Category: Bookish Question

26 July 2022

Bookish Question #236 | Do you enjoy wedding scenes in Christian romance?

One of the rule of romance novels is that they have to have an emotionally satisfying ending.

Many authors and readers use the phrase happy-every-after to describe the perfect ending for a romance novel.

While I agree that the a wedding is the ideal happy-ever-after in a Christian romance, I don’t necessarily think the wedding has to happen as part of the novel. It doesn’t even need to happen in the epilogue.

As an example, I’ve just finished a novel which featured the hero and heroine marrying at the end (I’m not going to name the book for reasons that will become obvious).

The heroine has just moved to a small town after she inherits the Inn her aunt ran. The hero is a local businessman who maintains the Inn’s gardens in his spare time. They’re attracted to each other, and a relationship develops. The book ends with their wedding, and she’s pregnant by the “one year later” epilogue.

My problem? The “hero” is a widow whose wife and son died less than two months earlier.

Wait. A. Minute.

“Hero” has been widowed for just two months? And he’s already moving on into another relationship? And his mother is encouraging it?

We find out the hero never really loved his first wife, that their marriage was a mistake. Well, that might explain how he’s emotionally able to move on so quickly, but it doesn’t show good judgement. I really wasn’t interested in the romance plot. The subplots were the only reason I kept reading.

In that case, the wedding scene crowned an already distasteful plot.

If the couple only meets for the first time at the beginning of the novel, and the novel takes place over a relatively short timeframe (weeks or months), then I prefer that the story doesn’t end in a wedding, or even an engagement. I’d rather that came in the next book in the series, after the couple have truly had a chance to get to know each other.

But if the story is a reunion romance or a friends to more story, then I’m more relaxed.

The couple have history. They know each other. That, to me, makes it more likely their relationship will succeed … as long as they can resolve whatever issue split them up in the first place.

Now, having said, that, I do enjoy a good marriage of convenience story …

And those typically include a wedding scene at or near the beginning. But in those stories, the whole plot is strangers getting married, then falling in love. The wedding is what brings the couple together, and the whole point of the story is that they will establish a lasting relationship.

What about you? Do you enjoy wedding scenes in Christian romance?

19 July 2022

Bookish Question #235 | Do you Like Illustrated Covers?

Illustrated covers … some readers love them, and some readers loathe them.

Which are you?

I always think a book’s cover should clearly show the potential reader the genre.

Illustrated covers are part of that.

One genre that uses a lot of illustrated covers is fantasy. I guess it’s hard to find a real elf or dwarf or dragon to photograph 😉

Science fiction tends to use illustrated covers for the same reason. But they are a different kind of illustrated.

Fantasy can be detailed paintings. It can be detailed symbols or emblems. Both tend to be hand-drawn feel (or at least look hand-drawn), and both clearly say “fantasy”. In contrast, science fiction tends to use computer-generated illustrations of spaceships or far-off planets.

Another genre that uses a lot of illustrated covers is rom-com.

These are my favourite, because I like the genre most. They tend to feature bright colours and hand-drawn fonts, and always strike me as amusing and cheerful—just the emotion I’m looking for if I choose a rom-com.

I have also seen contemporary romance novels with illustrated covers, as well as some Young Adult novels. In both cases, I think the illustrated cover gives the novel a slightly quirky feel, perhaps suggesting a novel that’s a little offbeat.

The best part about illustrated covers is that they are original.

I’m not going to see the same illustration on another title, in the way I sometimes see multiple covers using the same stock photograph. That’s an advantage for the author, as it means readers are less likely to mix up their book with one from another author.

Authors who use illustrated covers also tend to use the same illustrator for the series, so it’s easy to see the books are connected … which is an advantage for readers looking for the next in the series.

What about you? Do you like illustrated covers?

21 June 2022

Bookish Question #234 | Do you read book reviews before buying a book?

Do I read book reviews before buying a book?

Sometimes.

A lot of the books I read are advance review copies. As such, there aren’t any reviews to read 🙂

Other books I buy are from authors I’ve read before, particularly books which are part of a series. This is why a lot of authors write books in series—if someone reads and enjoys the first book, they’re likely to buy the next book without bothering to read the reviews.

I do read reviews when it comes to checking out books from authors I haven’t read before.

If the cover and description interest me, I’ll check out the star rating and read a few reviews. But it’s not usually the views that influence whether I buy a book or not. It’s the writing—that all-important Kindle sample.

But that’s only relevant when I’m already on Amazon and looking up specific titles or authors I already know about.

How do I discover new authors?

That’s often through reviews on other book review sites. That’s when I do read reviews, and those reviews will often persuade me to check out the book and download the sample.

What about you? Do you read book reviews before buying a book?

14 June 2022

Bookish Question #233 | What’s your favourite fictional pet and why?

My favourite pet I’d like to have is a cat (and I have one. Well, a cat moved in with us ten years ago and allows us to feed her and pet her and pay her vet bills. I would never imply ownership. Dogs have owners; cats have staff).

But my favourite fictional pet is one I would never have in real life.

I live in New Zealand, a country with exactly zero snakes. We don’t have any native snakes, and we don’t allow any snakes to be imported (probably because the Kiwi, our national bird, is flightless and Kiwi eggs make a great snack for snakes and other pests).

So it’s perhaps a little surprising to me that my favourite fictional pets are both snakes.

In fairness, the first “pet” isn’t so much a pet as an unwanted houseguest, the kind it’s impossible to get rid of. One of the characters in Back to Resolution by Rose Dee has a snake living in the eves of their bush house. The snake does a good job at protecting the property from unwanted visitors, so it gets to stay.

The second is snake is the title character in Belinda Blake and the Snake in the Grass, the first book in Heather Day Gilbert’s Exotic Pet Sitter Mystery series. Belinda’s first job is pet-sitting Rasputin, a ball python … who has nothing to do with the dead body she finds in her flowerbed.

It’s an enjoyable cozy mystery, and one I’m happy to read rather than experience.

Can you think of any novels with pets? What’s your favourite fictional pet, and why?

31 May 2022

Bookish Question #231 | What’s your view on conversion scenes in Christian fiction?

This is an excellent question, and my answer relates back to my answers for the last two questions:

Yes, I do think the hero and heroine in a Christian romance novel need to be Christians.
Yes, I do like Christian fiction with a strong Christian message, as long as it doesn’t cross the line into being preachy.

If I’m reading a novel where a Christian and a nonChristian are heading into a romantic relationship, then I want the nonChristian character to become a Christian before the relationship is established.

And I want to see that decision on the page.

I want to know what events and thought processes have led that character to change their minds, and I want to see it. God celebrates when someone becomes a Christian (Luke 15), so we should too. If the character’s conversion is a throwaway line in the middle of an action scene or before a kiss, then I’m less likely to believe it.

But I also don’t want the conversion scene to be preachy.

I want it to feel true to life and real for that character, and in line with their personality as shown in the novel.

Yes, some people become Christians after though an altar call at church after listening to a hellfire and brimstone sermon. If that’s what happens to your character, great, but we don’t need to read the entire sermon.

Many people are led to Jesus through the still small voice that speaks to them and their specific background and spiritual need.

Characters are the same … or should be.

Yes, I want to see conversion scenes if the hero or heroine isn’t already a Christian.

Yes, I want to see that scene on the page.

But the scene needs to be specific to that character, not something generic.

That way, it’s more likely to feel real and authentic, and it’s less likely to come across as preachy.

What about you? What’s your view on conversion scenes in Christian fiction?

24 May 2022

Bookish Question #230 | Do you like Christian fiction with a strong Christian message?

Do you like Christian fiction with a strong Christian message?

Yes 🙂

And no.

Some novels marketed as Christian fiction have little or no faith content, but are still clearly Christian fiction because of their themes. An example is The Baggage Handler by David Rawlings. Anyone who reads the story will see it’s an allegory about how we need to let go of the unnecessary emotional baggage we carry through life. A Christian reader will understand we let go of that baggage by releasing it to God.

The story doesn’t mention God or Jesus.

That doesn’t make it any less Christian fiction.

Other Christian fiction doesn’t have clear faith themes, but the characters are Christian and their decisions and actions reflect their beliefs.

I enjoy reading these stories.

(In contrast, I loathe reading stories—general market or Christian—where the character’s problems could be solved by them getting right with God.)

I’m also not a fan of overtly Christian stories where the faith element seems forced or where the characters speak in Scripture all the time.

These stories often feel preachy, because the dialogue and actions don’t feel real.

That comes down to how well the author has created the characters. I know people in real life who do speak in Scripture and who punctuate every other sentence with “praise the Lord!” or something similar, and it sounds perfectly natural.

I’ve also met people who speak like this and it sounds forced, as though they’re speaking like that because they think that’s how a good Christian speaks … not because that’s how they speak. I can tell the difference in real life, and I can tell the difference in fiction.

So while I do enjoy fiction with a strong Christian message, I don’t want Christian fiction that crosses the line into preachy.

I want to see characters who live their faith throughout the novel, not just on Sunday.

What about you? Do you like Christian fiction with a strong Christian message?

17 May 2022

Bookish Question #229 | Do the hero and heroine in a Christian romance novel have to be Christians?

Do the hero and heroine in a Christian romance both have to be Christians?

At the beginning of the novel? No.

By the end of the novel? Yes.

The Bible warns us against being equally yoked, and advises us that a threefold cord (man, woman, and God) is not easily broken. I take that advice to heart in life and in fiction. Just as I would counsel a friend against marrying an unbeliever, I wouldn’t like to see a fictional character make that mistake… unless it’s women’s fiction and the whole point of the book is to show the problems that come with marrying an unbeliever (but then it’s not a romance, is it?)

I have known people who have married unbelievers.

One was married with three children by the time we met. She was a strong Christian and was raising her children in the church, but she said it was difficult … especially when it came to tithing. She wanted to be able to contribute financially to the church, but her unbelieving husband (the family breadwinner) had a different view.

Another was a strong Christian who started dating an unbeliever who became a Christian while they were dating and before they married (or so they told us). We lost touch (due to living in different countries), but recently met up with them again. They are no longer Christians and aren’t raising their children in church.

So while I expect the hero and heroine to both be Christians by the end of the book, I actually prefer it if they are both Christians at the beginning. I’m always a little sceptical about the longevity of a relationship where one person is a new believer, as I can see it causing problems later in the relationship after the last page … and while some romance readers don’t mind the “happy for now” ending, I want to read “happily ever after”.

What about you? Do you think the hero and heroine in a Christian romance both have to be Christians?

10 May 2022

Bookish Question #228 | If you DNF a book, will you give the book a second chance?

If you DNF a book, will you give the book (or author) a second chance?

DNF. Did not finish.

Yes, I do DNF books. Sometimes I’ll give the book a second chance, although that depends on why I DNF’d it in the first place.

If I abandon a book for a personal reason (e.g. I thought it was romance but it was actually women’s fiction), then I’ll give it another chance … on one of those days where I want to read women’s fiction.

But if I abandon the book because I have an issue with the book, then I’m unlikely to pick it up again.

What kind of issues make me DNF?

If I don’t like one of the main characters or find too many plot issues (or plot holes), then I’m unlikely to finish that book, but I will try another book by that same author.

If I abandon the book because of quality issues e.g. poor spelling, poor writing, or a badly formatted ebook (like the one that had spaces everywhere there should have been a letter F), then I will try another book by that author … but I will make sure I read the sample first. If the sample shows the same issues, I won’t give the author a third chance. There are too many other authors out there!

If I try two or three books by the same author and don’t finish any of them (or don’t enjoy any of them), then I’m unlikely to give that author a fourth chance. There are a couple of popular authors I don’t read simply because I’ve never latched on to their writing style. That’s on me, not them, but I’m not going to spend my time or money buying books I’m unlikely to enjoy.

What about you? If you DNF a book, will you give the book (or author) another chance?

3 May 2022

Bookish Question #227 | At what point do you give up on reading a book you’re not enjoying?

At what point do you give up on reading a book you’re not enjoying?

As with so many bookish questions, it depends 🙂

If I’m checking out the book before buying, then I’ll only read enough to decide whether I want to buy or not—which could be as little as the first couple of pages. If it doesn’t grab me, it goes back on the shelf (real or virtual).

If it’s a book I’ve downloaded for free on Kindle, then it gets much the same treatment. I’ll start reading, but stop if it doesn’t interest me. Then I’ll put it back on the virtual bookshelf for another time … unless the book has multiple typos and errors in those first few pages, enough to tell me I’ll never want to read the full book.

If it’s a book I paid money for, then I’m more likely to persevere.

My perseverance is generally in line with how much I paid. If I bought a 99 cent ebook to support the author, then I don’t feel obliged to read the book if I’m not enjoying it. If I bought a 99 cent anthology, then I’ll happily abandon any story I’m not enjoying and move on.

I try not to buy more expensive ebooks unless I have read and enjoyed the sample. Recently, I’ve started buying ebooks only if I’m going to read them right away, so they don’t end up cluttering my Kindle’s to-read pile. It also means I’m less likely to give up on them, because I’m in the right mood for reading (otherwise I wouldn’t have bought it).

I find it harder to give up on paperbacks, because they’re so much more expensive than ebooks.

But if I try the book two or three times and still can’t get into it, I’ll add it to my donation pile. At least then I’m giving someone the opportunity to read the book.

The hardest books for me to give up are the free ebooks I’ve downloaded to review. I’ve been provided with the ebook on the understanding I will write a review, so I find it difficult to give up, even if I’m not enjoying the book.

I have found I’ve become a lot more prepared to give up on a book since I got an ereader.

Back when I exclusively bought paperbacks from the local Christian bookstore, I’d persevere with a title even if I wasn’t especially enjoying because that book was the only book I had to read. Now I have an ereader, there is always a better book available in a few clicks, so I’m much more likely to move on.

However, I will retry books that didn’t appeal the first time if I think the reason the title didn’t appeal was about me and my mood e.g. I thought it was a romance but it turned out to be a mystery, or I wanted to read a rom-com and the title is women’s fiction.

But if I gave up because of bad writing or because I don’t like a main character or central plot point? I delete it (or give the paper book away) and don’t look back.

What about you? At what point do you give up on a book you’re not enjoying?

26 April 2022

Bookish Question #226 | What fictional character names have you come across that don’t work, and why not?

Names have meaning.

Many names have a gender specific meaning, which means they should be used with caution. For example, my sister’s name means “fair maiden”. That’s a pretty name for a girl but an odd choice for a boy. My nephew’s name means “master of the house” … a strong name for a boy, but possibly not for a girl.

There are also names which don’t work across different countries. I can think of two names that are popular in the USA but which we’d never use in Australia or New Zealand because they have different meanings:

One is Chuck, short for Charles.

We certainly have people named Charles and Charlotte, and that may well get abbreviated to Charlie but never Chuck. Down under, we chuck (throw) balls. We also use chuck as a synonym for vomit … which is why we don’t use it as a nickname.

Another is Randy.

I have never met a Randy or Randolph in real life, possibly because of the local meaning: it can be applied to males or females, but means someone who wants sex all the time. So no, I was not interested in reading a Christian romance set in Australian (but written by an American) about a young woman called Randy because the connotations are so un-Christian.

I’m also not a big fan of names that could be male or female (like Hunter or Taylor), especially if the spelling doesn’t make it clear (I expect Ashley and Tony to be male , and Ashleigh and Toni to be female).