Tag Archives: discussions

Discussion: How to keep inspired/motivated

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Hi guys, I wanted to discuss something with you all today, and that’s how to keep motivated and inspired. I’ve been doing this blog for over a year now (about a year and 4 months) and there are times that I have no idea what to post. I sometimes wonder how I am going to come up with new content in the future and if my content is still enjoyable and interesting to you guys. I want to be able to create content you guys want to read but sometimes it can be tricky coming up with new ideas. It can also be tricky if you have no motivation to write posts, whether for reviews or any other post.

 

I think this is definitely something that I need to work on, so it doesn’t become a big stressful thing. Anyway I do have some things I do to help me if I’m lacking a bit of motivation or inspiration. Firstly I take inspiration from the bloggers I follow. There are fantastic bloggers out there and it’s perfectly acceptable to get ideas from them – obviously don’t steal posts and credit the blogger if needed. Just reading other blogs will help. There are also so many lists of blog post ideas out there – I’ve even done one which you can find here for book bloggers. Looking at such lists especially helped me in the beginning when I was first coming up with blog post ideas. Now I have a list of them in my bullet journal to refer back to when needed. Another thing I do is track some of my posts (such as my recommendations, author exploration etc.) so I don’t post them to often. This kind of helps motivate me to come up with new content too. Something that I think is a good thing to do when feeling a little uninspired is talk to someone about it, especially if they have a similar interest than you. You can then bounce ideas off each other and hopefully come up with some new ideas. Or ask your readers for some ideas and constructive criticisms to improve your blog. Or you can ask a blogger for advice.  I think it’s also important to have a routine or schedule and to stay organised. Obviously if that is not how you work than don’t do it this way, but personally I like have a set schedule. I plan all of my content in advance and like to come up with new possible ideas for each month, as I don’t want things to get boring for you guys. Also I want to be able to grow my main blog and try new things – being organised helps me with this. Even staying organised it can still be tricky to stay motivated and inspired but it definitely helps. If now of this helps than I think it’s time to step back from this and take some time away from your blog so you can work on it without the pressure of posting. It can just help to take some time for yourself – it is totally OK to take a break.

 

What do you guys do to stay inspired? I’d love to know if you have any tips for me as I do worry about keeping my blog going without just repeating posts. I am sure I’ve missed something in this discussion but those are some of my thoughts. What do you think? I hope you are all having a wonderful day and I will see you next time.

 

Pippa

 

 

Discussion: Physical books or E-books

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Hi guys, how are you all? Since I haven’t done a discussion post for a while, I thought it was about time to I did another one. I wanted to chat with you guys about physical books and e-books. Which one do you guys prefer? I have always preferred physical books, but over the years I’ve definitely come to see the use of e-books.

 

For me, I just love the feel of a physical book – I like reading from them. When I was younger e-readers weren’t a thing, so physical books were what we had, if that makes sense. I think it’s also important to support local book shops and that means buying physical books :). I’m pretty sure I will always prefer physical books – they are just nicer. Having said that there are some perks to e-books. I remember the days going on holiday before having a kindle and my bag would be heavy with books. I remember taking Goblet of Fire by J. K. Rowling and it took up most of my bag – I still finished all of my books and we had to find a English book shop to find some more. Basically the kindle or any e-reader is fantastic when you are going away as it means you can take plenty of reading material in a small tablet. It can also be quite good when you have a very heavy/long book as big books can be quite awkward to read. Another use I’ve found is the ability to get books through Negalley on my kindle. As a book blogger, I basically read alot and to make sure I’ve got new content it’s important to me to read new books and releases. Netgalley allows me to do that, without completely breaking my bank account. So my kindle is really useful in that way. There are definitely pros and cons for both.

 

Overall I will always choose physical books over e-books, but as I’ve mentioned I can definitely see the pros and cons of both. I’m interested to know what you guys think – do you prefer physical books or e-books? Do you have particular reasons for that preference? Let’s discuss :). I hope you are all having a wonderful day and I will see you next time.
Pippa

Discussion: Rereads

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Hi guys, I thought it is about time for another discussion post. This time I am going to be chatting with you guys about rereading. I have always been a rereader. Personally, I love visiting worlds I know and love. So far I haven’t got bored of a book because of rereading it, although I wouldn’t say it will never happen. Let’s talk about rereading books.

 

I spent a lot of my teenage years rereading some of my favourite books. At the time, I was going through a hard time and I think I found it comforting to go back into a familiar world. I have always liked rereading books. I think it can be also quite interesting to reread books, especially books from when you were younger. You can see how your tastes can change and evolve, but you can still appreciate the books you loved earlier in life. I’ve reread many books from my teenager years – as I am now a more critical reader,  I can perhaps see issues with the books I loved but they can still be some of my favourite books. Not book is perfect after all. I hope that makes sense :). I also love watching my favourite films more than once and listening to the same music alot. I understand the argument of not rereading books, but I personally enjoy doing it. As long as I enjoy doing it, then I will continue to do so. It’s really up to personal preference. It doesn’t matter either way, as long as you do what you want to do

 

Let’s continue the discussion. Do you guys like rereading books or do you just read books once? Let me know your thoughts on rereading books. I’m sorry this post is so short – I thought I had more to say than I actually did. I hope you are all having a wonderful day and I will see you next time.

 

Pippa

 

 

Discussion: Why I Love Fantasy

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Hi guys, today I thought it was time for another discussion post. I thought I would give some thoughts on why I love fantasy. I have pretty much always been a fantasy reader, so I thought it would be interesting to discuss with you all the reason that we love reading fantasy books. I think that fantasy can be quite intimidating, as it encompasses such a wide range of books, and it is also quite marmite thing, I think – you either love it or kind of hate it. I don’t really believe that anyone can say that they don’t like the fantasy genre – I am sure if you read enough of them, you would find something you liked. In a way, I think it’s like classics – there are such a wide range of books that fit into the genre, that there will be something for everyone. I know it is probably intimidating, but it is just a case of trying out different books and not giving up if one of the books didn’t work for you.

 

One of the main reasons I love reading fantasy is the escapism of it. I started reading fantasy when I was teenager and going through a hard time in my life, so I loved diving into these amazing new worlds. I find it so interesting to see how our imaginations can create all these different characters, worlds, magic systems etc. The imaginative nature of fantasy is another of my favourite things – it is so fun it see where it can take us. I love that if you are having a hard day or week then you can escape into these amazing worlds. Sometimes you just want to get away from all the rubbish stuff that happens in our world – I mean there may be rubbish stuff going on in the fantasy world as well, but somehow that is completely different. It is also amazing how innovative it can be – I guess that links in to the imaginative nature of fantasy. There is so much you can do, because it is not set in our world, it doesn’t necessarily have to accommodate our science or rules etc. Anything is possible with fantasy. This also means that it is such a wide range of the fantasy genre. There are so many sub genres and new twists in the genre – I love the variety of this genre.  The last reason I love fantasy is that it can be used as commentary as what is going on in our world. It can take social commentary to a whole new level, in the sense that it can highlight these issues in different ways and makes you see them from a different perspective.

 

Let’s continue the discussion in the comments 🙂 – do you think I’ve missed anything? Why do you love the fantasy genre? I am really interested in what you guys think. I hope you are all having a wonderful day and I will see you next time.

 

Pippa

 

 

Discussions: DNFing Books

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Hello again 🙂 Today I thought I would do my first discussion post. Since I have been blogging for 6 months, I thought it is about time. So my first discussion topic is DNFing books – if you are unsure DNF stands for did not finish. I used to be on the side of always finishing books, but I am definitely not anymore. I am all for not finishing books. Time is too short to read a book that you are not enjoying and you are not going to enjoy every book you read.

 

As I just mentioned I used to want to finish every book I read and even every series. I think that’s why I got through quite a few of the House of Night series by P.C. and Kristen Cast. Even though I wasn’t really enjoying it, I just wanted to know what happens and how it all ended. In the end I gave up as the series is ridiculously long and it wasn’t really my thing. I think over the last couple of years I’ve really learnt about my tastes. I have been reading more and trying out different books so I feel more comfortable in my tastes. Basically I now feel better equipped at DNFing a book. I can generally tell if it’s a book I need to come back to at a later date or whether it is a book I just don’t want to finish. Usually I try to give a book a hundred pages, or two hundred pages if the book is over five hundred pages, before deciding to give up on it. I like to give books a good go before any decision to DNF, especially if I’ve paid for it. I will DNF a book for a variety of reasons – if I am bored, if the writing style doesn’t work for me, if there are themes or topics that make me uncomfortable etc. It can also be an amalgamation of small things that bother me or just don’t work for me as a reader. For anyone interested I currently have 5 books on my DNF shelf on Goodreads – The Red Knight by Miles Cameron, Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas, The Aeronaut’s Windlass by Jim Butcher, The Way of Shadows by Brent Weeks and All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. In most of these cases I just found that these books weren’t my thing.
You shouldn’t feel guilty for not finishing a book. An author should know that their books aren’t going to be to everyone’s tastes. I think DNF reviews are fine as long as you give reasons why you felt you couldn’t finish the book and are respectful in the review. You are not going to love or even like every book you like so I think DNFing a book is perfectly fine and it can also lead to some important feedback. I think if you make it clear you didn’t finish the book and the reasons why, it is acceptable to write a review. It could lead to some great feedback. However I would say that if you were sent a book for review, then I think the book should be finished if at all possible. I just feel obliged to finish it if a book was sent to me. That is just my personal opinion though. It is really up to personal preference – just do what works for you.

 

Let me know what you think in the comments. Do you DNF books? If so what was the last book you DNF’d? What pushes you to DNF a book? If you don’t, why is that? Do you think DNF reviews are good or bad? Let’s continue the discussion.

 

See you in the comments 🙂

 

Pippa