I'm gonna say this one time. And anyone who needs this explained to them, in any other context, is welcome to be sent right back here to learn this lesson.

This user, now deleted, wanted to throw a tantrum because what they wanted in terms of assembled literature on antisemitism, didn't already exist here. That was where it started. And where it ended was the nature of this user only being interested in pro-Israel, pro-Zionist representations of Judaism and antisemitism being brought to light. That went round and round until the person deleted their account. And at the core of this misunderstanding isn't whatever content on Judaism we do or don't have here. It's the lack of respect and understanding this user has for this platform.

There is no AI, no algorithmically generated book curation going on here. Nothing is automatically creating reading lists and quests here on every imaginable topic and human interest. Everything here is user created. The quests, the lists, the events, all of it is hand made by an actual person.

I'm gonna say something really honest, and I want y'all to hear what I'm saying, and only what I'm saying. There was jack shit on this site for black fantasy, science fiction, and speculative fiction when I joined. I'm not accusing anyone of anything when I say this. That was just the reality of the situation. So I sat my ass down and curated that content! I made the things I wanted to see on this site, and that's why they're here now. I have added hundreds of books to this site, in those genres and many others, specifically from black authors. I have given so much of my time to that endeavor because I care. I can bitch because it's not here, or I can do something about it. I can complain that the potluck doesn't have what I want to eat, or I can bring something I want to eat and share with others.

On this platform, no one is special or exempt from that.

If you want something to exist on this website that isn't already here, you have to build it yourself! If you're an expert on something, congratulations! You're the one we've been waiting for to build the lists and content for that subject. It's you, or it doesn't exist. And if you aren't willing to do that, it's because you don't actually care that much. You want someone else to do it for you. You see those of us who do that work as your servants, not your peers. You expect us to reach outside of our expertise and interests to create things for you, when YOU are the one who should be sticking out your neck and being judged on your efforts.

This is what I find profoundly offensive. It's not that someone with questionable views of Zionism showed up here. There really isn't a better place for them to be. I have no problem showing them zoharejacobi and moving on with my day. It's that they showed up here expecting to be served and catered to. That was their error and why they received the reactions they did.

If you have something only you can teach, then teach it. If there's a contribution only you can make, then make it. Don't expect anyone else to do it for you. Respect the labor it takes to build all of this by hand or go back to fucking Goodreads.

it’s may, we’re far enough into the year that i think this is a fine question: any trends in topics/genres in your reading so far this year? rabbit holes you’ve gone down? consistent themes you’ve noticed yourself going for? was thinking about this and i’d love to hear!

Inspired by a few videos I’ve seen on BookTok.

I’ll go first with my pick: Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant.

This was soooo hyped everywhere I looked. Reddit, Tiktok, Instagram… The plot looked promising and I was told to expect building tension and full-blown horror! Instead I got bad prose, rushed plot, too many characters with boring backstories, and no horror. I’m still bitter tbh and although other reviews say Grant’s other works are better, I’m unsure whether to even try. I just wanted scary mermaids. 🥲

Hi everyone!

I'm currently studying Acting for Stage and Screen at uni, and we recently looked at Lee Strasbourg's Animal Exercise, which basically includes us deciding which animal we think the character we are playing would be and then studying that animal before acting as that animal physically to then use as a way to connect more with the character.

This got me thinking about the character of the book I'm currently reading.

So, as the title says, what animal would the MC of your current read(s) be and why?

I'll go first - I'm currently reading Lucia Lucia by Adriana Trigiani, and I think the MC, Lucia, would be a badger because she is tenacious, fearless, and independent!

Well well well.. would you look at what time it is! What’s a complaint (big, small, dramatic, silly, serious) that you need to shout to the void?!💭

I realised recently that I have this pattern. And I truly don't know if I'm alone in this... But basically I realised that I tend to avoid my TBR. My TBR is constantly kept up to date and a book is removed if it does not spark any interest anymore (unless I own it physically), and then I use "radar" or "interested" to log the books that simply sound interesting - usually because I'm selective as to what I put on my TBR and I don't want it to be too big. SO, all in all my TBR should be all the books I'm most excited about, but I realise that I avoid it?? This past month I ended up reading tons of books that had been on my TBR for years because of a reading challenge, and low and behold - I loved all of them? It's almost like I know my taste? XD I think I avoid it because I have expectations on the books on it, so I'm scared to read them and instead I read books not on my TBR and end up having a 3-3.5 star streak... Make it make sense XD

What is your relationship to your TBR?