Category: Bookish Question

Which books or authors are you most looking forward to reading in 2021?

Bookish Question #160 | Which books or authors are you most looking forward to reading in 2021?

All the books 🙂

Unfortunately, time doesn’t allow me to read all the books. Oh, to have Hermione Grainger’s time turner!

Instead, I’ll have to content myself with the novels I know about … which isn’t many. I do know some of my favourite authors have books releasing in 2021, such as:

Prince of Spites by Roseanna M White (releases 16 February)

Is it Any Wonder by Courtney Walsh (releases 6 April)

Dusk’s Darkest Shores by Carolyn Miller (releases 20 April)

Hidden in her Heart by Milla Holt (releases 29 March)

Let it Be Me by Becky Wade (releases 4 May)

There are also a few authors that I’m sure (or I sincerely hope) will be releasing books in 2021, including:

Book #5 in the Grace series by Christine Dillon

Book #2 in the Luella Linley series by Meredith Resce

Book #2 in the Collective Underground series by Kristen Young

There are also some books from debut or new-to-me authors I’m looking forward to reading:

When Stars Rain Down by Angela Jackson-Brown

Summer’s Out at Hope Hall by Pam Rhodes

What about you?

What books are you looking forward to reading in 2021?

Do you read more books during summer or winter?

Bookish Question #159 | Do you read more books during summer or winter?

Good question! I don’t keep a track of my reading by month, so I don’t actually know whether I read more books in summer or in winter.

I know I read a lot of books during the summer,

I love spending a warm summer day at the beach, reaching on my Kindle between dips in the ocean.

I also know I read a lot of books during the winter months.

In winger, you can usually find me curled up by the fire with the cat in my lap while my husband watches TV. Reading is my preferred form of personal entertainment. I do watch a handful of  TV series, but I’d usually rather read a book (or, in the case of TV or movie versions, I’ve usually read the book already).

And I read a lot in spring and autumn.

We have a spa pool (aka hot tub), and I do read in the pool in spring and autumn, but only paperback books (I don’t want to risk dropping my Kindle in the water, or having the steam cook the device). My pool reading therefore tends to be books on the to-read pile, as my recent purchases ten to be the Kindle version.

So do I read more in summer or winter? I suspect I read fairly evenly through the year, as work and weather permit.

What about you? Do you read more in summer or in winter?

Have you Set a Reading Challenge for 2021?

Bookish Question #158 | Have you Set a 2021 Reading Challenge?

Yes!

I’ve signed up to read 150 books this year through the Goodreads Reading Challenge.

I don’t see at as much as a challenge as a way of keeping track of what I’ve read (helped by the fact that most new books I read are on Kindle, which automatically marks a book as Read at Goodreads).

I’ve also signed up to the Mt. TBR Challenge again, in the never-ending attempt to reduce the number of unread books I own. I’ve done this challenge for the last four or five years, usually aiming for 48 books per year. I actually aimed for 60 last year, but only got 48 so that’s the level I’ve chosen this year. Now to read books I own and not buy new ones!

I set myself the challenge of reading 30 books by new-to-me authors in 2020, and I achieved 47!

My rationale for this challenge was that I want to be able to support debut authors. The problem is that if I focus too much on debut authors, I don’t have time to read new books from favourite authors. So while I will still record how many new-to-me authors I read this year, I won’t be aiming for a specific number.

Another personal challenge was to read 50 independently published books last year. I managed 45. This is another figure I’ll continue to track, but won’t set a specific goal. I want to focus on content, not how the book was published. The reality is that the books I buy tend to be independently published, because they’re cheaper (yet the author receives a similar royalty per copy sold).

I also aimed to read 12 writing books and 12 marketing books last year.

I actually read 12 writing books (win) but only 4 marketing books. My focus this year is going to be on writing, so I’m going to ignore all the unread marketing books and focus on the writing books (and the writing).

So my Reading Challenge targets for 2021 are:

  • 150 books
  • 48 books off my to-read pile
  • 12 writing books

What about you? Have you set a 2021 reading challenge? If so, what is it?

Bookish Question #157 | What’s your favourite novel featuring a royal family?

Do you read novels featuring a real or made-up royal family?

My first thought was that I’m not a big fan of stories with royal families. And that’s half true. I’m not a fan of contemporary stories with made-up royal families. Many of the stories are written by American authors which seems weird, given they fought two wars to assert their independence from England … and the British Royal Family.

It could also be that I’m not a fan of billionaire books either. I guess I can see the attraction of life with no financial worries, but I’m not convinced that marrying a billionaire is the answer. Be real. With all the negative press around Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, and Mark Zuckerberg, would you really want to be married to any of them?

Historical fiction is a different story.

I have been through phases of reading novels set in various times in British history, and a lot of those featured the royal family. I’ve read a lot about the Tudors (probably too much), but I’ve also read several Sharon Penman novels centred on earlier periods in history.

What I haven’t read and would like to read is novels (especially historical fiction) featuring royal families from other countries.

Do you know of any stories featuring non-British royal families?

What about you? What’s your favourite novel featuring a real or made-up royal family?

 

Will you buy a book if you don’t like the book cover? Why or why not?

Bookish Question #156 | Will you buy a book if you don’t like the book cover?

Will you buy a book if you don’t like the book cover? Why or why not?

Maybe …

When it comes to ebooks, I’m not picky about what the cover looks like, because I don’t have to look at it and no one else has to see it.

I’m more likely to be picky when it comes to paperbacks. Mostly because they’re more expensive. But also because I have to look at it 🙂

A book’s front cover is one of the main selling tools, so there needs to be something else about the book to draw me in if I don’t like the front cover. Perhaps it’s a book someone recommended to me. Perhaps it’s from a favourite author. Perhaps it’s an older book, and the cover hasn’t been updated in line with modern trends.

In those cases, I’ll read the back cover description and the opening pages. If I’m interested, I’ll buy it … but I’m much more likely to buy the ebook than the paperback if I don’t like the cover.

What about you? Will you buy a book if you don’t like the cover?

Have you enjoyed reading a book despite not liking the cover?

Bookish Question #155 | Have you enjoyed reading a book despite not liking the cover?

Have you enjoyed reading a book despite not liking the cover?

Yes!

I will admit to being drawn to certain books because of the cover. It’s a quick visual signal the book might be a book I’d like (or not e.g. if the cover has too much black or too much bare flesh …).

I can’t recall any titles off the top of my head, but I do know I have enjoyed many books despite not liking the cover.

Even if I could remember titles or authors, I wouldn’t name them. After all, it’s possible the author didn’t like the cover either, and I wouldn’t want to embarrass them (or remind them).

What about you? Have you enjoyed reading a book despite not liking the cover?

Can you recommend a book that has helped you deal with a major life issue?

Bookish Question #154 | Can you recommend a book that has helped you deal with a major life issue?

We can learn a lot from reading. Books can change the way we look at things, and help us deal with life issues.

Can you recommend a book that has helped you deal with a major life issue?

The Bible, obviously. But what else?

It speaks to my preference as a fiction reader that my first thought with this question was to think of a novel. I considered the question, but nothing came to mind.

But when I stepped back and thought about it, I realised I have recently read a nonfiction book that has answered some big questions … unasked questions, perhaps, but questions all the same.

Becoming Sage by Michelle Van Loon

Becoming Sage is written for “mature” Christian women, and talks about how to cultivate spiritual maturity in the second half of life. It points out that most churches are full of programmes for the young (children and teens) and the young in Christ (discipleship programmes for new Christians), but they often fail when it comes to addressing the needs of more mature members of the church.

Van Loon points out that our spiritual life is an ongoing journey. That’s something we probably know intellectually (after all, we know we will be human and sinful until we die). But we don’t always think through the implications: that we need to continue to grow spiritually, which means putting ourselves in a church family that enables and encourages that growth.

While there haven’t been any novels that have helped me deal with a life issue, I have certainly come across novels that have challenged my thinking. Two books stand out to me–one you’ve probably heard of, and one you probably haven’t.

When the Shofar Blew by Francine Rivers

Francine Rivers needs no introduction. When the Shofar Blew is a warning call for the church about putting pastors and other Christians on some kind of pedestal and assuming they can do no wrong. It’s also a reminder that God can and will forgive.

Confessions of a Teenage Hermaphrodite by Lianne Simon

This is the story of a child born with a body that falls outside our definition of “normal” and her challenge as she grew up: should she be the son her earthly father wanted, or the daughter she believed her heavenly Father created her to be. The book opened my eyes to a medical condition that’s a lot more common than we know, and the issues aren’t as black and white as many of us were raised to think.

What about you? Can you recommend a book (fiction or nonfiction) that’s helped you deal with a major life issue?

Have your reading habits changed during lockdown?

Bookish Question #153 | Have Your Reading Habits Changed During Lockdown?

We live in strange times.

A huge proportion of the global population is in some kind of lockdown in an effort to curb the spread of the Covid-19 virus. Many people are scared. As Christians, we know God has not given us a spirit of fear, but love. But knowing that doesn’t change our situation: working from home (if we’re lucky enough to be able to), supervising our children’s schooling, and not going out except to the supermarket.

I’ve seen a lot of writers on social media saying they’re having trouble writing in the current situation.

I’ve seen readers saying they can’t concentrate to read, or that they are actively seeking out some genres and avoiding others.

I’ve also seen reports that the consumption of audiobooks has dropped. Most people listened to them as they commuted to and from work, but no one is commuting right now. I don’t listen to audiobooks, but I’ve also stopped listening to podcasts since I’ve been working at home again.

I’ve found my reading habits have changed.

I’m not reading less. That weekly reminder on my telephone tells me I’m reading more. The change is in what I’m reading.

I’m reading a lot more news—mostly the local news site (Stuff, because it’s free), plus BBC News and Al Jazeera (because they are international and more impartial than other sources).

I’m reading more for pure entertainment. Over the last month, I’ve read about a dozen books from my to-read pile. Okay, so I didn’t finish some of them, but they are now in my to-donate bag, rather than cluttering my bookfloor.

Bookfloor: place where books get stored when the bookshelf is full.

But I’m finding it really hard (well, impossible) to concentrate on books on my review pile. There are a handful I’ve finished but haven’t yet written reviews for. There are even more that I’ve started but haven’t finished.

So please forgive me if some of my reviews are briefer and less informative than usual.

What about you? Has lockdown changed your reading habits?

Do you read more ebooks or print books or audiobooks?

Bookish Question #152 | Do you read more ebooks or print books or audiobooks?

Yes, yes, I know. We don’t “read” audiobooks. We listen to them.

But audiobooks are, first and foremost, written. And listening to an audiobook might not be the same experience as reading a book, but the words are the same. Unlike, say, watching a movie or TV series based on the same book.

Personally, I’m not an audiobook fan, but that’s because it takes longer to listen to the book than it takes me to read it. I am definitely an ebook fan, and there are three main reasons I’ve converted from print books to ebooks over the last decade:

Availability

Ebooks are easy to buy, and appear on my Kindle within seconds.

Price

Ebooks are cheaper than paper books. A new release from my local Christian bookshop costs around USD 20. That same new release costs no more than USD 10 as an ebook. But there are hundreds of great indie authors selling their ebooks of USD 3 to USD 5.

Print Size

It’s a function of age and years in front of a computer, but I now need computer or reading glasses. But the Kindle has the handy ability to increase the print size at the click of a button. I’ve tried using the same technique in paper books, but it doesn’t work …

Also, the Kindle is lighter than a book, so easier to , and easier to fit in even the smallest handbag.

What about you? Do you read more ebooks or print books, or listen to audiobooks?

Do you read widely or mainly stick to favourite book genre/categories?

Bookish Question #151 | Do you read widely or mainly stick to favourite book genre/categories?

It depends …

When my first child was small, I read a book or magazine article that said small children will naturally eat a balanced diet if they are offered a wide choice of foods and given the freedom to choose what they want to eat. They might not eat a balanced diet on any given day, but they will eat a balanced diet over a couple of weeks.

I’m often like that with my reading.

I tend to read several books by a single author or in a single genre at once, then I’ll switch genres. Romance, historical fiction, comedy, nonfiction. Sometimes I’ll read something from my to-review pile, and other times I’ll choose something from my to-read pile. I’m also trying to read new books as I buy them, mostly to avoid my to-read pile getting bigger.

What I choose to read often depends on my mood.

In the first week of lockdown, I wanted to avoid anything serious, so I binge-read romantic comedy novels—anything that didn’t remind me of what was happening in real life (and I’m sure that some people chose to binge-read pandemic or contagion novels for exactly the same reason). I think I’ll move onto historical fiction next.

I do mostly read Christian fiction, and there are some genres I avoid—horror, for one. I’m also not a big nonfiction reader, although I do make occasional exceptions. I will step outside my normal genres … and sometimes that confirms why I like my favourite genres, and sometimes it opens up a new favourite genre.

What about you? Do you read widely, or do you prefer to stick to your favourite genres?