Tag: Weekly Meme

Let’s Talk Bookish: Romance as a Sub-Plot

Dini @ dinipandareads11 Comments

Let’s Talk Bookish is a weekly meme, hosted by Rukky @Eternity Books  & Dani @ Literary Lion, where we get to discuss certain topics, share our opinions, and spread the love by visiting each other’s posts! I’ve listed the upcoming topics in brief at the end of my post, but check out these pages for more information on November 2020 prompts & a list of past prompts!

Now without further ado… This week’s topic asks us about:

ROMANCE AS A SUBPLOT

(SUGGESTED BY DANI)
Examples: Why do you think romance is the most common subplot? Do you think romance subplots take away from the main story, or add to it? Do you prefer stories without any romance in them? Is romance better as a subplot or as a main plot?

I love love. I might come off as a little bit cynical or jaded when it comes to love in real life, but deep down I’m truly a hopeless romantic 😂 It’s pretty obvious how much I love the romance genre because when you take a peek at my Goodreads, my read list is full of it! I feel like when it comes to romance though there are a lot of people that seem to take issue with it and don’t like it in their stories, especially when it comes to YA, but perhaps that’s because it’s always there whether it’s “needed” or not.

Why is the romance sub-plot so popular?

I never gave it much thought before and I’m not really sure why… But perhaps it’s because at one point or another romance is something that many readers can relate to whether they’ve experienced it themselves, or they’ve seen others go through that experience. Or maybe it’s also those happy and heartwarming feelings that romance brings? I think it’s also probably the easiest device for authors to use to endear readers more to their characters and to make them more realistic–although whether its well done or not is another thing!

does a romance sub-plot take away from the main story, or add to it?

As I mentioned at the start, I’m all about the love and while before I would’ve said “romance makes everything better” *cough* I now think that it really depends on the story and how well the romance is written. If written well, the romance doesn’t take away from the main story but successfully adds to the character arcs and increases the stakes (in a good way). Maybe it’s because I read a lot of YA fantasy and contemporary but I feel like, more often than not, they always have a romance sub-plot that often doesn’t feel needed. It doesn’t necessarily take away from the main story, but it also doesn’t add anything. I think it’s really easy for romance to over-take the main story though, and I’ve seen it happen quite a few times. It gets tedious when the MC ends up constantly thinking about romancing their love interest, then they start making ridiculous non-sensical decisions, the love drama gets too intense, and then it basically ends up not being fun anymore. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Do you prefer stories without any romance in them?

There are times that I feel the author throws in romance because it’s expected and that’s when I find myself getting frustrated with the romance sub-plot. This is especially the case when the romance feels forced or when the romance exists ‘for the sake of having romance’. So I never thought I’d say it but I’m starting to prefer stories without the romance sub-plot in them! *Gasp! I know…* That’s not to say I won’t read fantasies or other genres without romance in them, but it’s also okay for those stories to just be fantasy or historical without romance. That said…

romance as the main plot for the win!

Let’s be real, I’m still all about the romance. I love the feel-good and heartwarming vibes that romance brings to a story. I love to swoon and giggle at the romantic (and steamy) gestures between our love interests, and I don’t think any of that’s gonna change anytime soon. But if I do go looking for romance, I’m going to seek it out in stories where romance is the main plot, whether it’s historical romance, contemporary romance, or romantic fantasy, because too often lately the romance sub-plot leaves me feeling more than a little “meh”.

So, what do you think? Is the romance sub-plot a yay or nay for you? Do you think it takes away from the main story? Do you prefer your stories without romance in them? Keen to hear your thoughts!

#WWWWednesday: 04 November

Dini @ dinipandareads13 Comments

It’s funny how an event on the other side of the world has been able to consume my day, as if I really have any stake at all in what’s happening over there. All my friends and many colleagues have been ridiculously preoccupied by the elections, and we’re all waiting with bated breath to see what happens next. It’s been tough watching and it’s still going, but I’m with you all in spirit and really thinking of you, friends! If you need to be distracted, please reach out!

Hello, hello and welcome back to another episode of WWW Wednesday, a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World of Words, which means I’ll be answering these questions:

  1. What did you read last?
  2. What are you currently reading?
  3. What will you read next?

It’s still been pretty slow going on the reading front and I think it’s because I’m so distracted by all the books that I want to read and can’t decide which comes first. Since last Wednesday I’ve finished four books and I’m happy to say that all of them were really enjoyable and it was a week of solid fours!

Love Offline by Olivia Spring ★★★★☆
I read this for a blog tour and it was a really fun story full of realistic characters and relatable experiences! The romance was heartwarming and the chemistry between our characters was undeniable. Definitely recommended for those who love a contemporary romance that’s sure to make you laugh and is full of quirky charm! Read my review

The Highland Laird (Lord of the Highlands #8) by Amy Jarecki ★★★★☆
I swooped in on this after reading Julie’s review and well, I’m definitely sold on Scottish historical romances 🤣 I mean, oof. This was such a wonderful romance! The H/H were both great characters and they stole my heart. Despite being total opposites they understand each other more than anyone else, and they truly bring out the best in each other. I adored their love. Review to come!

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#TopTenTuesday: It’s not always about books…

Dini @ dinipandareads33 Comments

So, we’re back with another Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s prompt is: my non-bookish hobbies!

This week’s prompt shifts away from all-things-bookish-all-the-time and has us sharing more personal bits about ourselves so we can get to know each other better ☺️ While I definitely had to gear my brain up for the change in topic, I thought this was a fun prompt to do because it made me actually stop and think about the things that I enjoy doing aside from reading–although I’m not lying when I say that reading/books take up the vast majority of my time outside of work. 😂

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#5OnMyTBR: Books about Death

Dini @ dinipandareads14 Comments

Hello Mondays, welcome back to #5OnMyTBR, a meme created by the wonderful E @ The Local Bee Hunter’s Nook. This bookish meme gets us to dig even further into our TBRs by simply posting about five books on our TBR! You can learn more about it here or in the post announcing it. You can find the full list of prompts (past and future) at the end of this post!

This week’s prompt is: Death

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Goodreads Monday – Human Acts by Han Kang

Dini @ dinipandareads9 Comments

Welcome back to Goodreads Monday! It’s been a very hot minute since I did one but I figured I might as well get back into it! This weekly meme was started by @Lauren’s Page Turners and it invites you to pick a book from your TBR and explain why you want to read it. Easy enough, right? Feel free to join in if you want to! I’ll be using a random number generator to pick my books from my insanely long GR Want-to-read list.

This week’s featured book is Human Acts by Han Kang. This is a historical fiction set in South Korea that was published in 2017 and has a 4.17 star rating on Goodreads with several thousand ratings and reviews.

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Sundays in Bed With… #MyWeeklyWrapUp

Dini @ dinipandareads8 Comments

We’re back with another Sundays in Bed With… meme! This meme dares to ask you what book has been in your bed this morning and is hosted by Midnight Book Girl. Come share what book you’ve been you’ve spent time curled up reading in bed with, or which book you wish you had time to read today!

It’s Sunday evening and I spent the afternoon reading an ARC that I already finished, and since then I’ve been undecided on what to pick up next. I think I might be going with Kingdom of the Wicked or The Crowns of Croswald. But it’s also highly probably that I’ll end up going in a completely different direction from fantasy and read some romance because my mood is a fickle beast right now, and I can only obey its whims. 😂

What are you currently reading?

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Top 5 Saturday: Books with Vampires

Dini @ dinipandareads12 Comments

🍭🎃 HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!! 🎃🍭

Welcome back to another Top 5 Saturday! Just in case you don’t know Top 5 Saturday is a weekly meme created by Mandy @ Devouring Books and it’s where we list the top five books (they can be books on your TBR, favourite books, books you loved/hated) based on the week’s topic. You can see the upcoming schedule at the end of my post 🙂 This week’s topic is actually: vampires.

This topic was actually a tough one to answer because I honestly haven’t read that many books with vampires and neither is it usually what I gravitate towards. The same goes with other supernatural creatures too though, like werewolves. I’ve enjoyed the very few that I read (even Twilight all those years ago) but I don’t actively seek them out. I do still have a few books with vampires on my TBR though and I am looking forward to checking them out at some point, especially the ever popular Dracula! So without further ado…

(book covers are linked to the Goodreads pages!)

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#WWWWednesday: 28 October

Dini @ dinipandareads14 Comments

Ugh, I’ve been hitting struggle town real hard since last week but… is it just me or is this week lasting forever? I can’t believe it’s Wednesday but I really wish it was already Friday 😂

Hello, hello and welcome back to another episode of WWW Wednesday, a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World of Words, which means I’ll be answering these questions:

  1. What did you read last?
  2. What are you currently reading?
  3. What will you read next?

It’s been a slow time for reading lately and it’s not just playing my Switch that has me distracted. I’ve been in a reading mood but haven’t been able to really settle on anything lately, and since last week I’ve only managed to finish three books.

Beneath Black Sails (Beneath Black Sails #1) by Clare Sager ★★★★☆
This was an undeniably fun, fast-paced and action-packed story that was able to fully absorb my attention and that’s why I’ve rounded up and kept my review at four stars. There are things that irritated me about the characters and the world-building was lacking, but this was the most pirate filled (romance)fantasy that I’ve ever read and I was here for its pure entertainment. Review coming soon.

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Can’t Wait Wednesday: Ever After Always by Chloe Liese

Dini @ dinipandareads1 Comment

Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they’re books that have yet to be released. It’s based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine. 

This is my first week joining in on Can’t Wait Wednesday and it’s because I’m really excited to be sharing this upcoming book with everyone. I simply cannot wait until I can get my grabby little hands on it because I loved the first two books in this fun romcom series and it definitely takes one of the top spots for my favourite romance of 2020!

Note: this is the third book in the series and while it can technically be read as a standalone, trust me, you won’t want to! 😉

Goodreads: Ever After Always (Bergman Brothers #3)
Publication: 12 January 2021
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Aiden
I’ve spent twelve years loving Freya Bergman and twelve lifetimes won’t be enough to give her everything she deserves. She’s my passionate, tender-hearted wife, my best friend, and all I want is to make her happy. But the one thing that will make her happiest is the one thing I’m not sure I can give her: a baby. With the pressure of providing and planning for a family, my anxiety’s at an all-time high, and I find myself pulling away, terrified to tell my wife how I’m struggling. But when Freya kicks me out, I realize that pulling back has turned into pushing too far. Now it’s the fight of a lifetime to save our marriage.

Freya
I love my cautious, hard-working husband. He’s my partner and best friend, the person I know I can count on most. Until one day I realize the man I married is nowhere to be found. Now Aiden is quiet and withdrawn, and as the months wear on, the pain of our growing distance becomes too much. As if weathering marriage counseling wasn’t enough, we’re thrown together for an island getaway to celebrate my parents’ many years of perfect marriage while ours is on the brink of collapse. Despite my meddling siblings and a week in each other’s constant company, this trip somehow gets us working through the trouble in paradise. I just can’t help worrying, when we leave paradise and return to the real world, will trouble find us again?

PRE-ORDER YOUR COPY: Amazon UK | Amazon US

Ever since stumbling across her first book, Only When It’s Us, earlier this year and absolutely loving the slow-burn romance between a fiesty sports heroine and lumberjack hero, I immediately knew I needed to read more by Chloe Liese. I was over the moon when I managed to get an ARC for her second book, Always Only You, and I fell even more in love with the characters. The whole Bergman family are a trip to read about and I dare you to not fall in love with all their loves! Chloe Liese’s books are such underrated gems and if you’re a lover of own voices and diverse romances with realistic and relatable characters, you should definitely read her sooner rather than later! 😉

If you’re not yet convinced, take a peek at my reviews for book 1 and book 2!

Have you read any books by Chloe Liese or any of the books in the Bergman Brothers series? Are you excited as me to get book three?!

#TopTenTuesday: Spooky Thrills for Chickens Like Me!

Dini @ dinipandareads31 Comments

So, we’re back with another Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s prompt is: Halloween Freebie!

I’ve never been a big proponent of Halloween mostly because I don’t really read “traditionally scary” books or watch scary movies. I am the Ultimate Chicken™️ after all. I was a bit stumped on what to focus on for this week’s Halloween freebie but I wanted to keep it short and simple, so I’m sharing ten books that were a little spooky or creepy, but were just the right amount for those like me who don’t really handle scary things well. Some of these lean more towards thriller creepy but it definitely still counts, right?! While these might give you a spook, they’re more on the level of “just keep a night-light on” kind of scary, so if you are curious or would like to step out of your comfort zone, I’d definitely give these a go! 😂

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