Category: Bookish Things

World Building and Why It Means So Much to Fantasy

For me, there are five elements of a story that can either make or break a novel. In my opinion, these are: character, plot, setting, pacing, and writing. Setting, also known as world building, is one of the things that really helps pull a reader into a book. This is particularly true of fantasy and science fiction, where the reader must allow some suspension of disbelief from the very first page. Failure to build a plausible or enjoyable world can result in losing readers. When I went to Rhode Island Comic Con last fall, an audience member asked Elijah Wood […]

Posted February 21, 2020 in Bookish Things // 2 Comments //

10 Things About Goodreads That Make Me Want to Tear My Hair Out

I know book blogger posts wailing on Goodreads are a dime a dozen. We all use it, even though it frustrates us. There’s really no perfect equivalent – LibraryThing, Libib, Litsy, FictionDB are all fine enough, but their design, functionality, and/or databases simply cannot compare to Goodreads. Others, like Shelfari, have been absorbed by the giant gelatinous cube that is the Amazon conglomerate. In as far as our electronic cataloging and social connectivity goes, Goodreads seems to remain our prime option. But that doesn’t mean it’s perfect. And we don’t have to pretend, either. There are a lot of opportunities […]

Posted February 11, 2020 in Bookish Things // 8 Comments //

My 10 Most Recent Acquisitions! (Because Clearly I Can’t Stop)

Christmas and the general winter months tend to add a lot of books to my bookshelf. I don’t do it on purpose. I just have zero chill. I end up spoiling myself for Christmas, plus there’s my annual SantaThing haul which is always an unexpected surprise. I have a running list of “to buy” titles based on audiobooks I’ve read and want to own in hardcopy… that certainly contributes. I also jump on the Audible bandwagon every January, when the monthly subscription is less than $10, and I hold until the end of the trial period. So, needless to say, […]

Posted January 21, 2020 in Bookish Things, Memes // 2 Comments //

Following Up on 2019 Goals and My Plans for 2020 & My Blog

‘Tis the season to hold myself accountable for the blogging goals I made at the beginning of the year last year! I am terrible at following through on resolutions – whether personal or blog – so I’m pretty sure I epically failed this one yet again (yay!) but you know? Here goes nothing! Before I make more empty promises to myself, let’s take a look at last year’s goals and whether or not I succeeded. Don’t participate in NaNoWriMo. ✓ I succeeded here! Honestly, it was a really close call as well! I very nearly went in for NaNoWriMo this […]

Posted January 13, 2020 in Bookish Things // 6 Comments //

Book Vs. TV Show: The Rook (Pilot Episode)

Earlier this year, I was fortunate enough to discover The Rook, a fun paranormal series that takes place in England and features Myfanwy Thomas – a young woman with extraordinary abilities and complete amnesia. I was surprised and delighted to see a preview for the television adaptation pop up when I was messing around on my smart TV earlier this year, and knew I wanted to give it a try. I mean, while the book isn’t quite my genre, I really enjoyed it and thought Myfawny was a fun character with a lot of snap to her. So, TV show? […]

Posted November 29, 2019 in Bookish Things // 0 Comments //

Talking Charater Flaws, Social Issues, & I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter with Dani from Perspective of a Writer (Buddy Read Follow-Up!)

Good morning loves! A couple weeks ago, I promised you that you’d be hearing more about I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter. This was a buddy read with Dani @ Perspectives of a Writer and she has thoroughly challenged me with some deep questions about the content of this book! I am going to do my utmost to give thorough and thoughtful answers to each of Dani’s excellent questions to discuss the content of this book a little further in depth. And of course, please make sure to check of Dani’s companion post, which drops today as well! We’re […]

Posted November 20, 2019 in Bookish Things // 3 Comments //