one of my favorite things about pagebound is the diversity of all of us on here! it’s amazing to see everyone’s cultures reflected in the books we read and the lists we make, which has introduced me to so many great things i don’t know if i would’ve otherwise found.

in an effort to read more diversely in general, i would love to know an underrated book from your culture that you think deserves a spotlight! (also in an effort to selfishly expand my ever growing tbr :3 no, i will not be stopped!!!!)

edit: also it’s totally okay if your rec isn’t wholly “underrated.” it can be something underrated in a global context or on the pb community specifically. just whatever you think deserves a shout out, i’d love to hear about it!

Recommending a favourite book to someone is such a personal thing, like you’re offering a bit of yourself to that person.

What do you do when you don’t like a book a friend has recommended? Or worse you absolutely hate it?

I am trying to do a Oscars Death Race this year like I have done the last few years. This might be the year I might be able complete!! Only 3 left in 50 nominees 🥹🥹 I wanted to yap about the nominees that are based on novels!

I have to start from the best adapted screenplay nominees: ▪️ Hamnet from Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell ▪️ Frankenstein from Frankenstein by Mary Shelley ▪️ One Battle After Another from Vineland by Thomas Pynchon ▪️ Train Dreams from Train Dreams by Denis Johnson ▪️ Bugonia (2003 South Korean film Save the Green Planet! by Jang Joon-hwan, so not a book adaptation)

Among this list, I have only read Hamnet couple of years ago and it is my favorite! Chloé Zhao had cowritten the screenplay with Maggie O'Farrell and I believe they successfully carried the emotions and the core of the book to the screen (the way I sobbed half of the movie was kind of insane)... I want to read Frankenstein sometime in the future (when, who knows) and I heard from my sister that the novella, Train Dreams, was better than the adaptation, though I still liked the movie without reading the novella.

Animation nominee: ▪️ Little Amélie or the Character of Rain from The Character of Rain (Métaphysique des tubes) by Amélie Nothomb I didn't know this was an adaptation! I am not planning to read it, but the movie was fun watch and the animation style was so beautiful, however my heart wishes Kpop Demon Hunters to win in this category 😌

Live action short film nominee: ▪️ The Singers from a 19th-century Russian story by Ivan Turgenev. Funnily enough I couldn't find which story they are talking about... it takes place in a rundown pub and people drinking there starts to sing to see who sings the best xd My favorite in this category is Jane Austen's Period Drama, which is surprisingly not about Jane Austen or any of her novels.

Visual Effects nominee: ▪️ The Lost Bus from Paradise by Lizzie Johnson I am sorry but this movie sucked... I think it could have been better if this was a documentary, though I haven't read the book, so what do I know.

Best Makeup and Hairstyling nominee: ▪️ Kokuho from Kokuho by Shuichi Yoshida This movie was so aesthetically pleasing to watch, but missed all the opportunities to explore character dynamics, bloodlines, misogyny, and issues of gender and sexuality within this art form. The book might be going deeper into the story (haven't read it), but I am doubtful. I would love to hear commentary from someone who both read and watched this story.

Best Makeup and Hairstyling nominee: ▪️ The Ugly Stepsister from Cindirella??? I am not sure this could be considered as an adaptation 😅 very loose Cindirella adaptation focusing on one of the stepsisters with strong body-horror, gore, thriller elements maybe??

Have you watched any of these films or read any of the books that are mentioned above??? As it turns out, I've only read Hamnet among all of these! Do you follow the award season? or am I alone in this endeavour xd

ps. I don't really care about the oscars and am aware that it's just a show, but it gives me a reason to watch more movies that I wouldn't have seen or heard of. and it became somewhat a tradition with my sister so that's that 😌

i just had a look at the longlist for the international booker prize and wanted to know what people were excited for, or what they were looking to read from it!

i’m personally super excited for taiwan travelogue — i grew up in taiwan and am also queer so that’s a double whammy for me 🤭