I’m new to Pagebound and wondering how people are using the “Interested” shelf. For me, books I’m interested in go on my TBR so I’m curious how others are using that feature. Right now I’m just using it for books that I’ve heard about but haven’t officially added to my TBR yet. I’m wondering if there are other uses for it that I haven’t thought of yet.

So I’ve finished the quest, I love that it was “Queer All Year” however, I’m reading queer books all year anyway so me I honestly made it priority to get this badge!

I am intrigued to see how everyone responded to the collection of these books? What were people’s favourites and why? I read in the below order: A Murder Most Camp The Princess Trap Sweetbitter Song The Most Unusual Haunting of Edgar Lovejoy Long After We Are Gone Bone of My Bone

My favourites were:

1. Sweetbitter Song (I’ll be thinking about this one for a while)
2. Bone of My Bone
3. Long After We Are Gone
4. The Princess Trap (I ride for my bug girl representation!)
5. The Most Unusual Haunting of Edgar Loverjoy

My usual taste is classics/lit fiction/gothic/fantasy so honestly I struggled liking most of this quest. However the badge for this was a must for me! I wish I’d read them in reverse order of my favourite and saved SBS till last because it really is haunting me in the best way! (Dare I say may be rereading???)If that helps anyone starting the quest for their order!

I think by the end of it I will say I enjoyed the quest as a whole a I love the idea of doing it over the year (although I obvs did not wait). Objectively this was a great selection for readers of all levels, genres and ages really with varying themes to get stuck in too. However, subjectively if the bottom three audiobooks were not free on Spotify I most likely would have dnf’d!🥲😅

My bottom three are grouped together in my head, purely because they were very Gen Z coded (I say this as an elder GenZ) and that massively takes me out of my books! They are very cheesy and the plots were either minimal or obvious! However I think anyone into cosy books for sure these hit that mark and arguably could be saved for Halloween/autumn!

I will be shouting about Sweetbitter Song from the roof tops because i think I’ve only cried like that at a book before once. I read this before seeing the new odyssey film, I’m obviously even more fuming that they did my girl Melantho so dirty!! SBS really gave every woman her own story, even if not actually present like Clytemnestra who is only spoken about. It also really questions every man’s intentions without feeling man-hatery. The relationship with Melanthius (as a sister to brothers) broke my heart just as much as the one with Penelope. It deals with a lot of heavy subject and I’ve seen reviews raising valid critiques but for me the sapphic yearning, the complex dynamics were delicious !! It is also featured in the Ancient Greek quest which was a good cross over towards that badge as well!

I will say that Bone of my Bone is very religious heavy, I didn’t expect it to be so! Just as a heads up ☺️ It is incredibly gothic and if you can side step the religiousness of it all, it too handles some big themes which the author notes before and after! Arguably it feels set up for series (or if it already is, I’ve not seen?) but who doesn’t love a sapphic nun⛪️🦄

All round these books felt very honest to the queer experience without being overly traumatic which I massively appreciate! None of these dwelled on queerness itself being an issue but rather the world around the person needing to change. Most were on the cheesy side but as said I was aware form looking at the covers alone that probably only my top two would be for me! Either way I did have fun doing this quest and once again how pretty is the badge

How is everyone using the individual book forums?

Are you posting just quotes? Quotes with a little commentary? Solely commentary? Pictures? GIFs?

Is there a standard list of rules I’m missing?

I've been diagnosed with ADHD for a few years and was recently diagnosed with something else that makes it so I can't take the stimulant meds anymore. I was finding it so hard to concentrate on books or honestly any reading once I was off the medication.

I started doing tandem reading more and more often until it was basically the only way I actually read unless it's a short story or fanfic.

Does anyone have any other ways they accommodate themselves?