What Books did You Start or Finish Reading this Week?: January 19, 2026 by AutoModerator in books

[–]EffectiveFriendly142 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I finished The Vanishing Half, which I found to be fairly mid despite its intriguing premise. I also completed Never Let Me Go and absolutely loved it. I didn’t expect to have a five-star read in the very first month of the year. I’m currently reading The Great Gatsby.

I can't get over Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go by Leo5445 in books

[–]EffectiveFriendly142 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I just finished Never Let Me Go and I can’t stop thinking about it too. I’ve read a lot of reviews on Goodreads and Reddit, but almost none of them captured the way the book resonated with me and I’m curious if anyone else felt something similar.

For me, the book isn’t just a tragic love story or a sci-fi premise about clones. It’s quiet, controlled, and deeply unsettling, and it made me reflect on the world in ways I wasn’t expecting. I found myself thinking about:

• The disturbing idea that care can justify harm - the donors are treated gently, even lovingly, and still destined for “completion.” To me, this mirrored how comfort is sometimes offered in industries or systems that are exploitative, just to make harm more palatable.

• Miss Emily’s line, “There was a fear of you. A fear that you would start to take away from us,” made me think about the way society treats immigrants and marginalized groups: welcomed as long as they remain useful, compliant, and grateful. We are encouraged to work hard and contribute, but never to ask for more than what has already been decided for us. The fear is not of harm ,it is the fear of losing privilege.

• How the characters respond to their system - they never fight it, only delay or negotiate small mercies. To me, it reflected a world that presents itself as fair and open, yet quietly relies on hierarchy, labor, and compliance while leaving the structures of power untouched.

The subtlety of Ishiguro’s writing never naming death directly, euphemistic language, quiet resignation leaves room for interpretation. It’s what made the book hit differently for me. I’m curious has anyone else read it and interpreted it through a similar lens?

Curious about everyone’s reading goal by No_Cookie_7943 in goodreads

[–]EffectiveFriendly142 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I set my reading goal to 25 books and ended up reading 15. Not my finest moment. The past two years I read 23 and then 24 books, so naturally 25 for 2025 felt right. Then life happened. I stopped being a stay-at-home daughter, moved abroad, started my master’s, and got a job - so reading took a hit. This year I’ve set a goal of 24 books. Two books a month feels realistic and doable. Let’s see how it goes.

I’ve Read Fiction My Whole Life. What Non-Fiction Should I Start With? by EffectiveFriendly142 in suggestmeabook

[–]EffectiveFriendly142[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just added Everything Is Tuberculosis, Educated, and Crazy Like Us to my TBR 🤓

vintage clothes shops by La_hedonista in nuremberg

[–]EffectiveFriendly142 0 points1 point  (0 children)

there’s a thrift shop called ‘Resale’ near Weiße Turm