Y’all I’m highlighting something on every page. The way she’s talking about suicidality incredible.

“You’d like to find out where the boundary is,” said Elspeth, not unkindly. “You’d like to know when it goes from feeling pretty blue, to thinking you wouldn’t mind if a bus ran you over, to actively stringing a rope together and kicking off a chair. Is that right?”

But also it’s so good I have to pause after every chapter.

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 :)

I'm reading this again after reading it in middle school/high school, mostly cause I want to read the fourth book (Rebel) that came out years after the main trilogy, and there truly is so much I forgot and it makes me enjoy this book and the story so so much

I didn't start using reading track apps until the last few years. I've been an avid reader since middle school, though. I often see books pop up on lists and recommendations that I have read but aren't marked as read simply because I read them so long ago.

What do you do with these books? Do you mark them as read and just don't date them? Do you reread them and then mark them as read? Do you just leave them unmarked?

maybe I missed this but how are Alice and Peter dealing with drinking water? There’s the Lembas Bread for hunger but not sure if I’ve missed the detail on how they’re dealing with thirst and it’s bothering me lol

It's probably just me but while it is incredibly interesting, it hasn't captivated me yet 100% and it feels so utterly long (which i love long books if i'm captivated). please tell me it gets better