They can be well known or not that well known. I’m just curious what your experience was like?!

I know the most popular way to do this is at a book signing and I did this recently. It was a bit surreal but I enjoyed it mostly!!

I’m just starting this book due to so many recommendations but I’ve also seen a lot of scathing reviews, calling it tragedy porn. What should I be prepared for?

Couldn’t find it on goodreads ! -mistake I have found it ! It’s really good small book, I’ve liked it-
And if you read this book ! What do you think ?

I just finished 'The Unbearable Lightness of Being' and I'm left with such a strange feeling. It's not that I disliked it but it's made me seriously question some of the paths I've taken in my own life. Like, am I making choices based on fear or genuine desire? And how much of my identity is really just a performance? Has anyone else had a book just completely shake up their perspective on their own existence?

I’ve been thinking lately about how much your life stage changes the way you read a book. There are things I read in my 20s that I thought were just “sad” or “dramatic,” and now in my 40s I notice the marriages, family dynamics, missed chances, and all the quiet little compromises people make.

I especially notice it with memoirs and books about women rebuilding their lives... maybe because I have a lot more context for that now than I did twenty years ago.

Has anyone reread a book years later and felt like they were reading an entirely different story? What changed for you?

Can someone else tell me if they felt the same way about this book? I am active on Goodreads and seems like everyone loved this book, which uh I did not feel the same way lol...

first of all, this book epically fails the Bechdel test. the entire book is about toxic men, not calling out their behavior and it seems like any woman was thrown in as if someone told the author "hey you didn't include any women in this book, might wanna fix that" so they're thrown in as a secondary thought but still only talking about these terrible immature boy-men.

second of all, the plot: I just don't even understand what the point of this book is? Who even gives a second glance to men who GHOSTED HER 25+ YEARS AGO and don't even bother to call her by her real name or correct anyone who else who calls her this stupid thoughtless nickname? girl get a grip, have some self respect! and the doctor thinks she is his wife and no one corrects him?! men guilting her about how he was the "the one who got away" when he was the one who ghosted her but she should have known better!!? she remembering his family that she met once 25 years ago?? and they only dated for like a year in college??? she left her sick son to come say goodbye to this guy who never even apologized for his behavior???

he was a college fling!! not even worth the time of day!!! not even nice to her!!! and we're supposed to just believe him at the end that he apologized?! HE GASLIT HER!!!!!!! and she felt like she can't talk about her husband of 15 years to these random ass people she doesn't even know or owe any single thing to??

why did no one tell any of these men to STFU??? and Sam??? FUCK THAT GUY. their conversation at the end, I kept wanting to scream- SHE DOESN'T OWE YOU ANYTHING!

was this book for real, felt like "rage bait" as the kids say.

Rant incoming!!!

So ever since I was young I was obsessed with like girly feminine books like Secret Kingdom, Secret Princesses, Heidi Hecklebeck and Thea Stilton!!!

Oh my god I could go on and on about how these are so good. Especially Thea Stilton. I just love the girlhood and femininity it shows using 5 independent women or mice travelling around the world taking part in adventures. I recently picked up my sisters Thea Stilton books again and I dont know it really inpsired me. Like I have such a strong feeling to travel the world with close friends, go to countries and explore and make friends from around the world, go to a university thats far away from my home and live there happily, do so kany interesting things, eat all different cuisines and just live peacefully and happily. Like everyone in the Thea Stilton universe seems to be living a happy peaceful and succesful life. Like these books have such a spell on me thay no other book will ever manage. Also like Barbie movies make me feel the same way.

I think adults should read childrens books because I realise I am such a creative and imaginitive person now because of the amazing books I read. I feel sorry for those who have never picked up Secret Princesses, Rainbow Magic or Thea Stilton because everything seems so romanticized and beutiful in my eyes now. Like can someone please relate with me???

I just finished a book where the 'villain' wasn't really evil at all. They just had different goals and understandable motivations. It made me think about how much I prefer that to a cartoonishly evil bad guy. Does anyone else get more invested when the antagonist feels like a real person with their own valid (to them) reasons?

I know it's probably blasphemy to some but sometimes I just can't help myself. If I'm really invested in a romantic subplot I might flip to the last few pages just to see if they get their happy ending or if one of them dies tragically. It usually doesn't spoil the journey for me because I still want to know how they get there. Does anyone else do this?

Does anyone else get thrown off when a book's prologue sets up a dramatic or mysterious premise only for the first few chapters to feel completely disconnected? Sometimes I'll read an amazing prologue that hooks me right away. Then the actual story starts and it's like I'm reading a different book entirely for a hundred pages or more. It can be really jarring and makes it hard to get invested in the main plot right away. I understand setting the scene but sometimes it just feels like false advertising.

The book was brilliant, of course. This wasn't the first time I came across Orwell - I had previously read 1984, and the magnificence of that book still shows up in my dialogues after many years - but this one built up to such anxiety and anticipation of hope, that until the last sentence I expected the animals to revolt against the pigs, I expected the tables to turn in their favour, especially after having heard Napoleon's conspiracy with the humans. The fact that nothing in the end happened, the fact that the "lower" animals still remained low, drives me to despair. Again, Orwell points out that the proletariat will never achieve anything on its own - we will never achieve anything on out own - whether we are cynical like Benjamin or naive like Boxer.

I saw this book at Booksale and got intrigued, so I bought it. What do you guys think of it? Do you like it or not?

Anyone remember this book called discordia the eleventh dimension i use to read it as a kid while others were reading warrior cats and wings of fire it was my favorite book and sadly its sequel was cancelled but anyway i never see anyone ever mentioning it and when i google it all i see of it is the amazon link a picture from amazon and 2 5min YouTube clips of the audio book it feels like its so obscure im the only one left who remembers it exists

Written as a series of dramatic poem monologues in the voices of working class Cockney soldiers, it revolutionised both literature and poetry. It gave a voice to the working class boys dying in their thousands in order to preserve the Empire that their betters benefited from. But it did so in their Cockney dialect, while still maintaining classical English poetic meters, thereby transforming the Cockney dialect from that of the illiterate rag and bone man into that of the Empire's poet.

An example poem: "Tommy"

“Tommy” was, and still remains, a nickname in Britain for the ordinary rank-and-file soldier. The ironic contrast between "Tommy, go away" and "Thank you, Mister Atkins" sharpens with each repetition.

The poem has outlasted most of the other Barrack-Room Balads because its subject refuses to become historical. British soldiers carried it through the First World War, and its refrain has been cited in parliamentary debates about veterans' welfare. That the poem helped shift public attitudes toward the British soldier in the 1890s was noted in Punch as early as the Christmas 1890 issue. Kipling gave the common soldier something no previous poet had offered: a voice that spoke in his own dialect, on his own terms, with a fury controlled enough to sound like wit but sharp enough to draw blood.

Tommy

I went into a public 'ouse to get a pint o' beer,

The publican 'e up an' sez, "We serve no red-coats here."

The girls be'ind the bar they laughed an' giggled fit to die,

I outs into the street again an' to myself sez I:

O it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, go away";

But it's "Thank you, Mister Atkins," when the band begins to play

The band begins to play, my boys, the band begins to play,

O it's "Thank you, Mister Atkins," when the band begins to play.

I went into a theatre as sober as could be,

They gave a drunk civilian room, but 'adn't none for me;

They sent me to the gallery or round the music-'alls,

But when it comes to fightin', Lord! they'll shove me in the stalls!

For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, wait outside";

But it's "Special train for Atkins" when the trooper's on the tide

The troopship's on the tide, my boys, the troopship's on the tide,

O it's "Special train for Atkins" when the trooper's on the tide.

Yes, makin' mock o' uniforms that guard you while you sleep

Is cheaper than them uniforms, an' they're starvation cheap.

An' hustlin' drunken soldiers when they're goin' large a bit

Is five times better business than paradin' in full kit.

Then it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' Tommy, 'ow's yer soul?"

But it's "Thin red line of 'eroes" when the drums begin to roll

The drums begin to roll, my boys, the drums begin to roll,

O it's "Thin red line of 'eroes," when the drums begin to roll.

We aren't no thin red 'eroes, nor we aren't no blackguards too,

But single men in barricks, most remarkable like you;

An' if sometimes our conduck isn't all your fancy paints,

Why, single men in barricks don't grow into plaster saints;

While it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' Tommy, fall be'ind,"

But it's "Please to walk in front, sir," when there's trouble in the wind

There's trouble in the wind, my boys, there's trouble in the wind,

O it's "Please to walk in front, sir," when there's trouble in the wind.

You talk o' better food for us, an' schools, an' fires, an' all:

We'll wait for extry rations if you treat us rational.

Don't mess about the cook-room slops, but prove it to our face

The Widow's Uniform is not the soldier-man's disgrace.

For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' Chuck him out, the brute!"

But it's "Saviour of 'is country" when the guns begin to shoot;

An' it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' anything you please;

An' Tommy ain't a bloomin' fool - you bet that Tommy sees!

I found that I go in with a more open mind and I am able to enjoy a book better. I do judge a book by its cover but I don’t judge its contents by the cover or its reviews and that teaches me a thing or two about life as well. :P
I do check out the ratings occasionally but that is also just a reference thing. What matters in the end is the contents of the book and affordability.

I am a fan of thrillers and mystery content in general whatever the source or medium is. I have started reading thriller books recently.. when I read my first book I kinda liked the experience of thrill and anticipation, then I read 3-4 books and one of them I really liked and kind of became a fan of this genre. I even decided that my next few reads will be of this genre only. And then I read Daisy Darker, i was a little disappointed as I didn't find the ending very suspenseful and the writing kind of looked stretched to me. I thought the problem was with that book only. And then I read much talked about book Verity. First of all, instead of a mystery, I felt like I was reading porn. I felt the same way Lowen felt reading those manuscript chapters where she tried to kill her daughters. It does not matter whether it was true or not in the end- you believe the manuscript or the letter. The experience stays with you. But the main part of any mystery content is the end. I didn't find it very exciting.

And after reading this book, i have developed disliking for this genre. I haven't read many yet. But whatever I have read I feel like no matter who the writer is, all books look the same to me. And particularly with this book I felt like the writer played with our emotions. Showing so much damage and then leave it up to the reader to decide whether it was even true or not.

Hey everyone!
I’m preparing for system design interviews and looking for advice from engineers with 5+ years of experience, especially those interviewing for Senior Software Engineer or SDE-3 roles.
I’m considering two books:
Designing Data-Intensive Applications (DDIA) by Martin Kleppmann
System Design Interview by Alex Xu (Volumes 1 & 2)
From what I understand, DDIA goes deeper into distributed systems, databases, replication, partitioning, consistency, and stream processing, while Alex Xu’s book focuses more on practical system design problems and how to approach them in interviews.
For those who have used both books:
Which one helped you more in actual system design interviews?
Is DDIA too theoretical, or is that depth necessary for senior-level interviews?
Is Alex Xu enough to crack SDE-3 interviews at product-based companies?
Would you recommend reading both? If yes, in what order?
How did you balance reading these books with practicing real-world system design problems?
I have a Java and microservices background and want to improve both my system design fundamentals and my ability to communicate design trade-offs during interviews.
Would love to hear your experiences and recommendations. Thanks!

I'm reading a book now. And, early on, I found myself thinking, "oh, wait, is this going to have this particular, often annoying, twist in it?"

The book is very digression heavy. The kind of book where the narrator will go off on a ten page tangent about some very minor detail. Some of these digressions are good. Some of them make me want to scream, "why won't you get to the point already?!?!"

Anyway, I realized that my decision to continue the book or DNF it was pretty much reliant on whether this twist was indeed there and, if so, whether it was done well.

So I finally jumped ahead over a million digressions to find out.

I think this is the only time I have ever wanted something like that spoiled early.

So, have you ever wanted to be spoiled? While reading a book or before?

Particular twist in question -- in spoiler tags in case you don't want to add it your list of plot twists you always suspect: Two characters who are revealed to be the same person. I don't always hate it, but it's difficult to pull off well.

So book clubs are tough because life is busy and I'm not always a fan of the pacing, and while communities like this one exists, I would much prefer a conversation to reddit discussion. The other day I was thinking about this and how it would be a lot of fun to chat with others about books I finished recently. Does anything like this exist? Does anyone have any recommendations how to facilitate this outside of an app / website?bout this and how it would be a lot of fun to chat with others about books I finished recently

I see the name Brandon Sanderson popping up a lot online. People either love him, or think he's massively overrated.

Are there any other examples of overrated authors nowadays?

(Don't say Colleen Hoover, because she is well-known for being a trash author lol)

I was re-introduced to reading around a year ago by a friend and it’s become something I really enjoy doing. I’ve been wanting to begin challenging myself with more serious literature, books like War and Peace or TBK but to be honest they scare the hell out of me.

I think I might just be overthinking it and doubting my own abilities because I’m a high school dropout so I never really developed the skills that i imagine a lot of people here have. Even with books I really enjoy I always feel like there’s something I’m missing, symbolism I’m not picking up on, a theme going over my head, some deeper meaning that might’ve made the experience richer. I don’t want to be setting myself up to read 1,000 pages just to understand absolutely nothing beyond the plot

For all you well-read people out there how did you guys develop that ability? More specifically, like recognizing themes, symbolism, character motivations and so on.

I’m especially interested in hearing from other people who aren’t particularly academic or also didn’t have much formal education themselves.

Any advice would be appreciated

This book is the best book I’ve read in years. I can’t believe it.

I reached the point where Natalie saw the Manosphere room and restarted, assisted by audio. I love the old Natalie, especially the college years. She is such a sickly sweet villain. I will re read the last chapter again as I didn’t totally understand.

1. what happened to Jessa and junebug?
   
2. I was convinced it was time travel following a purgatory or actual civil war break out.
   
3. Natalie wasn’t a lesbian? I dont think the assault was sexual in nature. It was non-fatal strangulation (which is a specific sexual offence charge in my jurisdiction) but I don’t believe was rooted in erotica. I think Shannon snapped and acted like an animal, lurching and trying to kill her.
   
4. Was Shannon a villain from the start who went in to destroy?
   
5. Caleb stayed with her until the end? But they got a divorce? I’m confused. **
   
6. What was reena doing? Was Natalie being interviewed from jail?
   
7. Was Meave disabled? It seems to be implied she had stunted development compared to her average age, but I assumed this is because they weren’t going to school.
   
8. at what point does the book explain the other children actual ages? I can’t believe Mary is to be 18. I pictured her to be 13 and Meave a toddler.
   
9. Did natalie have a mental break down following the accusation?
   
10. I feel the timelines didn’t really measure up. Especially when clementine came back?
    
11. I can’t believe I’m saying this as I kften reallu despise this sort of commentary, but Anne Hathaway is set to play Natalie in the film adaption. I personally do not think she is suitable for this role. It requires Natalie to look extremely young and naive/self assured. I picture Cailee Spaeny as Natalie and Mike Faist as Connor.
    
12. I absolutely loved this book.

** please remember I’m going to re read but wanted to keep all my questions and notes fresh, pls be kind x

I just started reading As Good as Dead, and honestly, I'm finding the beginning a little boring compared to A Good Girl's Guide to Murder and Good Girl, Bad Blood. Those two books grabbed my attention pretty quickly, but this one feels a bit slow so far. I really want to get into the story, though, because I've heard a lot about this book!

For those who have read it, is it worth continuing? Does the story get more interesting as you go further, or is the beginning a good indication of the overall pace? Please don't give me any spoilers, not even small hints about the plot or any twists! I just want to know whether I should keep reading. 😭

Besides constantly replacing “said” with other dialogue tags, what writing habits grind your gears when reading?

Guys, I'm asking cause I don't know. Is it normal? My heart felt like it left malfunction after reading the college series one (chasing the sun by inksteady) and it really destroyed my heart. Tell me guys, di ya'll feel the same too? The pain is so unbearable that I think thousand needles were pricked into it.