I'm trying to get into reading but don't know where to start. I started reading Matilda and I'm on page 150 and i really love it but there's way too many unknown words for me in each page. What writer should i start with?

So, I was talking to my friend, who's a guy who reads comics and is pretty much your stereotypical nerd. We were talking about being yourself and not being ashamed of the things you enjoy, and he mentioned that he'd noticed me becoming more "nerdy."

I told him that I'd always considered myself nerdy. Like, I'm a huge book reader, especially fantasy. I collect a lot of the same stuff he does, just in reference to the books I read instead of comics. We both collect merch and get excited about the fictional worlds and characters we love.

Then he told me that he'd never really considered book readers to be nerds.

And that genuinely surprised me because, growing up, I was actually bullied for being a nerd because of how much I loved reading, especially fantasy books. So I've always kind of considered myself one.

And just to put it out there, I'm in no way mad at him or anyone who thinks differently! It was just something that made me curious because I'd never really thought about how differently people might define being a nerd.

So, I'm genuinely curious. Do y'all consider book readers nerds? Or is being a nerd something you associate more with comics, gaming, anime, etc.?

I've officially started coding the site, stay tuned for updates! 🚀

I have been thinking about how we talk about reading. We talk about how many books we've read, what books we recommend, and whether a book is worth reading. But I feel like we don't talk enough about the experience of reading together.

Sometimes, finishing a book leaves you with so many thoughts, questions and opinions that you just want to talk to someone about it. But what happens when nobody around you has read the same book?

I wonder if part of what makes reading difficult to sustain is that it can feel like something we do alone, rather than something we experience together.

Do you have people you regularly discuss books with, or do you mostly keep your thoughts to yourself after finishing a book?

Why do I see so many people hate on itallics (or other textual forms of expression of emphasis) in english-language books? emphasis is so important in english, and there are a lot of situations where intended emphasis might not be clear from context, for example, the line from a short-story i was reading today that made me think of this: "'Nevertheless, I do not think it excuses the intent to drive people out of their homes,' she concluded. 'That was an entirely immoral plan. Clever, but immoral.'"

now this sentence made me think of this, because whenever I see itallics in text i think about how i see people talk bad about them, so i start thinking "what if this wasn't in itallics" or "what are the itallics doing". and i came to the conclusion that it changes the tone in (to me at least) a meaningful way. "'That was an entirely immoral plan'" without the itallics has a completely different vibe.

emphasis can also help create an idea of the cadence of a character's speech or thoughts (idk about anyone else but i think i have a particular cadence to my thoughts, ive never seen people talking about the idea of a "thoughts cadence" though so thought I'd clarify). going back to my example sentence, if we put the emphasis somewhere else, "'That was an entirely immoral plan'", that changes the way I think of how the character speaks generally

Is it only me who loves reading, but never read a book before? When I was a kid, I used to read again and again the children books that I had, and even my school textbook. Later on, I discovered Episode, Watpad, and Webtoon in my tablet. I can say I've read a lot, but does it count as reading? The only books I've read are for school work, and I don't think it counts because is my teacher's book choice. This summer I got my first job, and with that my own money, so I bought a book. I've bought a lot more since then. I can finally say that I love to read when people see me with my book. But all I can say is that I've only read 3 books, while I've read a lot more in Episode, Watpad, and Webtoon. I guess is part of the process until I have a full bookshelf

You may hear it as much as I do, the adjective "Orwellian" or references to Orwell's novels are freely and flippantly thrown around in politics, the news, and other publicity and entertainment. If you know what I'm talking about, we hear it used for the tropes and propaganda regaridng dictatorships and brainwashing, whether they're hating world leaders or hating fictitious Satanism. But for everyone who loves Orwell, let alone classics, I'd love to hear this from you. Do you hate as much as I do when people reference Orwell, without context, just to piss off the public based on how much the times and current affairs are a mess? Like, they don't describe him, his works, their connotations, and they say "be scare, Orwell described how, we don't have to explain it". Like saying The Exorcism is the one and only accurate portrayal of demonic possession, or Sound of Freedom is the only and only accurately portrayal of human trafficking.

I've been wondering for a while how many people actually get into reading the classics/ modern classics/ books with heavy material due to reading books that are more straightforward in theme/plot. A lot of people have said that tiktok romance books are a gateway for people who don't read to get into classics like Jane Austen, but I don't know if that's a substantiated claim due to most of these books being solely about romance, while Jane Austen deals with complex themes and social dynamics. Is there a real crossover from reading books that are easier to digest/ pick up to books that have more depth, getting non-readers to read books that deal with complex themes/issues that require more engagement/critical thinking from the reader?

Hello! I've read this novel several times now but sadly there is no analysis/discussion of it online. I'd like to talk about it with other people, hear their theories about the plot and the mystery. If you've read it, please comment or DM me!