Author: Fives @ Down The Rabbit Hole

Aria @ Book Nook Bits is the new host for Let’s Talk Bookish! If you aren’t following her yet, good check out her blog and give her a follow!

March 31: Do Genres Change Over Time? (Davida Chazan @ The Chocolate Lady’s Book Review Blog)

Prompts: Is there a genre you think is done better or worse today than it was in the past? How is it better today or how is it it worse than it was before? What differences do you see that make them better or worse? Do you think that the quality of genres follow certain trends over time?

Welcome to another week of LTB here at DTRH! As I missed last week, I have transposed last week’s topic to today. It’s certainly an interesting question that I’ve literally never thought of before, so that’s certainly interesting. I’ll be sure to check what everyone else had to say about this last week!

I genuinely think that thrillers and murder mysteries are really well done these day, or at least they can be. While the old Agatha Christies certainly have their charm and some of them really made way for truly novel ideas, I really like that new books can play on all those old tropes to create new surprises on top of old expectations. Perhaps one can argue that it isn’t better, but I like that it can grow over time and continue to be exciting no matter how many different storylines are explored or written.

Expanding on that a little bit more, I certainly like playing with all the old expectations like “it was the butler!” or the “jealous ex-lover.” There are always classic clues that lead you to believe that someone is suspicious or not, and the new books really play with it and turn it around on you in many novel ways. Or even if not, you can’t help but fight all the expectations that you have in your head. The best authors will always use that to their advantage, and I have seen many different ways of bringing thrillers or mysteries to life.

I feel like with technology, and more development of the creative arts, fantasies and sci-fi books are also improving over time. The more we have in our world, the more people can dream up of fantastical utopias/dystopias for our novels, and I think that’s something I’ve been seeing as well. The incorporation of more technology and modern day things into these kinds of books have also made it a bit better (more “relatable”?) in my opinion. I’m trying to think if there are any genres that are worse, but I don’t think there is. I think generally the quality of such productions will improve over time, and that is exactly what we have seen. But books will always be hit or miss depending on the reader anyway. So yes, I do think there will be trends for genres over time, and I think the quality will generally go up! Or at least I certainly hope that will be the case.

What do you all think about general book quality over time? Do you also think it’s generally increasing? Or are there certain genres that are above and beyond the rest? Let me know in the comments below!

Aria @ Book Nook Bits is the new host for Let’s Talk Bookish! If you aren’t following her yet, good check out her blog and give her a follow!

March 17: Spring Books (Aria)

Prompts: What books do you like to read in spring? What makes you feel the change in the seasons? Is it the cover, or the content? Do you read certain genres in spring, or books set during the season? What books are on your spring 2023 tbr?

Welcome to another week of LTB here at DTRH, everyone! Today’s topic is from our very own host, Aria! If you haven’t followed her yet, make sure to check out her awesome blog (linked above) and give her a follow if you like her content.

Spring (and I suppose summer) is where I tend to branch off and just read whatever sometimes, and not stick to my usual picks. That being said, where I am, it is currently not spring. There is snow everywhere and it is too cold to even retire my winter jacket. Brrrr. But if it were spring, I think I’d definitely try to read some other genres, like fantasies or romances. It always feels like an opportunity to try something new and fresh, which reflects the vibes of the spring season.

It’s definitely the weather and the increase in sunlight that makes me feel the change in weather, which I think also changes my mood and energy levels. As a result, I get in the mood to read stuff I usually wouldn’t. It could be the cover, it could be the content, but either way I feel like I’m usually most open to random suggestions from my friends around this time of year. Although of course the biggest variable is still probably finding space in a busy schedule.

I’d definitely appreciate some spring-themed books cropping up around this time of year. I suppose a green/nature-y cover could definitely draw my attention instead of the usual dark, cozy mystery types that are so prevalent in the winter. I don’t purposely set books to be read during this season, and certainly don’t commit them to my TBR. But this is also around the time of year where I’ll finally get to those books that my friends had suggested months ago—oops!

How about you all? Do you have spring reads? Or is anything different about your reading habits in the spring? Let me know in the comments below!

Aria @ Book Nook Bits is the new host for Let’s Talk Bookish! If you aren’t following her yet, good check out her blog and give her a follow!

March 10:  How Important Are Character Names? (Hannah @ Hannah’s Library)

Prompts: Are character names important? Should they be very unique, or common enough that most readers will recognize and know how to pronounce them? What makes a character name unique? Do you like character names that have a deeper meaning tied to the story at large? What do you notice about character names in different genres? What are some of your favorite character names? What are some of your favorite characters with the same names?

Welcome to another week of LTB here at DTRH, everyone! Today’s topic really intrigues me, and I’m so glad Hannah suggested it. I do wonder about the names that are chosen sometimes, and I also wonder how much thought is actually put into it on the author’s part. Interested to see what you all have to say about this!

I think character’s names can be really important. Something way too difficult to pronounce (i.e., even read) can sometimes be distracting. On the other hand a name that is too plain may also be not memorable. I don’t think they have to be pronounceable necessarily. But sometimes it does create a connection when a character introduces themselves in the book and even teaches you how to pronounce their name. I’ve always been a fan of that little interaction—it always makes me feel instantly a little bit closer to the main character, which is a quality of a book that I’m always looking for. It doesn’t have to be the most unique name, but certainly something that is fitting can always do wonders.

A character’s name is unique if the author gives it meaning, I think. Otherwise a name is just a name and isn’t that important of a feature. I like names that are generally specifically chosen though, I really do feel like it lends something that is relatable to the reader. Everyone has a name, and most people (I assume) have a thought or two about their name. Knowing the character also has these feelings always gives extra meaning and depth to the character. That being said, in something like thrillers, where there’s lots of suspicious characters that I don’t need to know in depth necessarily, having some easy to remember names and character types can be really helpful in helping me keep track. I definitely don’t need an explanation on all the names of those characters in that setting.

I don’t think the character names have to be tied to the story at large, but I definitely enjoy it whenever they do. Stuff to make a story feel more perfectly planned and executed is always something I admire and enjoy reading, but by no means is it a must. It can be cool to have that kind of foreshadowing though!

I read a lot of thrillers, and certainly the names there don’t matter as much generally—at least in the books I’ve read. And neither do I really care, it’s much more of a plot-driven, or character relationship-driven type of story anyway, rather than an in-depth analysis of a single character. I think in the fantasy genre where there is so much more flexibility with “reality” and what is “commonplace,” that is where I expect more special names with meanings, though again, it’s not absolutely necessary.

Sometimes it’s also not the name, but rather how the character is written that drives the name to be something so powerful. What immediately comes to mind is the name Hatsumomo, from Memoirs of a Geisha, that instantly brings out in me feelings of revulsion, or even the name Bellatrix. I find that these are the names that evoke the strongest feelings in me, even though it’s not really because of the names, but rather of the characters and how they were built and eventually just became the embodiment of their character via their name.

What are some of your favourite character’s names, and why do you like (or hate) them? Let me know in the comments below!