The Sunday Prescription

One reading topic, one week of plans, and plenty of books administered weekly for chronic readers.

Symptoms: Seasonal Reading Disorder

Happy Sunday friends! Hope everyone is having a great week, and that you are enjoying your reading in some way, shape, or form. As we are getting into fall here, the kids are going back to school, leaves are turning in my part of the world, and it's starting to be cold in the mornings. This, along with some really interesting banter on our Discord server, has me thinking about the seasons of reading, and how it is really important to embrace those seasons.

I know for me, reading definitely has a literal seasonal component. I read a ton in the summer with the kids being off of school and with vacations. My reading takes a hit in the fall when life responsibilities are building up and I'm outside more. Winter you have plenty of darkness and time to be indoors, and I read more, and then spring again it usually takes another dip as we barrel to the end of the school year.

But for all of us, reading has a more metaphorical seasonal component. One of the things that I always try to stress in my little reading community is that for me, I never want reading to eellike a chore, or a task, or a thing to simply get through so I can meet a goal or just get to the next book. It is meant to be enjoyed, and savored. Sometimes you love a book and you want to plow through it. Sometimes you love a book and you want to slow down and stay there. And it's important to let the books take you where they will. Similarly, you're going to go through periods where you go on a sci fi kick and drop your fantasy reads. Maybe you suddenly are sick of sci fi and want to read some nonfiction. Again, let your mood and the books take you where they will.

But sometimes, you just won't feel like reading, and I think it is important to remember that that is ok too! One of our Discord members just came back after being away for a few months - they were welcomed back with open arms! A few of our Discord members have been feeling a pull more to other hobbies, and that's ok too. I myself go through this, and it's part of the reason my reading is seasonal. As the weather gets cooler in the fall, I want to be out in the workshop building furniture with the windows open, making campfires and enjoying the outdoors, or going biking and hiking. So, I read a little less. Maybe I listen to a bit more audiobook wise, but I indulge those other hobbies. My Friday nights usually consist of reading in our reading room, but this week I wanted to watch a horror movie with my son. Sometimes I want to build a Lego or do a puzzle. Again, indulge those interests. Don't let reading become a chore or a job.

All of our hobbies go through seasons of intensity, and the goal should always be to enjoy your hobbies. In a reason Instagram live I did with Sarahdoesbookishstuff, we talked a bit about hustle culture and the push to monetize your hobbies. Resist this urge as much as possible! Not all of your hobbies need to turn into monetized jobs, and reading shouldn't feel like work.

So listen to your body and your brain, and incorporate reading as you see fit. And just know that around here, whether you read two books a year, two books a day, or anything in between, you are a welcome member of our community no matter what season of reading you're in!

The Rx: What I'm Reading and Doing

Life is busy, and there is a ton going on! So first, let's talk Book Clubs:

• For our main book club:

  • September's book, Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman, is wrapping up soon. This is a fantastic book club choice with so much to discuss!

  • October's Choice is Japanese Gothic by Kylie Lee Baker. I will be posting the discussion thread on Discord for this this week sometime for anyone who wants to jump in!

• For our Fable book club:

  • September's book, Dust Child by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai, is wrapping up. I just finished this the other day, and it was really tremendous. A difficult, heavy read at times, but really well done.

  • October's pick is Carmilla by Sheridan le Fanu. This is a sapphic vampire story that predates Dracula by 26 years, and was apparently a major inspiration for Bram Stoker!

For our Monthly Reading Challenges:

• September's challenge, Read the Opposite, runs through the end of the month. This can be a genre or author you don't normally read, a type of book you don't normally read - basically read something that is outside of your norm and pushes your reading boundaries a bit!

• October's reading challenge will be to read something seasonal. More to come on this next week!

In terms of reading, I am reading our Dark Traveler's Monthly Pick a Book, which for this month is Road of Bones by Demi Winters. This is my first dive into Romantasy (second if you count Jasad Heir), and I'm really enjoying it. I'm going to be adding a perk for our Dark Travelers, which will be a dedicated member's only review video for their monthly pick that will be more in depth! I am also listening to The Prophet of Edan by Philip Chase, book two in his Edan Trilogy, and really enjoying it.

I am finishing up a couple ARCs that will be my last for awhile. I'm reading Steadfast as Stone by Jeffrey Smith, and then Victorious by VE Schwab. After that I am going to be taking an indefinite hiatus from ARCs to allow me to focus more on buddy reads in our Discord and reading more of the books on my TBR I want to read as a mood reader!.

Hobby wise, I'll be leaning back into woodworking. With the weather cooling down, I'll be back on my mountain bike a bit more as well, and looking forward to spending time outside. I have a Lord of the Rings puzzle I started recently, and then I also recently picked up the Lord of the Rings Shire Lego set, so will be doing that as well.

And last but not least, be on the lookout for a new membership tier announcement the first week of October! I have a really fun idea, and am excited to share it with you all!

If you are not on our Discord server, you should consider hanging out! I do exclusive giveaways there, and I have some really exciting ones planned for the next few months! I don't really do giveaways on IG/TT because I like to reward you all in our community, so be on the look out for those. We have two giveaways running right now!

Hope you all have a great week of reading and life, and I'll see you next week!

Want More In-Depth Access?

If you enjoy getting into the details with me about reading, then consider upgrading to The Dark Travelers tier! My Dark Travelers get an exclusive Discord role and channels, a weekly deep dive reading update video, early access to YouTube videos, and each month they get to pick a book for me to read. This can be a book they want to read with me, or something they want me to try for them. I then do a member's only review when I'm done. It's super fun and a great tight knit group that I really enjoy talking books with, and I'd love to have you part of it!

First Editions, your reading experience just got an upgrade! 💫

If you’re reading The Commons by Rebecca Ihim, the complete Page Ladies Book Club reader kit collection is officially available! Whether you’re gathering with the whole book club, reading with a buddy, or diving into the story completely on your own, we’ve created a kit to make your reading experience even more engaging.

✨ The Book Club Kit — Bring your group together with discussion questions, activities, themed ideas, and everything you need to turn your meeting into a memorable bookish experience.

📖 Individual Book Club Member’s Reader Guide — Your personal companion for reading, reflecting, taking notes, tracking thoughts, and coming prepared for your book club conversation.

👯 Buddy Reader Kit — Reading The Commons with a friend? This kit gives two readers a fun way to compare thoughts, discuss the story, make predictions, and connect the dots along the way.

☕ Solo Reader Kit — Reading on your own? You’re invited to the conversation, too! Use this guide to reflect on the story, dig deeper into the themes, and create your own book club experience.

Whether you’re a book club member, buddy reader, or solo reader, there’s a Page Ladies kit waiting for you. 💕📚

Ready to dive deeper into The Commons?

👉 First Editions members, tap the link to download your complete reader kits and start reading!

Book Club Kit

Individual Book Club Member Reader Guide

Buddy Reader Kit 

Solo Reader Kit 

And, of course, keep an eye out for more Page Ladies Book Club reader resources, because we believe reading the book is only the beginning. ✨

Bookish Question:

Are you reading The Commons with your book club, a reading buddy, or flying solo? And which kit are you grabbing first? 👀📖

#TheCommons #RebeccaIhim #BookClubKit #BookClub #BookishCommunity

What if being different wasn't just unpopular but dangerous?

That question sits at the heart of The Commons by Rebecca Ihim, and it gave The Page Ladies Book Club plenty to unpack.

At first glance, The Commons delivers many of the elements readers may expect from a dystopian story: a highly controlled society, an elite institution, dangerous tests, surveillance, secrets, romance, betrayal, and a protagonist who finds herself caught in a system determined to control her future.

But underneath all of that is a much bigger question:

What happens when a society decides that being “common” is more valuable than being yourself?

That question became one of the biggest threads running through our discussion.

WELCOME TO THE COMMONS

The story follows eighteen-year-old Shantavia Lerogaski, an exceptionally intelligent young woman whose very intelligence makes her a threat within a society that values conformity.

When Shantavia's sister disappears from The Commons, she has a deeply personal reason to find her way into the elite school.

Once there, however, finding her sister becomes only part of the problem.

Shantavia must navigate six dangerous tests, a highly controlled environment, uncertain alliances, and people whose motives aren't always easy to understand.

And, naturally, the deeper she gets into The Commons, the more questions arise.

For a book club, that's where things get interesting.

Because there is plenty here to question, debate, theorize about, and argue over in the most book-club-approved way possible.

SHANTAVIA: INTELLIGENCE AS BOTH GIFT AND THREAT

One of the most compelling aspects of Shantavia's character is that the quality that makes her exceptional is also the quality that makes her dangerous to the system.

She is intelligent.

She thinks independently.

She doesn't naturally fit into the mold The Commons has created.

And that creates an interesting conflict.

Normally, intelligence and individuality would be celebrated.

Here, they can make someone a target.

Our discussion kept circling back to what that means for Shantavia. She isn't simply fighting to survive a series of tests. She's navigating a system that seems to want her to become less of herself in order to succeed.

That raises a particularly uncomfortable question:

If survival requires you to suppress the qualities that make you who you are, what exactly are you surviving for?

THE WORLD OF THE COMMONS

The premise of The Commons immediately gives readers something substantial to dig into.

This isn't a society where conformity is merely encouraged.

Being “common” is measured.

Students are expected to fit a particular standard.

Individuality becomes suspicious.

And intelligence itself can become threatening.

That concept gives the setting an unsettling quality because it takes something many people experience pressure to fit in and pushes it to an extreme.

The result is a world where standing out can have serious consequences.

For our book club, that made the setting just as important to discuss as the characters.

What would happen if society decided that being different was a flaw?

Who gets to determine what “normal” looks like?

And how much control would people willingly surrender if they were promised safety in return?

Those questions extend well beyond the fictional world of The Commons.

THE SIX TESTS

The six tests give the story an additional layer of tension while also reinforcing the larger themes of the book.

Each test raises questions about what The Commons is actually trying to measure.

Is it intelligence?

Obedience?

Adaptability?

Survival?

Conformity?

Or something much more complicated?

That ambiguity makes the tests especially fun to discuss as a group because readers can interpret their purpose differently.

And, of course, every book club needs at least one question that immediately gets everyone talking:

Which test would you absolutely refuse to take?

Followed closely by:

Which one do you think you could actually survive?

We'll let everyone make their own questionable decisions there.

TRUST ISSUES: EVERYONE GETS A SIDE-EYE

If there's one thing The Commons gives readers plenty of, it's reasons to question people's motivations.

Shantavia is surrounded by characters whose intentions aren't always immediately clear, and the mystery surrounding her sister makes trust even more complicated.

When information is limited and the people around you may have their own agendas, trusting someone becomes a risk.

That made character motivations one of the more interesting areas for book-club discussion.

Who deserves Shantavia's trust?

Who doesn't?

Are certain characters protecting information for good reasons or simply protecting themselves?

And how much does fear influence the choices people make?

There is plenty of room for readers to arrive at very different conclusions.

Which is exactly what we want from a book-club conversation.

PESH ATTRACTION & COMPLICATION

Then we have Pesh.

Because apparently surviving a dangerous dystopian institution wasn't complicated enough.

Shantavia also has to navigate a dangerous attraction while trying to figure out whether Pesh is someone she can trust.

That creates an interesting tension between what Shantavia feels and what she knows.

Romance in a story like this isn't happening in a vacuum. Every relationship exists within a world of power, secrets, uncertainty, and danger.

That makes the dynamic between Shantavia and Pesh another natural conversation starter.

Can attraction cloud judgment?

Can you trust someone when you aren't sure what they want?

And is a dangerous attraction ever actually a good idea?

We suspect book clubs may have opinions on that last one.

FAMILY, SACRIFICE & THE SEARCH FOR ANSWERS

At the center of Shantavia's journey is her missing sister.

That personal connection gives the larger conflict emotional weight.

Shantavia isn't simply challenging The Commons because she dislikes its rules.

She's searching for someone she loves.

That makes the sacrifices she faces more meaningful because the stakes are deeply personal.

The story gives readers plenty to consider about family loyalty and the lengths someone might go to protect the people they love.

It also raises a difficult question:

How much should someone be willing to sacrifice for another person?

And perhaps even more importantly:

At what point does sacrifice become losing yourself?

CONFORMITY VS. INDIVIDUALITY

If we had to choose one theme to put at the center of a The Commons book-club discussion, this would be it.

The entire concept of being evaluated on how “common” you are creates a fascinating conflict between conformity and individuality.

The book asks readers to consider what happens when fitting in becomes more important than thinking independently.

It also challenges the idea that being accepted is automatically a good thing.

Sometimes fitting in means belonging.

Sometimes it means compromising.

And sometimes it means giving up pieces of yourself that you shouldn't have to surrender.

That tension is what makes the concept of The Commons so interesting to discuss.

THE BIG THEMES WE KEPT COMING BACK TO

Conformity

How much should society expect people to fit a predetermined standard?

Individuality

What happens when being different becomes dangerous?

Power

Who creates the rules, and who benefits from them?

Surveillance

What happens when people know they are constantly being measured and watched?

Intelligence

Why would a society view intelligence as something threatening?

Trust

How do you determine who deserves your confidence when information is controlled?

Family

What would you risk to find or protect someone you love?

Identity

How much of yourself can you sacrifice before you stop recognizing yourself?

These themes give The Commons plenty of material for a deeper book-club conversation beyond simply discussing what happened in the story.

WHAT MAKES THIS A GREAT BOOK CLUB PICK?

For us, one of the biggest strengths of The Commons as a book-club selection is the number of questions it creates.

Readers can approach the story from several different angles.

You can discuss the dystopian world.

You can dissect the six tests.

You can debate character motivations.

You can talk about Shantavia's choices.

You can examine the relationship dynamics.

You can build theories.

You can argue about conformity.

You can ask whether you would survive The Commons.

And, naturally, you can spend entirely too much time deciding which characters you trust.

That's a successful book-club recipe in our opinion.

QUESTIONS TO TAKE TO YOUR BOOK CLUB

1. What makes Shantavia a threat to The Commons?

2. What does being “common” actually mean within the story?

3. Would you rather conform and survive or resist and risk everything?

4. Which of the six tests would be hardest for you?

5. What do you think the tests reveal about The Commons?

6. Who did you trust most?

7. Who did you trust least?

8. How did Shantavia's relationship with Pesh affect her choices?

9. What role does Shantavia's missing sister play in the larger story?

10. What does the book suggest about the cost of individuality?

11. How does power influence the characters' choices?

12. If you were given the opportunity to enter The Commons, would you?

OUR FINAL TAKEAWAY

The Commons by Rebecca Ihim gives readers a dystopian world built around a deceptively simple idea:

What if being ordinary was mandatory?

From Shantavia's intelligence to the six dangerous tests, from the mystery surrounding her sister to the complicated question of whom she can trust, the story gives book clubs plenty of material to unpack.

What stayed with our discussion most was the tension between survival and identity.

Because it's one thing to survive.

It's another thing to survive while remaining yourself.

And that is where The Commons gives readers something bigger to chew on than the plot alone.

This is a story that invites readers to question systems, question motivations, question conformity and, occasionally, question why we ever trusted that character in the first place.

And honestly?

That's exactly the kind of book conversation we love.

📚 KEEP CONVERSATION GOING

Want to read The Commons with us?

We've created FREE Mini Reader Kits so you can bring a little Page Ladies fun to your own reading experience.

Choose your reading style:

📖 Mini Book Club Kit
For your whole group to use together.

📝 Mini Individual Reader Guide
For readers who like to track thoughts, theories, questions, and reactions as they read.

👯 Mini Buddy Reader Kit
For two readers who want to compare theories and check in along the way.

☕ Mini Solo Reader Kit
For readers who prefer to read independently while still having prompts and activities to guide the experience.

Tap here to download your kit & start your reading adventure!

Want the full Page Ladies experience?

Join The First Editions, our paid Bindery membership, for the complete The Commons kits with expanded discussion questions, ready-to-use activities, theory tracking, recipes, reflections, and additional book-club materials.

Read it. Question it. Overthink it. Then come talk about it with us.

ONE LAST QUESTION FOR OUR READERS

If you were invited to The Commons, would you conform to survive or risk everything to remain completely yourself?

We want to know where you stand. 📚👀

Hello my dear Rebels! On Tuesday night I'm interviewing Kate Stayman-London about her new political campaign staffers enemies-to-lovers romance See You Next Tuesday. (As her hilarious marketing on Instagram has made clear, all of the characters involved are Democrats. Rest assured this is not a "crossing the aisles" conservative propaganda romance.)

Kate is also the author of Fang Fiction and One To Watch. What are you dying to know about her books?

Submit your questions in the comments by Tuesday morning 9/22 and I might ask her during an upcoming episode of Rebel Ever After.

You can purchase See You Next Tuesday in the Rebel Ever After affiliate bookstore here.