I follow this creator on instagram, Steven J. Reese, who is currently reading a book set in each of the 50 U.S. states. I love this project and have been really inspired by it. Personally, I've been trying to expand the scope of what books I read, particularly trying to read from different parts of the world (shoutout to women in translation!) I majored in English in college and the texts we read were largely from the States or Europe, particularly Britain. I've recently read a few books by Korean authors, Tender is the Flesh (Argentinian), amongst others. To keep track of my progress I'm thinking of both creating a few lists on Pagebound and also getting a physical map to check off the places where I've 'read from.' If you have any recommendations or want to follow along let me know!

hello Pagebound friends! i inherited this quest from our founder, Lucy. while i don't know her original criteria for choosing the first 40 books, i've come up with some general guidelines that i think this quest should follow. this is going to be a bit of a long-winded post but i wanted to let everyone know my thought process going forward! since the title of this quest specifically highlights "Critically Acclaimed", and based on the books that are already included, this will be the general criteria for now: • positive reviews from respected critics or publications • awards and nominations • commonly included on "best of" or other similar lists • scholarly attention, such as the book being referenced in academic discussions, essays, or scholarly literary analysis • longevity & relevance, meaning memoirs that continue to be relevant to cultural and professional discussion across a long period of time however! there are some caveats that i think need to be mentioned. i think there is room for some variation considering how common freelance book critique is on the internet, how influential online critique/reviewing has become, and how the internet has expanded literary circles. i also think it's important to recognize that marginalized authors often do not receive the same amount of professional literary praise as non-marginalized authors. awards and mainstream critics & publications historically favor white, Western, often cis male authors, and marginalized authors often get fewer or less serious reviews. on top of that, there are many publishing barriers in place for marginalized authors that mean their books often don't get marketed widely and their work is often overlooked, or sometimes strategically suppressed or banned. because of these issues, i will also take into consideration things like: • consistency, as in the book receives praise from multiple sources and not just virality • cultural impact, as in if the book is sparking deeper conversation in literary communities (both professional and casual) for its craft, style, and impact • adding on to the above, memoirs that are especially recognized in literary circles (both professional and casual) for courage, honesty, or an overall contribution to social/cultural understanding TL;DR: i'd like to stick to memoirs that are specifically acclaimed for their literary merit and cultural or scholarly impact, rather than just memoirs that are bestselling/popular/viral. i want the books included to be works that contribute meaningfully to conversation and literature. i especially think this will help the quest not get overwhelmed by a ton of celebrity memoirs or other similar releases. now with that all being said, i'm open to any suggestions and would be happy to sort through and see what i think is a fair addition :)

... which would it be? I love rereading books! I try not to do it too often, because I have so many amazing books waiting for me, but some books really profit from being read several times, or I'm overwhelmed or in a reading slump and rereading is what helps me then. But there are some books I really wish I could read for the first time again, because they had such a unique influence on me. Here are my top three: Babel - R. F. Kuang She Who Became the Sun - Shelley Parker-Chan Island Beneath the Sea - Isabel Allende What are yours?

Hi all, I've been in a really cozy, low-stakes murder mystery kind of mood and was looking to see if anyone had any suggestions? I've been reading a lot of Agatha Christie books and wanted to branch out more :)

I thought it would be kind of fun to see where in the world people are, and then folks can make friends with people from the same countries/ares (if they way, not pressure obviously). I'll go first. I'm Canadian, and more specifically I am in British Columbia (Vancouver Island if you want to get fancy). Try to find your country and join that thread! Everyone else?

Title is pretty self-explanatory! Did you ever read a book while you were going through a hard time in your life that helped or changed your perspective in any way? I'd love to know! Working on compiling a list of books like these for a project, and so I would also like to read them. Thanks in advance!

this is kinda just a vent post but does it annoy anyone else when a series just spontaneously gets a new set of cover art and then it’s impossible to get the old ones easily? this is probably partially my fault for buying the first in a series and then waiting so long to get the rest but this happened to me with both Mistborn (which i do like the new covers better but it’s the principal of the matter) and The Darker Shade of Magic (where i prefer the old covers way more then the new ones). and now it’s either live with having mismatched series or buy a second copy of the first. this isn’t too serious of a problem but it’s just a recent pet peeve of mine. i’m all for fancy editions and stuff but please at least keep the old covers in circulation for a little bit longer 😭

I didn't know how common it was for people to have ereader devices until I started paying more attention to what was going on in "bookish" spaces. As long as I've been reading ebooks, I've just read them on my phone. Getting a separate device just for reading seems a bit excessive to me, but I can sympathize with the desire to be free of distractions like random notifications or the temptation of social media. Does anyone else just read on their phone? Am I getting a skewed impression of how most people read ebooks, or are ereaders really that common? What features (other than minimizing distractions) make ereaders better than phones for reading?

I read the beginning of a book a few months ago and CANNOT find it! The cover was white with a light green silhouette of a man. Likely around 200 pages long. PLOT: The book started out in court for an African American man on trial for violation of the Constitution, then goes backward to his childhood. His father tested psychological experiments and was well renowned in research as well as loved by his town. When his father died he was expected to take his place, thats where I left off, probably around page 70.

I am easily distracted, and easily influenced by cute things. I was scrolling on tiktok last night, and Hank Green starts telling me about a bean in my phone. So obv I'm interested. It's an app called Focus Friend. And there's a bean who loves knitting. But it get's distracted when I'm on my phone. So I set a timer for being off my phone, and in that time, the bean can knit socks and scarves. And then I can trade those in for cute things for the bean's room. It's adorable, I love it. I called mine Venus, and I would already die for her. It's made to help focus on work and school. But I figured it'd be good for us readers as well. To focus on the book, and not get up for every little notification on your phone. The bean needs to knit!

Hei! Although I tend to read more novels by women than men, I've recently noticed that representation of female authors is critically lacking on my comics shelves... So if you have any recs, drop 'em here! Thanks!

A heavy thunderstorm has rolled in and I love reading when it's storming or pouring rain. 🌩️🕯️ It made me wonder, what are y'all's favorite environments/weathers/settings to read in? As specific or as general as you want! Mine is below 🥰 All time favorite: heavy rain, nowhere to be/no errands left to run, clean & soft pajamas, mug of something warm, near a window or on a covered or closed porch so I can admire the storm. Bonus points for a nearby napping pet, a good candle burning, or a midday storm that leaves enough light for you to see out into the rain 🌧️

I'm reading Nettle and Bone atm and I don't think it belongs in the cozy fantasy quest. It deals a lot with death and unwanted pregnancy sooooo... I get that sometimes a genre can be difficult to define but in that specific case pay attention to potential trigger warnings before you read it ?

as a freelance translator and proofreader, I spend most of my day proofreading translated webnovels, and usually, I end up having no time and energy to read books for my own pleasure. the appetite to read is certainly there, but oftentimes I just end up dozing off with my kindle in my hand 😭 does anybody have better strategies for this, rather than just trying to read a few pages before bed?