Fives @ Down The Rabbit Hole

Let’s Talk Bookish is a weekly meme, hosted by Rukky @ Eternity Books & Dani @ Literary Lion, where they discuss certain topics, share their opinions, and spread the love by visiting each others’ posts.

NOVEMBER 26: DO YOU KEEP UP WITH NEW RELEASES? (SUGGESTED BY PIPPIN @ THE PIGEON)

Prompts: How current is your reading? Do you tend to read recently published books or pick from the publishing backlog, and why? Is there any particular merit to keeping up with current releases, or is it all hype? How has book blogging changed your habits on this front? And, in the future, are you thinking you want your reading to shift either way?

Welcome to the last week of LTB in November, everyone! It’s almost December, and the snow is probably coming soon (oh boy), but it’s nice to sit down and cozy up and discuss another LTB by the (imaginary) fire. The topic today is great and I’d love to hear how you all keep up with the new releases, if at all!

I’d say my reading is not always that current. I do try and read some new stuff and review it for you all, but often times there’s a lot of good books released that I haven’t got to yet! I would say Andge is usually more caught up, or at least does many more ARCs, so hopefully her posts satisfy those of you who are ahead of the curve.

I think here at DTRH we do have a good mix of both oldies and new releases. I don’t think we particularly pick one or the other to publish about though. I think generally we try and read new stuff to provide a good resource for those who want to read reviews about possible reads. On the other hand, if there are old goodies that we haven’t posted about, then of course we read them and post for you all! We wouldn’t skip books and not come back to them because they aren’t “current” anymore.

There is definitely “hype” around reviewing something that everyone else is reading and reviewing, but I think there’s also merit to having your resource available contemporaneously with other bloggers. I’m sure readers all have blogs and opinions that they trust more—I know there are definitely reviews I trust over others.

Blogging has definitely changed my habits. Before I would just read whatever, whenever. But now that I consider that my review may have an audience, I try not to always post about outdated things that everyone has probably read already. That being said, even if everyone has read it, sometimes it’s just nice to hear a concurring opinion about a book that you liked/disliked.

In the future here at DTRH, I think we will definitely be striving to be a better resource and providing very up-to-date reviews, if possible. That being said, if you all have any suggestions of books you want reviewed here, please let us know! Or if perhaps you enjoy the current mix of current and non-current releases, you can also let us know below. Any suggestions are always welcome, of course!

4.5 star

Review: The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner

November 24, 2021November 23, 2021 Fives @ Down The Rabbit Hole

A female apothecary secretly dispenses poisons to liberate women from the men who have wronged them—setting three lives across centuries on a dangerous collision course.

Rule #1: The poison must never be used to harm another woman.
Rule #2: The names of the murderer and her victim must be recorded in the apothecary’s register.

One cold February evening in 1791, at the back of a dark London alley in a hidden apothecary shop, Nella awaits her newest customer. Once a respected healer, Nella now uses her knowledge for a darker purpose—selling well-disguised poisons to desperate women who would kill to be free of the men in their lives. But when her new patron turns out to be a precocious twelve-year-old named Eliza Fanning, an unexpected friendship sets in motion a string of events that jeopardizes Nella’s world and threatens to expose the many women whose names are written in her register.

In present-day London, aspiring historian Caroline Parcewell spends her tenth wedding anniversary alone, reeling from the discovery of her husband’s infidelity. When she finds an old apothecary vial near the river Thames, she can’t resist investigating, only to realize she’s found a link to the unsolved “apothecary murders” that haunted London over two centuries ago. As she deepens her search, Caroline’s life collides with Nella’s and Eliza’s in a stunning twist of fate—and not everyone will survive.

This was one of my anticipated reads since March, and I finally got around to it! I’m quite torn between giving it 5 Drink Me Potions or not, but in the end I decided that it wasn’t quite worthy of the last little half potion. But that gives it such a negative connotation, it’s better for you to all see it for the merits that I’m giving it 4.5 Drink Me Potions, and let me guide you through that below!

The Lost Apothecary is a historical fiction that revolves around two timelines, one in the late eighteenth century and the other in modern day. The historical time line revolves around a fallen apothecary that once dispensed healing remedies, now poisons. The modern day witnesses the perfect marriage falling from grace. We follow both timelines as they parallel each other in more ways than one would imagine two lives two centuries apart. How do they intersect? This will be the biggest mystery of them all in this thrilling historical narrative.

Continue reading →

discussion

Let’s Talk Bookish – What Truly Makes a Blog Hiatus?

November 19, 2021November 19, 2021 Fives @ Down The Rabbit Hole

Let’s Talk Bookish is a weekly meme, hosted by Rukky @ Eternity Books & Dani @ Literary Lion, where they discuss certain topics, share their opinions, and spread the love by visiting each others’ posts.

NOVEMBER 19: WHAT TRULY MAKES A BLOG HIATUS? (SUGGESTED BY RUBY @ RUBY READS AND REVIEWS)

Prompts: Have you taken a hiatus before? How long was it for, and did you plan/announce it beforehand? What do you think makes a hiatus? Is there a minimum time length that defines one? Do you think it should be announced beforehand?

Welcome to another LTB here on DTRH! Today’s topic is certainly unique, and I’m glad to be discussing it a little bit with you all. I’d be interested to hear what others have to say on this topic too!

Ah…hiatuses. We are no stranger to those here at DTRH, as we really only restarted in full-force this year! 2020 was a much more quiet year (for obvious reasons), and anything above a month can certainly count as a hiatus depending on your frequency of posting. For us here, who try to post everyday, even a week would count as a hiatus, I think! Although for those waiting for a post, a week is probably reasonable to expect silence.

Generally, unless hiatuses arise because of a very particular circumstance, it’s generally not announced. Health reasons or anticipated scheduling conflicts or commitments are generally announced, I presume, if possible. Not that I would expect announcements, as I can understand that a hiatus may happen for any number of reasons. I also assume that the more followers you have, the more likely you are to announce a hiatus? But correct me if I’m wrong there.

A hiatus announcement or a hiatus in general usually just signifies a blogger taking a step back from the blog and taking a break. Usually this means that no content will be released for a foreseeable future. Although I have also heard some people make take a hiatus to prepare more materials as well.

As for a minimum length, I’d say it is completely proportional to your regular posting habits. The more spaced out the posts, the longer it will take for people to “realize” you are on hiatus. That being said, if you just skipped a few posts and posted soon afterwards, I doubt anyone would call that a hiatus! Nor that anyone should blame you for taking a break, of course.

Do you think that hiatuses should be announced beforehand? I think that it’s nice if they do, but not a mistake if they don’t. Sometimes things come up and hiatuses just happen (*ahem*), and there really isn’t much to be said or done about that! Hopefully people are understanding – I think the recent events have really brought out more compassion and understanding for the varying situations we are all going through.

What do you all think? Yay or nay on hiatus announcements? What even counts as a hiatus for you? Let me know in the comments below!