Category: discussion

Aria @ Book Nook Bits will be 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!

September 16: Tips for newbie bloggers (Aria)

Prompts: What have you learned since you first started blogging? What advice would you give to new bloggers? What is your favorite thing about blogging? What is the hardest part of blogging for you? Is there anything you wish you’d done differently with your blog?

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Welcome everyone to another week of LTB here at DTRH. Today’s topic is suggested by our very own host, and certainly a new topic that hasn’t come around in the rotation much! I definitely don’t feel like I am the best person to be giving advice in this area but I’ll be looking around for tips myself maybe.

The biggest lesson I’ve learned (not just from my own experiences) is to be kind to yourself. Blogging is difficult! The basics of it are super simple, sure, but it’s actually a lot of work and it can take time to build up a blog. Never feel bad about taking a break if you need, nor for the slumps that inevitably happen too. Remember that blogging is supposed to be fun and you can’t really go wrong from there.

My advice would be to know yourself well. Some people need to stay super organized and that’s how content gets churned out. Others will post according to their whims and whatever spontaneous fancy they may have. And I’m sure there are all the people in between as well! Whatever your style is, make it work for you. Don’t try too hard to conform to something you aren’t. Number one, it isn’t fun. Number two, everyone wants to see you for you. So know yourself well, and try and show that off!

My favourite thing about blogging which I’m sure I’ve said before is the community. In my day to day life, I don’t actually know too many readers and book lovers. But here, there is a whole vast world of all you bookish people and honestly it really makes me feel like I belong. So I certainly appreciate all of you!

The hardest part about blogging is definitely time management and keeping up with the hobby. As with any hobby, it takes a certain time investment and this is no exception. Any hobby begins to slowly fade without you putting your effort into it! I still feel like a new blogger myself, so I’m not sure I would do anything differently yet. Having Andge to guide me through blogging really helped me through some beginner stages though, so maybe that’s why as well!

And that’s all for today! How would you all give advice to blog newbies? I honestly feel like a newbie myself still, so let me know in the comments below!

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Aria @ Book Nook Bits will be 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!

September 9: Character or Plot Focused Books? (Brooke @ The Reader’s Game)

Prompts: What makes a book more character focused? What makes one more plot focused? Which do you prefer? Do you have any recommendations for plot focused and character focused books?

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Welcome back to another week of LTB here at DTRH everyone! I really like today’s topic, as I have actually talked about this a little bit throughout my reviews but never really dove into it as any sort of discussion. Can’t wait to hear what you all have to say about it as well as what people’s preferences generally are!

I think this distinction between character focused or plot focused is something that I think about often because I mainly read a lot of thrillers or murder mysteries. I think Verity would be an example of a more character focused book, where each character’s background is thoroughly explored and explained and the plot, while exciting, is mainly the support for the development of the characters and the suspense is created through the character’s interactions.

On the other hand, a plot focused book often doesn’t dive too deep into the characters, instead the plot is used to bring out the details of the characters, and the focus of the book is really more on the story as a whole, and characters are just brought in as needed. A book like Don’t Look For Me really focused on the situation and the whole drama behind the plot, rather than any character in focus, even though there of course is a protagonist trying to solve the case.

I think a mix of both is really good, but of course most books would tend to lean one way or the other. I think it is the most exciting/thrilling when both the plot and the characters drive each other. I think that provides the most forward momentum, and really makes it difficult to stop reading. Of course, if you really enjoy reading about c certain characters, that on its own is often enough to propel you forward, or similarly if you enjoy good plots.

It’s actually difficult to break down every book to say whether it’s character or plot focused, as there really is generally a mix of both. I think thrillers tend to be more plot driven, as usually the story is in the suspense and the characters are just pulled along for the ride. I’m thinking of books such by authors like Shari Lapena or Ruth Ware will often follow this pattern. The truth of the characters kind of comes out in the plots, and I think for thrillers I generally like this pattern.

That being said, the best thriller I’ve read in a while was probably Verity, which I think was really more character focused. But it certainly had a good enough plot to drive the development forwards. I think the main thing to take away from this whole discussion is that while good plot or good characters can really drive a story forward, it really shouldn’t be the only engine (at least in my opinion). Books that feel like the plot is dragged along by the characters, or vice versa, are really noticeable, and often makes a weaker book. It often gets a description like: while the character development was great, the plot left us a bit wanting, as some things felt out of the blue or just there for the sake of the character development. On the other hand, the plot could be great, but really left us wanting in terms of wanting to know the characters a bit better.

Do you all notice when either plot or character development is just dragging the other along? And which type of focused book do you prefer? Let me know in the comments below!

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Aria @ Book Nook Bits will be 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!

September 2: Do You Ever Get Overwhelmed by Your TBR (to-be-read) Pile? (Jillian @ Jillian the Bookish Butterfly)

Prompts: How do you keep track of the books you want to read? Do you have a lot of books on your TBR? Is there any order/organization within all the books you want to read? Does your TBR ever feel overwhelming?

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Welcome back to another week of LTB here at DTRH everyone! Happy September to you all. First topic of this month is about TBRs which I think we know is always a relevant topic. I know my methods of dealing with my TBR are ever-growing and ever-changing. Can’t wait to hear what the rest of you do too!

I feel like this is one of those things where you either have a set method, or you don’t and go back and forth on multiple things. I’m sure one of the most common methods is to have some sort of online list, whether it be on goodreads or your own personal document(s). I think I have a combination of things going on, falling into that second category. Scatterings of recommendations and other online equivalents of scrap pieces of paper lying around. Perhaps it’s me not being organized, but on the other hand, even if I have a TBR, I really don’t follow it that strictly.

If I wanted to, I could have a list and start sorting by priority, but I think for me at least, reading is always about the mood. I could have a list and sort it today, and want to change it tomorrow. I feel similarly with my list of to-do tasks per day too. I will usually have them written out, and I do a mini prioritization of their importance vs. urgency, but in the end I will just usually do what I feel like doing and just be happy with that. I think the same comes with books. Library books that are due soon will usually get some priority, but if I don’t want to read it at the time…I could always borrow it again some other time. Does anyone else also do this, and flex your TBR as it suits your fancy?

I think most of us in this community will have large TBRs, which isn’t surprising at all. With all the information we get through ads, but also many suggestions through all our bookish friends, it’s not surprising that we only have an ever-growing list of TBRs! As responsibilities pile up (i.e. reading speed slows down), this only exacerbates the problem. I will always have something To Be Read, but like I said before, that can be anywhere in the future. I think it’s probably more important to know what you want to read, here and now, and to just always keep reading!

Honestly, TBRs are a little bit overwhelming. It almost reads (ha) as a to do list, rather than a wish list. I definitely urge everyone who might be feeling a bit pressured by the looming list to remember it is really more of a tracker of books you are excited to read (excited!), and not a list of things you must do by a deadline. While there is an urgency factor in it, it’s important to keep in mind why you have the TBR! If it’s really overwhelming, just remember, many books can stay on your TBR list almost indefinitely, I’m sure you’ll all get around to it when you feel like it, so don’t sweat it. Happy reading everyone!

How do you all feel about your TBRs, and how do you manage them? Let me know in the comments below!

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