Hi friends! This might just be something i’m not seeing but do book reviews not get posted on the main page… Is it only people achievements, forum posts, and comments that get posted there. I feel like I haven’t seen book reviews on there and I feel like that should be a feature. Am I missing something?

If I hear one more self-complementary thought from Jezal, I will scream.

I’m currently reading a book that has reviews, but no forum interaction. I’ve already posted like 3 times. I think im starting to feel a little self conscious. At the same time, it’s fun and I like seeing my thoughts out in the ether. 😅 Does any one else feel weird when they are the only one posting? 😆

like you’re not good enough to win that grant tomorrow. Are you, sweetheart?” The fucker pats my cheek.

Oooo he called him sweetheart and patted his cheek!!! 🤭

I DNF'd a book last night, and it got me thinking about what makes me decide to finally put the book down and give up ... so I was curious what you all think !

I've noticed that once I get to the point where I'm ranting about how much I don't want to keep reading it specifically to another person, it's probably time to put it down. most of the time I don't talk to other people about books unless we've both read it, so it's a good indicator for me when I, unprompted, start telling someone about how awful of a time I'm having

I also have noticed my DNF habits have changed since I used to DNF books rarely if ever, and going into the new year that seems to have changed ! I'm a lot more willing to give up on a book and move on if I'm not vibing with it enough

So this just popped into my head when I saw some posts about Tolkien and now I'm curious. Who are the beloved characters that you just can't stand?

I'm not talking the characters we love to hate, but rather characters that everyone else seems to adore but you find to be the bane of your existence, would cross the street if you saw them coming, if they have no haters you're dead, etc. I know we like to keep things positive around here, but sometimes it's also nice to be gripey and rant about your least faves too 😉

To kick us off, mine is Tom Bombadil. I genuinely cringe every time I reread LOTR and get to his parts. I want to push him into Withywindle river mid-song or give him to the Great Willow. Literally do not understand why people like him.

How do you do it? My library often has the books I want as audiobooks with no wait, so I am trying to become someone who listens to them. Emphasis on the trying. Every time I try to listen I get so distracted by other stuff and miss whole chapters and important details. I think being able to listen to my books would suit my daily life and schedule a lot better, but I just can't seem to make it work!

Does anyone else feel that way?

What do you do when you're listening to audiobooks? How do you stay focused?

Edit: thank you, everyone, for the thoughtful comments. I will definitely give it another try with some books I've already read!

I absolutely LOVE doing this - it lets me see all kinds of things people have read, are reading and plan on reading. I get off work in an hour and I finished the book I was reading on shift tonight.

So. What I want to know is everyone's Last - Now - Next! I started another one right after, but I am a mood reader and have no idea what I am going to read next.. so I need ideas from you all with your answers!

Last - Fixiation of the Mind by Kira Stanely Now - Black Ties & White Lies by Kat Singleton Next - IDK lol. Maybe the 2nd in the series for my NOW book.

I am moving overseas next week for school with 2 suitcases and 2 carry-ons...not much room for books! I mostly read ebooks, but there are a few physical copies that I just had to make room for:

• If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio; this is one of my favorites and I enjoy rereading it and annotating it.
• 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne; I haven't read this yet, but the copy I have is TINY and I think it will be a great travel buddy.
• The Fern House by Brooke Hamilton-Benjestorf; another one of my favorites, also travel-sized. A nice comfort read.
• A New Environmental Ethics: The Next Millennium for Life on Earth by Holmes Rolston III; this was the textbook for an environmental ethics class I took in 2024. I reference it frequently for my writing and studies.
• Piranesi by Susanna Clarke; you guessed it, another favorite! You can safely assume that any other fiction books I list here are also favorites. I read this in 2023 and have been wanted to reread it since. I bought a physical copy specifically to annotate.
• Tin Man by Sarah Winman; another one that I bought to reread and annotate.
• Being a Beast: Adventures Across the Species Divide by Charles Foster; I haven't read this yet but it is relevant to my studies and writing interests. The blurb is so whacky and I can't wait to get into it.
• A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold; this was also referenced a lot in my ethics classes, so I finally got my own copy.
• Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott; I've read select passages of this for a creative writing class. I found a weathered copy at an estate sale a while back and will be using it to support my writing.
• Earth in Mind by David Orr; another that I am working to annotate to expand my knowledge around environmental ethics and supplement my education.
• The End of Loneliness by Benedict Wells; yet another comfort read! I need to find other people who have read this.
• The Intersectional Environmentalist by Leah Thomas; I found this at a bookstore a few weeks ago and am SO excited to get into it.

These are all neatly lined in my suitcase, protected by my hoodies. I was very picky about what was coming with me, but I feel confident in the list I've ended up with. (If the nonfiction environmental books sound interesting to you, check out my Earth, Ethics, Environment list! I'd love suggestions for what else to add.)

If you made it this far, what do you think? What books would you bring if you were moving abroad?

I’ve recently started listening to audiobooks, so far I’ve listened to “everything is tuberculosis” by John Green and “beautifully bright creatures”. I used to think that audiobooks were not for me since I tend to zone out, but after listening to those two books, I’ve definitely changed my mind! Does anyone have any recommendations on other really good audiobooks?