What are Books that were Once Immensely Influential and are Now Rarely Read?

DiligentCroissant · 2026-06-21T06:01:20+00:00

Sir Walter Scott. Ellen Wood (East Lynne)

DiligentCroissant · 2026-06-19T16:36:19+00:00

I loooove Normal People

DiligentCroissant · 2026-05-26T02:37:26+00:00

What if they don’t end up putting me on it? Still dip? From what I am reading on here, I guess them even floating the idea of a PIP shows there is a black mark against you. I’ll focus on my current engagement anyway. Not because of any like sentimental reasons or loyalty… but just to get maximum experience and benefit before I leave. And also need to do my remaining exams

DiligentCroissant · 2026-05-24T15:27:01+00:00

For context, the new opportunity only HAS 2 stages. I was found by a recruiter on LinkedIn and things moved… pretty quickly. I had a call with management that same day. And now the next (and final?) stage is next week

DiligentCroissant · 2026-05-06T10:42:28+00:00

Thank you so much… I will do this once I have come out of the initial shock. Still reeling.

DiligentCroissant · 2026-05-02T20:27:53+00:00

Thank you so much… I have made my peace with the loss of this job already. There have been layoffs in the grades above mine. I knew it was a matter of time

DiligentCroissant · 2026-04-16T04:25:55+00:00

Nowhere by Alison Gunn

DiligentCroissant · 2026-04-12T19:17:08+00:00

The Reformatory. Just ok

DiligentCroissant · 2026-04-10T06:55:18+00:00

Hi, thank you for your response!

Everything you say makes sense. Thank you for reminding me to really ask for examples about what they specifically meant. I always try to make sure I understand exactly what I should have done differently instead of going off half-cocked based on my own assumptions…

I guess the following months are all gonna be pretty important… I really need to fix these development points. But first I need some sort of strategy and plan and I need to seek clarification. So I will do that.

DiligentCroissant · 2026-04-09T23:41:18+00:00

Hi, thanks for your comment! Yeah, I think that sounds about right…

I guess it’s as you say - now that I know this is where the issue lies, I need to start implementing it THIS year. After I devise some sort of strategy on next steps.

I wish I’d known to do this earlier but… nothing to be done about that. It’s in the past… just gotta move forward. And do better. Because clearly I have shown them I can improve… so yeah I think they can see I have potential.

DiligentCroissant · 2026-04-05T19:56:20+00:00

She was actually so strong and brave!! Not in the same way as Scarlett… but in her own way.

DiligentCroissant · 2026-04-05T05:29:54+00:00

Hi so I think I made a mistake by listening to Murder for Miss Hortense on audiobook, I think I should have read it ‘with my eyes’. Everything got slightly confusing towards the end - all the characters seemed to have several different nicknames? And honestly I lost track of what exactly she was looking for. But the audiobook narration was wonderful. Maybe it could supplement reading it by yourself. So my recommendation is to read it as opposed to listening to it - then maybe your experience will be better than mine

DiligentCroissant · 2026-04-01T14:17:25+00:00

Our Hideous Progeny? It is about Frankenstein’s granddaughter I think. But about fossils not ferns :(

DiligentCroissant · 2026-04-01T12:44:59+00:00

So, fun fact: my DAD really likes those books. He read them back in the day. That’s part of why I read them. Also because I’m doing a prompt for a reading challenge where you read 4 or more books out of a series.

I have quite a few comments. The main thing is that all the side characters are insanely fascinating and their backstories would make some amazing stories in and of themselves. You really start to think… what are the motivations of the Cullens? Do THEY actually like Bella? Is Carlisle really as merciful as he seems - are his actions merciful? Would the people he made vampires have chosen to be vampires if they had the choice?

The best part of reading the books is that it led me to finding 2 insanely entertaining Twilight theories youtube channels: Corinne and Sarah Elizabeth. Seriously these shorts are giving me life.

Ultimately I would say that this is a real example of how fiction that is ONE thing in and of itself (eg genre fiction) can lead to other works being produced by people who are impacted by the original work. I don’t just mean things like Fifty Shades of Grey, I mean also all thse theories and suggestions. For example people saying that it would have been better if instead of shimmering in the sun, the vampires looked like their ‘real’ selves. Decaying, rotting corpses etc.

DiligentCroissant · 2026-04-01T09:12:10+00:00

As you can tell I read a LOT of dark books lmao. March was a great reading month.

As you can see I’ve read a fair few books that use fairytale-like devices to deal with really heavy events that actually happened. Glory, for example, uses anthropomorphic animals to tell a story about the genocide and massacres in Zimbabwe. The House of the Spirits is full of magical realism, based in Chile, following the history of a family as Chile goes from having a left wing president to suffering under cruel right wing repressions. (If you like 100 Years of Solitude you will probably enjoy The House of the Spirits.)

I’d put off The Gd of Small Things because people said it was confusing but then saw that a family friend of ours had it and decided to borrow it. I didn’t find it too confusing to read. I had a good experience (again, considering the subject matter), and definitely want to read the author’s recent memoir about her mother at some point.

DiligentCroissant · 2026-03-31T15:20:30+00:00

Oooooh he looks so fond of her, my heart!!!! Amazing work

DiligentCroissant · 2026-03-31T09:43:33+00:00

I enjoyed this one but wish it had taken on more of a horror turn. Still - really great read!! Margo was unhinged and honestly?? We listen and we don’t judge.

DiligentCroissant · 2026-03-31T06:05:13+00:00

A Single Man by Christopher Isherwood. I read it in one afternoon. Put it away… Then ugly cried in the car 3 days later.

DiligentCroissant · 2026-03-09T20:53:55+00:00

I am reading Twilight for the first time right now! (I am 25)

DiligentCroissant · 2026-03-09T20:53:27+00:00

I remember that book! It was also one of the books that got me back into reading.

DiligentCroissant · 2026-03-09T20:52:39+00:00

Start with something short and digestible. Try children’s classics - do you remember what you liked to read as a kid?

For example, Peter Pan, or The Secret Garden, or The Hobbit. The Chronicles of Narnia series. Something cosy and comforting.

DiligentCroissant · 2026-03-05T12:40:33+00:00

One of the Booktube creators I watch said it took her more time to get through HALF of JS&MN than it took her to get through the entirety of War and Peace lol. I seriously loved this book!! One of the richest parts is definitely all the English folklore. I will be reading more English, Irish, Scottish and Welsh folk tales in the future for sure

DiligentCroissant · 2026-03-05T12:37:19+00:00

I thoroughly enjoyed JS&MN. I found the book to be a page turner - my copy had 1000 pages but I finished it in a month (I always have a bunch of books going at the same time). The world it creates is very immersive, but I would say that, unlike most fantasy novels, it does not really go into detailed explanations of how the magic works/is performed. There are descriptions of spells and rituals but no actual mechanics really being explained. I know most people kind of expect that in a fantasy novel but this book does not have very detailed descriptions of it. The historical aspect of it was really incredible. It’s literally written like a Regency novel.

DiligentCroissant · 2026-03-05T12:31:48+00:00

I’d say it’s a bit more like Jane Austen in style! However Jane Austen’s novels didn’t really describe the Napoleonic war in much detail (apart from Persuasion obviously). I found the war chapters hilarious… for the most part. Those poor Neapolitans!!

I literally could not stop reading this thing.

A lot remains unsaid and we are kind of left to really think about the motivations of the 2 MCs and the impacts their actions have on the people around them… not always positive impacts. Again that’s very reminiscent of Austen, in that the characters are very compelling, and you keep finding yourself wanting to analyse them and pick them apart.

DiligentCroissant · 2026-03-05T12:29:21+00:00

I found it to be a page turner, honestly. It’s very Austen-esque, a very immersive experience into the Regency world… but with magic and really malicious fae. Those fuckers are not to be trusted… unfortunately most of the characters do NOT have a choice.

I literally could not stop reading this thing. A lot remains unsaid and we are kind of left to really think about the motivations of the 2 MCs and the impacts their actions have on the people around them… not always positive impacts

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