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 :)

Hey y’all! It’s my first week on this app, and while browsing I noticed a (bit) of a lack of feminist lists here, especially niche ones that deep dive into certain topics. I decided to take one of my fave “genre’s” if you will, health, and decided to make a reading list “RadFem Health/Wellness Reads”. It’s exhaustive and I’d love to add more but I also want to see if it gains traction because while I’ve read some, a few are also on my TBR and generally it feels like this would be a good place to discuss and analyze the broader themes and implications in these books! I was thinking of making general list of radical feminist non-fiction too (poetry, essays, memoirs) & a south Asian reading list (fiction & non-fiction) - so if people here would be into that too — lmk! Sorry this is so long, much love!! 💋

I want to read more lesbian stories! not necessarily focused on solely the romance but I'd love some recs of any genre!

Not sure if this is the place to ask, but it has to do with reading, so why not! Cause I'm in college, I have the "joy" of being forced to read long research papers. This week's reading is 87 pages of dense academic words, complete with footnotes that are longer than most novels and an abstract that requires its own abstract to understand. I personally read it three times...once by accident, once in denial, and once while sobbing into my coffee at 3:00 am this morning (please someone save me). It's not like I don't like what these research papers are about, it's just A LOT. So I'm asking if anyone has cracked the code on getting through research papers without losing the will to live. If so, PLEASE share your secrets! 🥹