I love the combo of the traditional medieval setting with random bits of modern/futuristic technology thrown in like high-tech security systems, news cameras and floating tv screens

You can't just go around murdering people. There are rules Nimona.

Hi my fellow readers! 😁 Anyone else here that loves to read and has knitting as a hobby? 🫶 How are your reading and knitting wip working out with the first three months of the year all gone?

What is your current book read and knitting wip? 🥰 I would love to know about your progress!

I am currently reading The Dictionary for Lost Words and working on an autumn dress to wear for an occasion. 😉

Happy April everyone!

EDIT: Thank you everyone for taking the time to share your projects and current reads. 🫶 You guys are so talented.

I mainly borrow books on Libby, but lately I’ve been wanting to grow my collection a bit more and annotate on my physical books themselves instead of in a separate notebook.

Wondering if anyone has some creative suggestions for making/utilizing space when floor space is quite limited at home. We have a cubby-like shelf that has a few spots that could be cleaned out to house some books, but other than that we don’t really have any more space on the floor for a bookshelf (could maybeeee squeeze in a couple wall shelves though). Help pls!

anyone else feel like the daily emojis in the discover page are very repetitive?:( there are hundreds of emojis that exist and yet i feel like i’m always seeing the same 30 ones🙁

So the print is pretty tiny. Wish I could have gotten this on Libby where I might have been able to expand it a little. Time to pull out a magnifying glass? 🔍

the introduction is so complicated and thought-provoking. we are so lucky to have Nemonte's story in English, and yet it makes me feel unsettled? she's literally saying: i cannot trust you with my story, my people's stories are living beings that can be harmed, and my people survived by leaving no tracks, and yet i am here sharing my tracks with you

because the Western world only recognizes knowledge that has been written down, commodified, and distributed through its own systems, Nemonte's story has to become a product in order to resist the system that produces products. which represents the fundamental double-bind of colonized peoples in general

while i was researching this author, i came across her Instagram, and when i was looking through her posts, i saw so many celebrity endorsements. Reese Witherspoon's book club promoted this book, but instead of promoting it as a story of colonial resistance, it was sold as a liberal feminist "it's time to listen to women" type of story

then i noticed the pattern, that most of the advertising on Nemonte's Instagram and even just about this book in general paint her as a powerful individual of resistance, which is exactly the individualization that liberal feminism wants, and is directly opposed to more anti-colonial frameworks that highlight community and solidarity

it's true, we do need to listen to women! it's true, Nemonte is inspiring and powerful! but it's also true that both of these facts are a lot smaller than what the book is actually trying to do

of course i don't blame Nemonte for this, it's a system she has to actively navigate and negotiate with. she has to exist on the platforms where power is because it is the only way she will be heard. like obviously getting an endorsement from Reese's Book Club is incredibly helpful in getting her story told, in getting her book in front of enough people to matter. navigating the Western media apparatus is the only way to make her story legible.

the introduction highlights that telling this story is in some ways a sacrifice for Nemonte. she is leaving tracks that she will no longer be able to control, in hopes that we, the reader, will "keep the story alive", in hopes that we will do something with the information she is giving us, with the vulnerability she is exposing

it's a calculated risk under coercive conditions because there is no clean option available. telling her story is necessary for resistance, and telling her story also represents a loss of control and the potential for harm

and the "you" Nemonte is addressing is so varied; the liberal feminist who has yet to deconstruct from colonial power is going to take away a much different story than the person genuinely wanting to engage with indigenous resistance. it's interesting how this book (and Nemonte herself) exists in such a nuanced position

Context: As Pagebound grows, we have been brainstorming sustainable ways to create more Quests that the community is eager to see. We're trialing a new idea for a community-voted Quest, inspired by a List. More info in the last post I made in Founder's Announcements.

For the past week, Pagebound Royalty members have submitted nominations for Lists to inspire Quests. Jennifer and I have gone through and ensured all the Lists you'll be voting on meet our Quest guidelines. There are 86 Lists eligible for you to vote on, and you can find them in this spreadsheet.

There will be 3 winning Lists selected from different genre categories. You can vote for up to 3 lists from different genres. Submit your votes via this form through end of day April 8th. Take note of the Quest type when voting (Column C in the spreadsheet)! Many nominated Lists share a theme but vary in length. Preference for a Side vs Main Quest could help you decide which to vote for. Most Lists will be Side Quests, but Lists with many books (~60+) will be Main Quests.

The creators of the winning Lists will be able to accept/reject. If they accept, we will create a Quest inspired by their List, adapting the title & book list as necessary to fit Quest constraints. If they decline, we'll ask the runner-up! The resulting Quest will not be open to book additions since there will not be anyone actively maintaining the book list (similar to when a Main Quest hits its 100 book cap and is closed to further additions).

If this is a good experience for the community, we plan to run this List nomination + voting process quarterly. Our goals here are to encourage quality List-making, give the entire community a voice in Quest creation in a sustainable way, acknowledge our Royalty supporters, and create some exciting, diverse Quests!

Thanks for voting! Jennifer & Lucy