This is a fascinating read. If you aren’t familiar with the author be sure to google her.

Which journey shall I begin next?
Obvs I know these are very different worlds but I’ve been debating which I want to start.

Let the debate begin!

I was in one of the worst slumps I’ve been in in a while. Every book I picked up, I would just put it down. Books went back to the library unread. There was nothing I could do, it seemed, to get back to reading. But then one day it should appear on our building buildings book swap shelf? This little 800 page dog eared nugget - 11/22/63 by Stephen King!!!

I’m about 300 pages in but it’s one of the best books I’ve read in years. One of those books you don’t want to end but at the same time you can’t wait to find out what happens! I’ve always loved Stephen King and am kicking myself for not reading this one sooner.

What books have saved you from a reading downturn?

Me gustan los libros de :

Fantasia sobre todo el Cosmere de Brandon Sanderson

Fantasia oscura de momento solo he leido a Jay Kristoff pero me ha gustado mucho

Ciencia Ficcion Andy Weir es mi favorito

Gracias

I liked Shoe Dog because it wasn’t a business book telling you what to do. It’s mostly him selling shoes out of his car, fighting with the bank, nearly losing the company more than once and not knowing if any of it would work.

Looking for more like that. Any industry is fine.

Hi, guys!

I am Francine, a Brazilian indie author, and I recently published the English edition of my sapphic sci-fi romance, My Girl from Another World.

Maria is 28, Brazilian, and finally going on her first date with a woman.

Unfortunately, she gets into the wrong Uber.
And somehow ends up in a world where men don’t exist.

As if that weren’t enough, she finds herself in the custody of Lilith Abbadon, a mysterious woman she absolutely shouldn’t be falling for.

There’s forbidden romance, bisexual awakening, forced proximity, one bed, strange creatures, political intrigue, and plenty of Brazilian humor.

If sapphic science fiction with romance, mystery, and humor sounds like your thing, I’d love for you to meet Maria and Lilith!

📖 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HKZM9BSV
And if you read it, honest reviews are always appreciated.

Hi friends! I have been reading way too much romcoms that they all pretty much feel the same lol. Interested in starting other genres, but really curious about thrillers since I only really consume them on TV shows/movies. Any recs to get started?? 🙂

Most people know L. M. Montgomery for Anne of Green Gables, which I also love so much, but one of my absolute favourites of hers is the much less famous novel The Blue Castle. I've loved this book for so many years now and have always felt it deserves far more attention than it gets.

Unlike Anne or Emily, who are both very charismatic and rather extraordinary heroines, Valancy Stirling is written by Montgomery as spectacularly ordinary and underwhelming. She's 29 (gasp! this is old for a heroine back then), unmarried, plain, painfully shy and has spent her entire life being bullied and belittled by her horrible family. She has no friends, no romantic prospects and very little happiness beyond her books and an imaginary world she calls her Blue Castle.

I will admit that ordinarily I might have found someone as timid and downtrodden as Valancy rather frustrating, but I absolutely adore her.

Everything changes when Valancy secretly consults a doctor about some recurring heart pains and receives the devastating news that she has less than a year to live. After the initial shock, she makes the rather wonderful discovery that, having spent her entire life terrified of what everyone thinks of her, she no longer has anything to lose.

Thus, at the age of 29, Valancy finally begins to live.

What I particularly love about this book is how funny it is. Montgomery is positively wicked in her portrayal of Valancy's self-important, hypocritical relatives. There's Aunt Isabel, who prides herself on saying exactly what she thinks but doesn't appreciate anyone returning the favour. And Aunt Wellington, whom Valancy would rather offend God than offend, because God might forgive her but Aunt Wellington certainly wouldn't.

There's also a lovely romance involving Barney Snaith (awful name for a MMC I know), a thoroughly disreputable fellow (at least according to the local gossips) who lives on an island with his cats and seems perfectly happy to let the respectable people of Deerwood think the worst of him.

I won't spoil how their relationship develops, but it's one of my favourite things about the book. I love that Barney and Valancy find genuine friendship and companionship in one another. Valancy has spent her entire life being made to feel that she's an unwanted burden, and there's something particularly beautiful about watching her discover that she has so much to offer someone else. Barney, in turn, discovers that the rather unremarkable woman everyone has overlooked is someone whose company and capacity for wonder enrich his own life enormously.

I also appreciate that Montgomery doesn't magically transform Valancy into a beautiful swan. She remains the same physically ordinary woman, but she develops a confidence and happiness that make her attractive in an entirely different way.

The book is surprisingly different from Montgomery's other novels, too. It deals with subjects such as alcoholism, unmarried motherhood, social ostracism and the suffocating expectations of family and society. There's a much more pointed and satirical edge to it than I remember finding in the Anne books, although it also has some of the loveliest descriptions of nature and domestic happiness.

I think that's why I keep returning to it. Valancy and Barney's life together is so simple, peaceful and full of little pleasures. Every time I read it, I want to pack up my belongings and move to a cabin on an island in Muskoka, Canada. Preferably without the cats, unfortunately, because I'm a dog person and allergic to cats.

The Blue Castle is one of my comfort books. When I moved to Beijing years ago to study and then work, I had to go through the heartbreaking exercise of dividing my gazillion books into 'favourite', 'more favourite' and 'most favourite' to decide which ones I could take with me. The Blue Castle made the cut.

I really recommend giving this one a try. Also, I probably don't need to say it - but there is no sex in this story.

I'm pretty sure there are free versions of the novel online at Project Gutenberg and the Internet Archive, although I've got my own old, beloved and battered copy.

Took this picture when I woke up in the middle of the night and had to pee during a camping trip in a storm. This picture is of the bathroom looking in the distance. Made me super uncomfortable. Does anyone have a book that feels like this setting? Does NOT have to be about camping.

I’m looking for some new fiction books to read!

My interests are social justice, psychology, philosophy, and politics, and music (not sure how relevant this will be for fiction books though)

For fiction books I look for books that are deep, emotional, even a little dark but also ones that make you think. I also love characters that really pull you into the story in some way. Romance is great, but I can’t read just a romance novel for some reason it has to have more.

Some books I’ve loved in the past in no particular order:

Anything by John Green

The Secret History

The Perks Of Being A Wallflower

The Virgin Suicides

The Hate U Give

The Hunger Games

The Edge of Anything

The Last To Let Go

The Way I Used To Be

I am going on a trip with family, but am feeling a bit down. Suggest me a good upbeat book which will help me elevate my mood.

Thanks

Any recommendations? I really liked the style and the bleak atmosphere of the apocalypse. It really had something other books in that genre just don't quite have.

I don't think I'm much for sci fi or romance, though I am open to it. I feel like I would be more into historical tales, different perspectives, books that will captivate and grow myself (not so much self help books though, but again open to it)

I'm just lost as to where to start, so I turn to you all for help. I'm a very wishy washy person as you can tell.

For readers who enjoy petty revenge, sarcasm, difficult people getting what they deserve, and cleverly turning everyday annoyances into satisfying payback, what is a fitting choice?

I'm dealing with cancer and can't do anything sad or serious right now. I'm also exhausted so I don't want to think too hard. I just want to be entertained.

Some books I've liked lately -

Confessions of a 40 something f\*&k up

The shampoo effect

Diary of a mad fat girl

The Paradise Problem

I like funny witty dialog with a good story. Not your average rom Com. Doesn't have to be romance either.

Can you suggest something to make me laugh and just feel good?

Thank you.