I haven’t done a tag before but one of my favourite bloggers, the Orang-utan Librarian, sent this one my way and it looked like fun, so I decided I’d give it a go! Season 6 of Game of Thrones will be premiering very soon so this should help prepare me to dive into Westeros again 🙂 Continue reading
Last week, I discussed some common “fatal flaws” that might make me give up on an epic high fantasy novel, rate it poorly, or even avoid reading it in the first place. This week I’ve decided to do the same thing for paranormal romance, YA and urban fantasy novels, because I enjoy reading these genres as well, and I’ve found the problems I encounter in them usually differ to those I encounter in traditional epic high fantasy.
So here are 10 key things that will often turn me off a paranormal romance or YA fantasy (genres I normally like!): Continue reading
I recently encountered a question on Quora asking what some “fatal flaws” or mistakes in fantasy novels are. I wrote a response to it, and it got me thinking about the things that most commonly make me give up on a fantasy book, rate it poorly, or even avoid reading it in the first place. This was a helpful exercise as I want to avoid these things in my own writing, and it struck me that if I expanded and extended my answer it might make for an interesting (perhaps even useful!) blog post. Continue reading
I’ve been listening to audiobooks quite regularly for at least two years now, but the other day I encountered something new in my listening experience. I bought an audiobook in the usual fashion with my Audible subscription, downloaded it, hit play… then did a double take. Continue reading
Sometimes when I’ve absolutely adored a book and given it 5 stars, I do something a little counterintuitive. I go to Goodreads and I scroll down till I find a one star review and read it. Why? Because it has always fascinated me how much people’s taste in books can differ. I wonder how a book I thought was amazing has inspired someone else to launch into an angry rant, or vice versa. Continue reading
I’m a big fan of audiobooks. I’ve previously told the story of how I fell in love with them on this blog. I still read hard copy books, but I like the flexibility audiobooks allow me to do other things while “reading” and how the story really comes to life when narrated by a great voice actor. I have an Audible subscription and I listen to between 1 and 2 audiobooks a month, which may not sound like a lot, but when each one can last for between 8 and 30 hours (most being around the 10-18hr mark) it equates to a lot of time spent listening.
Amidst all of this listening, I find particular books stand out. Continue reading
Last week I mentioned some reasons why movies are usually bigger tearjerkers than books for me. However, there are still several books that have prickled my eyes or had me in tears, so today I thought I’d pay tribute these emotional tales.
Before I begin: this list will include SPOILERS. Discussing the sad moments in books necessarily involves mentioning character deaths and tragedies, and while I’ll try to keep it vague, I can’t promise I won’t give away too much. So if you haven’t read one of these books and don’t want a key plot point revealed, I suggest skipping the second paragraph of each section. Continue reading
When it comes to books and movies, I would dub myself a moderate-to-heavy crier. There are highly sensitive people who cry at the drop of a hat, and there are steely never-criers who could count on one hand the things that moistened their eyes. I’d say I’m somewhere in the middle, leaning toward the quick-to-cry end of the scale.
So the other day on Facebook group when someone asked the question “which books made you cry? ” it got me thinking. Continue reading
Most of us could probably list a few fantasy or science fiction books we’d dub amazing, or add to our all-time favourites list. These are books that hook us, keep us drawn tight with suspense or fascination or wonder, tear us through to their endings, then leave us either in a state of catatonic awe, overflowing with enthusiasm or simply scrambling to get our hands on the next one in the series. If we’re lucky, these books come along often, and remind us how wonderful the experience of reading can be.
By the same token, we have probably all read a few good books too: Continue reading
When a favourite character dies in a fantasy novel, movie or TV show, our sense of sadness or shock is often tempered by that niggling question that immediately presents itself… are they really dead?
And we can’t be blamed for asking it. Continue reading
