I know I’m only 7% in, but I love everybody already. I’ve also got a strange urge to go find old herbology books and learn more about plants 😝

Little kids crashing out because the entire study of medicine can rely on failed premises and inaccuracy has healed a part of me I'd learned to ignore is hurting.

There is a crazy-wild delight that comes over you when you discover something new, something extraordinary. If you try to share that and people look at you blankly, it’s crushing. But if there’s someone else there to say really?! and take fire with enthusiasm alongside you—well, that will keep you going for a long time.

I love this line because it’s such a real feeling—who hasn’t fallen in love with learning something only to have someone respond to that delight with disinterest? Who hasn’t had someone match their excitement and felt the absolute joy in that sensation? Even more so, though, I love that this line is in no way about a love interest. There’s something so wonderful about such a lovely interaction happening platonically.

I was a child with a child’s attention span. Many adults think this is no more than a butterfly’s, flittering from thought to thought, but they have forgotten how, in some children, it is as sharp and pointed as a stiletto.

I love this. Kingfisher is such a keen observer of what people are like at different ages, and it makes an outsized difference in our very ageist/anti-child culture to not have everyone be vaguely 18-30 in her books.

I’ve seen that some carefully plan to work on badges, while others avoid quests altogether and some see them more like themed recommendation lists. I love how differently everyone uses PB, so I’m curious: how do you approach quests and badges, and why? 😍

To make it less vague, here are a few questions I’ve had: (EDIT: the formatting looks a bit wonky on the website, sorry)

If you’re a planner

• How do you plan? Do you plan months ahead?
• Do you work on one quest at a time?
• Why do you plan, what motivates you to plan, and what do you enjoy about it?

If you avoid quests

• Why? Do they just not appeal to you?
• Have you tried them before and decided to stop? If so, what made you step away?

If you use quests as recommendations

• Do you join quests and see badges as fun bonuses, or do you skip joining and use them similarly to how you might check out lists made by other users?
• What made you choose this approach? preference, experience, or something else?

Personally, I rarely plan which books to read to actively work on specific quests. The one time I tried working on one specific quest, I jumped ship after a couple of books. I’m a moodreader and forcing myself into a genre or theme when I’m no longer feeling it kills my motivation fast. That’s a quick slide into a reading slump, which for me can last anywhere from a week to years. 🥴

But I am also a huge sucker for rewards, especially when they ✨sparkle✨, so I use quests mostly as recommendation lists with (very🤭) fun rewards. I also read outside the quests, but if I don’t have something not quest-related on my TBR-shelf that I am excited to pick up at that point in time, I instead check out the quests that fit what I’m in the mood to read and choose a book from one of those. If I’m not craving anything specific and none of my own books speak to me, I scroll through my joined quests and choose something from one of the three quests I’m closest to getting a badge in. If I really, really can't choose something, I'll grab a couple of books of our bookshelf at home and my partner will choose something for me (which sometimes helps me figure out what I didn't actually want to read😅)