I’d love someone to discuss the book with while I read, and it also helps a lot with motivation.
I’m currently on chapter 10, the person I was reading it with dnf’d 😭
Feel free to dm me as well :)
So I listened to my first full audiobook 🎉
It was a novella (Murderbot Diaries #3) and I really enjoyed it. I found the narrator really brought the humour to life and it made my walks and commutes more enjoyable.
The Issues + Questions:
It is extremely challenging for me to focus on audiobooks (at least in comparison to reading) and I’m often having to bring my attention back, especially if I’m just sitting on the train and staring out the window. It seems on days that I’m tired it’s even more difficult. I do enjoy a challenge though so this doesn’t bother me and it doesn’t take the fun away.
This is to the point where I’m fairly sure I missed at least 15% of the plot. My brain is good at working with context though so this didn’t negatively impact my experience almost much, but it did bother me a little after I finished. I see some people mention over time getting better at listening to audiobooks, what does this mean and how does it work?
I have ADHD and I suspect a mild auditory processing disorder at this point. I see a lot of people recommend speeding it up, but if I go past 1.25x speed it’s almost inaudible for me - I’m just hearing sounds instead of words.
I also tried previews of graphic/fully dramatised audiobooks and this weird thing happened where because of the background music I couldn’t hear the narration legibly at all.
Also what’s the immersion like for you? I find that it’s a much more shallow immersion with audiobooks compared to print books.
Other notes:
It was enjoyable though and I do want to continue so I’m starting Dungeon Crawler Carl next.
I’m finding that audiobooks are a great format for books that are lower on my tbr, as with print books, I need to be in the perfect mood and ‘feel like’ that book in order to actually read it. But for audiobooks this isn’t the case at all and it feels like I can be engaged in anything given the narrator/book itself is engaging.
Sorry if this was rambly, I’d really appreciate any thoughts, tips or advice :) I bolded all the questions as a tldr;
I will have 3 free audible credits soon and so starting to think about which audiobooks to grab. I've never been able to successfully get through one but I love to read and there are some audiobooks like Project Hail Mary that I've heard great things about.
I read fantasy, scifi, literary fiction, historical fiction and classics so any recommendations across these genres would be great :)
I don't really know what would help with not zoning out, but this is the main part of my request
Not sure if this is relevant but I read a lot and can get lost in a book for hours and have it play in my head like a movie.
as in you can link your bank cards and get concession fares on them
here is more info: https://transportnsw.info/tickets-fares/contactless-payments/contactless-concessions
idk if ppl already knew this but I just found out yesterday, it’s been available since 20/05/26
now I won’t have low balance errors when I tap for public transport 🙏
I just read This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone, (a sapphic scifi enemies to lovers) and it was so beautiful and the most romantic book I’ve ever read. If you’re okay with complex prose, I’d really recommend giving this a go!
I’m by no means looking for a book of similar nature (this one with its epistolary format and lyrical, complex prose is very unique) but I’d pretty much just like any book where the love feels like larger than life.
I’m open to any genre at all (even if it’s not romance) :)
I’ve heard something that may match this request, but is not sapphic, is The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller so perhaps this will help contextualise it as I imagine a lot of people have read this one
Any spice level is chill but I’d prefer there be no bdsm or large age gap :)
I just read This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone (a sapphic scifi) and it was so beautiful and the most romantic book I’ve ever read.
I’m by no means looking for a book of similar nature (this one with its epistolary format and lyrical, complex prose is very unique) but I’d pretty much just like any book where the love feels like larger than life.
I’m open to any genre at all (even if it’s not romance) :)
I’ve heard something that may match this request is The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller so perhaps this will help.
If there is a non-queer book that fits this and you think it’s absolutely stellar and it minimises gender roles and dynamics, then feel free to recommend that as well
I just read This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone, (a sapphic scifi enemies to lovers) and it was so beautiful and the most romantic book I’ve ever read. I cried for the entire 2nd half of the book [it is not a sad book] and is shaping up to be THE all time fav for me, if you’re okay with complex prose, I would heavily recommend giving this a go.
I’m by no means looking for a book of similar nature (this one with its epistolary format and lyrical, complex prose is very unique) but I’d pretty much just like any book where the love feels like larger than life.
I’m open to any genre at all (even if it’s not romance) :)
I’ve heard something that may match this request is The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller so perhaps this will help.
Pretty much what the title says. I’d be okay with something that has like max 2 explicit scenes. Characters having sex but it being closed door is fine too :)
Anything where it’s truly enemies to lovers (and NOT enemies to fuckbuddies to lovers or enemies to friends to lovers) would be awesome.
Otherwise, please give me some of your best intense enemies to lovers recs!
Would prefer it to not be a Dark Romance, but dark settings/atmosphere are welcome.
I’d still like something where the yearning/chemistry/passion etc. is dripping off the page. If it is subtle, I probably will not be able to pick up on it and I will get bored 😭
I’ve not read many before. I’ve tried Snowball Effect by Haley Cass and find it much too slow for my tastes, and the romance was quite lacklustre for me. I couldn’t really sense the attraction (I dnf’d at 300 pages) which was too subtle for me (I’m autistic and aroace lol)
Any genre/setting is fine as long as its mainly a romance :)
Pretty much what the title says. I’d be okay with something that has like max 2 explicit scenes. Characters having sex but it being closed door is fine too :)
Anything where it’s truly enemies to lovers (and NOT enemies to fuckbuddies to lovers or enemies to friends to lovers) would be awesome.
Otherwise, please give me some of your best intense enemies to lovers recs!
Would prefer it to not be a Dark Romance, but dark settings/atmosphere are welcome.
I’d still like something where the yearning/chemistry/passion etc. is dripping off the page. If it is subtle, I probably will not be able to pick up on it and I will get bored 😭
I’ve not read many before. I’ve tried Snowball Effect by Haley Cass and find it much too slow for my tastes, and the romance was quite lacklustre for me. I couldn’t really sense the attraction (I dnf’d at 300 pages) which felt rather surface level to me.
Specs:
Current - SURFACE PRO 8 - intel i7/16GB/1TB
Potential Upgrade - Microsoft Surface Pro (1st Edition) 12-inch Snapdragon X Plus (8 Core)/16GB/256GB SSD
I won’t be needing the space hence the space downsize. My surface pro 8 is still working relatively fine. The upgrade would cost me roughly $200 (USD) due to a product insurance thing.
I’m a computer science student and this is my secondary laptop, so I’d like to be able to use it for most things I’m working on while I’m travelling (I have an intel windows PC for at home). I will probably only go as far as putting WSL on it.
There’s no real complaints about my old one other than that it’s a little slow. Only looking at upgrading now as the deadline for the $200 thing is next week.
One of my necessary uses is connecting it to an external display (I also teach).
Only asking as I’m unsure about the snapdragon processor as I’ve never used one and research is telling me mixed things.
By 'equal' to each other I mean no 'submissive' mc1 and 'dominant' mc2, or mc1 is masculine and mc2 is smaller and more 'feminine' - I'd like things to be as egalitarian as possible (within the relationship). I like couples that are vers and having one with this specific trope would be really cool but not necessary. I would prefer that the character on the receiving end of the humiliation isn't submissive at all tbh. Also don't mind both characters doing this/switching.
I don't mind if there are other kinks but I don't enjoy reading formal bdsm.
Some examples that match my request
{EWB by N.R. Walker}
{For The Fans by Nyla K}
{The Long Game by Rachel Reid} - to a mild extent but I think it technically still works because Ilya calls Shane a 'slut' a few times (in bed)
Kinks I'd like to avoid:
- daddy kink
- feminisation
Setting wise and other genre wise I don't really mind what it is, also if you have recs that you found kinky in general but without the BDSM structure I'd be interested as well (just let me know) - I just feel like there aren't a lot of these.
Also, bonus if the person on the receiving end of the humiliation either pretends they don't like it or they don't like it but it turns them on or like they're still lowkey fighting (words-wise) in bed while this happens (I am a fan of enemies to lovers).
Romance books preferred but erotica is good too
Edit: I read the rules and saw that it'd be helpful if I defined what BDSM means to me, I'm not sure if there's any more detail I can go into other than the below
What I mean by BDSM:
- a formalised dom/sub dynamic or structure in the relationship whether that's in general or only in the bedroom
- mc1 (a dom) expects absolute obedience from mc2 (a sub), mc2 knows this and will comply and/or will not comply knowing there will be consequences. mc2 doesn't usually get a say in what they do in the bedroom.
- when the 'sub' refers to the 'dom' as 'sir' or some other formalised title
- I'd like to emphasise that to me it foremost means formal structure. e.g. EWB does have >!Valentine being obedient to Marshall somewhat, but imo it's very different than the typical dom/sub dynamic and Valentine was the one who initiated pretty much everything and at the start of their arrangement he is the one telling Marshall what he wants/what they can do!<
Things that may be seen as 'bdsm' but I don't personally think is on it's own (without the above):
- sadism/masochism (I guess if it were a dark romance this would make sense? or playful spanking or something)
- aftercare (imo this should happen always even in vanilla sex)
- bondage (i.e. someone is tied up. Again, could be a very casual thing)
If you want some examples of kinky but not formal BDSM, Lily Mayne's short stories, especially between Moth and Charlie do this extremely well.
Ironic but I made a typo in the title, should be *has not had
My dad has always struggled with writing especially, and reading somewhat, for as long as I can remember he'll always ask me to look over his texts to his supervisors at work (he works a physical labour job) before he sends them. He will mix up words like 'when' and 'went' repeatedly despite knowing it's an issue.
He's always just thought he's bad at english because he immigrated here (australia) when he was younger (I think he was like 7 years old or something), but he can't read or write in vietnamese (his native language) at all. He speaks English perfectly fine, and he reads it normally as well (I think?), he doesn't love it though and has always asked me to do things like read instruction manuals for the new things we buy.
The reason I suspect this is a few things, firstly that neurodivergence runs in the family, both my younger brother and I are AuDHD but high-functioning, and my Aunt (his younger sister) is also on the spectrum (also extremely high-functioning). I know how much of an overlap there is between these things.
My dad is like pretty smart, I don't know how to describe this but like it's definitely where I got my brains from and we have similar thinking patterns, the only person in my household (and for most of my life until I went onto university and am surrounded by people who will one day work at quant trading firms) who can compete with me in strategy games is my dad, and he's a fast learner in general and very good at maths. So it feels out of place for him to struggle with writing so much.
We're not in a financial position for an official diagnosis and I don't think it'd help that much either (work accomodations aren't relevant for him) so what are some other things that help at this stage in life? Is it just things like assistive technology? I did glance at the resources linked but I'm wondering if there's something I might be missing.
Would appreciate any help and advice! I also haven't brought the dyslexia thing up to him yet either, he's a tad old fashioned and I'm obviously not someone who can diagnose officially. So if it were just things like software and apps I could show him on his devices, do you think there is even any need to?
P.S. I'm sorry for writing so much 😞
Looking to start this within the next month (super flexible on starting time). It’s up to 900 pages and is a classic so I imagine it’ll be difficult to get through so I think having someone to read with will really help motivate me!
I also enjoying doing in-depth analysis but this isn’t really a must and would be happy to just chat about the book :)
Would also be down to do future classics/literary buddy reads if that’s something you’re interested in.
I want to read David Copperfield because I’d like to have the context for when I read Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingslover (a re-imagining)
Feel free to comment or dm!
Hi!!
I'm interested in finding someone to read classics with, partly to help motivate me get through them but mainly because I really enjoy in-depth critical analysis of literature and would love to discuss with someone (like I almost miss all the essays I used to write)
I'm pretty open to what we read but I tend to be more interested in books that are more thought provoking and are interesting in some way (like 'slice of life' style classics seem very boring to me, e.g. I've tried Austen, Charlotte Bronte and Dickens several times but none have worked for me).
Some of my fav classics are Stoner by John Williams (reading experience) and 1984 by George Orwell (messages and analysis).
Although I am wanting to read David Copperfield by Dickens only because I really want to read Barbara Kingslover's reimagination of it in particular, and I want to have the original as a perspective when I go into it, but other than that I'm pretty open. I do also have a list but I don't want it to influence this post because it's not strict.
feel free to dm as well
*disclaimer I am not an extremely well read classics reader and have only read roughly 20-30 in my life, I'm also currently getting back into reading classics after a long break from reading for a few years but I am getting back into it because of how much I enjoy thought-provoking books and analysing them
Hi!!
I'm interested in a a book buddy to read classics with, partly to help motivate me get through them but mainly because I really enjoy in-depth critical analysis of literature and would love to do so with someone (like I almost miss all the essays I used to write)
I'm pretty open to what we read but I tend to be more interested in books that are more thought provoking and are interesting in some way (like 'slice of life' style classics seem very boring to me, e.g. I've tried Austen, Charlotte Bronte and Dickens several times but none have worked for me).
Some of my fav classics are Stoner by John Williams (reading experience) and 1984 by George Orwell (messages and analysis).
Although I am wanting to read David Copperfield by Dickens only because I really want to read Barbara Kingslover's reimagination of it in particular, and I want to have the original as a perspective when I go into it, but other than that I'm pretty open. I do also have a list but I don't want it to influence this post because it's not strict.
feel free to dm as well
*disclaimer I am not an extremely well read classics reader and have only read roughly 20-30 in my life, I'm also currently getting back into reading classics after a long break from reading for a few years but I am getting back into it because of how much I enjoy thought-provoking books and analysing them
Hello I have a Kobo Clara BW and would like to be able to do the following things on it, and am wondering if any are possible and convenient once set up with Calibre:
I also use a mac if that is relevant.
My Kobo is currently just sitting in a corner right now because I only purchased it for Kobo Plus and Libby books, but if I can't export my annotations (with proper information provided) it's kind of pointless for me. I heard that Calibre may be able to do some of the above things? Would really appreciate the help.
So I just read The Secret History by Donna Tartt and I am heart broken for several reasons, and nothing helps the way a romance with a HEA does.
BUT I think I want some angst, like the same way The Secret History does angst, like between Richard and Henry, Richard and Francis, Francis and Charles 😭
Like I want messy interpersonal relationship angst with a lot of depth and feelings (if it’s shallow or surface level writing I will probably clock it) but then I’ll be happy at the end because of a HEA.
Here is a quote to exemplify the vibes/messiness, I don’t want exactly this scenario or anything:
“well, basically, he likes girls. If he’s drunk, I’ll do. But—just when I’ve managed to harden my heart, he’ll turn around and be so sweet. I always fall for it. I don’t know why.”
I don’t mind spice levels, any are fine.
Things to avoid:
- dark romances where I’m expected to be happy for a toxic ending
- age gaps (10 yr +)
- SA between MCs
- obvious heteronormative mapping onto the 2 characters (clear “feminine” role character and “masculine” role character)
If it’s kinky pls tell me the kinks.
The Secret History made me happy (for short moments) then broke my heart. I’d like the opposite now - for a book break my heart first/be super emotional and then make me really happy at the end.
Would appreciate any help 🙏
*wlw romances, forgot to add to title
Sorry I know it’s probably been asked a million times - I did search through the post history and saw things like Tryst Six Venom and House of Crimson Hearts being recommended then saw in other posts they were Dark Romance.
So specifically:
- wlw
- not a dark romance, otherwise I don’t really mind what genre/setting it is e.g. contemporary, fantasy, scifi, historical etc. My understanding of dark romance is that it’s a toxic relationship (and the toxicity isn’t condemned)
- primary genre to be romance regardless of setting i.e. main plot is the romance, there is a HEA.
- I like the trope where they’re not in touch with their feelings
- explicit and plentiful spice rating
- relatively well written
I enjoyed mistakes were made and the spice levels in that was perfect for me. I also enjoyed how sweet they were to each other in the end. I generally don’t like huge age gaps though and almost struggled to get past this.
I tried Snowball Effect by Hayley Cass and I dnf’d it at around 50%. I just couldn’t see the chemistry between the characters and there wasn’t enough like blatant attraction for me. and I got bored. It’s a little boring to me when the characters know exactly how they feel and act on this maturely (great irl tho) and they go from genuine dislike and nothing else -> friends -> lovers
Otherwise I’m completely new to wlw romance so please recommend your best :)
please dm or comment if you’re interested :)
I’m looking to start in like 2 days maybe, would also be very casual like no strict reading timelines or anything. Just want someone to discuss the book with!!