Winston was never particularly likeable to begin with, but any shred of likeability from him is quickly fading. Though, I wouldn't be surprised if that was intentional on Orwell's part. I don't find Winston relatable. If anything, I find him almost pitiful.

it’s a new month, what are some books you’re hoping to read this August?

Have y'all seen the recent news about "What Dan Read"? A man name Dan Pelzer recently died and his family had his 3599 (!!!) book long reading list digitized. They created a website https://what-dan-read.com/ so you could see his handwritten log and his local library (where he got most of his books) has made a spreadsheet so you could follow along too. https://www.columbuslibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/What-Dan-Read-Booklist.pdf I am bad about non-fiction books so I will be using Dan's list for future inspiration.

Hey! I was just wondering if anyone has any good queer romance books? I’m also alright with like straight ones but I prefer queer ones! I don’t like mystery or horror books so please none of those!

After finishing a book that was very obviously a debut, it got me thinking about how others rate them. If you know you're reading a debut, does that change your rating? If so, are you more harsh or gentle with the stars you give? I think for me, my rating is usually pretty consistent, but I do have a little thought in my brain that maybe I should be more lenient?? I'm conflicted because if a book is good enough to be published, shouldn't it be able to hold its own against work from established authors? But then at the same time, this is such a hard market to break into... I'm curious to hear what others think!