Just started it last night. Read 2 chapters!

For me it's a bit of nostalgia and some magic that other places don't have. As a child there was a bookstore and bindery on our main street that had cats wandering the aisles. Besides the library it was the place I attribute most to nurturing my love of reading. Or in New Orleans there was a bookstore with books precariously stacked throughout and a small box of free books out front. In another one I visited there was a pair of high heels inexplicably sitting on a high shelf behind a register. I asked about them and the woman said she thought the original owner put them there but didn't know for sure. I think they speak to me because each one is like a book to me. Each one is going to have a unique story to tell.

You might like audio books! Makes tasks like folding laundry a lot less boring too

Thank you so much. I'm not sure the content amounts to spoilers as it is general commentary about the contents of each book. However I'm happy to use the text markers just to be safe.

How does it compare to Gentleman in Moscow? Better?

I’m getting John Irving vibes. Like Owen Meany was a masterpiece and his rest were just ok.

Hail to the king baby.

Read how you want to read. If someone tries to tell you how to read kick them in the appropriate genetaila.

A big part of the reason I visit used bookstores is the book discovery process. If I want a book then I know where to get it. It will take be couple of clicks on Amazon to buy the book and save me the hassle of going to a store. However, even after reading consistently on a Kindle for almost a decade, Amazon still hasn't figured out what I enjoy reading. Bookstores, on the other hand provide that experience in abundance. More often, the personal letters written inside the covers can sell a book better than the story/subject matter itself.

I found the first third sort of twee, and the Count two-dimensional, but I agree that Sofia’s involvement changes everything and gives the book momentum and purpose. I loved it. Picked up Rules of Civility right afterwards. Also wonderful. Towles is now a favorite author.

I swear Colleen Hoover comes up with the dumbest ways to spell character names I’ve ever read. Some of my least favourites include: Layken, Chastin, Allysa, and Seven. She also named her main character in It Ends with Us “Lily Bloom” which is so cringey to me.

I remember buying books on Amazon from various used book stores and then went to Texas to visit a friend and drove by one of the bookstores I had purchased from. It was like I saw someone famous I was so excited!

Oh I could dance through there like it’s a slice of heaven!

I know there's a lot of conflicting advice here haha but as someone who learned Spanish and was pretty fluent at it back when I still used it, I found it detrimental to look up the words I didn't know. Instead, I tried to just guess what they meant based on the context and kept reading, even if I maybe only understood 80% of the story. If a word kept reappearing and I couldn't guess what it meant by the context, then I'd look it up, but only when it keeps reappearing. But I think it's important to try to understand words from the context bc in actual conversations, you won't have time to pause what the other person is saying to look up a word haha.

I'd also recommend reading in a genre you actually like. If you find Hemingway boring, that's fine! Just find what you like to read in Portuguese and find similar genres in English. I've seen a couple people recommend YA or children's series which is fine if that's what you like, but made up words make reading harder imo, so I don't really like to read foreign fantasy, but one genre that's usually pretty straightforward is detective/crime novels. Just plain old English with a usually straight forward plot, and might keep you hooked enough to keep on reading.

And then yeah, might be the obvious advice but just keep reading lol. You'll understand more and more with time. Nothing beats experience for learning.

No, it's better than not reading at all.

Just upon entering a used book store, there is a sense of like minded people that have come before you, and you have so much in common. Other people who you do not know, read books, fall in love and donate. Pulling a used book off a shelve, open to the middle and start to read is like wading in a warm crystal clear lake on a very hot day.

she made WORSE? oh god

You are quite clearly a poor judge of writing quality.

OH MOST DEFINITELY

omg you put exactly what i thought it would be in words i was so disappointed

You’re reading for you, don’t overthink it, there is no competition. Enjoy the things you like❤️

I FORGOT SHE JUMPED HAHAHA

My mom and I were just talking about how much we hate rummaging through second-hand or discount stores, and would rather pay full price. She mentioned discount stores like Ross or second hand clothing stores, and I mentioned used bookstores. I think some (many?) people love the thrill of the hunt and enjoy having a pre-loved item with history. /r/books definitely makes me feel like the minority here. Otoh I don't mind a well-curated used bookstore, preferably with a selection of new books - several bookstores in San Francisco have this happy medium.

Using Capital Letters For Every Word In A Sentence

What he said.

I had all these interesting points to make, starting with that ridiculous error about writing it in a month (?!?!?) but you've made them all quite well.

I’ll read a few pages of a big book I’m reading every day. Small progress is still progress.