Book Thread

Artdefines06
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I guess I'll put this here. Its not really a book, but its a tumblr of book quotes, several a day. For some reason 99% of the quotes they most remind me of DnP. Sometimes I freak out because I think its a quote they said and its not lol. http://quotemadness.com/
nephilimcat
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Has anyone the same problem and used to read a lot and still loves books but can't be bothered to read unless it's a new book of your favourite series or there's nothing else you could possibly do? It just bothers me because I used to read like 1-5 books a week and this year I've only read 3 or 4 books in total (so far) :( I want to read, but I just can't be bothered to start. Has anyone tips how to overcome that?

Yesterday I did read though, I had no Internet until 9 pm, so I spent the whole day finishing "The Dark Heroine - Dinner with a Vampire". Has anyone else read it? I want to know if I'm the only one who thinks it is pretty problematic but had so much potential.
I really loved how the vampires actually did see humans as lesser beings, just like most humans see animals, yet they weren't heartless monsters. I also loved that they didn't suddenly vow to never kill a human ever again and just stayed the same throughout the whole book. Even though it was very long and took place at the same place 98% of the time, it wasn't boring.
Trigger Warning :
I'm going to talk about abuse and toxic relationships.
Now the problematic part: Kaspar literally kidnapped Violet and was very violent. He actually deliberately hurt her and always said he would "get her" one day and all that creepy stuff. And yet Violet fell in love with him. And then Kaspar actually locked himself in a room with her and told her that he won't let her say no anymore. That's so fucked up! I mean, he didn't rape her or forced her at that point, she wanted it, but he claims that he would have done that, if she decided that she didn't want to go on. And that should be enough reason to stay away from him.
Then Violet's main reason to get changed was Kaspar. Yes, also peace, but she admitted that Kaspar was the reason she finally decided to do it (before she knew she was a heroine). And she did think that they might not have a chance back then. Meaning she would be okay to just be a servant for him while he spends his time with other women?! I really liked that she called vampires out on sexism at first and thought she'd be a feminist or something, but then she started to fall in love with Kaspar and suddenly it didn't matter anymore. Wrong message!
Another thing: The author uses fate as an excuse for everything. Violet forgave Kaspar that he killed an innocent girl for fun, she wasn't even disturbed that he killed that one girl at the fair and even forgave him for being willing to let her die. He would have let her die because she knew her father was involved in his mother's death and didn't tell them. Well, why would she tell her kidnappers? And yet he was the one who was angry!? I'm just ... speechless.
All of this gives people wrong ideas and idealises abusive relationships and violence. Violet literally fell in love with her abusive kidnapper and stayed with the people who wanted to kill her for figuring out that her father killed the Queen even though she wasn't involved in that at all and besides had all the reasons to hate them. That's so fucked up and destroys the whole book for me.
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I have the same problem when i was still at school i used to buy cheap second hand books so i can read on the way to school (1H30M ride) or even read them between classes, another instance was that when i work i always carry a book with me to read when i get bored, but now when i have a lot of free time (and a smart phone) i just stopped the last time i read was when the electricity went out and i had nothing to do. sorry dont have any tips, remove the distraction i guess?. But it's good to know im not alone
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Ooh, a book thread? *rubs hands*

Let's start with favourites. A Series of Unfortunate Events (and the ensuing universe). Just read it. I might be slightly partial as I grew up with the books, but honestly, they're great. They're so cleverly written and use language so ingeniously. I would highly recommend getting into the fandom (667 Dark Avenue is a good forum to discuss the books and snicketsleuth is a good Tumblr blog for fan theories, and no, I don't run them haha) as the series is a lot deeper than it seems at the surface!

What did I just read? I literally finished The School for Good and Evil: A World Without Princes (it's the second book in a trilogy, apparently soon-to-be four-part series) and, so far, it's good! I haven't finished the series but, as of now, I would recommend you read it!

Oh my god, I saw Harry Potter. Throwback to when I was in the fandom, eh? (I'm the quoted person)
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Called a Wormtail by JKR herself and RTed by Emma Watson... My true glory days.

But no, seriously. HP is, relative to books in its intended audience and genre, a decent series. I guess it's been kind of ruined for me by the toxic fandom (I still keep in touch with some of the cool people, but a lot of the fandom either is 10 feet up JKR's ass or cringey or annoying or all three). Cursed Child is terrible, though. I wrote multiple essays on why it was terrible, and yes, I did see the play first (I actually never read the script. The play was torture enough, although I didn't cancel my preorder after I saw it. Don't know why).

Ask me opinions on other books, because I probably have some! Or recommend me books. I really need to read more.

EDIT:
nephilimcat wrote:Has anyone the same problem and used to read a lot and still loves books but can't be bothered to read unless it's a new book of your favourite series or there's nothing else you could possibly do? It just bothers me because I used to read like 1-5 books a week and this year I've only read 3 or 4 books in total (so far) :( I want to read, but I just can't be bothered to start. Has anyone tips how to overcome that?
Skeletorsrighthand wrote:I have the same problem when i was still at school i used to buy cheap second hand books so i can read on the way to school (1H30M ride) or even read them between classes, another instance was that when i work i always carry a book with me to read when i get bored, but now when i have a lot of free time (and a smart phone) i just stopped the last time i read was when the electricity went out and i had nothing to do. sorry dont have any tips, remove the distraction i guess?. But it's good to know im not alone
I had the exact same problem! I managed to get about 40 books read this year so far and while that might seem like a decent amount to some, I could read the average-sized novel (about 100k words) in a day before. How I overcame that is, when I found a book boring, I dropped it immediately. I only read books which I felt I could finish. And once you start it, don't abandon it (I know that might seem contradictory, but, I mean, if you're enjoying it to any extent and you like the characters or plot, don't stop). The trick is to finish a book and to read new content. As much as I love it when my favourite author comes out with a sequel, nothing beats the pure joy of reading a brilliant series for the first time. I think that my problem was that I stopped reading due to moving schools and getting a lot of homework in my new school and then I didn't feel that feeling for a long, long time, which made me lose interest.
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aaah a thread about books; one of my biggest weaknesses
I love books a lot. Even as a child I used to read a lot and I still do.
My favourite genres are YA and Fantasy :)

The Raven Cycle destroyed my life. I love the characters and the plot so much honestly it's SO good. Maggie Stiefvater's writing style is amazing and the series will leave a hole in your heart after you've finished reading it. It's about Blue, a non-psychic who lives in a psychic family and 4 boys from a private school. The first book in the series is The Raven Boys and I highly recommend it. There is friendship, supernatural, LGBT and mind-blowing plot twists.
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pastelspectre
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right now i'm reading the land of stories series by chris colfer. yes the one who played kurt on glee. i was lookin thru his interviews and saw he had made a book series and i was interested in it, so i decided to check it out at my local library. it's really good! if you like fantasy and fairy tales i definitely recommend it.
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somethingsketchy
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I'd like to revive the book thread because I am craving some light-hearted book discussion but can't handle the online book communities right now. I am a huge bookworm (I even have a book blog and everything), but ever since my mental health deteriorated a couple of months ago, I've found myself unable to enjoy reading, which is frustrating because reading has been something comforting and uplifting for me. I still enjoy talking about books, but when you haven't read anything for a while or kept up with the newest trends, there's a limit to what you can contribute to the kind of discussions that people have on eg. Tumblr and Instagram.

Anyway, what I actually wanted to talk about was book-related memories (preferably good, but whatever you want to share is fine). So far the discussion in this thread has mostly centered around book recommendations, but I would be interested in hearing what kind of impact certain books and reading in general have had on your lives. For example, why do you read? How do you read? Do you have books that always remind you of a certain person or place or stage of life?
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000dia000
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somethingsketchy wrote:I'd like to revive the book thread because I am craving some light-hearted book discussion but can't handle the online book communities right now. I am a huge bookworm (I even have a book blog and everything), but ever since my mental health deteriorated a couple of months ago, I've found myself unable to enjoy reading, which is frustrating because reading has been something comforting and uplifting for me. I still enjoy talking about books, but when you haven't read anything for a while or kept up with the newest trends, there's a limit to what you can contribute to the kind of discussions that people have on eg. Tumblr and Instagram.

Anyway, what I actually wanted to talk about was book-related memories (preferably good, but whatever you want to share is fine). So far the discussion in this thread has mostly centered around book recommendations, but I would be interested in hearing what kind of impact certain books and reading in general have had on your lives. For example, why do you read? How do you read? Do you have books that always remind you of a certain person or place or stage of life?
I like the idea of this, the book thread here never really interested me because it was mostly recommendations, and never really that relevant as I was mostly busy. I never really joined any book forums, so if there are any that are good, please share :D
Reading for me, definitely changed my life. I used to have speech and attention problems when I was very young, I still have them but nowhere near as severe. However, they really affected my learning in school, my speech problems hindered communications and it didn't help I was so self-conscious and shy. This coupled with my constant distraction made following along with lessons and basic math and reading taught in the first years of school, much more difficult. I was put in extra remedial classes when I was around 5, but left as I had a better grasp than the rest of my peers and put back into the usual classrooms. However, my earlier on struggle cast an impression on the teachers and for a long time I held a belief that I was sub par and dumb, this prevailed as I didn't note any self-improvements.

This changed when I was 7, when I started reading "Judy Moody" books, of all things. I loved the series and began reading more, I was voracious reader and frequently started a new book every few days. However, school remained frustrating as it was done at home and only my mother noticed, so I was still placed in the "slow readers" group due to my speech problems. This greatly upset me. Never the less, I didn't stop. Classrooms weren't the ideal learning place for me, I learned more from reading than I ever did from a teacher I struggled to pay attention to.

Once I was a teenager my speech improved greatly through self-taught, my attention is still terrible but I made up for it through studying and reading where I had gaps. Reading has been a way for me to break out of my shell, while I couldn't prove to teachers I was any different than what they already thought I was, I was able to prove to myself that I wasn't dumb if I was reading so much more than everybody else in my classroom. When creative writing assignments and reading challenges became more common, only did teachers finally notice.

However, due to exams and school, I had to drop reading. It greatly upset me, and even now I haven't reclaimed that love I had for it. I read a lot online, but it's not exactly the same. Reading for me has dropped to a book every couple of weeks and I wish I could change that. I understand what you mean when you say you mental health greatly attributes to the quantity you read, usually I feel too "down" and low-energy, and have to power-read through the first 100 pages of something to really get into it, or in some cases read the first few pages aloud to myself so I don't get distracted.

Nevertheless, I'll never not like it. Once you are a reader, you're never not. The last book I read was Stephen King "The Stand" (Sidenote: I thought it was terrrible, lmao I could write an essay on how bad it was) that I read over a period of about ten days while travelling. The next book I plan to read (once I finish a show I'm catching up on) is "The Heart Goes Last" by Margaret Atwood, followed by "The House of Leaves". I don't personally have many books that have greatly changed who I am, or at least not many I greatly identify with. I quite like dark stories, horror, sci-fi, fantasy in particular. I know they're not everybody's cup of tea, but I find that they are consistently interesting.
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somethingsketchy wrote: Anyway, what I actually wanted to talk about was book-related memories (preferably good, but whatever you want to share is fine). So far the discussion in this thread has mostly centered around book recommendations, but I would be interested in hearing what kind of impact certain books and reading in general have had on your lives. For example, why do you read? How do you read? Do you have books that always remind you of a certain person or place or stage of life?
I was always drawn to stories and as soon as I was able to read them myself, I have been a bookworm. Especially when I was younger, I would often read all day and preferably fantasy. I was very good at it so my mother gave me books for older people because I was bored by those for children my age. I just love escaping the boring and often harsh reality to a world full of magic and adventure. These days, I don't read as much anymore, which makes me sad. I still love stories and reading but my mental health isn't all that good and I'm often too tired to pick up a new book. But my favourite books are still something I manage to read and they help a lot. Sometimes when I'm sad or anxious, I just pick one of them up and feel better. Books have taught me a lot and when you've been reading about a certain universe for many years, you feel like it's a part of you and the characters are very important. Non-readers might find it silly but the characters are so real to me. I don't know, I just love reading despite not doing much of it recently.
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somethingsketchy
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Wow, thank you for sharing your experiences, dia and nephilimcat!

I got into reading as soon as I learnt to read when I was about to turn five. (That was really early considering that children in my country won't start school until they are seven.) My dad taught me to read, and reading has always been a shared interest and kind of a common ground for us even after our relationship turned sour when I reached my mid-teens. I was a lonely and knowledge-hungry child, which lead me to reading voraciously all the time between the ages 5 and 15. It was often pure escapism, but at the same it satisfied my bottomless curiosity for the world.

By the time I started high school at 16, Internet had replaced reading as my number one free-time activity. I barely read at all and often couldn't even finish the books that were mandatory reading for school. The following years were overall the darkest in my life, and in hindsight, I think I could have benefited a lot from reading because when I finally picked up reading again at university, it became an effective coping mechanism for me.

I tend to process my emotions a lot through reading fiction, and as much as I love beautiful language in books, the stories that have the realest characters always get to me the most. There is something especially thought-provoking in fanfiction. Original fiction rarely evokes any extreme emotions in me, but when reading fanfic I am often projecting my own thoughts and insecurities on the characters so hard that I find myself bawling my eyes out at 2am on a weekly basis. On the other hand, it also works the opposite way, as the positive emotions I get from reading fanfic are usually also stronger than those I get from original fiction. This has surely got something to do with the characters in fanfic already being familiar to the reader so that they feel emotionally involved in the story on a deeper level than when reading original fiction.
000dia000 wrote:Once you are a reader, you're never not.
This thought comforts me daily.
000dia000 wrote:I never really joined any book forums, so if there are any that are good, please share :D
I don't know about discussion boards, but I use Instagram, Goodreads and, to a lesser extent, Tumblr for book discussions. The thing about those three is that you basically have to create your own community by following and sending friend requests to people whose content you like, as opposed to discussion boards where you can dive straight in to discussions. That can be both a good and a bad thing: if you can afford to put in some effort in finding the right people, it can be wonderful, but if you are socially awkward like me, it can be a real pain. The only reason why I have any Internet friends that I can discuss books with is that I come from such a small country that it's socially acceptable and even kind of expected that you friend request or follow anyone and everyone who is from the same country. The only thing that matters is that you both like books and speak the same language.

If you want, I can recommend you some book-related blogs and Instagram accounts that I like, but like I said, I can't really rec any actual forums.
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000dia000
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somethingsketchy wrote:
000dia000 wrote:I never really joined any book forums, so if there are any that are good, please share :D
I don't know about discussion boards, but I use Instagram, Goodreads and, to a lesser extent, Tumblr for book discussions. The thing about those three is that you basically have to create your own community by following and sending friend requests to people whose content you like, as opposed to discussion boards where you can dive straight in to discussions. That can be both a good and a bad thing: if you can afford to put in some effort in finding the right people, it can be wonderful, but if you are socially awkward like me, it can be a real pain. The only reason why I have any Internet friends that I can discuss books with is that I come from such a small country that it's socially acceptable and even kind of expected that you friend request or follow anyone and everyone who is from the same country. The only thing that matters is that you both like books and speak the same language.

If you want, I can recommend you some book-related blogs and Instagram accounts that I like, but like I said, I can't really rec any actual forums.
Thanks for the insight :D the only thing I really look at for "discussion" is /r/books on reddit, but that's only useful for looking at comments and discussions that have already happened. What forums provide is the chance to provide insight into an ongoing discussion, while reddit is only good for the brief moment the discussion occurs, and then it's gone. However, I'd love to see any great blogs or accounts you follow
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ok so if anyone here can help me out here i need some recommendations please!
i need some good YA fiction books that are based around mental health, lgbt or autism. i'm very interested in books about those specifically. i've already read cut, willow, the inside of out, perfect, the program book series, when we collided, and a few others i can't think of.

if anyone has any other suggestions for those topics that i haven't read i'd appreciate it v much pls and thx babes!!
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somethingsketchy
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Skylar wrote:ok so if anyone here can help me out here i need some recommendations please!
i need some good YA fiction books that are based around mental health, lgbt or autism. i'm very interested in books about those specifically. i've already read cut, willow, the inside of out, perfect, the program book series, when we collided, and a few others i can't think of.

if anyone has any other suggestions for those topics that i haven't read i'd appreciate it v much pls and thx babes!!
Most books around these topics I'd like to recommend have unfortunately not been translated into English, but I tried my best. :(

After going through my LGBTQ+ shelf on Goodreads, I can recommend you following books (that I've actually read myself):
  • - I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson
    - Golden Boy by Abigail Tarttelin
    - More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera
    - Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli
    - George by Alex Gino (technically middle grade but it's great)
If you are willing to read graphic novels/comics, I would also recommend Blue Is the Warmest Colour by Julie Maroh. I've also read several graphic novels for adults that deal with mental illness and LGBTQ+ issues, so hit me up if you want those recs, too!
000dia000 wrote:However, I'd love to see any great blogs or accounts you follow
Yay, I can make you a list for tomorrow!
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000dia000
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Skylar wrote:ok so if anyone here can help me out here i need some recommendations please!
i need some good YA fiction books that are based around mental health, lgbt or autism. i'm very interested in books about those specifically. i've already read cut, willow, the inside of out, perfect, the program book series, when we collided, and a few others i can't think of.

if anyone has any other suggestions for those topics that i haven't read i'd appreciate it v much pls and thx babes!!
I don't really read many LGBT YA novels if I'm being honest, mostly because they're difficult to find. Even those that exist can be very "meh" and basic. However, I quite like Patrick Ness' books, every single one of his books has featured an lgbt character of some kind. Most notably "More Than This", "The Rest of Us Just Live Here" and "Release." I quite like his novels, as the fact his characters may be gay/bi may at times be incidental, or at times not important to the main plot. His novels are typically fantasy/sci-fi though, though he does use these themes rather lightly.

In terms of autism, there's "The Curious Case of the Dog in the Nighttime". It's probably the most famous, but I haven't come across any other case since where autism has been depicted in a non-condescending way.
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somethingsketchy wrote:I am a huge bookworm (I even have a book blog and everything), but ever since my mental health deteriorated a couple of months ago, I've found myself unable to enjoy reading, which is frustrating because reading has been something comforting and uplifting for me. I still enjoy talking about books, but when you haven't read anything for a while or kept up with the newest trends, there's a limit to what you can contribute to the kind of discussions that people have on eg. Tumblr and Instagram
I don't have any specific mental health problems but the last few years I've found the task of reading (and challenges like the 50 book a year thing which i used to participate in) very daunting and overwhelming too and (controversial i know) have found listening to audiobooks is a great way to overcome that! I'm still enjoying the content of the book, but it doesn't feel like work and effort, you just listen to someone with a lovely voice. It's specially great to be able to hear the words if English isn't your first language and you can do another activity while enjoying your book (i listen while working).

As for book generally I've always been a fan of non fiction. Like everyone else apparently haha i had a big Egypt phase, and then I had a big Roman empire phase, then Physics, and medical journals, and right now I'm pretty into anything death related.

Fiction is interesting to me the most when it comes with ample backstory, lore and stuff. That's why my introduction to fiction was Harry Potter, which got me into fanfiction too. I loved re-reading every single book with new eyes looking for new little details that add to the main storyline. Somehow I've never really been into Tolkien tho, i don't even know why.


YA recs: I'm starting on Aristotle and Dante discover the secrets of the universe and it's been good so far and I highly recommend Attachments by Rainbow Rowell
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000dia000 wrote:In terms of autism, there's "The Curious Case of the Dog in the Nighttime". It's probably the most famous, but I haven't come across any other case since where autism has been depicted in a non-condescending way.
As far as I know, The Curious Case of the Dog in the Nighttime isn't actually about autism, though. It has been marketed as such, but the author Mark Haddon didn't do any research on the topic and apparently hadn't intended the book to be interpreted in that way. He even wrote a blog post about this.
mintsans wrote:I don't have any specific mental health problems but the last few years I've found the task of reading (and challenges like the 50 book a year thing which i used to participate in) very daunting and overwhelming too and (controversial i know) have found listening to audiobooks is a great way to overcome that! I'm still enjoying the content of the book, but it doesn't feel like work and effort, you just listen to someone with a lovely voice. It's specially great to be able to hear the words if English isn't your first language and you can do another activity while enjoying your book (i listen while working).
I love audiobooks and agree with you in that they are often a good way to get over a reading slump. Right now I don't feel like doing even that and it is a bit disheartening. For me listening to audiobooks is usually more work than reading text because I often start spacing out really quickly even if the story is interesting. Doing something with my hands (usually crafts or cleaning) while listening makes concentrating a lot easier for me, though.
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000dia000
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somethingsketchy wrote:
000dia000 wrote:In terms of autism, there's "The Curious Case of the Dog in the Nighttime". It's probably the most famous, but I haven't come across any other case since where autism has been depicted in a non-condescending way.
As far as I know, The Curious Case of the Dog in the Nighttime isn't actually about autism, though. It has been marketed as such, but the author Mark Haddon didn't do any research on the topic and apparently hadn't intended the book to be interpreted in that way. He even wrote a blog post about this.
my mistake, thanks! it's disappointing that something that was obviously written to be ambiguous is better than most things I've read on the definite subject
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thank you all for the suggestions! i'm going to the local library today near where my dad lives so ill keep an eye out for those books c: and i'll see if i can find that graphic novel mentioned ^-^
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Skylar wrote:ok so if anyone here can help me out here i need some recommendations please!
i need some good YA fiction books that are based around mental health, lgbt or autism. i'm very interested in books about those specifically. i've already read cut, willow, the inside of out, perfect, the program book series, when we collided, and a few others i can't think of.

if anyone has any other suggestions for those topics that i haven't read i'd appreciate it v much pls and thx babes!!
For lgbtq+, I second Aristotle and Dante. Others recs:

Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan--a sweet high school romance centered around a kissing contest

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by David Levithan and John Green--I found this book about two kids with the same name and the mixups that ensue kind of annoying, but it does a goods lbgt representation

For autism, I heartily recommend

Mindblind by Jennifer Roy--a kid is very socially awkward (labeled as having asperger's) but with the help of good friends and his parents learns how to cope and develop a good social life
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thank you, lefthandedism! i'll keep those in mind. i found a good book on mental illness today at the local library where my dad lives at. it's called fans of the impossible life. i read a few pages and it's pretty good! has anyone else read it?
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Just wanted to add something to the books & memories discussion;
I associate a lot of things with books and reading. It's like, I look at a book I have read and remember how I felt when I read it/what the mood was and remember certain scents. It sounds kinda stupid but books are good at dividing my life into different stages, for example I felt very dissociated and sad while I was reading 'This Is Where The World Ends' by Amy Zhang (which I find bad and don't recommend it) and I always think of that and my feelings when I see that book. But I also associate good feelings and moods with books so it's not something bad!
I mostly read because I love the escapism effect, I don't like my life and it makes me feel better to read about different lives and about the good things that happen to the characters. Reading brings me so much joy, it makes me calm and let's me forget about my life and problems (just like deppy )
And yes, somethingsketchy, there is a book series that reminds me of a person- the 'Warriors' series I was massively into that as a child and someday I had found out that a forum of this existed and immediately created an account. Just a few days after this and hanging out a lot in the chat, I made friends with a girl and we started to message each other regularly. We talked about the books but also about some real life stuff and well, after some time (and angst bc she wanted to delete her account once) we exchanged phone numbers. That was about 6 years ago and we are still best friends and text each other daily. I'm so glad I have found her and that she exists, we have a lot in common and like the same stuff! I think that's another reason why I love Dan and Phil so much, I know how great it is to find your soulmate on the internet.

Skylar, I would also recommend 'Every Last Word' by Tamara Ireland Stone, it's about a girl who has OCD and I really enjoyed reading it!
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pastelspectre
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Moon, I have read that book already! It's amazing. It made me cry and honestly it's one of my top favorite books ever.
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Skylar wrote:ok so if anyone here can help me out here i need some recommendations please!
i need some good YA fiction books that are based around mental health, lgbt or autism. i'm very interested in books about those specifically. i've already read cut, willow, the inside of out, perfect, the program book series, when we collided, and a few others i can't think of.

if anyone has any other suggestions for those topics that i haven't read i'd appreciate it v much pls and thx babes!!
[insert disclaimer here about not having read much YA recently]
-- <i>It's Kind of a Funny Story</i> by Ned Vizzini: this book meant a lot to me when I was ~13 although it'd probably be appealing to older teens as well; it's about a teen struggling with depression and the author based much of it off his own experiences with hospitalization
-- <i>China Mountain Zhang</I> by Maureen McHugh: not strictly YA but it's a coming of age story (& i feel like it might be categorized that way if it were published now as opposed to in the 1990s) set in a future where China is the leading world power. The central character is a biracial gay man trying to find his place in this world.
-- <i>Fun Home</i> by Alison Bechdel: I don't think this is YA but my local library shelves it that way, lol. Another tremendously influential book to me as a teenager. In my reading it's just as much about OCD/managing obsession as it is a coming out story.
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sparkle
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Skylar wrote:ok so if anyone here can help me out here i need some recommendations please!
i need some good YA fiction books that are based around mental health, lgbt or autism. i'm very interested in books about those specifically. i've already read cut, willow, the inside of out, perfect, the program book series, when we collided, and a few others i can't think of.

if anyone has any other suggestions for those topics that i haven't read i'd appreciate it v much pls and thx babes!!
idk if it counts as strictly mental health but I'd recommend Faceless by Alyssa Sheinmel. Basically, protagonist is involved in a freak lightning accident and has half her face burned off, has a partial face transplant and the book is her journey from immediately prior to the accident onwards. It's really, really good. It's one of my favourite books ever and deals a lot with issues on identity and focuses quite a lot on her mental health during recovery.

Also a general recommendation that I recommend to everyone who is reading this comment is 13 Minutes by Sarah Pinborough. I picked it up because the cover looked pretty last year and have made 5 other people read it because its just so good. The less you know about it the better, but it's basically trying to work out why this one character was dead for 13 Minutes in a river. The first 50 or so pages are a little clunky, but it's genuinely amazing. Think British Mean Girls but a lot more sinister. Its in my top five books of all time and everyone needs to read it. I quite literally have a spare copy sat in a drawer right now if anybody wants to be sent it
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Skylar wrote:Moon, I have read that book already! It's amazing. It made me cry and honestly it's one of my top favorite books ever.
Yeah, it's such a good book!
I didn't expect that plot twist about Caroline at all and it left me shook! I was seriously sitting their with a dropped jaw. I cried too while reading it because I felt so sorry for Sam at some points, her old friends were so shitty and toxic to her. I was so glad that she managed to leave them and decided to stay with her new friends from Poet's Corner.
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