i started off indifferent to El and i've certainly grown to like her but sometimes i'll be reading and then have to pause because hello?? why am i still reading about her inner thoughts!?? she just goes on for way too long at times. it can be entertaining, but it gets to a point 😭

PLEASE recomend me a good short book. I don't know what happened but this september I've made terrible choices with books, DNF like half a dozen, and the huge one I did finish took forever and was just ok. I really really need to pick a good one this time 🥹

I saw someone on TikTok recommend the website Book Outlet, it's pretty affordable, and the books have little defects (which is the reason why they're sold at cheap prices) but they don't seem like a big deal, a scratch or a mark here and there. If you are in Latin America, Buscalibre is also an option. ;)

I have not bought anything on those websites but I don't like to gatekeep information hahaha

i just wanted to come on & say thank you to PB + its creators + the wonderful community on here. i joined PB in early august because (1) discussion-based book space sounded amazing & (2) i desperately needed a distraction while waiting for my bar exam results 😵‍💫

during bar prep i only got through 2 books in three months, i couldn’t listen to music for months because i was scared that lyrics would take up “too much space” in my head, i didn’t dare do anything that wasn’t prep-work. i took the exam in july & then curled up & cried about it for a week before i decided i needed to do something to pass the time until results released, so i decided to start reading again

yesterday, 9/22, i got my results: i passed the bar!!!!!!!!!! i am officially baileyisbooked, esquire 🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹 (obligatory nothing-i-say-on-here-is-associated-with-my-job-or-license-and-is-my-own-opinion blah blah blah) 👩‍⚖️⚖️🍾🤍

i am getting sworn in on friday & i am just so grateful & relieved. i am a first gen student for both college & law school, so this really was a crazy push for me & my family is thrilled 😭🫶

i just wanted to say thank you to everyone, especially jennifer & lucy for creating a space like this. PB really saved my sanity for the last 8ish weeks while i waited. everyone has been wonderful, i have been reading books out of my normal range & loving them, & getting to talk to fantastic people about excellent books. it’s just been such a bright spot in what has otherwise been a high anxiety / dread period.

so yeah, that’s kind of it. thank yall for the work you put in & thank you everyone for the discussions & posts & recs & comments & quests & everything else. i hope everyone is having a great week & reading a 5-star read ❤️‍🩹🫂📖🥹

thought this would be a good way to look for interesting reads but is there a book that you love but wouldn't readily recommend to most people? and if so, why? looking forward to the answers 👀

curious about what constitutes a 5-star read for all of you, since these days i really find myself questioning where my line is between a book that's a 4.5-star and a 5-star. for me, i feel like a 5-star read really has to rock my world a bit, in a way that kinda just leaves me staring out into space for a bit.

so, what makes a 5-star read for you? do you have to feel a certain strength of emotion, or need your worldview sufficiently challenged, or is it more general vibes?

WHY are book prices actually INSANE rn 😭😭 like pls explain to me why I walk into a bookstore and a hardcover is $30+ … it’s literally PAPER with WORDS on it🤧 like yes I want to support authors, but at this point my wallet is crying, bleeding, filing for bankruptcy, AND in THERAPY.💔

and don’t even get me started on special editions. WHY is a sprayed edge suddenly worth an extra $15🤯??? because the publisher dipped the pages in food coloring??? be serious. AND THEN HALF THE TIME THE COLOR DOESNT EVEN MATCH!!!🤨🤨

ebooks? STILL overpriced🫤. you’re telling me a digital file...A FILE costs the same as a physical book that at least I can smack someone with and PUT ON DISPLAY!?? and audiobooks?!? love them to death, but HOW are they $25 each unless you have a subscription?? NOT ALL OF US ARE RICH!!!

it feels like publishing forgot readers are people and not walking ATM machines. like babes, I cannot buy every book I want if I also want to… idk…EAT AND LIVE!

I WANT to support authors, I want to fill my shelves, but HOLY HELL, at this rate the only fantasy I can afford is the fantasy of me buying books guilt-free 😭😭

wouldn't say i'm hooked but i'm liking this so far! it's been interesting to learn about the Scholomance and the way magic works in this world. i also don't mind El's character or snappy tone, which is good because this would be a very painful read otherwise lol

Does anyone listen to music while they read? Are you a no-words music person or a words-music person while you read?

If the book I'm reading is popular enough, I'll look up a playlist someone else has already made for the book, and I'll listen to that while I read! I love music with words, and I get fidgety if there's not enough going on while I read. However, I'm starting to read more nonfiction books, and I've had trouble finding songs that go well with what I'm reading? Especially if the topic of the book is dark or serious. My idea right now is that I should listen to music in languages that I don't understand so I can still have music with words, but it won't distract me.

when it comes to your favourite genre, which author do you personally consider to be a master of it?

for someone who recently got back into reading, i feel like i haven't read enough within my fave genres to come to a conclusion on this. i think there are authors that can universally be agreed upon as absolute masters of their genre (Tolkien and fantasy, for example) but curious to know if you have any personal opinions on this! maybe some underrated authors? what is it about that author and their writing that makes them excel in that genre?

hii, so I don't really know how to explain this but I haven't read a good fantasy book in a while and I think it might just be my fault because due to college I don't have the time and sometimes money to invest into a fantasy book that looks like is JUST THE THING that will capture my heart because it's part of a series Now I have tried before to get into sub genres where it's more common for books to be standalones such as cozy fantasy and I will say I have found some gems like an enchantment of ravens However I really, really miss picking up a book that is pure fantasy, not just a romance with a magical realism setting, a cozy mystery set in a fantasy world and so on so for. I want something that will give me the same feeling I got when I first got introduced to fantasy with "the folk of the air" series when I was in highschool, especially now that my tastes have changed a bit and I have tried a lot pivoting a bit away from ya fantasy.

Are there any standalone fantasies that you have read and felt complete on their own, that have their own epic fantasy world with intrigue, mystery, romance, horror subplots, anything really I would love to experiment and experience itt💕💕

(For the record some fantasy books that I have loved are the folk of the air, Emily wilde's encyclopedia of fairies, the jasad heir, the adventures of Amina al sirafi, a song of ice and fire and the tainted cup P.S. it would be highly appreciated if the author is not someone with a known problematic past and present such as JK Rowling, Sarah J Maas...)