✨ 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
Nicky @ The Bibliophibian
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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Oh yay, I didn’t realise until I was writing this post that it was a novel in verse! I’m very excited to read it 🙂
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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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Joining in for the first time this week! Slightly last minute, ahaha.
I remember seeing Clap When You Land around a lot, but I didn’t realise it was a verse novel! The Black Flamingo, too. Interesting. Maybe I know what I’ll try out, since it’s been sooo long since I read any verse novels.
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Awesome! Thanks for joining LTB this week—better late than never, I say! Hehe
Yes! When I picked it up I didn’t realise it was a novel in verse either, but it worked well for the book! It’s been ages since I’ve read any either, but I think I’m keen to at least read The Black Flamingo! I hope you enjoy whichever book(s) you pick up if you give them a try 🙂
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The only one I’ve read recently (last year) is Hekate by. Nikita Gill. I loved it but it’s definitely not the types of books I pick up to read.
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Okay, this was on my radar but I did not realise that it was written in verse! That makes me even more excited to check it out 🙂
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Other Words for Home is also on my list! Acevedo is amazing. She has an adult book I haven’t read yet but I love the YA ones.
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An adult book in verse? I’ve only read one other of her books that wasn’t in verse but it was YA too and it’s one of my favourites (With the Fire On High—would recommend if you haven’t tried it yet)! It’s been a minute since I read one of her books though. I love her writing 💜
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I havent tried any novels in verse. I’ve actually avoided them in the past as poetry doesn’t really call to me. I guess its a little bit like plays, I like my fiction in regular prose 😂 and as you said ‘I felt that I could’ve had a stronger overall connection to the characters had they been written in regular prose‘ I think thats my big fear tbh. That I won’t connect. Although objectively I can see how powerful the writing itself could be.
You make a good point about audiobooks as I feel like poetry is probably better heard than simply read. Or maybe as an immersive read so you can highlight the sections that move you 🤔
I want to try Elizabeth Aceved as I loved the book I have tried by her, just avoided the others for the aforementioned verse fears. I also have a few Sarah Crossan titles on my TBR as again I love the sound of them but have avoided the format.
I’m actually trying my first novel in verse this month. Its a mythology retelling but I’m nervous about the format. So with one coming up for me, at last, I had to check this post out.
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I totally get it. I definitely connect more to prose writing because I also find it more difficult to connect to poetry. But when I come across a poem or a novel in verse that really speaks to me, it like gets sucked into my soul, haha. And by that I mean I feel it hits so much harder and sticks out so much more to me because it’s not something I experience often, if that makes sense?
I do think the audiobooks of novels in verse are a great way to maybe get into the stories. I would definitely recommend Acevedo’s! She narrates her stories so well and does a fantastic job bringing her characters to life!
Ooh, is the novel in verse that you have on your TBR Hekate by Nikita Gill? If not, I’d love to know what it is! 👀 If it is that book, I’m really curious to know your thoughts! That one recently piqued my interest but I had no idea that it was in verse until someone else commented on this post mentioned it! I really hope you love it, Charlotte! 😍
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I read several of the books you featured, and I remember being so impressed with how much story they could tell in a more condensed format. As a hater of huge books, I appreciate this skill. I am not sure if I feel they are better at conveying emotion, but the authors who write in verse understand the importance of each word.
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Yes, I was definitely impressed by that! Although I struggled to connect initially, the more I read the more connected I felt to the characters and it wowed me how I was able to feel so much emotion in such brevity. 🤭 I fully agree—authors who write in this format definitely understand the importance and impact of each word they use/choose!
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Verse novels is no longer a “growing trend,” but a respectable genre of fiction, especially for young readers.
As a teen librarian, I noticed that both reluctant readers and aspiring writers enjoy reading verse novels the most. And now, with more authors writing them across all genres, there are more verse novels to choose from. The audiobooks are worth listening to, as well!
I run the Young Adult Book Club at my library and every April, I select a verse novel for Poetry Month!
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Thanks for sharing that insight! I can imagine that reading novels in verse would be great for reluctant readers or those who aren’t into reading longer books. I haven’t encountered many novels in verse outside of YA/MG or the contemporary fiction space, but I’d definitely be keen to try them in different genres!
That’s awesome about the YA Book Club! What book did you pick for this April?
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