes both goofy stuff and stuff we can have an interesting discussion about. He's a big Douglas Adams guy (of course), but he also likes Asimov and John Scalzi. Recently he's been on a Blake Crouch kick. I like Adams and Scalzi too, I love love some Ursula K. Le Guin and Becky Chambers.

specifically, third-act breakups. (though honestly any overly used trope too)

i understand that authors put tropes in books because they're popular and they can help sell a book, but for mainstream authors... can we please try to mix it up a little bit? i used to love reading romance, but now it feels like i'm eating the same meal every time i pick up a romance novel (yes, i am trying to take a break from romance and i will once i finish the summer of swoon quest).

something about third-act breakups especially irks me, because most couples who break up IRL do not get back together. and those couples who get back together after breaking up most certainly will not always 100% have a HEA as we are supposed to believe. i get that this world is a figment of the author's imagination and the rules are different, but it drives me insane when they break up over the stupidest reason that no couple would break up over except the ones that break up and get back together five times a week. can we just have a normal relationship with arguments like a normal couple that does not lead to a breakup for once? that shows growth even more than breaking up for a dumbass reason and then working through said dumbass reason.

i also do not like miscommunication for similar reasons- it's done a lot, and it's usually the cause of what i talked about above. miscommunication without a third-act breakup does not bother me as much and in fact i think it is much more realistic; unfortunately, most authors seem to think they have to go hand in hand. i can only think of one book that has miscommunication without a third-act breakup, and that's cash by jessica peterson (but unfortunately the controlling behavior of the MMC irked me too much to view that book positively).

my question is: do you think romance is over-tropified? if so, what are your least favorite tropes and less popular tropes you'd like to see more of? (and sorry if you like third-act breakups- i'm not trying to yuck your yum i promise!)

Tell me what helps you read faster - and tell me actual tips that have helped you, because I want to read so much moreeeeee For me what helps is listening to audio books while I draw, i get through large chunks of the book, but that's not always possible...

What's one book in your PB library that no one you follow has in theirs? I find it's so rare for me to find a book on here that isn't already in the tbr or interested shelf of at least one other person I'm following, unless it's a non-fiction. So, I'm curious about everyone else. Do you have any books like this? Something that feels almost completely undiscovered?

Tell me what helps you read faster - and tell me actual tips that have helped you, because I want to read so much moreeeeee For me what helps is listening to audio books while I draw, i get through large chunks of the book, but that's not always possible...