Showing posts with label Bookish Thoughts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bookish Thoughts. Show all posts

Sorry I Went Missing... again

February 20, 2024


Soooo I've been gone, off and on, for a bit. Dang anxiety keeps getting the best of me. But I'm pushing through. I think I just needed to put things in perspective a bit and take a bit of the pressure off.

I'm refusing to bite off more than I can chew. Or some other idiom that makes sense.

I'll still be posting reviews as I read books, but my other posts will have a set schedule.

  • Any series review will be posted on the 1st Monday of the month (if I have a series to review)
  • Books that get less than 3 stars will be posted on the 2nd Tuesday of the month
  • Worth Reading Wednesday will be posted on the 3rd Wednesday of the month
  • Throwback Thursday will be posted every other week... on a Thursday
  • My Friday Updates post will be shared every other week... on a Friday

I really hope you all will stick with me in the interim. I am looking forward to getting back on track sooner rather than later. I'm also hoping to get involved in some reading challenges, maybe sharing them and participating in them with some of you.

Again, I'm so sorry for not being terribly reliable. But I am back to liking and commenting on posts (at least on FB and blogs). I don't know why I struggle to engage on social media, but if someone has any tips, I'm all ears.

Take care!

Love Triangles... Love Them or Leave Them

January 17, 2021

love triangles

As bloggers, we get contacted by authors, big and small, traditionally published or independent, to review their books. Most of us have a set of criteria that a potential read has to fit. Let's be real... there are just some books we have no intention of ever reading. So why bother put yourself through something that you're only going to review poorly?

That's how I feel about Love Triangles. I don't like 'em. If I'm warned in advance, I stay away. It's not to say that I haven't read and loved stories that centered around a love triangle. Take Black Swan Affair by K.L. Kreig. I gave it five whole stars!! And why? Because the story was phenomenally written. However, I look at it as an aberration rather than the status quo.

I know there are a ton of people who will disagree with my take on the trope. They love it and can't understand why I don't. They believe that I'm missing out. Well, the following are my reasons for giving this trope a pass:

HITS

MISSES

* the angst. If you're a fan of emotional, heart-jerking stories, then these books are for you. * the angst. I deal with enough in real life. I don't need my heart to be pulled in so many different directions.
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* the volume. If you feel like the more the merrier, then these books are for you. * the volume. I'm finding that as I get older, I'm becoming more traditional in my views of relationships. I know, I can't believe it either. But I like the 1:1 ratio in a relationship. No cheating or polyamorous entanglements.
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* the characters. Sometimes it's the journey that makes it work. Watching the protagonist maneuver their way to find love with one or both people is a huge part of what makes the story work. * the characters. Most of the time it's the relationship between the characters that ruins it for me. What if the heroine/hero has to choose between brothers/sisters? Or best friends? It makes me lose all respect for the protagonist for stringing them along.
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* the feels. This leads back to the angst. All those emotions, feeling along with the protagonist, choosing your victor, and then finding out if you're right. * the boom. There are times when it is super easy to pick the person you want the protagonist to be with. Why? Because the author makes one of the contenders a monster. They'll be abusive or negligent or entertaining others. Can we call a cliché a cliché?
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* time spent. When done well, the tension isn't dragged out, the heroine/hero makes their choice intelligently and emotionally, and the rest is a happily ever after. * time spent. Then there's the time spent dragging the story out, so I don't even care who they choose. Especially if they spend time going from one person to the other.
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I can't think of another 'hit' Pet peeve... when one of the contenders dies. So it's not a matter of choice anymore, it's a matter of convenience. And yes, I know how bad that sounds. But how can you believe in your relationship if the only way you 'won' your partner is because your rival died, clearing the way for you? How can I believe in it?
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I still can't think of another 'hit' There is no reason for the love triangle. The story would have gone on its merry way without it. So here you've introduced a triangle to what? Liven up your story? And it's all bullocks because if your plot increases in value because of the triangle... fine. But when there is no plot without the triangle or vice versa... I'll pass.

I'm sure there a still more reasons for why I don't like love triangles, but honestly, thinking about them is making me remember all of the bad ones I've read and I'd rather not.

One of my 2021 bookish resolutions was to be more open with my fellow readers and bloggers. To open up more about my thoughts and opinions. To post more about my likes, dislikes, loves and favorites. So here's post one and I hope you like it!

A Quick Update

October 04, 2020


Heroines I'd Like to Throat Punch

April 26, 2019


Sometimes I'll really love a story and hate the heroine. She drives me nuts in incomparable ways. She aggravates me and makes me want to reach in and shake the crap out of her. She annoys me and makes continuing to read an almost impossible task. The following are some of the women who cause my violent thoughts...

Romances That Don't Belong On My TBR

April 12, 2019


I love romance! I honestly can't get enough of reading romance. Not every book has a happy ending, but sometimes my love stems from the journey. Or I'm in it for the smut. Whatever it is, I love it. However, I know I can't be the only one who sits there to contemplate what they WILL NOT read. I have lists, people. There are tropes that are much loved by many readers that I cannot handle. Subgenres that give me pause. Authors will send me books and wonder why I won't take the time to read them. Or they'll request a review and I have to explain the reasons for my refusal. Some authors are super sneaky and hide the need-to-know details and I find out too late and then have to irately inform them that it will be a DNF or a poor review because of the deception. I won't read certain books and here's why...

What Happened to Your Love for Your Day Ones?

April 05, 2019


Although I started this blog in 2016, I didn't actually become a 'blogger' until the middle of 2017. And even then, I wasn't really blogging. Posting pre-made messages, without any kind of personalization, isn't my idea of blogging. However, I did enjoy getting the word out about books by not only well known authors, but those just starting out.