A few days back I made an unrelated post and someone commented about how school had made reading a difficult experience for them. It got me thinking about how assigned reading and, well, the assignments that followed sucked the joy out of reading and how being forced to read can possibly be as detrimental as banning reading. I think schools do help in encouraging critical thinking and evaluation during reading but the stress of having to complete and submit the related work on time might lead to their idea backfiring, with students turning towards AI to form summaries and lessen their burden. I personally always loved reading and our school didn't make us memorize passages or read a certain amount at home but inferences at school, where we read as a group, were always necessary. Insights into the plot, whether we liked the ending, and character motives were highlighted in the end of year exams. What are your thoughts and what was your experience reading in school?

i don't know if this is a popular opinion, but one of my little annoyances about book blurbs is specifically in the first and/or last sentences, where the book is described as a chain of descriptive words that are supposed to be evocative. i get that this is a marketing thing but it's so annoying to me how heavy those sentences are (this could be because english is my second language?). and also: it feels like someone is trying to force a review of the book on me. it's someone from the publishing house who wrote it probably, but it reads as like a little review, and i really don't care for reviews from people i don't know and who can't be genuine. a few examples of sentences that annoy me in the blurbs of books that are, in spite of it, in my tbr or finished piles, and why they annoy me 😂: "brings the world of Renaissance Italy to jewel-bright life in this unforgettable fictional portrait of the captivating young duchess" too many adjectives! what is jewel-bright supposed to evoke in me? what's so captivating about the duchess? "a chronicle of love and revenge, madness, genius, and the compulsion to create beauty in the face of relentless difficulty and deep grief" so many words. i don't remember a single one of them "a shimmering, joyful new novel" this just made me snort because what makes a novel shimmering?? also the sentence structure is always always the same and i think it's not helping me read it properly. instead my eyes just glaze over it "has charmed readers around the world with simple yet descriptive prose" i feel like the prose comment reminds me of a review. and the readers around the world are always mentioned 😪 i always read a blurb because i need to know what a book is about before i pick it up, but i just feel like those little additional prompts are getting too repetitive and descriptive. let me have only the plot description! does anyone have an opinion on them or am i going insane alone in my little corner? 🫣

I get my recommendations from bookstagram! And mostly from people i follow on Goodreads. And especially from here on pagebound (I'm actually seeing lot of amazing underrated books and added it to my tbr). So I'm curious to know where & how do you find books to read and add to you tbr?

Hi hi everyone! I just recently joined the space, and I am absolutely in love with everything so far! A little about me✨ I’m a 22 year old woman who has been battling chronic illness for years. Reading is my safe space—my escape from an often cruel reality that I feel that a lot of readers will be able to relate to. My bread and butter is in romantasy/fantasy romance; however, I enjoyed a wide variety of genres such as romance, literary fiction, psychological thrillers, self help, the classics, and many more niche, in-between novels. I’d love to connect with individuals especially if you find yourself having something in common with me! Sending love and 5🌟 reads your way!