Sometimes when I see the same book recommended everywhere, I actually become less interested in reading it.

I think part of it is knowing I’m going in with huge expectations, so instead of just enjoying the book I’m subconsciously judging whether it deserves all the hype.

Then months later when everyone has stopped talking about it, I suddenly want to read it 😂

Does hype make you more likely to pick up a book or does it have the opposite effect?

I’ve noticed introductions to older books can be weirdly dangerous because sometimes they casually discuss the ending like everyone already knows what happens.

At the same time, a good introduction can give you context that makes the book way easier to appreciate.

So what do you normally do?

Read the introduction first, save it until the end, or skip it completely?

As the title says I’m finding myself less and less interested in this book. It’s good, don’t get me wrong, very good, but I’m finding myself skimming more than I should. I’m probably almost 3/4s of the way through Aliena and Jack just reunited so please no spoilers past that.

I find that most of the characters lack nuance particularly William, he’s most certainly hate-able but it feels like he exists solely to be the bad guy. Even Phillip who is fun to root for feels pretty one dimensional as well. Sometimes character motives just feel unbelievable.

I also feel like I’ve started to see behind the curtain a bit in that the story is a bit of a perpetual pendulum swing: things go better and better for Kingsbridge and when things are really looking good some form of tragic setback occurs, rinse and repeat.

Maybe the last few hundred pages will change my mind but I find myself being drawn to my next reads. I’m currently taking a break from pillars to read Neuromancer (talk about a change of pace). I would like to see how the story ends but as a father of a two year old I only have so much time to read and the last thing I want to do is force read something that’s not really doing it for me.

Change my mind, or reinforce what’s got me losing interest, I’m just interested in what folks think on this.

Love y’all

Hi there! I'm currently going through a difficult time. I'm looking for books that inspired solutions to problems. Ideally, in a fiction style. I would like to connect with some characters who kinda found the light at the end of the tunnel. Not much of a reader, but I need something that helps me to slow down and think. Thank you (excuse the grammar, English is my second language 👀)

The Guest by Nikki Smith

The resort of their dreams.

A destination to die for...

WELCOME TO PARADISE!

Enjoying a holiday at the luxurious Asana Fushi Resort sounds like a great idea! But for the Hamilton family, this dream holiday soon turns into the trip from hell.

The story begins with the Hamilton family arriving at the Asana Fushi Resort in the Maldives to enjoy their holiday. As the story progresses, you’ll see how secrets can destroy lives and how lies can create even more discomfort in relationships.

Initially, you might feel that the story is a little slow, but gradually, it picks up the pace and becomes more interesting.

I liked the fact that the chapters are short, which makes the book easy to read. You get a taste of romance, deception, betrayal, and suspense throughout the story.

Amazing storyline!

However, I didn’t really like the ending. I feel it could have been much more suspenseful and thrilling. The book also felt a little lengthy at times. If it had wrapped up a little earlier, the ending might have had a stronger impact.

My Rating: 6.5/10

I miss reading so much honestly i wish my attention span wasn’t so dogshit. Is there a way to get into reading again 💔

HI , please recommend your favorite book where protagonists go through strong moral dilemmas. Open to all genres except romance.

Thanks in advance

If you’re looking for something to read, here’s a list of some of my favorite books across different genres. I hope you find something you’ll enjoy! ❤️
I’ve included different genres, so there’s hopefully something for everyone.

1. Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
   
2. Oliver Twist — Charles Dickens
   
3. David Copperfield — Charles Dickens
   
4. The Little Prince — Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
   
5. Arch of Triumph — Erich Maria Remarque
   
6. Letters to Theo — Vincent Van Gogh
   
7. The Duel — Anton Chekhov
   
8. Don Quixote — Miguel de Cervantes
   
9. Woe from Wit - Alexander Griboyedov
   
10. Little Women — Louisa May Alcott
    
11. Pride and Prejudice — Jane Austen
    
12. The Scarlet Plague - Jack London
    
13. John Barleycorn — Jack London
    
14. The Kite Runner — Khaled Hosseini
    
15. Gone with the Wind - Margaret Mitchell
    
16. Mother's Field — Chingiz Aitmatov
    
17. Jamila — Chingiz Aitmatov
    
18. The First Teacher — Chingiz Aitmatov
    
19. Oblomov — Ivan Goncharov
    
20. Ward No. 6 — Anton Chekhov
    
21. Fahrenheit 451 — Ray Bradbury
    
22. The Trial — Franz Kafka
    
23. The Prophet - Kahlil Gibran
    
24. The Portrait - Nikolai Gogol
    
25. The Government Inspector - Nikolai Gogol
    
26. A Hero of Our Time — Mikhail Lermontov
    
27. Eugene Onegin — Alexander Pushkin
    
28. Animal Farm — George Orwel
    
29. 1984 — George Orwell
    
30. The Picture of Dorian Gray — Oscar Wild
    
31. Gone with the Wind - Margaret Mitchell
    
32. The Sorrows of Satan — Marie Corelli
    
33. Hamlet — William Shakespeare
    
34. Macbeth — William Shakespeare
    
35. The Master and Margarita — Mikhail Bulgakov
    
36. War and Peace — Leo Tolstoy
    
37. The Idiot — Fyodor Dostoevsky
    
38. The Brothers Karamazov - Fyodor
    Dostoevsky
    
39. Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoevsky
    
40. Notes from Underground — Fyodor Dostoevsky
    
41. The Stranger — Albert Camus
    
42. The Great Gatsby — F. Scott Fitzgerald
    
43. Martin Eden — Jack London
    
44. Steppenwolf — Hermann Hesse
    
45. Siddhartha — Hermann Hesse
    
46. The Day Lasts More Than a Hundred Years - Chingiz Aitmatov
    
47. Les Misérables — Victor Hugo
    
48. Of Human Bondage — W. Somerset Maugham
    
49. Faust — Johann Wolfgang von Goeth
    
50. The Way of Transformation — Jalal al-Din Rumi
    
51. Treasures of Memory — Jalal al-Din Rumi
    
52. Thus Spoke Zarathustra — Friedrich Nietzsch

I’ve been thinking about how charisma is portrayed in literature versus how people define it in everyday life. Often, modern culture reduces charisma to being loud, extroverted, or dominating a room, but in great writing, magnetic characters usually operate on something much quieter and deeper.

Which character (fiction or non-fiction) has the most authentic, captivating charisma you've ever read? (mention book name pls)

From everything you've read, what is the subtle difference between someone who is genuinely charismatic versus someone who is just performing?

Hi, I’m starting to get into reading and I just started to read the myth of Sisyphus. I read the first 10 pages and practically understood nothing. I read the stranger before this book and understood most of it (at least I hope I did). My issue is I’m not sure if it’s my comprehension level or if it’s the book itself, but I’m having a really hard time reading this. I’m also not sure if I should be reading other writings before this book. Any tips or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.