bookguy

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗮𝘀 𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗼 he/they • millennial also on Fable under the old username (ദ്ദി˙ᗜ˙)

7179 points

0% overlap

My Taste

Reading...

39%

The Foxhole Court (All for the Game, #1)

14%

32%

bookguy commented on farron's update

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Pink Heart Jam

Shikke Shikke

Country boy Haiga has many questions he wants to learn the answers to when he moves to the bustling capital for his university life - and one of them happens to be, "do I like guys, too?" When his upperclassmen dare him to check out a box spa behind Shinjuku's Nichoume District, Haiga uses this opportunity to find out the answer to his question - and runs into his senior Kanae, who has one simple solution for him - clothes, off!

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The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II

Iris Chang

In December 1937, the Japanese army invaded the ancient city of Nanking, systematically raping, torturing, and murdering more than 300,000 Chinese civilians. This book tells the story from three perspectives: of the Japanese soldiers who performed it, of the Chinese civilians who endured it, and of a group of Europeans and Americans who refused to abandon the city and were able to create a safety zone that saved many.

bookguy is interested in reading...

The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II

Iris Chang

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kitcatmackay

the pairing is not achillean

hi, i just noticed that the pairing by casey mcquiston is in this quest, but that book's romance is between a man and a nonbinary person, so it's not mlm.

-13

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Dracula

Bram Stoker

Fledgling English lawyer Jonathan Harker treks into the Carpathian Mountains to complete a real estate transaction—despite the frightening warnings of the horrible dangers that await him. Harker’s client is the ancient Count Dracula, who lives in a sumptuously furnished castle—one strangely devoid of mirrors. Harker soon realizes that the Count’s interest in London is more than idle curiosity, and is woefully unprepared for the Count’s obsession with Harker’s fiancée, Mina . . .

bookguy TBR'd a book

Dracula

Bram Stoker

bookguy commented on a post

kitcatmackay

the pairing is not achillean

hi, i just noticed that the pairing by casey mcquiston is in this quest, but that book's romance is between a man and a nonbinary person, so it's not mlm.

-13

bookguy is interested in reading...

Jane Eyre

Charlotte Brontë

Alternate editions can be found here and here. A gothic masterpiece of tempestuous passions and dark secrets, Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre is edited with an introduction and notes by Stevie Davis in Penguin Classics. Charlotte Brontë tells the story of orphaned Jane Eyre, who grows up in the home of her heartless aunt, enduring loneliness and cruelty. This troubled childhood strengthens Jane's natural independence and spirit - which prove necessary when she finds employment as a governess to the young ward of Byronic, brooding Mr Rochester. As her feelings for Rochester develop, Jane gradually uncovers Thornfield Hall's terrible secret, forcing her to make a choice. Should she stay with Rochester and live with the consequences, or follow her convictions - even if it means leaving the man she loves? A novel of intense power and intrigue, Jane Eyre dazzled readers with its passionate depiction of a woman's search for equality and freedom.

bookguy TBR'd a book

The Picture of Dorian Gray

Oscar Wilde

Oscar Wilde’s only novel is the dreamlike story of a young man who sells his soul for eternal youth and beauty. In this celebrated work Wilde forged a devastating portrait of the effects of evil and debauchery on a young aesthete in late-19th-century England. Combining elements of the Gothic horror novel and decadent French fiction, the book centers on a striking premise: As Dorian Gray sinks into a life of crime and gross sensuality, his body retains perfect youth and vigor while his recently painted portrait grows day by day into a hideous record of evil, which he must keep hidden from the world. For over a century, this mesmerizing tale of horror and suspense has enjoyed wide popularity. It ranks as one of Wilde's most important creations and among the classic achievements of its kind.

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Those Who Lurk Among Us: Monster Manga

Champion: Finished 5 Side Quest books.

bookguy commented on a post from the Pagebound Club forum

rasengan

Edited

In Memoriam, Keigo Higashino🥀

Hello Boundlings, this is my first time creating this post and I'm bringing sad news.

My fav Japanese author, Keigo Higashino, passed away at 68 due to colorectal cancer on July 23rd. He's best known for his numerous hit mystery novels and lauded for his intricate plotting and creativity.

This shocking news kind of ruined my day after work sentimentally because he was the one who made me come back to reading again after a really long slump.

The Miracles of The Namiya General Store, The Devotion of Suspect X, Malice, Newcomer, A Midsummer's Equation, and Salvation of a Saint are novels I deeply love. His work always has moral depth and unforgettable twists which I genuinely obsess over.

He published a total of 106 books. His latest book—Eternal Memory is scheduled for release on August 5. I really hope all his books get translated into many languages, so everyone—especially Boundlings can witness how incredible his work is🥹

112

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vulpecula

Edited

Never Have I Ever: Book Edition (Part II)

Check off the things you have and haven't done and give us your total score!

Hugged a book
Lied about what you're reading (or hid a book)
DNFed a book
Dog-eared a book
Complained about the movie/TV adaptation
Pulled out your book at a party
Attended a book club meeting
Dropped a book on your face while reading
Smelled a book
Stared into space after finishing a book
Gotten a book-related tattoo
Lost a book you borrowed (from a friend or library)
Posted about your reading on (non PB) social media
Picked up a book someone else abandoned somewhere
Skipped an event or appointment to read
Read when you expressly were not supposed to be reading
Gone into a bookstore "just to browse" and came out with books
Re-read a whole book just because you forgot what happened so that you can go into the sequel fresh
Gotten an ARC through NetGalley
Got second-hand embarrassment by a character's actions

119

bookguy commented on a post from the Pagebound Club forum

valkyrie_221B

comfort genre when you're going through tough times

Hello fellow Boundlings! ✨📖

Like the title of the post suggests, I come to you with a question: when you're going through tough times, what is the genre that instantly draws you in? It may be a genre that brings you comfort, that you read over and over because you know what to expect so your brain doesn't overwork, or that you simply love 💖

In my case, July has been AWFUL 😭and after reading The Hunger Games books, I realized that I needed a break, so I decided to go back to my comfort genres: Japanese literary fiction (the more slice-of-life, the better), and Spanish literary fiction (Spanish as in Spain, not the language, right now I have ready a couple of books in Spanish and Catalan 😂). Since I live away from my family and my country, sometimes I need to reconnect with them and my culture, and what better way than through literature? As for Japanese fiction, it never fails to calm me down and show me amazing stories 😍

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British & Irish Classic Literature

Bronze: Finished 5 Main Quest books.

bookguy commented on bookguy's review of The Yellow Wall-Paper

bookguy

Jul 27, 2026

The Yellow Wall-Paper

4.0

Enjoyment: 4.0Quality: 4.0Characters: 3.5Plot: 4.0

🟨

🙎‍♀️

What an interesting read. Firstly, I do find it interesting that the wallpaper was yellow specifically; throughout history, and especially around the time this was written (and shortly before it), a lot of highly toxic pigments were yellow. The yellows and the reds have always been the worst pigments for toxicity. Naples Yellow springs to mind as one that could be a colour match for the wallpaper described here, which was made from lead antimonate (though I don't recall if it was ever used as a wallpaper pigment) and others (including Cadmium Yellow and Turner's Yellow) have been toxicity risks due to being made from heavy metals. So is it possible perhaps that the woman in this story saw her mental state deteriorate, as she did point out herself despite not knowing why, due to the wallpaper itself? Maybe! And I found myself thinking about that a lot as I read through.

I also found that her treatment by the doctors in her life, while well-meaning on their part perhaps, was... all too relatable. Doctors refusing to listen, certain that they know best, and that you're not sick, you're just hormonal or hysterical or being sensitive. Unfortunately as relatable today as it was at time of writing. I did, however, kind of sympathise with her husband; he clearly began to suspect that she was far less well than he'd thought, likely didn't want to commit her into the "care" of the mental health professionals of the era, and was trying to solve the problem himself without alarming her. He certainly didn't take her seriously enough, however, and perhaps if he'd listened to her earlier she might have seen genuine improvement.

Definitely a lot of ways one could interpret this; heavy metal poisoning, postpartum (either depression or psychosis, hell maybe even both), genuine haunting, a combination thereof; and I think the prose was both detailed enough and easy enough to read to be (by my metrics anyway) quite enjoyable. I enjoyed the descriptions of the house, but also found it deeply sad to see how the narrator's initial lush descriptions of the house and how excited she was about it slowly became consumed by her obsession with the wallpaper.

Fascinating, well-written, and kind of a cautionary tale about yellow pigments and letting doctors think they know everything 😂

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The Yellow Wall-Paper

Charlotte Perkins Gilman

Diagnosed by her physician husband with a “temporary nervous depression—a slight hysterical tendency” after the birth of her child, a woman is urged to rest for the summer in an old colonial mansion. Forbidden from doing work of any kind, she spends her days in the house’s former nursery, with its barred windows, scratched floor, and peeling yellow wallpaper. In a private journal, the woman records her growing obsession with the “horrid” wallpaper. Its strange pattern mutates in the moonlight, revealing what appears to be a human figure in the design. With nothing else to occupy her mind, the woman resolves to unlock the mystery of the wallpaper. Her quest, however, leads not to the truth, but into the darkest depths of madness. A condemnation of the patriarchy, The Yellow Wallpaper explores with terrifying economy the oppression, grave misunderstanding, and willful dismissal of women in late nineteenth-century society. First published in January 1892 in The New England Magazine. Excerpt: Out of another I get a lovely view of the bay and a little private wharf belonging to the estate. There is a beautiful shaded lane that runs down there from the house. I always fancy I see people walking in these numerous paths and arbors, but John has cautioned me not to give way to fancy in the least. He says that with my imaginative power and habit of story-making a nervous weakness like mine is sure to lead to all manner of excited fancies, and that I ought to use my will and good sense to check the tendency. So I try.

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