FRIENDS. Fitzcarraldo Editions (indie publisher based in London) is running a 30%-off sale on their website from now till the end of the month! The physical copies are so beautiful (but more expensive than most paperbacks) and I've had a few on my wishlist for a while. was wondering if anyone had any favourites?

on my list: Flights or House of Day, House of Night by Olga Tokarczuk It Lasts Forever and Then It's Over by Anne de Marcken A Very Easy Death by Simone de Beauvoir Minor Detail by Adania Shibli Morning and Evening by Jon Fosse

I posted a review on the Hello Chaos A Love Story: The disorder of Seeing and Being Seen page, and realised... practically nobody else has read it! I loved it, so I thought I'd reach out and ask if people had similar experiences.

I think it can feel a bit lonely in the forums of some of the less popular books, so I wanted to make a space where you can gush and be supported about your favourite niche read. (Or even reads where there are active forums but you feel you don't get to participate enough!)

One of my longstanding rules is that I WILL add anything to my TBR if it comes with a glowing recommendation, so this is your chance to get a buddy for your favourite niche book :)

I made a reply to another post on here about how algorithms are a huge part in why people don’t go “crate diving” anymore when it comes to music and how similar activities for all forms of media have fallen out of popularity.

With that preamble out of the way, this is more of a temperature check than anything. Do you find yourself primarily as someone who:

A: Reads books based on word of mouth (booktubers, algorithm recommendations, etc).

B: Reads books cold, with nothing more than the cover, blurb written on the book, or vague familiarity pulling you in.

I’m sure most people sit in the middle. But I’m really curious if the modern reader skews more towards A and I’m just in the “old man yells at cloud” camp, or if there are more B enjoyers like myself!

Agatha Christie is an incredible author and I'm saying that after only reading one of her novels. I was in my public library 2 months ago, finishing "Seige and Storm," by Leigh Bardugo (irrelevant to this post but very good nonetheless,) and waiting for my friend to meet up to hang out. I had 3 hours to kill and I just finished my book. My library has a good selection of murder mysteries and, being in England, Agatha Christie is legally required /j. So I pick up "The Unexpected Guest," and begin reading. I'm not exadurating when I say I finished 65% of this book in little over an hour. I had to go back the next day to borrow it. I can't wait to delve into more of her works after consuming one novel in that short of a time. If anyone has any recs they would be greatly appreciated!!

”Outside, neon lights remake him in pink and green. It's raining. The puddles, too, brim with light. He hails a tuk-tuk and tells the driver to turn right when he says so at the intersection of Sukhumvit and a minor soi. They make more turns, past storefronts and stalls shuttered until someone's gladiatorial contender wakes them from its rooftop coop at dawn. This hour, away from the tourist roads and the baited hotels and massage parlors, dark swaths of the city sometimes get so quiet he can hear the whole animal breathe.”

a gorgeous passage that captures the city so well it brought a lump to my throat.

i’m surprised by how different and distinct each chapter’s voice is. this one’s my favourite so far.