✨ Welcome back to another week of LTB! ✨
Let’s Talk Bookish is a weekly meme created by Rukky @Eternity Books and co-hosted by Aria @Book Nook Bits and myself! In this discussion meme, participants get to talk about certain topics, share opinions, and spread the love by visiting each other’s posts! Learn more about LTB, past topics and future topics HERE.
This week’s topic is:
Novels in Verse
Prompts: Have you read any novels in verse? Do you think novels in verse can be more emotionally powerful compared to regular prose, or do you think novels in verse are more difficult to connect with? What kind of stories do you think work best in verse (i.e. coming-of-age, grief, romance, historical fiction, etc.)? What are your favourite novels in verse?
Have you read any novels in verse? Do you think novels in verse can be more emotionally powerful compared to regular prose, or do you think novels in verse are more difficult to connect with?
I have read three novels in verse and I gave them all 4-5 star ratings. I think whether or not novels in verse can be more emotionally powerful does depend on the story that’s written but also on the reader. If you’re not someone who easily connects to poetry or stories written in such a way, it will be difficult for you to connect to it. While I clearly loved the books that I read in verse, I do recall having some difficulty connecting to the stories in certain aspects, and I felt that I could’ve had a stronger overall connection to the characters had they been written in regular prose. That said, I love that this format makes stories accessible and breaks down complex issues in a more simple and direct way. Sometimes you get really strong lines that just hit and when that happens, I felt it very deeply!
What kind of stories do you think work best in verse (i.e. coming-of-age, grief, romance, historical fiction, etc.)?
The stories that I’ve read in verse have been coming-of-age stories and that have aspects of grief to them. I honestly don’t think I could imagine reading a romance or historical fiction or even fantasy as a novel in verse. I think coming-of-age stories or those about grief work well in this format because I think the writing really zooms in on the emotion, without extra wordiness to distract or take away from the feelings. They’re stories that are more focused on the introspective and processing internal thoughts/emotions, and I think that’s what makes it work.
As I mentioned in my previous answer, I love how this format breaks down complex issues and makes it more accessible for young readers. As I’m writing this and browsing through my shelf for the next part, I’ve realised that a lot of these books are middle-grade or YA novels, which I find interesting. I wonder if this style of writing is just more accessible for younger readers and is a good way of getting bigger messages across?
What are your favourite novels in verse (or ones on your TBR)?
Well, I’ve only read three novels in verse, and I loved them, so I guess they’d be my favourites in this genre. These titles are: The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo, Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam, and Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo. I would definitely recommend the audiobooks for Acevedo’s books because they enhanced the reading experience immensely. Acevedo is a spoken word poet and she narrates the books (one of them with another voice actor) and the passion and talent really shine through!
That said, I have a few more novels in verse on my TBR (though not very many) and I’m looking forward to reading them at some point, even though I no longer read a lot of MG or YA these days!
Don’t forget to check out the other bloggers who joined the discussion this week! 👇🏽
Keira @ Keira’s Bookmark
Rachael @ The Green Tea Librarian
Elle @ Unwrapping Words
Raji @ Worlds Unlike Our Own
Abyssal Librarian
If I’ve missed your post this week, don’t hesitate to let me know in the comments, and I’ll add you to this week’s list of community posts ASAP!
Have you read or do you read novels in verse? What are your favourite novels in verse or which ones do you have on your TBR?
dinipandareads 
other words for home is amazing, from what i remember!
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I also noticed that grief works especially well in these types of books. The coming of age element I think comes from this being relatively popular in YA books.
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