Let's Talk Questions About Posting

I have a question for you book bloggers out there, and you blog readers. It’s a very simple one, but one that I still haven’t figured out the right balance of. How do you know what type of posts to post, and how often? I’ve been posting some interviews and discussion posts lately with Top Ten Tuesdays and reviews, but I never know when how much is too much. That is to say, are two of a certain type of post (i.e. review, list, discussion, etc.) too much to have posted back to back? When is too much too much?

I know this is something that has probably crossed a lot of bloggers’ minds, which is why I come asking for some feedback. And as people who read blogs, what do you like to see in other's posting? There are some regular weekly features that I like to participate in, and then I also try to post either a discussion, tag, review, or something else. So there's some variety, and December is typically one of my favorite blogging months from last year because it was a time to really look back at all of the books of the year, talk about the ones I loved, and then move on to looking forward to next year's books as well. But, I want to make sure that I'm maintaining a balance of posts. 

So, now I want to hear from you. What do you think about posting, and what types of posts you want to see? Let me know in the comments.

Also, Rebecca of The Library Canary did a discussion post months ago about How Often to Post that I think is really thought provoking and I remember first making me think about post content. I definitely recommend looking into her discussion about it!

From the paper world,

V

The TBR Tag!

Aka the one time I’m actually tagged by someone, (the very wonderful Rebecca of The Library Canary!) I don’t get around to doing the tag for ages. But I digress.

How Do I manage my TBR?

Hmm… I don’t really. I have a massive list of to-read on Goodreads, however in reality I have several designated TBR shelves, and then I select different ones that I am interested in reading from a wide variety of genres and keep those close at hand. That way, whatever mood I’m in, I have a book nearby that suits it and that I’m already interested in reading.

Is My TBR mostly print or e-books? Almost exclusively print.

How do I determine which book from my TBR pile to read next?

I can never tell how I’ll feel from reading one book to the next. It might be I’m suddenly “read all this genre books!” or “I really want something very different and a change of genre” next. There’s no real way to predict it.

A book that’s been on my TBR the longest

I have some copies of The Lord of the Rings I picked up 6 years ago. Oops.

A book I recently added to my TBR

On Goodreads? I am Rembrandt’s Daughter by Lynn Cullen and Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Purchased? The Body Electric by Beth Revis

A book on my TBR strictly because of its beautiful cover?

The Ring and the Crown by Melissa de la Cruz

A book on my TBR that I actually never plan on reading

Confessions of a Murder Suspect by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro

An unpublished book on my TBR that I’m excited for

Well I’ve got a whole shelf of them I’m excited for on Goodreads

Sequel- Ensnared by A.G. Howard

Debut- The Storyspinner by Becky Wallace

New Book by a Previously Published Author (because I think this is something I tend to not focus on in comparison to debuts or sequels, but I want to talk more about)- Illusionarium by Heather Dixon

A book on my TBR that basically everyone but me has already read

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

A book on my TBR that everyone recommends to me

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas

A book on my TBR that I’m dying to read

The Body Electric by Beth Revis

The number of books on my Goodreads TBR (or in my case to-read) shelf

529

I regret nothing.

There's the TBR Tag! I'm going to actually tag a few people as well as say that I would love to hear everyone's answers, so let me know down in the comments! For the people I'm tagging, I tag...

Cassi of My Thoughts...Literally!

Bonnie of A Backwards Story

Juhina and Farah of Maji Bookshelf

From the paper world,

V

A Discussion with The Library Canary! - Standalones and Other Thoughts on Contemporaries

Before you get started reading here, head on over to The Library Canary to see what Becca has to say.

Hello! Today I'm super excited to be doing a joint discussion with Becca of The Library Canary. Becca is a really awesome blogger who leaves awesome, insightful comments and writes some of the best discussion posts I've read. So, today we're going to be sharing our thoughts with you on:

What makes a good standalone? 

I would recommend going to check out her post first (the first link) and then come back to see my thoughts!

I definitely agree that there's a shortage of standalones in genres other than contemporary. The Coldest Girl in Coldtown is one that I had actually been thinking of as well, since I'm typically a reader of paranormal/supernatural. Personally, I've enjoyed quite a few standalones, but I do agree that there are flaws that many stumble into. Also, there's the idea of standalones that are part of the same universe in a series, which is another thing I think is common in contemporaries as well. 

The main issue in paranormal and supernatural books is world building. You have to create anything from a super power to a world with its own completely new set of rules in a limited page count in addition to everything else that happens in a book like character development, conflict, etc. In contemporaries the author is able to navigate a realistic world and focus more on the story and characters.

Contemporaries in general seem to focus more on the principle character and the love interest and their romance. This, in general, is why I'm normally not the biggest contemporary reader. I tend to like reading about more characters and supernatural goings-on. I hadn't thought of it, but it is true that there are physical characteristics that need to be developed and reiterated in a paranormal in order to help develop the character. For example, what if we only had one book to learn about Karou from Daughter of Smoke & Bone and her peacock blue hair and hamsas? That would have taken away from the idea of how she got that blue hair and why she has those tattoos on her hand. And that's only the beginning, as Rebecca says. There is no set rule for how things operate in a paranormal world, that is completely up to the author. And within the limits of one book, that can mean that other elements of the story have to be pushed back to compensate for the neccessary world building. Even then, there's still the chance of having infodump and the world building overtaking the story entirely. 

Also adding on to what Rebecca said about connecting to the characters in standalones, this is something that can be problematic. I've seen it happen in contemporaries and paranormal standalones alike.

The pacing of the story. This is something that can work for or against the standalone. Sometimes in series you run the risk of the story dragging in a particular book because the overarching plotline needs to develop, or for whatever reason. That's definitely not the case in a standalone, where the only plot is happening in that particular book, but then there can still be problems. 

Endings in general are so difficult! Even as a reviewer, reading the end of a series or standalone is something that really is different for everyone. I dislike every issue and qualm the character had being solved and wrapped up in a bow, and I see that in a lot of contemporaries, yet I typically dislike really open endings as well. There's a balance that has to be maintained, and in a standalone where we've only had a couple hundred pages to be introduced to everyone and everything, it can be hard to maintain that balance.

I absolutely love Rebecca's point about every book being somewhat of a standalone. No one likes the "sophomore slump" or when a book drags in the name of the overarching story. And for standalones, there's a lot to consider in a limited amount of pages. What does make a good book, and where do we find the balance between world, characters, plot, and pages?

So, there is my part of our discussion, be sure to check out Rebecca's, and her wonderful blog as well!

From the paper world,

V