Tag Archives: Books

I’m Not a Fan of the Fated Mates Trope

Could you resist the pull of someone who was fated to be in your life? Would you want to? Well, it wouldn’t really be up to you, would it?

As romance readers, we all have our most and least favourite tropes, and I’ve been exploring mine in the hopes of working out exactly what I like when it comes to romance. One of my least favourite tropes is Fated Mates. Often found in romances with shifters—beings who can change into more than one form—the fated mates tropes has both intriguing and unsatisfying qualities, and I will discuss both in this post.

8 Unhinged Books You Need to Read

In a vast sea of literature, amongst every possible genre, some books stand out for embracing the weird and wonderful, for delving into topics often left untouched. When you stumble across books like these that leave a lasting impression thanks to their bizarre content, it’s hard to avoid discussing them, and that’s what I intend to do here.

Monthly Wrap-Up – March 2023: Adventuring into my Discomfort Zone

March was another great month of reading for me. Once again, what I lacked in the volume of books I read was made up for by their quality. I read four books this month, one of which I have chosen not to include in the wrap-up, but I promise I read it and that it was amazing! It was a month of stepping outside of my comfort zone and dipping into some good recommendations, and thankfully I was not left disappointed.

I Don’t Like the Forbidden Love Trope (and here’s why)

As an avid romance reader, I’ve encountered my fair share of tropes. I’m definitely in tune with my tastes and aware of what I usually do and do not like. A trope is not inherently bad, but as with everything in life, I prefer certain tropes over others. Though a favourite for many, I look at the forbidden love trope and often feel disappointed. Can I really ship them when they might be siblings? When their age gap is huge? When the power dynamics are questionable? When they’re from different species?

Why I’m Banning Myself from Buying Books

Adding books to my TBR feels good, but it doesn’t feel as good when they’re still there two years later wondering if I’ve lost interest. What always shocks me is that it’s the books I want to read the most that I end up putting off for the longest. Why? I’m not too sure, but I think it comes down to the fact that the more I want to like something, the more afraid I am of being left disappointed.

6 (more) Ways to Write More

Advice is never one size fits all, so this post is a follow-up to an earlier one: 5 Ways to Write More. While the best way to write more is to do just that, having the drive to keep going, even if it’s in a haphazard, disorganised way, can be more important than the writing itself. In the hopes of helping you find something that might work for you, here are 6 more ways to write more:

Monthly Wrap-Up – February 2023: A Tale of Two Halves

This month has been a tale of two halves. I started off in the mood for crime and mystery and ended it in the spirit of romance (which had nothing to do with a certain holiday in the middle). It’s strange that I did not notice this until sitting down to complete my wrap-up for February, but I guess that’s the point of these posts: to reflect on my reading for the month.

Are Special Edition Books a Waste of Money?

Reading is a multi-faceted experience. It can be simple, lightweight, and free… or it can be shallow, expensive, and nothing more than an intellectual flex. In an age where the rich and famous are hiring people to stack their shelves with curated novels for a faux-cultured façade and an app dominated by the middle class is single-handedly keeping authors relevant, the socio-economic aspect of reading has never been more apparent.

Are Creative Writing Challenges Ruining your Writing?

Every once in a while, writers are tempted into taking on a challenge to test themselves, to find their limits, and to have fun. But sometimes, these creative writing challenges aren’t as enjoyable as promised. By creative writing challenges, I mean using things like prompts, restrictive word counts, certain emotions, or generally having something veryContinue reading “Are Creative Writing Challenges Ruining your Writing?”

When to Get Rid of Books

Thanks to Book Tok, reading a lot is once again mega-trendy. Not that it ever goes out of style entirely. While reading being a popular pastime is far from bad, excessive consumption of anything—especially when that thing has a direct environmental impact—is not a good look. I’m guilty of this, especially since the rate atContinue reading “When to Get Rid of Books”