I was just looking at my (beautiful, perfect, tiny, etc…) cat and thinking about all the different pets in all the different books I’ve read. For instance, in R. F. Kuang’s Katabasis, there’s a little cat named Archimedes, whose wellbeing I was constantly worried about. Another favorite of mine is Lardo, a fat kitty from Pie by Sarah Weeks. They aren’t the main focus of the story, but I love when they’re around.

Who are your favorite book pets? If you could have any of them in real life, who would you choose? (And yeah, fictional animals count!)

exactly what the title suggests! this one's inspired by and for my fellow astrology enthusiasts on pagebound; for anyone who isn't familiar with the concept of a big three, in astrology, this encompasses your sun, moon and rising signs. for the sake of adapting the concept to fit in a more literary sense, think of it like the following:

sun: the book that's the most quintessentially you. this could be your all-time favorite book (a hard ask, i know!), the one you think best represents your favorite genre, or the one that you'd give someone if the challenge was to let them get to know you through a single book.

moon: the book that you just feel a connection to. maybe it's one you don't get the chance to talk about much, or maybe you do; this book is personal to you, and some part of it speaks to an inarticulable part of you.

ascendant: the book that most represents how you think other readers might see you. whether or not this is aligned with how you might see yourself is totally up to you. what genre vibe do you think you give off to someone who randomly stumbles on your profile, and what book comes to mind first when you think of one?

please have fun with this prompt! it came to me randomly today and felt like something that might challenge people to think a bit broader than just "what's my favorite book?" while hopefully being just as personal and fun to answer.

I've been thinking of trying out horror books recently (I've read like 1 so far lmaoo) but I hadn't really been motivated to pick up something untilll I came across this quest and omg I love love looove the badge so much!!!

The one on my top priority rn is 'The taking of Jake Livingston' because the blurb is so interesting. I've already read 'The Sacrifice' (highly recommended, I loved the atmosphere).

If you have any recommendations which one I should try next, I'd love to hear them! I don't have any particular triggers so everything works 🙂‍↕️

Hey PB readers and writers ✍️ I figured while not reading related, many people who love books also love writing.

I would love to start creatively writing and I have no idea where to start. I have whole fantasy worlds in my brain with their own political systems but I am missing the core skills to tell a short story never mind getting all my big ideas onto a page. I think I need to start small and build up my skills. Does anyone have any advice on where to begin?

(FYI my current writing experience is very much writing copy for charity websites, newsletters etc but nothing else).

Pagebound has really got me thinking about my reading journey, especially my childhood. This has really made me explore the people who turned me into a lifelong reader. I had a childhood filled with chaos and, for long stretches of time, poverty. Books were really not a part of my life until third grade. Then I had a teacher who, for reasons only she knew, took me under her wing. Not just encouraging me to read more but actively helping me to do it.

Every month, when she handed out the Scholastic Book orders to the class to take home so their parents could buy them, she would see me tear through them and circle things, but I never ordered anything. We simply did not have the money. Then, during the December break, she took me to the school library and helped me check out a bunch of books. She told me that if I read them, came back, and told her what they were about, she would let me pick a book from the book order.

I did not pass up that opportunity. I read them all, and true to her word, she let me pick a book. I can't tell you how much joy owning my very own book that I had chosen brought me. This became our ritual for the rest of the year. She would pick some books. I would read them, and then she would buy me a book. She also started buying Dynamite Magazine for me because she saw I circled it every month, but I never picked it up because I didn't want to waste a book pick.

It taught me how to use the library. It helped to form me as a reader. It fueled my addiction to reading and owning books. Every job I had in my childhood, from delivering newspapers to mowing lawns, was money to buy books. She changed my life.

I would love to hear if you had any childhood mentors who helped to fuel your lifelong passion for reading.