What is your true "hidden-gem" book this year? Book/s that you stumbled upon (it could be your go-to genre or not) and randomly read, but surprisingly so good that it left a mark. And please tell me why 😆 (I'm going to use this discussion as a rec 🤭🤪) Update: Hello, everyone! I have compiled every books mention below into a list. If anyone is interested in adding some of these books to your TBR, you can check it here! https://pagebound.co/lists/26c14469-1136-4a5c-ab3e-15cd390ef13d thank you so much for all the recs, I promise I will reply to every single comment soon. And I will update more if more recs adding up later! Cheers!

What are some books and/or book series you are interested but can't get yourself to read? I've been meaning to read Les Misérables for years now, but it's so long. I did start, and loved what I read, but dropped it, and never had the courage to pick it up again. 🥲 Babel and Poppy War are very daunting for me. I keep seeing people talking about PW here, and so I get reminded that I'm curious about it. I also want to read Malazan, but I'm convincing myself that I'll wait a few years until starting it, but I definitely will! 🤣

Hello y'all! I just wanted to create a post where we could all talk about our favorite local bookstores and gush over them! You can talk about why you love them, give out recommendations, etc. I'll start with saying that I love Powell's and Book with Pictures out here in Portland, OR. I specifically love the Powell's location in Downtown Portland because of how big it is (4 floors!!!) and how the bookstore is organized. I find it very easy to navigate and I always feel like I've done a full workout once I leave. I love Book with Pictures because it's a comic store that caters very specifically to queer, BIPOC, disabled and neurodivergent folks. It's queer and woman-owned and I just feel incredibly safe there as a trans hispanic person. Also, it's BEAUTIFUL inside! I haven't visited yet but I plan on visiting Parallel Worlds, too. It's a fantasy and sci-fi bookstore (and some horror I hear 👀) with used and new books. I'm hoping to visit this year for my birthday.

I’m looking to venture into reading more fantasy books. I’ve read Fourth Wing and The Priory of The Orange Tree and so far I enjoyed priory more. Your suggestions are welcome below! 🤍

What book to movie adaptations do you think were done well and/or poorly?? I always thought they did a good job with The Hunger Games, there were even aspects that I think they did better in the movie like developing Effie’s character and softening Haymitch a bit. I didn’t watch it, but the movie adaptation of the book Relic PMO bc they CUT the main character from the movie. Like?? He’s the only reason this story has a purpose 😂

What is your true "hidden-gem" book this year? Book/s that you stumbled upon (it could be your go-to genre or not) and randomly read, but surprisingly so good that it left a mark. And please tell me why 😆 (I'm going to use this discussion as a rec 🤭🤪) Update: Hello, everyone! I have compiled every books mention below into a list. If anyone is interested in adding some of these books to your TBR, you can check it here! https://pagebound.co/lists/26c14469-1136-4a5c-ab3e-15cd390ef13d thank you so much for all the recs, I promise I will reply to every single comment soon. And I will update more if more recs adding up later! Cheers!

Emphasis on fun. Regardless of genre I just want a good old genuinely enjoyable book that either has a fun narrative/shocking information or just a really good fun plot!

What are some books and/or book series you are interested but can't get yourself to read? I've been meaning to read Les Misérables for years now, but it's so long. I did start, and loved what I read, but dropped it, and never had the courage to pick it up again. 🥲 Babel and Poppy War are very daunting for me. I keep seeing people talking about PW here, and so I get reminded that I'm curious about it. I also want to read Malazan, but I'm convincing myself that I'll wait a few years until starting it, but I definitely will! 🤣

So I did a post about classics you couldn't get through, and I remembered that a couple of classics that I read when I was younger, I read the abridged version for English class (English as a second language, so we read graded, abridged novels depending on the level, that's how I read A Tale of Two Cities and Wuthering Heights!). So that got me wondering, have you tried with the abridged version of a classic you couldn't finish? Did it help you finish it, or was it just as hard? What are your thoughts on abridged versions in general? Yes, no? Why?

WHAT. did this mf really throw a /dog/ out the window of a moving train???

I was having this discussion with a coworker about various series that have dragged on and wanted to get y'all's opinion on this. Are there any book series you feel should have ended sooner? For instance, I stand by the statement that Terry Goodkind should have wrapped up the Sword of Truth series with Naked Empire and that JKR's Cursed Child was a cash grab and felt like bad fanfic. Please share with me your hot takes and unpopular opinions 😆

Not sure why Survivor is included in this list because Octavia Butler intentionally took it out of print. I'm not sure where you could even get a copy since libgen.is has been down for like a month. Octavia Butler said "When I was young, a lot of people wrote about going to another world and finding either little green men or little brown men, and they were always less in some way. They were a little sly, or a little like "the natives" in a very bad, old movie. And I thought, "No way. Apart from all these human beings populating the galaxy, this is really offensive garbage." People ask me why I don't like Survivor, my third novel. And it's because it feels a little bit like that. Some humans go up to another world, and immediately begin mating with the aliens and having children with them. I think of it as my Star Trek novel." The paperback is currently listed for sale for $795.00 on Amazon. I think this book should be taken out of the challenge. Update: I was able to find a copy here Download from partner website - Anna’s Archive https://annas-archive.org/slow_download/67c08c3db82bdba6e8fb5a3e9666a7fb/0/0

Because I didn't. It felt like they were icons there to represent the ideas of "friendship" where no actual friendship developed, "chauvinism and adversity" with no reason for it, "danger" and "teamwork". Did Violet have a personality other than her name being 1 letter away from the word "violent" and thus she was a bit prone to temper tantrums, because of her name apparentl