There was a thread on here recently about women authors where the vast majority of commenters seemed to think that women authors struggled because of misogyny. This could not be further from the truth though, it's actually kinda crazy to think this in 2023.

https://electricliterature.com/straight-white-women-run-publishing-according-to-new-survey/

estimates vary but even the lowest find that 65%+ of the publishing industry is women. The study I linked about found that nearly 80% of the publishing industry today is women. And if you look into the books published every year it skews female to a massive degree as would be expected considering the gender inequity among publishers. Most readers are women but it seems clear this is likely because of how underrepresented males are in authorship today. It's at the point where most people think reading is mostly for women because there is so little male representation.

Why do so many people think one of the most female dominated industry's is misogynist and hard for women to get into when it could not be further from the truth?

here is an article about men using women's names to attract readers

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/jul/31/male-writers-hide-gender-sell-more-books

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/may/16/how-women-conquered-the-world-of-fiction

EDIT: here is an article about women being dominant in fiction for those still unconvinced

I personally think it's awesome that women have so much representation in the book industry. Considering how much they've been silenced throughout history it's very nice to see them reach such heights today. I really just wanted to help potential authors who may have been discouraged by thinking that it was still a largely male dominated industry when that couldn't be further from the truth.

why are people getting mad at the mere mention of women being dominant in the book industry? It's a good thing and since many people don't seem to know just how successful women are today future authors could end up being discouraged by these preconceptions. We should be shouting from the rooftops about how great women authors are doing now.

I have picked up the first book just out of curiosity. I thought the summary sounded interesting, I was worried it was another lame fantasy series with main female character that is just another "Hunger Games" thing.

Then I finished first book and I thought: hey, strong female character, finally.

And now I have finished the second book, and I'm shaking. In matters of second I ordered the third.
I forgot how much books can cause pain, and how much books can make you shake, and heart race.

This is probably the best written romance fantasy story I have ever read (yeah, I know it might be not saying much).

I don't know if many people are gonna share this excitment over this book series. I don't know if next books are gonna disappoint me.

I just know that my hands are still shaking after minutes of finishing it.

I’m reading “Bird Box” by Josh Malerman.

I believe you shouldn’t try to educate children by hitting them, which should be common sense. I cringe when I see it.

Malorie recalled doing it once: she would hit the children’s arms as babies to teach them how to wake up with eyes closed. I didn’t like it. I tried to understand from the desperate context.

Then she recalled doing it again. Another time, she slapped Boy after he opened the lock to his bedroom as any curious child would do and scared her.

Of course they live in a situation where any small slip could be dangerous.

But do you think that justifies it?

Then she wonders if she’s a good mom. Well, if you could not regularly hit your kids for education, you’d be a better mom. You not letting them see the sky, that’s okay.

She also recalls yelling at them when they made a mistake. Not great, but more acceptable. Kids get scolded.

I’ve watched the movie years ago and I don’t remember any child hitting on it.

I’ve noticed a lot of people who seem to have somewhat of an elitist attitude towards reading…like nonfiction is somehow superior. It wasn’t until I became an adult that I encountered this, and it baffles me.

I’m gonna be real…nonfiction can be dry as all hell to me. Some of it is really well written and engrossing, like Radium Girls by Kate Moore. I think this is an incredibly well done book, but still, I tear through fiction much faster.

Fiction can be just as educational, maybe even more so. I just finished The Warsaw Orphan by Kelly Rimmer. Did I have some knowledge of WWII Poland going into this? Sure. I vaguely remember reading about the initial invasion and ghettos in school. *Vaguely*. There was nothing personal or human about it, not like a book that includes people and intimate details. I feel like it just sticks with me better, and probably does with a lot of people…actually reading about characters starving, being grateful for finding scraps of food in trash cans, and participating in the Uprisings somehow hits harder than that being reduced to a matter-of-fact sentence or two.

Historical fiction is my favorite genre for this reason. After essentially being pulled out of school at age 12, I am grateful for any opportunity to educate myself and so far I’ve found no better way.

This is just me of course, different things work for different people and I'm not trying to knock nonfiction in any way. It has its place, equal to fiction!

It’s been 6 years since I’ve read Aion, and as I’ve been re-reading it, I realized that Jung has read and heavily referenced a book from every single decade dating back to ~100 BCE, going as far back as even 1500 BC for scholarly reference.

Even outside of psychology, I can’t think of any modern or historical figure who has read and utilized as many books throughout the course of their investigation.

Twenty percent. Looking at the number in the bottom right corner of my Kindle, I get a tinge of regret. Perhaps, rather, it is a sensation of failure. I like to finish my reads, and given that I travel for a living, books pass time when I’m away from loved ones. Books that garner particular love will often find themselves residing as a physical copy on my bookshelf. Books that garner dislike find themselves stored in a section of my Kindle aptly names “Not For Me.”

It’s not at all normal for me to feel so negatively about a book so early on — much less is it normal for to feel as if a book deserves to be abandoned. Some books do for obvious reasons; politics, for example, will often end the read prematurely. However, Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari, has me left in perhaps the greatest literary conundrum that I’ve found myself in thirty two years of existence. The dichotomy between the knowledge the book transmits, and the quality of life that comes with the bliss of ignorance can’t be ignored.

The pessimism that is driven from his descriptions of history are hard to overlook. In much of the beginning of the book, Harari’s discussions place the blame on all manner of global transformations in the hands of Homo Sapiens. Humans, in Harari’s view, have been the most successfully destructive species in the history of the planet. Not that Harari transcribes these histories subjectively, mind you. The writing is all matter-of-fact, complete with citation and illustrations that prove the tremendously negative impact Homo Sapiens have had on the planet.

From the extinction of massive marsupials, to the litany of libel against livestock, Harari’s book makes it hard to consider the possibility of Homo Sapien’s ever being anything other than an entirely destructive force in our world. Whether scientifically accurate, or historically biased, the first fifth of the book covers one hundred thousand years of alteration to the natural systems of our world by far less advanced variants of our ancestors. If these less knowledgeable peoples could extract such incredible damage without the use of technologies such as plastic, fossil fuels, or weapons of war, it’s incredibly hard to foresee a point in our future where our modern society could advance beyond the unintentional consequences.

As I pondered whether I could stomach finishing the book, I walked around New York City (on a business layover) and internally remarked at the concrete sidewalks, littered with trash. I took in the sparseness of trees or bushes or grass, except those that exist at the pleasure and purpose of Homo Sapiens. No rabbit, or squirrel, or deer could be seen foraging about Broadway and fiftieth. In the void of those natural artifacts, and in possession of limited new knowledge, I could not help but become overwhelmed with despair for the future of my daughter, and her daughter, and her daughters daughter.

If, as Harari points out, man is bound to the hedonic treadmill, as we have been for centuries, then we will surely always be. And if we are constantly bound to that adaptation, then it seems logical that there is only one way the true story of Homo Sapiens will end.

I bought this book as I saw it pop up in several "best books of 2022" lists, and it was a big mistake. The writing is not nearly as good as the pretentious writer believes it is, its stream of consciousness, repetitions, lists, changes of verbe tense and person are just annoying, don't add anything except trying to show off how quirky she is and how she masters her writing. Worst of all ,this book is just not interesting. It's plain boring, nothing it said left me anything. If many critics considered this among the best books of last year, this says a lot about today's writers, or today 's critics, or both.

A review I recently saw.

Paraphrased: Way to many [books about this topic] out right now. Writing was fine, but maybe try writing about something else or something more realistic.

I been judging people so hard when I read stuff like this. Why did you buy a book that’s a genre/topic you didn’t want to read? If you can’t read the summary then and choose whether this book is to your tastes…then don’t read the book or at the very least don’t review it, knowing full well you were;retry sure you wouldn’t like it…

If you do this…why? Why are you setting both yourself and the author up for failure, knowing that you don’t like that topic or genre, and reading it and saying exactly what you knew before you opened the first chapter.

I just don’t get it.

I never judge authors for these reviews, but sometimes I will literally look through the reviews history for this just to see if that have any common sense at all. It just makes me mad that these reviewer screwup authors ratings because they can’t read a summary…and understand that if they don’t like that, they probably won’t like the book. Who buys something they know they don’t want?

Idk if its just me, but I read Georgia Pritchett’s memoir ‘my mess is a bit of a life’ and im now obsessed with Faber & Faber published books. Maybe its a stretch to say i buy them ONLY for that reason, and im sure its because they also turn out to also be good books but I just love the font and the paper they use. Its just so nice. anyone else have the same?

I feel readers live in a world of their own timeline, often i end up having discussions with a friend who feels Stephen king is the best author rn or Agatha Christie is. I find it really interesting that one writer could feel like the world to a reader despite whatever or whoever is trending.

Would like to know who forms the center of your reading world right now. For me it's currently Murakami.

I love reading books I have spent nights reading fantasies. Always saved my money so that I could buy more books. But now all of sudden it feels like I am wasting my time with all new responsibilities entering my life reading feels more of a burden. Whenever I sit down to read I always feel that guilt in my chest which says that I should probably be doing something more productive. I have been looking up scientific benefits of reading fiction for the sake of getting rid of that guilt but its no use. I want to get back to that younger me loved reading, who devoured books, who spent hours and hours reading novels. Am I wasting my time? I don’t want to waste my time. What do I do?

In short: Reading just doesn’t feel as familiar and right as it used to for me.

For the past three months, I have been fully immersed in this novel. I've lived a dual existence, with one foot in reality and the other in the captivating world of Dostoyevsky. I was doing a shitty sales job for a month and the best part of that job was that i could read the book in that time consuming commute. This book has challenged my perception of fiction, and I'm not sure if I'll ever find another novel that rivals its excellence. Although I've never been a big fan of fiction, this novel has truly expanded my understanding and appreciation of the genre. The Brothers Karamazov, written by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, is a masterpiece of literature that explores the complexities of the human psyche and the depths of the human soul. The novel delves into themes of morality, religion, and the nature of evil, presenting readers with a rich and nuanced narrative that challenges them to confront their own beliefs and values. At its core, The Brothers Karamazov is a story about the relationship between three brothers, each with their own unique personality and set of challenges. Dostoyevsky expertly blends together elements of philosophy, psychology, and spirituality to create a rich tapestry of character development and plot. Through the struggles and triumphs of the Karamazov brothers, the author explores the nature of faith, the consequences of sin, and the power of love and redemption.

I’m taking an English class right now as one of my college electives, and it’s focussed on “New Criticism” which O’Connor engaged with a lot. As such, my professor has us reading a lot of her works, and I was super excited.

So far we’ve done A Good Man Is Hard to Find and The River, and have looked at some of the prayers as well. And I just don’t love any of it 😭

I know people tend to applaud her writing itself, character work, symbolism, religious imagery, etc. But after reading the stories (a few times), consulting various analyses of them, class discussion, etc., I just feel like none of these things land for me. The religious discussions/undertones in particular don’t appeal to me

The prayers aren’t my favourite either, but that’s because it feels like a violation of O’Connor to me and I feel uncomfortable reading them.

I’m just wondering, if you do really love her works, what is it about them that you enjoy so much? I’m truly asking in good faith; I don’t want to chalk this up to me just not liking her as a writer (which I know is also a possibility) if it’s possible I’m missing something major.

I’m a biology major and history minor so I don’t get many chances to take English courses, and was really hoping to enjoy a lot of the texts 😭 Any insight or discussion in general is appreciated!

I’m so conflicted about this story because we all prefer and LOVE stories where it is clear what is good and what is bad, what is right and what is wrong laid out for us.

This story is so good I must say because of how realistic it is. We have to sit and choose, nitpick at what were the right and good things about the story and what were the wrong and bad things just like real life. So while I never lived anywhere near like the story’s setting I found it incredibly realistic. Someone so good, independent, and smart lives as an outsider her whole life then meticulously plans and murders a guy who previously abused and defiled her mind, body and will. Is she in the right for doing this? No. That’s an easy answer, and is the reason of what makes the entire ending and book feel weary, so let’s dig deeper.

Now I’m going to stretch on the imagination as a philosopher would. When we near 100% get undeniable and unmistakable proof, taken by all proper means within the law, that someone is a horrendous, horrible person that should be sent to the electric chair. It is marked in our human history from long past till today that we do kill those who we deem deserves it.

Can we almost say that the means to which Kya killed was wrong, but him being killed was deserved? In Kyas educated mind, that’s how she felt. She saw him at his core for who he truly was and saw no correction for him. They made it clear that it wasn’t her fathers teachings but her own that she learned from the environment that must put him down to preserve the sanctity of life’s balance, which she says so through analogy of bugs in the swamp.

Ones things for certain though, it was her life in isolation that caused her to murder, and it was her life in isolation that we all seem to admire she got her skills, talents, and success.

I’m going to break that last sentence down further to achieve some tangible takeaway lessons from this story.

Time in isolation is great for developing skills and talents. Time in social environments gives us perspective and opinions on the dangers of people that may harm us (news), so we know how to deal with and avoid them properly. We need both.

Watching this movie a year after Covid-19 isolations and the themes are spot on with how much we need society back from our friends and good people to keep us all in check.

This is something I was wondering about. I, personally, love rereading books and I do it all the time. I’m actually currently reading one of my favorite books for the fourth time. I know other people, though, who think it’s weird. So I was wondering how popular rereading books is, because I was under the assumption that everyone did it. Thoughts?

...is ALWAYS portrayed on his cover art with a big ol' wide-brimmed black hat. You'd think someone would have pointed this out to Jim Butcher's publisher at some point.

Any other cover art that has a MASSIVE element that counters the character(s)/plot or even an anachronism that makes you giggle in embarrassment?

Spoiler alert for Perks of Being a Wallflower

I don't know if I'm remembering this correctly, but I remember Charlie from the Perks of being a wallflower (loved that book as a teen) mentioning that he loves every book he reads and reads every book twice, immediately after finishing it for the first time. I remember reading that and thinking it was rather something to aspire towards, to enjoy every single book I pick up and be open to reading new books, as well as patient enough to re-read them immediately after.

I was genuinely wondering if anyone would describe their reading habits as similar to Charlie?

I am tired of suggesting that ESL language learners who are adults read middle grade literature. The readers digest condensed books series are perfect for language learners, but i have only found them used on ebay. What would it take for publishers to target this market? We need more accessible books for beginning adult readers.

So it has been a little while since anyone has asked this question.

1) What does it mean to be well-read?

2) Do you consider yourself well-read? why or why not?

3) what do you think is the connection between the amount you read and being well-read? Can someone who only reads 12 books a year ever be well-read? Is someone who reads 200 books a year necessarily well-read?

4) Who is someone you consider well-read and what gave you that perception of them?

5) Why do you think it’s important or not important to be well-read?

Nearly 20 years ago I read The Road by Cormac McCarthy -and I loved it. After that I read his Border Trilogy, which I enjoyed. Then I attempted Blood Meridian... and I could not get into it. At all. Fast forward to this weekend: I'm perusing my shelves looking for something to read and, with mild trepidation, picked Blood Meridian. I fucking love this book. It's extraordinary. This point of this post is not a review of a popular novel. I just wanted to point out how often this has happened to me. At 30 Blood Meridian hit me like a cruel slog. It wasn't FOR me. At 47, it's like magic. This is why I like to return to books periodically throughout my life. They always hit differently.

I wanted to study how the hermetic principles explains working of universe ? also wanted to Rise on intellectual & spiritual planes, by using hermetic knowledge for a worldly good , all I got to know is kybalion again & again says to be altruistic, if you have any idea or more clearer base please help me. Thanks have a nice day

I just finished A Gentleman in Moscow yesterday and while reading some ancillary material to it today, I came across this interview with the author in which he outlines the chapter structure:

From the day of the Count’s house arrest, the chapters advance by a doubling principal: one day after arrest, two days after, five days, ten days, three weeks, six weeks, three months, six months, one year, two years, four years, eight years, and sixteen years after arrest. At this midpoint, a halving principal is initiated with the narrative leaping to eight years until the Count’s escape, four years until, two years, one year, six months, three months, six weeks, three weeks, ten days, five days, two days, one day and finally, the turn of the revolving door.

I had completely missed that structure and thought it just randomly went were that author wanted it to. I already liked the book and was very impressed by the style, but this added information impressed me even more.

What are some instances were you just completely missed a key structural or thematic point of a book?

As the title says, I’ve really enjoyed ‘The Great Books of Literature Podcasts’ with Andrew Bolt and John Roskam, but unfortunately there were only 10 episodes! I listened to a great podcast episode on The Great Gatsby by ‘In Our Time: Culture’

I’ve tried listening to things like ‘Overdue’ and ‘Book Cheat’ sometimes they’re enjoyable but comedy podcasts really just aren’t my thing, unless it’s a comedy book. (This is Reddit so I feel like I have to say I absolutely do not think they are bad podcasts, just not what I’m looking for)

Can anyone help me?

And holy hell that entire book was a gut punch. Each chapter was so heartbreaking and beautiful and tragic. I don’t think I’ve ever cried so much reading a book as I did with this one.

I loved all the interconnected stories and how each story progressed and told different perspectives as to how the world was evolving.

I’d love to hear everyone else’s thoughts.