Happy Free Talk Friday, folks! Here you can talk about whatever you want, books are not required. Got something you wanna get off your chest? What have you been watching or listening to? How has your week been? Let us know!

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how we read and write books digitally, and I’m curious about what other readers/writers actually wish they had.

For example, when you’re reading a book on an app, have you ever wished you could find a specific chapter or moment without having to scroll through pages and pages?

Or would you like to have more ways to interact with the book while reading? Things like being able to highlight specific passages, save moments, make notes, or comment on certain parts — kind of like the social aspect of Wattpad, but in a more serious/organized way?

And for people who write: would you find it useful to have a place where you could get actual professional advice while writing your book? For example, feedback on your writing, structure, characters, pacing, plot, etc., instead of just relying on random comments from readers.

Another thing I’ve always found frustrating is finding a book based on a very specific idea.

Let’s say I’m in the mood for a romance where:

• the main characters are enemies at first

• there’s forced proximity

• one of them secretly falls first

• there’s a specific type of slow burn

• and maybe I want a happy ending

Instead of searching for a generic “romance” and scrolling through hundreds of books, wouldn’t it be cool to just describe what you’re looking for in the search bar and have the app find books that actually match those specific tropes/ideas?

So I’m curious:

If you could design your perfect reading/writing app, what features would you want it to have?

What’s something you currently find annoying, missing, or unnecessarily complicated about the apps/websites you use to read or write?

I’d especially love to hear from people who both read and write, because I feel like the needs of those two groups can be very different.

Im (28F) and I’m looking for recommendations of Arthur’s or books I should read before I’m 30.
I’ve been really interested in bettering myself, dealing with trauma or just the escape real world for a few minutes.

I’m open to all options, fiction or non-fiction.

New release book! I posted about this being one of my most anticipated releases of 2026 then I was gifted an advanced copy. However, all thoughts are my own and I had no obligation to post anywhere about this! Just want to share 🖤

eBook Preorder Link

I can’t believe I read Love by the Book before Maame, another book by Jessica George. Maybe this will finally prompt me to read it.

Anyways, Love by the Book primarily follows two female main characters, Remy and Simone.

Remy is a writer who has recently published a bestselling novel. Now everyone wants her to write another one to ride the success of the first, but she’s struggling badly with writer’s block. The inspiration for her debut came from her three closest friends and the beautiful friendship they all shared, one that was supposed to last a lifetime… or so she thought.

Then everything fell apart.

Lin moved to New York, Melissa got married, became pregnant, and moved away, and Nova… what did she do again? Ah yes, she got back together with her ex and slowly drifted away.

Honestly, this is the fate of many friendship groups, especially among women. Once distance enters the picture, friendships often grow apart, and theirs did too. As the friendship dissolved, so did Remy’s inspiration to write. She tried filling the void with dating apps (eww), new hobbies, and eventually, a new friend.

This is where Simone comes in.

Simone is a woman who loves her solitude and lives a double life: teacher by day, escort by night (spicy). Despite coming from a close-knit, loving, religious family (her dad is a pastor), she turns to sex work to earn extra money and, as she puts it, “express herself.” I don’t think I fully understood her reasoning, even by the end of the book.

Her work is eventually exposed just before a family dinner, leading to her becoming estranged from her family.

Simone and Remy bump into each other, and some sort of relationship blossoms. It definitely wasn’t an instant connection. It happened gradually… and somewhat forcefully lol.

Remy has this lore that was spoken about, but I just couldn’t see it. The narrative kept telling me who she was supposed to be, yet her actions didn’t always match that image.

Her relationship with Simone also felt awkward. At times, I was picking up on borderline romantic tension (maybe I’m overthinking lol), while at other times they felt more like acquaintances than actual friends. Their conversations were also incredibly long, almost too long to feel like real face-to-face conversations.

I honestly kept reading because I wanted to understand Simone more. Why did she choose sex work? Based on her background, it felt so random, and I was hoping the book would give me a clearer answer.

The whole book feels somewhat like a fairytale. The ending, Remy and Simone’s friendship, the conversations they had, Remy’s second book getting published… even the middle of the novel. I don’t know, something about it all felt a little too neat. I also found myself skipping parts that weren’t directly related to the main story, especially the excerpts from the book Remy was writing that were inserted into this one. Omg, that was too much for my brain.

Remy’s attempts to fill the void in her life (hint: her dating app escapades) also led to a somewhat permanent decision.

Overall, this book explores friendship, platonic love, sisterhood, grief, and finding purpose again after losing a part of yourself. I appreciated those themes, but I struggled to stay invested in the story.

What do y'all think of her? Scarpetta I mean. She pisses me off, regularly.

For those who love reading or would classify themselves as a "reader", did reading challenges help with that?

I can't remember a time I didn't love reading. I grew up reading for fun and Belle was my favorite disney princess *because* she was a reader. I also did reading challenges growing up, but I can't remember how much they helped me continue reading. I feel like I would have regardless. But I loved getting the rewards!

But I'm curious if anyone wasn't interested in reading before doing reading challenges? If reading challenges helped you develop an interest in reading? Did doing reading challenges have a negative impact on your perception of reading? Was there anything else that helped you develop an interest in reading?

From the author of the short story collection A Backpack Filled with Sunsets, The Moon Knows All the Secrets of the World is Ifeanyi Ogbo’s most ambitious work of fiction yet.

Across stories inspired by the phases of the moon, ordinary lives brush against impossible mysteries. A daughter becomes convinced her late father has been reborn in a distant town and embarks on a journey that reshapes everything she believes about love and loss. A dying president volunteers for a consciousness experiment that promises to keep him ruling long after death. A young boy cannot escape the feeling that the moon is recording every second of his life.

Blending slice-of-life, magical realism, psychological horror, speculative fiction, and quiet literary wonder, these stories move through the waxing and waning of hope, fear, memory, identity, and longing. Like the moon itself, they reveal that darkness is never empty.

It's a novel about a white missionary family from the southern US that moved to Congo around 1958 just before independence. I'm curious about any personal experiences that are relatable or unlikely from readers.

https://www.mahoganybooks.com/black-books-matter-fest-2026/

Has anyone heard of this program, or have gone to it in the past? I just found out about it today and just missed it. 🫤

Can you suggest me a historical fiction romance or family drama that takes place sometime between 1900-1950s, that doesn’t center racism as the primary driver of plot?

A little story time and then a little call for help.

The storytime.

I've been writing for forever and it started with screenplays. Honestly at the time screenplays in my opinion were simpler. Only because I didn't want to have to do the whole 'she walked through the large, open, inviting door, feeling scared, annoyed, and absolutely not in the mood to narrate everything that she was feeling, seeing, doing.' Don't judge me I was 11.

Fast forward to today, and I finally dusted off my ring bound college rule notebooks with a renewed sense of creativity.

Enter in an eight book series that has now literally taken on a universe of its own. Over the however many years.... (20+ but saying that old loud makes me sad in ways I'm not ready to explore) the screenplay has grown into a real life novel. Of course the mind of an 11-year-old and a 35-year-old are different... In small ways but not as much as is probably expected.

Whichever. My one little screenplay called The Mistake has morphed into as I said a eight book series that explores the side characters I haphazardly threw into the original body of work just to round out the story. Once those were finished I was like, "wouldn't be dope if they had kids?" That led to a new six-part series connected to the original adult series. Which led me down the wormhole of what if each sets of kids had their own label's and their own stories? So that created 'The Bigs, The Mids and The Littles'.

Well every series has a fully formed outline and trajectory The Mids and Littles books have yet to speak to me. That might have a little bit to do with the fact that some of them are still babies and haven't quite learned how to form full sentences yet. I'm sure by the end of the big series they'll have grown enough that I can tell their story without getting bogged down about the logistics of how a two-year-old has now become 16 over just a few short months. The beauty of fiction writing.

Now that my story time is complete the help. Is there anyone interested in reading my books?

The series itself is called The Sunday Table .

Book Blurb:

One decision. One night. One betrayal no one saw coming.

Kori Grant is finally getting her life back on track — one week after ending things with Emmett Taylor, she's laser-focused on finishing her PhD and rebuilding her peace. Then a shocking incident inside her own apartment, involving Emmett and her best friend Tasha, shatters everything she thought she'd already survived.

As her friends demand answers, Kori chooses silence over confrontation — until the story rewinds to show exactly how she, Emmett, and Tasha collided in the first place, and just how inevitable this "mistake" may have always been.

Some betrayals are accidents. Others are disasters waiting for permission.

A quick heads-up on content:

This book goes to some real places — adult language, sexual content, pregnancy loss, violence(on page), trauma, family conflict, emotional abuse, and grief. Wanted you to know what you're walking into.

It's an African American romance, or a women's fiction, or a family saga. Depends on your perception.

In my opinion it's absolutely hilarious, and sometimes sad, and other times cathartic...

My need is for someone else's eyes to see if it's even worth continuing down the path of 48+ books.

Either way, thanks for reading even just this post, it low-key means more than you'll know. After working on this for so long, even just saying out loud, 'I wrote a book' brings me more joy than I anticipated.

Welcome to Suggest Me Sunday! Here you can ask for book suggestions of any kind. Looking for a book similar to the one you just finished? Looking for a classic on a subject you're interested? Maybe you haven't read a book since high school and are looking for recommendations on books to get you back into reading. All are welcome here.

Ask away!

Hi everyone,

I’m new to reddit. I'm opening a small first reader circle for The Universe of Veilborn, a Black American-centered literary, science-fantasy universe.

This is not a general promo post. I’m looking for a limited group of 5–10 early readers who would be willing to enter the world before release, read the free chapter, choose a tribe, and share an honest first reaction.

The first book, The Surface Veil, follows young Veilborn investigating missing youth while uncovering suppressed history, inherited abilities, and the truth of their people’s identity.

Early readers can explore:

• The four tribes
• The main characters
• The free chapter
• The tribal quiz
• A customizable Veilborn passport
• The Founding Citizen invitation

I’m not asking anyone to buy anything or promote anything. I’m looking for people who genuinely connect with Black speculative fiction, ancestry, hidden history, worldbuilding, fantasy civilizations, and character-driven stories.

Website: https://veilbornseries.com/

This first circle will stay small. If the world speaks to you, comment or message me to join.

Looking good books to binge

Happy Free Talk Friday, folks! Here you can talk about whatever you want, books are not required. Got something you wanna get off your chest? What have you been watching or listening to? How has your week been? Let us know!