Author: 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.

JULY 23: DOES HAVING A POSITIVE MESSAGE AUTOMATICALLY MAKE A BOOK GOOD? (RUKKY)

Prompts: If you see good representation in a bad story, do you still consider it a good book? Are you more lenient with an ‘okay’ book if it has an important message? How do you deal with a book that you disliked/hated if you think it still has an important theme? Do you think we should actively recommend books with positive/important messages even if we personally didn’t like the book?

Welcome back everyone! I can’t believe it’s almost the end of July already, time is seriously passing by so quickly, feels like summer is basically over. Today’s topic is thought-provoking, as I usually don’t rate books as “good or bad” right off the bat unless its egregiously out of line. Let’s explore the prompts that our lovely host Rukky has set out for us!

If you see good representation in a bad story, do you still consider it a good book?

For me, that’s a nope. Yes it’s great to see good representation anywhere. Is it enough to salvage a terrible book? Probably not. Of course, this all depends on many factors than just the representation and the story. But for me, it’s almost like what’s the point of having great representation if the story is so bad that no one wants to read nor promote it? Who will get to see and read about the good representation? So it’s a no from me for this one.

Are you more lenient with an ‘okay’ book if it has an important message?

This question on the other hand, I would have to say I do tend to be more lenient. I might even try harder to look for excuses reasons as to why it might be a good book over an “okay” one. Sometimes I think the moral of the story (or even just the journey) can truly be a very critical one, and therefore I might try to promote it even if it wasn’t the best book. That being said, I don’t run into these kinds of books too often, so I’m speaking more from a hypothetical standpoint.

How do you deal with a book that you disliked/hated if you think it still has an important theme?

I…fortunately don’t think I have run into this problem yet. I think the most is that I thought there could’ve been improvements, but since the book still had a good message and theme, I’ll give it a pass for not being the most superb of writing. Besides, writing style, etc. could also be subjective, right? Whereas the importance of some theme cannot be denied nor is it up for debate. Hypothetically speaking for a book I disliked/hated though… I’d have to say that I’d probably be honest with it. Like yes the book does seem to explore and talk about an important theme but I personally didn’t like it for x and y reasons. I think it would probably be best to acknowledge the shortcomings while still being honest with its strengths.

Do you think we should actively recommend books with positive/important messages even if we personally didn’t like the book?

Now this is an interesting one. For me I think the keyword here is “actively”. It would be easy enough for me to passively say “seems like it had a good message” without putting too much other emphasis on it. I feel like it might just be better to acknowledge such books when it comes up, but I think it would be even better to find books that you did like with a good message to promote. It’s always more effective to recommend and promote books that you personally enjoyed – people can definitely tell. The “important message” would be weaker if you are only half-heartedly promoting it, and therefore might lose value.

What do you all think though? Is the message of a book that important? Or just something trivial?

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.

JULY 16: WHAT ARE THE BEST WAYS TO GET OVER READING SLUMPS? (RAFAELA @ THE PORTUGESE BIBLIOPHILE)

Prompts: Sometimes you just don’t want to read anymore, how do you get back into it? Do you give yourself a break? Watch booktube or read blogs? Read an old favourite book to reignite that spark? Do you just force yourself through it? Maybe you read a picture book or a graphic novel?

Welcome to the middle of July everyone! Today’s topic is a good one, one that I definitely struggle with sometimes for seemingly no reason. I always love readings books, and sometimes I just put down books and don’t pick them up. Other times I am reading and can never put it down. Let’s explore maybe why that is.

Sometimes you just don’t want to read anymore, how do you get back into it?

For me, I think sometimes all it takes is for someone else to be excited by a book. And once they talk about what they loved, or how much they liked reading a book (any book), it really ignites the passion in me again. Like yes, I also really love reading, why did I ever stop?! Although this may be a somewhat unreliable way of restarting a reading habit, I find that it isn’t hard to just casually talk to my bookish friends and ask for recommendations, or at least ask about what they’re reading. Most likely I’ll want to read again just by even talking about books again.

Do you give yourself a break? Watch booktube or read blogs? Read an old favourite book to reignite that spark?

For sure, sometimes a break is necessary. It’s not always the case where forward is the right answer. Sometimes it really is just a good time to sit and relax (without a book) if that is how you are so inclined. After all, books are meant to be enjoyed, not to be a chore (as much as it may feel like one sometimes with ever-looming deadlines). I don’t usually watch booktube, but I do occasionally read around blogs to look for inspiration or just to see what others are up to. Sometimes that will also trigger the urge to read again. I tend to shy away from reading old favourites over and over again. For me, something about the magic of how I remember a book being is better than reading it again to confirm it. Does anybody else understand this? Or am I just weird – let me know in the comments below.

Do you just force yourself through it? Maybe you read a picture book or a graphic novel?

Sometimes, I do just force myself. Is it bad? Maybe. But honestly, at other times if I just tip over the scales a tiny tiny bit, I already fall down the slippery slope of wanting to read for hours on end without any regard for the time. I do read webtoons daily on my phone, which is another type of reading consumption that I enjoy. These are very short little pieces that I can enjoy daily and easily on my phone before bed. I guess I do read every day, if I count the daily uploads.

How do you all get over those reading stumps? Or will you always read again after a break, so there’s no need to “get over it” per se? Please let me know below, I’d love to hear what it’s like for you all!