Category: discussion

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!

November 17: Writing as a Reader

Prompts: What are your favorite kinds of writing? How has being a reader shaped your writing? Are there certain books that have impacted your writing style? How does your reading connect to your writing?

Welcome back another week of LTB here at DTRH, everyone! Today’s topic is about writing, particularly writing style as a fellow reader. No doubt what you read influences what you write, but in what ways?

My favourite kinds of writing are, unsurprisingly, the ones that are written very directly and simply, and really shows off a character’s thoughts to really bring me into the book. Where I want the complexity is in the plot weaving, and how characters can fade in and out of “view” in the story to come together to make an interesting story arc. Those are the kinds of books that really take the cake for me. These are the kinds of styles that really work for me in mysteries and thrillers so I’m always looking for this kind of writing.

However, I think I have recently discovered that this also works with fantasy books and I really enjoyed it. Sometimes the overly flowering language or the extreme descriptions can really take me out of a book (though I feel like sometimes it can work too), so I tend to stray away from books that have sentences that make me really have to think before I even get what they’re saying. I think I take this to heart when I write too. I try not to be too unnecessarily ambiguous, and I generally want to give my direct thoughts over meandering back and forth over something. I want to read clear writing and I want to write clearly, simple as that really.

I don’t think any book in particular has really affected my writing style. But I think through observation and over time I have noticed that there can be a lot of styles that work, and it can really be catered to the topic and what you’re trying to convey. I also learned that short. Abrupt. Sentences. Can sometimes be used strategically to really quicken the pace of a plot or to even put strategic stopping points for the readers. I definitely notice when the writing style can affect the tone of a piece (and tone is so important in thrillers!), so I do my best to replicate the kind of tone I want in my writing.

One of the major reasons I like reading is because it allows me to see directly into the characters’ inner thoughts, and that is one of the main highlights for why a book is often better than a movie for me personally. Blogging is also essentially writing for others to see directly into your thoughts. In that way, I think the way I read, wanting to know a character’s thoughts, is the same way I like to read other blogs and see their thoughts. I also want to do the same and convey my thoughts here at DTRH in order to share in and be a part of the community.

What do you all think about your favourite kinds of writing and your reading habits? Do you notice any connection between the two? 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!

November 10: Book Titles (Davida Chazan @ The Chocolate Lady’s Book Review Blog)

Prompts: Do you ever get a book with a title that sounds great but the book isn’t? Maybe you’ve read a book that was great, but the title didn’t really fit the book. Sometimes US and UK titles are different – does that bother you? Which ones do you mostly prefer?

Welcome to another week of LTB here at DTRH, everyone! Today’s topic is about book titles, and I think it’s an underrated topic of discussion, so I’m excited that it’s here for us to discuss. I’m sure everyone has experience with mismatched titles, or good titles, though not that many people seem to talk about it. Cover art tends to get the limelight more often. Let’s bring it back to titles for one day, shall we?

I think there are plenty of books with titles that sound great but the book isn’t. Speaking frankly, I do tend to gravitate towards books with good titles and/or good cover art—judging by its cover, yes. Although it has to be coupled with an interesting synopsis, of course, before I actually pick it up if it’s a random book. There aren’t too many terrible titles, but I have definitely been burned by some good titles. But I’ve also found some great books by their great titles! So it’s really quite the toss up.

On the other hand, if the synopsis is great, I don’t really care about what the title is. After all it’s just (maybe) one word out of the whole book. I think a great title can really add a lot to a book, and I always admire a well-chosen title. However, I don’t think it’s a dealbreaker at all, if the story is good, it’s good no matter what the title is. A good title is just the cherry on top. It does help to have a catchy title when it’s time to recall what the excellent book was called though!

I don’t know that many differing titles between the US and UK. I believe the first Harry Potter book is the only one I know? That one does bother me slightly, and I definitely prefer the US title. However, that might be because I saw the US one first and that’s forming my opinion. I don’t notice a difference between the titles too often though, so it doesn’t bother me all too much.

I really love a well-titled book, and I think a descriptive title is really the bare minimum. Titles can give a real sense of the book, and you can usually tell its genre just by the way the title is written. And beyond that, I think it can also really set the tone and give an extra sense of meaning when the title fits perfectly with the book.

What do you all think about titles? Any good ones recently that you’ve seen? Or what are your favourite titles like? 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!

November 3: Graphic Novel Adaptations

Prompts: Have you ever read a graphic novel adaptation of a book that was originally a novel? What books would you like to read as graphic novels? Are there certain genres or types of books that you think translate better to the graphic novel format?

Welcome to November and a new week of LTB here at DTRH, everyone! Today’s topic is about graphic novels, which I’ll admit I don’t read too many of. Even more specifically it’s about graphic novel adaptations which I think I read even more rarely. Do you all have favourite graphic novel adaptations?

The only adaptation I may have read was perhaps a Star Wars graphic novel? But again, it wasn’t something I specifically looked out for, just something I think I remember reading a bit of once upon a time. I think books are usually written as books and are not easily adapted into graphic novels without at least changing a large portion of the book (rather, excluding a large portion).

Books with lots of descriptions, or lend itself to graphic representation can be a good type of book to adapt. I think books with less dialogue, perhaps more expression-based communication could also be a good type to adapt to a graphic novel format. I know there’s quite a few popular graphic novels at the moment, though I don’t believe any of them were originally books.

I wonder if something like Six of Crows could potentially be adapted into a graphic novel. It would have to be pared down significantly, as I mentioned, but I think an action-heavy story like a heist could really be fitting for a graphic novel. Superhero comics in general come to mind as being a typical type of graphic novel, and an adventurous story with lots of action could likely be a great way to employ this media.

Now that I ponder it more, I think that many stories could potentially be adapted into graphic novels, to give a visual representation to a reader’s beloved characters (almost like a movie adaptation). While movies have their own strengths and weaknesses, I think so too do graphic novels. The latter really allows quick reading (as there often isn’t much text to “read” at all) and allows an appreciation of expressions and actions in a very easy-to-absorb manner. And it isn’t as easy to miss things that are directly on the page since you can take in the graphic novel at your own pace, unlike a movie.

For me, I do enjoy reading the occasional graphic novel (not an adaptation) because of the way I can almost mindlessly absorb it and yet have it still make an emotional impression on me. Similar to a movie, something about the way characters can be physically depicted really helps your imagination take the story to a new level, and though I feel like more has to be left unsaid, a lot can be imagined with the help of a little illustration.

Have you all read any good graphic novel adaptations? Do you read them in general, or not at all? I tend to like using my own imagination from the get-go in novels, but there’s a time and place for everything, I think. Let me know in the comments below!