What books should I read while I unplug
books
The American novelist Madeline Miller describes how she overcame her fears of a classical backlash to write a gay love story about Achilles and Patroclus.
<p>HAPPY PUBLIC DOMAIN DAY! And Happy New Year!</p><p>Books published in 1930 will enter the U.S. public domain, such as:</p><p>The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett: This novel introduced the world to the famous detective Sam Spade.<br>As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner: A masterpiece of American literature.<br>The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie: This was the first novel to feature the beloved character Miss Marple.</p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a> <a href="/tags/publicdomain/" rel="tag">#publicdomain</a><br>1/</p>
<p><a href="/tags/otd/" rel="tag">#OTD</a> in 1748.</p><p>The first instalment of Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure, also known as Fanny Hill, is published anonymously by John Cleland to raise money to free himself from the London debtors' prison. It is considered by some to be the first modern erotic novel.</p><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fanny_Hill" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fanny_Hill"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fanny_Hi</span><span class="invisible">ll</span></a></p><p>Memoirs of Fanny Hill at PG:<br><a href="https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/25305" rel="nofollow"><span class="invisible">https://</span>gutenberg.org/ebooks/25305</a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a></p>
<p>Top 10 Most Read Pieces from 2025<br> <br>via <span class="h-card"><a href="https://mastodon.social/@publicdomainrev" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@<span>publicdomainrev</span></a></span> </p><p>It’s that time in December when we inevitably end up asking the question: what, exactly, captured people’s attention over the past year? The list below is one answer. </p><p><a href="https://publicdomainreview.org/blog/2025/12/top-10-most-read-pieces-from-2025/" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="publicdomainreview.org/blog/2025/12/top-10-most-read-pieces-from-2025/"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">publicdomainreview.org/blog/20</span><span class="invisible">25/12/top-10-most-read-pieces-from-2025/</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a> <a href="/tags/illustrations/" rel="tag">#illustrations</a></p>
<p>Gorgeous Illustrations from Pantheon in Egyptien by Jean-Francois Champollion and Léon-Jean-Joseph Dubois, 1823</p><p>Published in Paris, the book takes a look at ancient Egyptian mythology</p><p>by Sheldon D.</p><p><a href="https://flashbak.com/ancient-egypt-gods-by-jean-francois-champollion-and-leon-jean-joseph-dubois-480629/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=ancient-egypt-gods-by-jean-francois-champollion-and-leon-jean-joseph-dubois" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="flashbak.com/ancient-egypt-gods-by-jean-francois-champollion-and-leon-jean-joseph-dubois-480629/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=ancient-egypt-gods-by-jean-francois-champollion-and-leon-jean-joseph-dubois"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">flashbak.com/ancient-egypt-god</span><span class="invisible">s-by-jean-francois-champollion-and-leon-jean-joseph-dubois-480629/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=ancient-egypt-gods-by-jean-francois-champollion-and-leon-jean-joseph-dubois</span></a></p><p>Pantéon égyptien at PG:<br><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/74228" rel="nofollow"><span class="invisible">https://</span>www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/74228</a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/egyptology/" rel="tag">#egyptology</a> <a href="/tags/illustrations/" rel="tag">#illustrations</a></p>
<p>Wow. I just inhaled "Blood over bright Haven" in two days. This is such a great book! Fiction, but it's about the big problems of the real world: colonialism, sexism, racism, capitalism, abuse of power... Big topics and only 460 pages, so it's very straight to the point. And it's a little gory. If you're fine with that like me, it's a 10/10 book! It's one of my favorites now.</p><p><a href="/tags/bookstodon/" rel="tag">#bookstodon</a> <a href="/tags/bookrecommendation/" rel="tag">#bookrecommendation</a> <a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/fiction/" rel="tag">#fiction</a> <span class="h-card"><a href="https://fedigroups.social/@bookstodon" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@<span>bookstodon</span></a></span></p>
<p><a href="/tags/otd/" rel="tag">#OTD</a> In 1397, Chaucer tells the Canterbury Tales for the first time at the court of Richard II. </p><p><a href="https://lithub.com/lit-hub-daily-april-17-2026/" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="lithub.com/lit-hub-daily-april-17-2026/"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">lithub.com/lit-hub-daily-april</span><span class="invisible">-17-2026/</span></a></p><p>"Canterbury Tales" at PG:</p><p><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=Canterbury+Tales" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=Canterbury+Tales"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/searc</span><span class="invisible">h/?query=Canterbury+Tales</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a></p>
<p>50% off omnibus @ <a href="/tags/smashwords/" rel="tag">#Smashwords</a>: <a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1733647" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.smashwords.com/books/view/1733647"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.smashwords.com/books/view/</span><span class="invisible">1733647</span></a></p><p>Levi always dreamed of being like his father, a great wizard, but had no understanding what it would be like. Follow Levi's journey from bumbling teen to great hero, while the young wizard learns to master magical powers that are barely under control.</p><p><span class="h-card"><a href="https://fedigroups.social/@bookstodon" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@<span>bookstodon</span></a></span><br><a href="/tags/author/" rel="tag">#author</a> <a href="/tags/indieauthor/" rel="tag">#indieauthor</a> <a href="/tags/writing/" rel="tag">#writing</a> <a href="/tags/fantasy/" rel="tag">#fantasy</a> <a href="/tags/scifi/" rel="tag">#scifi</a> <a href="/tags/sciencefiction/" rel="tag">#sciencefiction</a> <a href="/tags/sff/" rel="tag">#sff</a> <a href="/tags/sciencefantasy/" rel="tag">#sciencefantasy</a> <a href="/tags/scifi/" rel="tag">#scifi</a> <a href="/tags/actionadventure/" rel="tag">#actionadventure</a> <a href="/tags/fiction/" rel="tag">#fiction</a> <a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/eoysale25/" rel="tag">#EOYSale25</a> <a href="/tags/ebook/" rel="tag">#ebook</a> <a href="/tags/sale/" rel="tag">#sale</a> <a href="/tags/books2read/" rel="tag">#books2read</a> <a href="/tags/indiebooks/" rel="tag">#indiebooks</a></p>
<p>📚 The Family Experiment by: John Marrs</p><p>The world’s population is soaring, creating overcrowded cities and an economic crisis. A growing number of people can no longer afford to start families, let alone raise them.</p><p>But for those desperate to experience parenthood, there is an alternative. For a monthly ...</p><p><a href="https://bookblabla.com/book/the-family-experiment" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="bookblabla.com/book/the-family-experiment"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">bookblabla.com/book/the-family</span><span class="invisible">-experiment</span></a></p><p><span class="h-card"><a href="https://fedigroups.social/@bookstodon" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@<span>bookstodon</span></a></span></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/reading/" rel="tag">#reading</a> <a href="/tags/libraries/" rel="tag">#libraries</a> <a href="/tags/fiction/" rel="tag">#fiction</a> <a href="/tags/thrillers/" rel="tag">#thrillers</a> <a href="/tags/suspensefiction/" rel="tag">#suspensefiction</a> <a href="/tags/psychologicalfiction/" rel="tag">#psychologicalfiction</a> <a href="/tags/crimefiction/" rel="tag">#crimefiction</a></p>
<p>Herman Melville’s Great American Novel, ‘Moby-Dick,’ Only Got Mixed Reviews When It First Hit Bookstores</p><p>By Eli Wizevich</p><p><a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/discover-the-origins-and-early-criticism-of-herman-melvilles-great-american-novel-moby-dick-180985272/" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/discover-the-origins-and-early-criticism-of-herman-melvilles-great-american-novel-moby-dick-180985272/"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-n</span><span class="invisible">ews/discover-the-origins-and-early-criticism-of-herman-melvilles-great-american-novel-moby-dick-180985272/</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/kiterature/" rel="tag">#kiterature</a></p>
<p><a href="/tags/otd/" rel="tag">#OTD</a> in 1906.</p><p>Frank Wedekind's play Spring Awakening: A Children's Tragedy (Frühlings Erwachen), completed 1901, receives its first staging, directed by Max Reinhardt.</p><p>The Awakening of Spring at PG:<br><a href="https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/35242" rel="nofollow"><span class="invisible">https://</span>gutenberg.org/ebooks/35242</a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a> <a href="/tags/theatre/" rel="tag">#theatre</a></p>
<p><span class="h-card"><a href="https://wandering.shop/@adriabailton" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@<span>adriabailton</span></a></span> thank you for hosting the last <a href="/tags/writephant/" rel="tag">#writephant</a> of 2025 😊 </p><p><a href="/tags/selfpromo/" rel="tag">#SelfPromo</a><br> <br>The <a href="/tags/smashwords/" rel="tag">#Smashwords</a> sale is in its last few days (ends 11:59 p.m. Pacific January 1st US time, so Australians have to the middle of 2 Jan)</p><p>All mine are 25% off, if you’re in the mood for well-rated quirky/low-key/non-epic fantasy with queer romance:</p><p><a href="https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/wendylpalmer" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.smashwords.com/profile/view/wendylpalmer"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.smashwords.com/profile/vie</span><span class="invisible">w/wendylpalmer</span></a></p><p>there’s plenty more to browse too. I’ve got a few queued up, but the one I’ve already read, and really liked was, The King is Dead, by Naomi Libicki, for a not-European-set fantasy about a man who must look after his deeply traumatised cousin, while uncovering a conspiracy within his own family and beyond. </p><p><a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1474178" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.smashwords.com/books/view/1474178"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.smashwords.com/books/view/</span><span class="invisible">1474178</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/fantasy/" rel="tag">#fantasy</a> <a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/booksale/" rel="tag">#BookSale</a> <span class="h-card"><a href="https://fedigroups.social/@bookstodon" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@<span>bookstodon</span></a></span></p>
<p>They were grown men or at least had lived for several decades, which in some societies is considered the same thing.</p><p>Terry Pratchett, Hogfather </p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/discworld/" rel="tag">#discworld</a></p>
Edited 232d ago
<p><a href="/tags/otd/" rel="tag">#OTD</a> in 1900.</p><p>August Strindberg's To Damascus (Till Damaskus, first two parts) receives its première at the Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm with August Palme and Harriet Bosse, Strindberg's future wife, in the leading rôles.</p><p><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/8875" rel="nofollow"><span class="invisible">https://</span>www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/8875</a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a> <a href="/tags/theatre/" rel="tag">#theatre</a></p>
<p>Did Jane Austen Invent the Wellness Guy?</p><p>"Chris Cohen on the Self-Optimization Obsessions of Austen’s Male Characters"</p><p><a href="https://lithub.com/did-jane-austen-invent-the-wellness-guy/" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="lithub.com/did-jane-austen-invent-the-wellness-guy/"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">lithub.com/did-jane-austen-inv</span><span class="invisible">ent-the-wellness-guy/</span></a></p><p>Books by Austen at PG:</p><p><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/68" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/68"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/autho</span><span class="invisible">r/68</span></a></p><p>"Persuasion, ch. 18. Admiral Croft is in earnest contemplation of some print, and doesn't see Anne Elliot." - picryl.com</p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a></p>
<p><a href="/tags/otd/" rel="tag">#OTD</a> in 1918.</p><p>Wilfred Owen is killed in action aged 25, at the Sambre–Oise Canal, with only five of his poems published. News of his death reaches his parents in Shrewsbury a week later on Armistice Day. </p><p><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/517" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/517"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/autho</span><span class="invisible">r/517</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a> <a href="/tags/poetry/" rel="tag">#poetry</a></p>
<p>Paperback now available: <a href="https://books2read.com/StoneProphet" rel="nofollow"><span class="invisible">https://</span>books2read.com/StoneProphet</a></p><p>Nicole seeks to collect the missing fragments of the magical city of Kurg from her home world, but the remaining pieces were deactivated and are hard to find. Luckily, she just found the first piece of the Seventh Sage, an ancient stone man that knows the future, which she hopes knows where to find them.</p><p><span class="h-card"><a href="https://fedigroups.social/@bookstodon" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@<span>bookstodon</span></a></span><br><a href="/tags/author/" rel="tag">#author</a> <a href="/tags/indieauthor/" rel="tag">#indieauthor</a> <a href="/tags/writing/" rel="tag">#writing</a> <a href="/tags/fantasy/" rel="tag">#fantasy</a> <a href="/tags/scifi/" rel="tag">#scifi</a> <a href="/tags/sciencefiction/" rel="tag">#sciencefiction</a> <a href="/tags/sff/" rel="tag">#sff</a> <a href="/tags/sciencefantasy/" rel="tag">#sciencefantasy</a> <a href="/tags/scifi/" rel="tag">#scifi</a> <a href="/tags/actionadventure/" rel="tag">#actionadventure</a> <a href="/tags/fiction/" rel="tag">#fiction</a> <a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a></p>
<p>Endre Ady was born <a href="/tags/otd/" rel="tag">#OTD</a> in 1877.</p><p>Some of his notable poetry collections include "Új versek" (New Poems, 1906), "A Holnap" (Tomorrow, 1908), and "A halottak élén" (At the Head of the Dead, 1918).</p><p>Books by Endre Ady at PG:<br><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/39489" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/39489"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/autho</span><span class="invisible">r/39489</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a> <a href="/tags/poetry/" rel="tag">#poetry</a></p>
<p>📚 The Fellowship of the Ring by: John Ronald Reuel Tolkien</p><p>The Dark Lord Sauron, an utterly evil and powerful being, is stirring again after a long period of dormancy. He will soon dominate all of Middle-earth if he is not stopped. The key to Sauron's defeat is Frodo, nephew and heir to Bilbo Baggins--he has the One Ring into which Sauron deposited much of his power. If th...</p><p><a href="https://bookblabla.com/book/the-fellowship-of-the-ring" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="bookblabla.com/book/the-fellowship-of-the-ring"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">bookblabla.com/book/the-fellow</span><span class="invisible">ship-of-the-ring</span></a></p><p><span class="h-card"><a href="https://fedigroups.social/@bookstodon" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@<span>bookstodon</span></a></span></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/reading/" rel="tag">#reading</a> <a href="/tags/libraries/" rel="tag">#libraries</a></p>
<p>“Open Me Carefully.” Emily Dickinson’s Intimate Letters to Susan Huntington Dickinson</p><p>"A Look Inside the Poet’s Personal Life and the Making of Her Mythical Reclusiveness"</p><p><a href="https://lithub.com/open-me-carefully-emily-dickinsons-intimate-letters-to-susan-huntington-dickinson/" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="lithub.com/open-me-carefully-emily-dickinsons-intimate-letters-to-susan-huntington-dickinson/"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">lithub.com/open-me-carefully-e</span><span class="invisible">mily-dickinsons-intimate-letters-to-susan-huntington-dickinson/</span></a></p><p>Books by Dickinson at PG:</p><p><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/996" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/996"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/autho</span><span class="invisible">r/996</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a> <a href="/tags/poetry/" rel="tag">#poetry</a></p>
<p>French and American writer, journalist and pianist Ève Curie was born <a href="/tags/otd/" rel="tag">#OTD</a> in 1904.</p><p>She is best known for writing a biography of her mother, Madame Curie (1937). Ève was the only member of her family who did not choose a career as a scientist and did not win a Nobel Prize, although her husband, Henry Richardson Labouisse Jr., did collect the Nobel Peace Prize in 1965 on behalf of UNICEF.</p><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%88ve_Curie" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%88ve_Curie"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%88ve</span><span class="invisible">_Curie</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a></p>
<p>Book Review: The Gryphon King by Sara Omer<br>A monster-filled secondary-world fantasy that takes its cues and worldbuilding inspirations from points east of the Bosporus Strait<br><span class="h-card"><a href="https://wandering.shop/@Princejvstin" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@<span>Princejvstin</span></a></span> has our review<br><a href="http://www.nerds-feather.com/2026/01/book-review-gryphon-king-by-sara-omer.html" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.nerds-feather.com/2026/01/book-review-gryphon-king-by-sara-omer.html"><span class="invisible">http://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.nerds-feather.com/2026/01/</span><span class="invisible">book-review-gryphon-king-by-sara-omer.html</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/review/" rel="tag">#review</a> <a href="/tags/fantasy/" rel="tag">#fantasy</a> <a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/bookreview/" rel="tag">#bookreview</a> <a href="/tags/bookstodon/" rel="tag">#bookstodon</a> @bookstodon</p>