So there's this huge post here for readers around the world, but It's lagging so much for me and I seem to mostly see people from the USA and Canada, so here's one for my European fellows🌟 Which country are you from/live in? I'm from Lithuania!🇱🇹🦅🦅🦅

I absolutely love reading Hades and Persephone retellings and reimaginings. I just started reading Girl, Godess, Queen and I know we all collectively hate Zeus, but I'm wondering if there are any books that represent him as a decent/good character.

Because of PB I keep thinking about the reasons why I enjoy Gothic literature and why it works for me, and I keep coming back to the terror vs. horror aspect. So much of Gothic lit is about the anticipation of something terrible happening, as opposed to it being shown in graphic detail on page all the time, which over time might desensitise the reader. If the horrors are constantly shown, I tend to go in the mode of "ah... this too, huh?". But with Gothic, for the most part it's all about what could happen. All the fear, the anxiety, the thrill of it. So often there's a lot of build-up before the showdown and to me this is so delicious. This makes Gothic lit way scarier for me than lots of traditionally scary horror stories.

Maybe I'm an outlier with this, so I'm curious, do y'all feel like this as well, or do do you lean the opposite way and like Gothic because you find it less scary? What makes Gothic lit work for you?

And additionally, do you feel the same way when it comes to other genres as well? My (bad?) analogy across the confines of genre is romance, where (at least for me) I'm the same way: Explicit scenes (or "spice" as many might call it) mostly get an "ah okay, you're doing that, huh" out of me, whereas a slow burn with lots of build-up will get much more of a reaction out of me.

I found myself with some extra time and I don’t have a book with me (shame on me!) so I started re organizing my “tbr” and moving the books I don’t actually own to the “interested” status (plus deleting the books I don’t even remember adding to the tbr and don’t sound appealing atm). I wonder what other organizational stuff I can do around here… next I am attacking the shelves of course. But I wonder, what sort of organizational tips&tricks you have (besides the more obvious ones), I am hoping for crazy fun ones!

—— whether that be universally hated, or universally liked, but you think there’s more to it than the general consensus ?

Here is mine: Mr Collins (P&P)

I used to think he was just absolutely horrid (and yes, he is insufferable) but now I kind of love what his character represents. He’s a man who has been taught by society to see women as helpless and incomplete without marriage, and yes he parrot that belief with total sincerity, but then he himself is completely pliable when it comes to women: he unquestioningly defers to Lady Catherine (admittedly because of her wealth), but he also readily becomes Charlotte’s lap-dog once she works out how to manage him. He’s not malicious so much as manufactured and force-fed a worldview he never interrogates, and which he clearly doesn’t actually believe. He’s also very readable as an autistic character which I think is super interesting in the historical context cause there aren’t many characters from that era (or in classic lit) that are so obviously neurodivergent. Basically I think Mr Collins is absolutely ridiculous but gets way too much hate. Thank you and goodnight 😌

I am currently struggling with what to pick up once I have finished my current read..

I have one that I started and never finished (The Institute, Stephen King) one I want to re-read due to it being one of my favourites (IT, Stephen king) this one would be read as a "duo read" with my fiancée, so it would take a while to get through since we both need the time and energy. I also have one i have been wanting to read for a while now, but I have no connection to it besides the fact I am intrigued by it, and its within my book-box already. (11/22/63, also king) I also have some i do not own that I want to read (The Shining + Doctor Sleep and more)

BUT away from the SK train of books, I also want to pick up the Area X series, which is also in my bookshelf. I also have a ton of manga that I want to get through- and the manga is obviously going to take me only a couple hours to get through if I sit down with it... BUT i am paralysed by choice.

Don't let my formatting deceive you, I am not asking you to pick for me or necessarily help me pick (but if you like any of the mentioned books, or think a manga break would be good, please do mention it) But most importantly- how do YOU pick? And what issues do you usually find yourself in when it comes to it?

With the weekend on the horizon what you planning on reading this weekend? Are you finishing a book? Starting one? Do you need a recommendation for a book?

I'm currently reading two. Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross, I'm struggling to get into it. Do Admit: The Mitford Sisters and Me by Mimi Pond, it's a brilliant 450 page graphic novel biography.

What's something you recently read that really stuck with you?

Was it a lesson or revelation in the storyline, a specific line/quote that stuck out to you that you can't stop thinking about, a character arc?

Can be from any kind of book, no judgement!🌸

So I have never read the story of Frankenstein…nor have i really watched anything film wise about it…but am i the only one going through a bit of a shock about what this story is actually about and not the Halloween propaganda that we are shown in media…

I’ll explain…so i thought (based on nothing but some loose information via Halloween advertising) that frankenstein was about a mad scientist that created a monster… like hard stop…

which i guess is partially true…and maybe that’s just what fits the Halloween aesthetic…because this story is NOT that at all…

It might just be me…🤣🤣🤣