Category: discussion

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.

MAY 28: WHAT MAKES A GOOD SEQUEL? (M.T. WILSON @ THE LAST BOOK ON THE LEFT)

Prompts: What do you like to see in sequels? Are there any sequels you liked more than the first book? What makes some sequels disappointing? Do you feel like most sequels are worse than the original, or is that just an old wives tale? Do you get excited about sequels or do you prefer standalones?

Welcome to our last LTB in May, everyone! Today’s topic is yet another good one, and a controversial one at that, I’d say! Or perhaps not controversial, but certainly polarizing. I definitely have many friends in one camp versus the other, and I can totally see why there’d be such a variance in opinions.

For me, what I’d like to see in the sequel is a nod to the original characters and original plot, preferably dispersed throughout the sequel, but even if not, at least just a little nod of “nostalgia” really adds the feel of reading a sequel for me. I like to see at least some returning characters, in which we can see growth and change throughout the sequels (because over time, no protagonists or main characters should really remain that stagnant). Another thing I like is seeing part of the first book through another perspective, this often adds a lot of intrigue and interest, and I thoroughly enjoy it. This last one isn’t a requirement for a good sequel though, just something I like to see in one if there.

I can’t currently think of any sequels I substantially liked more than the original, but I did enjoy books 2 and 3 in the Stalking Jack the Ripper series more than the first. But just by the tiniest of margins. And these had all the elements I have mentioned: beautiful growth of characters (AND their relationships!) as well as continual nods to elements planted in previous books. It just felt like always a true continuation and something naturally progressing, rather than forcefully dragged on for the fans. Other than that though, I don’t know many (sequels way better than original) – since it’s unlikely I read the sequels if I didn’t enjoy the first book. So maybe they’re out there, but how do you expect me to read the sequel if the original wasn’t even good?

Continue reading “Let’s Talk Bookish – What Makes a Good Sequel?” →

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.

MAY 21: HOW DO YOU CREATE BOOKISH CONTENT? (RUKKY)

Prompts: What’s your posting process? Do you write posts based on spontaneous ideas or do you follow a schedule of topics? How do you decide what and what not to post (maybe you feel like some things are too controversial or “out of date”)? Do you tailor your posts based on reader interaction/views, or do you just focus on what you want to talk about?

Happy Friday everyone! This week’s LTB topic seems to be more of a personal reflection and discussion and I will answer it for myself, though undoubtedly Andge has her own unique way of approaching posts too. We do try and coordinate our posts to be more coherent as a whole though, of course.

Since we have two writers here, generally we just plan out with each other the scheduling of posts that will come out. Not only does this split the work load, but also maintains a clear vision as to what needs to be executed each week. Now I make it sound so mechanistic but really we take it pretty relaxed here, and just discuss what content we want to put out each week.

If you have been a follower here for any length of time, you probably know our style by now. Mostly it follows a schedule, with a sprinkling of special posts here and there. We do have some occasional spontaneous posts, but those are usually initiated by external factors such as holidays or particular world events. Other than that, I think we’re both (at least I speak for myself) the type of people who like to plan ahead, and not just post on a whim.

We don’t usually pick up topics that are rather controversial nor out of date. However, of course we think about what might be well or less-well received. If we have a strong stance on a topic and we feel strongly about it, it’s likely we’ll just post about it anyway. This is our platform, our voice, why not use it, right? It’s okay to have an opinion, as long as you remain respectful of other’s opinions as well, I think. At least that’s how I personally see it.

A part of us always wants to attract more readers and followers, but not for the sole sake of the numbers. We obviously want people to be genuinely interested in our content and/or the reviews that we provide here. That being said, we also want to stay true to ourselves and post about things that we also care about. We are here to express ourselves as much as we want to provide a pleasant experience for you all here who follow us (thank you so much, by the way!).

We are always on the lookout for new ideas of what people might want to see here at Down The Rabbit Hole! Please let us know if you have any suggestions of what you might want to see more or less of. We love hearing back from you! This will help us push out the content that you all want to see. Don’t be shy to message either of us with comments and suggestions, we definitely look for it.

How do you all write your posts? Do you find that people have a style and stick to it? Do you know bloggers who change their style all the time? Let me know in the comments below!

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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.

MAY 14: BOOKS BASED ON GAMES/SHOWS/MOVIES/COMICS? (Suggested by DANI)

Prompts: “The book is better” is a common outcry amongst book worms, because the book came first…but what about when it didn’t? How do you feel about book adaptations of movies? Books based on video game worlds? Books that tell alternate stories from television worlds? Or even books featuring your favorite superheroes? Do you have any favorites in these genres? Is the book still better?

Okay, but the book is always better. Hahaha, just kidding. But as a book lover (I know it’s not mutually exclusive), but I don’t tend to watch as many shows and movies. I think I will always enjoy the reading experience more, and that inherent bias is hard to bypass.

I think Star Wars is one of those that existed as a movie first? That’s the only real example that I know. I definitely didn’t really like the books, but perhaps they were targeted for a different type of audience. Other than that, I don’t have enough interest in video games and television worlds to really read a book that was based on them. It’s almost always the other way around for me (books –> movies). And I must say, the book is almost always better.

Only so much can be packed into even a 3 hour movie. So many things have to be subtly hinted, or “montaged” or just explicitly said out loud, in order to fit within the time constraints. With books we can have an intimate look into people’s thoughts and logic, which really forms a large part of a character’s personality. It is hard for such things to come across on screen. Although, I’m sure the visual experience is something that movie lovers are looking for. Personally, I want the emotional connection to the different characters, and the use of my imagination to create these worlds.

With all that said though, I must mention that the case is different for comic books. Do comics even count as books (blasphemy??). I definitely, definitely enjoy the superhero movies based on all these comics so much more than I ever enjoyed comic books. I suppose this is because comic books don’t have the luxury of expressing as many of the thoughts of the characters in the limited speech bubbles. Seeing these characters come to life is much more exciting for me. Although this may also be rooted in my lower interest in graphic novels as a genre.

What do you all think? Books triumph over all? Or not necessarily.

I think when the focus is action and flashy superpowers, the real life portrayal in movie format is what I prefer. However, if it’s back to mysteries and thrillers (my favourite genres), the absence of the visual cues really adds something to the mystique and intrigue, something I find is very different when executed in movie format. Speaking of which, The Woman in the Window, a thriller that Andge and I both enjoyed, has its movie version coming out…today! Stay tuned for our side-by-side review of that soon! I have a funny feeling I will prefer the book, but I’ll get back to you all on that.

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