Hey, Pagebound readers! I've noticed something about book covers that really bugs me: those featuring real people/photographs. Whether it's a face staring out or a posed figure, I get an instant aversion, and I suspect I'm not alone. I can’t quite explain why... maybe it’s too direct or breaks the imagination’s spell? If you also get this reaction, what’s behind it for you? Do you get through it and read the book anyway? The truth is that I've never ever read a book with a cover like that, even though I understand there are many great books behind those covers... I simply can't get past it. Can you help me unpack why these covers turn some people off? What about them clashes with the reading experience? 📚

I want to dive into V.E. Schwab's books this year and would love a recommendation on read order + any rationale for why. Or if order truly doesn't matter, can I get like a quick quick note on mood/vibe/genre? I haven't read any of her books besides the Invisible Life of Addie LaRue (which I liked!)

I think miscommunication is overhated. There is an actual distinction between unnecessary, dragged out miscommunication to pull the reader for another 20 chapters without resolve of the issue, and understandable, character supported miscommunication that is to be expected in human relationships Communication is key but humans are complex and often don't like being open about their feelings in arguments. And I get that. There's also a story to be evolved, and if they deal with their issues two pages in thats not a book to write I also quite enjoy comedic stories with a main miscommunication plot. It can make for some rly funny scenarios, yk the stupid miscommunication kind I have three archetypes: Evil miscommunication; annoying, wattpad like, the author needed to make more money so they wrote another 100 pages Helpful miscommunication; character consistency, good pacing, when opportunity to resolve it arises they do Stupid miscommunication; it's the dumbest, most juvenile, this character genuinely has no brain shit and can make for some wonderful comedic elements For reference I'll use Ali Hazelwood's love hypothesis (this will contain spoilers moving forward so, heads up). Olive not figuring out the guy in the bathroom was Adam was evil. Any conflict with Adam and him being a dick or afraid to approach her romantically, helpful (or the matter with Tom and Olive's hesitancy). Olive's friend not dating her ex until she kissed Adam in front of her? The dumbest fucking shit on the planet (I will admit the stupid can fall under the evil and helpful categories at the same time, if the comedic elements aren't consistent and actually yk funny, it's evil)

gale shut the actual fuck up

this has been on my mind for the past day, but i was wondering-what is the difference to you between enemies-to-lovers and rivals-to-lovers in a romance, does it matter to you the difference between them, and does it bother you when you see it misclassified? i’ve been reading Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross (loving it so much!!) and while the summary on libby says calls it an enemies-to-lovers, i think it definitely is more of a rivals-to-lovers (hence the title “Divine Rivals”). it doesn’t really bother me when this happens since i’m usually not a person that sees a specific trope and is like “yes i need that NOW”. so that got me thinking further, what are your thoughts on the heavy use of tropes, sometimes the misuse, to market books? do you thinks it’s good, bad, neutral but you still have thoughts? is this even a problem or something you notice going on right now? really curious to see what you all think!

This book is making me angry. It's very good. I don't mind the 24-hr clock. I love the 24-hr clock. I'm norwegian for gods sake. But I hate military time. And I hate that americans think of the two as the same. In war situations it's usefull to use the 24-hr instead of the 12-hr with AM and PM. It's important to be precise. But it's also important to be efficent. Saying "oh four hundred hours" or "sixteen hundred hours" is inefficent. "four" or "sixteen", maybe with an "o'clock" after, is way more efficent. Get rid of the freaking military time. And teach american kids the entire clock, instead of half of it. If there are someone here who know much about this, feel free to speak up. There might be a good reason why they say "oh nine hundred hours". But untill someone gives me a good reason, I'm gonna be angry about this.

i kind of wish i wasn’t reading this as an ARC because i want to post in this forum SO BADLY but obviously cannot until it’s released but that’s MONTHS AWAY IM GOING TO SCREAM

Today I learned that the way in which I vet my authors is, frankly, not enough. So what steps do you take to ensure the people you are financially supporting match your morals and values? And how are you doing this in a timely manner? Please note: I am not asking if you vet your authors, but how. If possible, I'd like to keep the comment section as focused on tips that anyone may want to provide :) ETA: Follow up question, at what point do you feel you’ve done enough research?

I just saw an article that Amazon has picked this up to turn it into a tv series! I know it's a highly anticipated release, but I was pretty shocked to see that it's ALREADY being adapted. So excited for R F Kuang!

This is my formal post recommending that everyone read The Frozen River to get one step closer to earning this badge!! I read it earlier this year and was super impressed with how well done it was. I especially loved the author's note, which explained where the idea came from and what artistic liberties were taken. What are everyone else's favorites from the list? I'm feeling a big historical fiction mood starting!