So...... when are we gonna burn it all down

I have seen the movie and this book has been on my list for the longest time. Out of curiosity, who read this after seeing the movie or did you read this beforehand?

"Over these five years, I feel like I've seen him face so many choices and lose touch with whatever fundamental human decency he had when we started."

The author's thoughts on how Mark Zuckerberg changed (from obsessing over Facebook the product to obsessing over politics and how people see him) make me think about the nature and consequences of power... like, does having and pursuing power corrupt people? Or does it just bring out what was already inside them?

Most of the time it's probably a bit of both, but from this book I wonder if being thrust so much power, so suddenly, messed something up in Zuckerberg's brain. When you're both given so much responsibility and shielded from the worst consequences of it, I feel like you're not living in the same reality as everyone else. Looking at today's billionaires and powerful people, my reaction is often, "Why? Do you have any shame, any self-awareness, any human decency?" I think power and money can literally melt your brain.

(Of course, not saying this to absolve anyone of anything. Ultimately, we're responsible for our own actions, and losing your humanity like this will have repercussions.)

despite having picked an amazingly common name on purpose (where are all my Alexes at?) I am still somehow always shocked when I read my name in text. That all said—I bet this is weirder for people who have uncommon names

Kinda ironic that Elizabeth is doing the exact same thing that she accused Mr. Darcy of - "implacable resentment," upon forming a bad opinion of someone it's hard/impossible to get out of that. Even when Jane reasons with her that it's fishy that Mr. Darcy is as bad as Mr. Wickham suggests, she refuses to listen.

It's also getting clearer why this book is named Pride & Prejudice! There are so many instances of the blindness and willful overlooking we all do when forming opinions of someone else. If there's a beautiful man with beautiful manners it seems everyone just insta-trusts him 😆

as a bookworm, I try to build my own collection of books and would love to hear some of your most trustworthy publishers!

it can be for a lot of reasons but i’m looking mainly for: 1. nice, curated selection of books (mostly fiction) and 2. they got beautiful book covers (ofc, I’m also a sucker for pretty books. can’t help it sometimes 🤭)

some of the publishing houses I have my eyes on are: NYRB, Vintage Books, and New Directions.

what’s yours? ✨😌

Every genre can contribute to our development as people, not just self-help and other nonfiction, so how have books helped to develop you? What books have changed your mind and how? Is there a group of people for whom you've learned to have more compassion? Is there a political or social theory you've come around to or moved away from? Is there a genre that you previously wrote off in which you now see value?

Feel free to share how a book has expanded your thinking as well, but I'm especially asking about how a book has changed it. This may be a sensitive discussion at times, so please be ready to listen first, ask questions second, and if all else fails, disengage.

For me, Yellowface by R.F. Kuang changed my mind in a totally unexpected way. Prior to reading Yellowface, I had floated mostly on the side that people (especially white people, but really everyone) should generally avoid telling other people's stories, not because it's inherently bad, but because there are just so many pitfalls and opportunities for missteps and foolishness. I remember clearly the scene in which the older person thanked June for telling their story and how heartfelt that was—that's what changed my mind.

Several other books contributed to my thinking on the subject in smaller ways, but Yellowface was the most poignant. My opinion isn't altogether that different now—I still think people should take great care when telling a story that isn't their own—but for people whose voices have been suppressed, amplifying their voices can take many forms. Absolutely, we should amplify the voices of those who have already spoken on the subject, but writing and speaking ourselves amplifies those stories and voices, too. The pitfalls, missteps, and opportunities for foolishness are all still there, but if (IF IF IF) someone is willing to do all of the listening necessary to tell someone's story well and to amplify the voices of those who are speaking from experience, there is no downside to humanizing someone who has had their humanity taken from them.

A good example of this is M.L. Wang's The Sword of Kaigen, which I'm currently reading. This book isn't just an Asian author telling exclusively Asian stories; she blends in the stories of many other people and tells them in thoughtful, nuanced ways.

Less intensely, Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir made me reconsider my feelings about sci-fi. I hated sci-fi for years because most of my interactions with it had been weird and I hadn't liked almost any of the characters, but PHM was completely different. I love that book to death. I now have numerous sci-fi books on my TBR and am looking forward to investing more time in the genre.

I have a lot more, but I don't imagine y'all want to read 10,000 words lol

What about you?

I was just looking at my 2025 reading challenge and I’ve just realised quite how many books I’ve left unrated I think sometimes I get anxious to rate because I’m often unsure of myself/overthinking or I plan on coming back and writing a full review but then it’s been months and I’m not even sure what I’d rate it at this point. Does anybody else have this problem? Do you think I should go back and sit down and decide/do a backlog of late reviews? Or just leave them to be lost in the wind 🌬️🍃

I feel like how each character reacted to that first ball might say a lot about each one of them? 👀

• Mrs. Bennet likes that all of her daughters were admired, could name who danced with who at each song, could go into detail about others' expensive lace dresses -> intense awareness of where she and her family stand in society
• Jane also shares this, but in a "quieter way"
• Mary heard she was mentioned as an accomplished person
• Catherine and Lydia like that people kept asking them to dance, with no break
• "Elizabeth felt Jane's pleasure" - she thought more about Jane than herself.
• Mr. Bennet doesn't want to hear details from Mrs. Bennet and doesn't care about the expensive lace hahah

It's interesting how people's priorities and attention were so clearly shown here!