A few days ago, I wrote a blog post talking about TBRs and whether or not you should make them. Today, I’ll be talking about readathons and reading challenges. I won’t be talking about why you should be doing these. Instead, I’m listing down the pros and cons of joining readathons and reading challenges. Based on this, you can decide whether or not you want to get involved in them. But before I start, I need to make it clear that irrespective of what the pros are, if reading is stressing you out, it’s always better to take time out and become kinder to yourself.
Author Archives: Sonali Dabade
10 Books by Queer Authors I’ve Loved | Book Recommendations | #Blogtober22 – Day 28
June is Pride Month, a celebration of queerness and our LGBTQIA+ fellows. We have loads of posts on social media celebrating the same, as it should be. But many-a-times, we tend to forget that we shouldn’t be sharing these stories and reading these books only in that month. We need to do it around theContinue reading “10 Books by Queer Authors I’ve Loved | Book Recommendations | #Blogtober22 – Day 28”
Difference Between a Bad Character and a Badly Written Character | #Blogtober22 – Day 27
A couple of months ago, out of the blue, I got thinking about a character and how I didn’t like them at all. There were, however, reasons which people pointed out saying that the character was supposed to make you feel those things and that that is how the author wrote it. So, this means that there are bad characters and badly written characters and there’s a stark difference between the two. Either way, however, you tend to dislike both types of characters – one, because they’re supposed to be reprehensible, and the second, because of how they’re written.
The Guilty Reader Book Tag | #Blogtober22 – Day 26
Being a bookworm is a study in self-control. I should get that new book. NO! I should reward myself with 5 new books because I finished one. NO! I should read just one more chapter before I sleep. (This at 2 AM.) NO! Only, the answer to this is usually yes, which is why so many of us have dark circles from not getting enough sleep. I should just say that I’ve read the book these people are talking about because I don’t want to feel left out. ABSOLUTELY NOT! What is wrong with you?!
Author Interview | Jenny Jaeckel | #Blogtober22 – Day 25
About 4.5 years ago, I read a book that I’d requested from Netgalley because I’d found the premise to be super interesting. Until this, my experience or even impression of sites like Netgalley hadn’t been great. But this book, called House of Rougeax, turned it around fantastically well, becoming one of my favorite books of 2018.
I was so mesmerized by the writing and the story that I immediately approached the author, Jenny Jaeckel, for an interview. But things happened and I couldn’t publish it here even though Jenny was prompt in sending her answers. I decided to try my luck again and Jenny, being the sweetest person, agreed to do it. A big thank you, Jenny, for this!
Diwali as a Child vs Diwali as an Adult | #Blogtober22 – Day 24
Diwali or Deepavali is a festival that us Indians look forward to with great anticipation, not just because we get to celebrate fireworks, but because it heralds light and new beginnings. It is a festival that depicts good winning over evil and on this day, we worship Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity and wealth, inviting her into our homes. There are other reasons and traditions connected to the festival but this is one that’s widely celebrated. Irrespective, though, Diwali is the Festival of Lights, characterized by fireworks and light and hope.
10 Weird Bookish Things I Do | #Blogtober22 – Day 23
As human beings, we all have our quirks. We do certain things in certain ways which sometimes surprises other people. Of course, the world in itself is a weird place to be in, given how it ruthlessly cracks down on people who do things differently. But every person is different. And there isn’t just one solution to every problem. There are multiple ways of looking at things. Given, some of these ways may be weird, but that doesn’t mean they’re ineffective or bad. Diss on the bad and harmful, not on the weird. (Life lesson done for today, phew.)
As bookworms, we’re prone to doing even weirder things than is considered normal. It could be immersing ourselves in a book while at a doctor’s appointment or reading while eating or the way we store our books – every bookworm has their own quirks. More than the average human being, even.
Rereading the Heartstopper Books & Watching the TV Show | #Blogtober22 – Day 22
In 2021, a subscriber and now friend suggested that I read the Heartstopper graphic novel series by Alice Oseman. So I read it and this way, found one of my favorite series of all time. In hindsight, 2021 was a great year for finding favorites. This one especially touched a part of my heart and filled it with warmth and goodness. When the TV adaptation came out earlier this year, I knew I had to watch it, but I couldn’t at the time. Months went by and plans of rereading the series and watching the show were razed to the ground because of our move to Sydney.
Why I Might Never Meet My Favorite Authors or Artists | #Blogtober22 – Day 21
I feel like a lot of these Blogtober posts have started with me putting out the disclaimer that I am an introvert. And as much as I want to apologize for the repetition, I also understand that I need it for context. Moreover, what am I even apologizing for? For a part of myself? For being me? So, I’ll keep my introductions as they are, thank you very much. In fact, I’ll start off this blog post by talking about how much of an awkward introvert I am. Like I said before: context setting is important.
A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf | Book Discussion / Thoughts | #Blogtober22 – Day 20
Earlier this year, I had the extremely transformative experience of reading Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own. I didn’t think it would affect me the way it did, especially since Woolf’s To the Lighthouse was a disappointing one for me. But as I progressed with A Room of One’s Own, I was consumed by it. I read in awe as Woolf detailed the sexism that women writers face in a time when women didn’t have the freedom to do as they wanted. So many scathing points written sometimes with detached politeness, other times with undisguised annoyance, and at yet others narrated stoically – they sit with you for all of eternity, like they’ve settled down in my mind.
And what a way to condense the book into one sentence:
A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction.
The Melodramatic Bookworm 