First time mom here to a lil 4 month old and WOW it is tough to find time to sit back and read these days 😭. I miss it. For all the parents out there, when did things change for you so that you could read more? Any tips on how to fit reading into this new stage of life?

if you want to buy curtains for your bedroom, you probably want something that will offer you some privacy. To that end, you will want to buy OPAQUE curtains. If you want to buy curtains for your living room, maybe you want something that will let a bit of light in even when they're drawn. So you might consider buying lace or chiffon curtains because they are NOT opaque.

I have read two different novels now where the author uses the word 'opaque' to describe something as see-through. These are otherwise very well written books that I enjoyed, and to be honest I don't even blame the author because a lot of people use this word wrong. Both of these books were published within the last few years, and I am unsure what is going on in the publishing industry where editors and proofreaders are not catching such a glaring grammar mistake. I know it's just one word, but one of the reasons this bothers me is that it can completely undercut an important moment in the novel and distorts the sentiment of what the author is saying in that sentence.

We've all seen typos, punctuation mistakes, and misprints in books, and those usually don't bother me (unless there are several in one book). For some reason, the opaque mistake just really frustrates me! Anyway. That's my little rant.

Have any of you noticed this in other books? Is there another grammar mistake or typo you see in novels that irritates you?

i was thinking about doing a quick psa, considering that i've seen more discourse about dogwhistles recently (both in visual and written media), and decided it would be a good time to bring that discussion here, considering some posts that i've seen about insidious messaging on pb as well.

to define what a dogwhistle is, it is coded or suggestive language in political messaging to signal support for a group or garner support from a group without provoking opposition. most dogwhistles aren't known to people outside of said group, and are usually disguised as harmless phrases, with the intention of making it harder to call out or take issue with.

this is a link to an article that has more info about dogwhistles, along with this article if anyone is interested in reading/learning more! the second one is unfortunately locked behind a paywall, but if you're currently in school you may be able to access it via your institution (which is what i did).

i would recommend checking out theodenreads' post as he mentions the use of "gender critical" as a dogwhistle to signal transphobes, and there were a lot of comments under his post about dogwhistles that have been emerging that can signal similar things, and quite frankly i had no idea that some of these were even a thing! this list on reddit also has quite a few lesser known dogwhistles, just for awareness.

these links are definitely not exhaustive, and some of them (like the reddit link) are obviously not reputable or valid sources (as in, not backed by research or other credible sources), so please please please do your own research! i just think that this is an important conversation to have when engaging in an online space, particularly when fascism, alt-right groups and overall bigotry is on the rise.

I'm looking for books like Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman and Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen. I tried Rules of Magic and a few other Alice Hoffman books, but they didn't hit the same as Practical Magic did for me. I'm starting on Sarah Addison Allen's backlog right now, but I know these two can't be the only ones writing books like these.

I particularly love the focus on food and herb magic. And the subtle spells, as opposed to grandiose coven circles or flashy workings.

What similar books would you recommend?

Has anyone else noticed that sometimes when you go to add emojis to a review some emojis won’t show up? Like I went to add emojis to my six of crows review and the crow/raven emoji (🐦‍⬛) just wasn’t there. I’m mentioning this because I just had this problem adding the trans flag to the cemetery boys but I noted other people had been able to add it. Just curious if anyone else has had this problem or if it’s a glitch on my end. 😌

I have always struggled with how to rate books consistently (and I over think things). I know everyone's rating system is different, so I would love to hear how y'all view your own rating system.

Right now, this is how I think of my ratings: ⭐ This book became a hate read. I have no problem DNFing a book, so my only reason to finish the book is to be able to write the review.
⭐⭐ I really struggled with this book, but I made it through. ⭐⭐⭐ This was a good book. I finished it without an issue, but wouldn't go as far as to say I loved it. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I absolutely loved this book - it's one I'll remember/look forward to revisiting, and I NEED everyone I know to read it and discuss it with me.

Sometimes I feel really torn, like when I appreciate a book's themes or message, but not the execution, or when something wasn't for me but I know others might love it.

How do you decide what rating to give a book? Do you go by emotional reaction, technical quality, a mix a both?

hiii :) looking for things to listen to & keep me interested while doing work around the house as someone who usually doesn’t listen to audiobooks at all. any suggestions? typically i dont like being read to in anyway, shape or form so I’d like something that almost makes me forget thats happening 😭 i love a good mystery, thriller, whodunnit, or romance book but have also read a few historical fiction & biography. im really open to trying anything as long as it keeps me entertained :) tysm in advance

If anybody here watched and liked the TV show “From” congratulations on your exquisite tastes. I’m looking for a book that is in the same vibes as the TV show. Something a bit Stephen King-y.