Category: Discussions
AI and Book Translation
Let me get one thing straight: I essentially hate artificial intelligence. I don’t hate it for what it is, nor am I ignorant to the many positives it can introduce into the engineering, healthcare, IT, and business sectors. I simply fear and resent its advancements and endangerment of the arts—namely illustration, photography, writing, and potentially…
The Strange Appeal of Violent Novels
Whether it be crime thrillers about catching a murderer, or sadistic romps like American Psycho, the simple reality is that we readers generally enjoy a good bit of violence in our novels. Of course, there will be some who absolutely despise novels with violence, but go and find me a horror, thriller, or crime novel…
The Ideal Weather for Reading
What is the ideal weather for reading? It’s a question all readers can respond differently to, because the answer is rooted deeply within our personal preferences and circumstances. To first decide what your ideal weather for reading is, you have to imagine where you are located. Is it indoors or outdoors? Well, if it’s indoors,…
Bad Book Tropes: Incredible Detectives & Contrived Plots
As my scathing review of I’m Travelling Alone implied back in the middle of 2023, I’m not keen on the detective/crime/thriller genre—or at least that’s what I thought until I read Tokyo Express earlier this year. Then I realised it was less about the genre and more about the ability of the author. Whenever I…
A Bookshelf Is a Must
Regardless of how ‘into’ reading you are, a bookshelf is a must for everyone’s home, even if it is mostly for show and decoration purposes. You might question why you should have a bookshelf, especially in this age of Kindle and digital media. But the reality is that no matter how paperless and fully digital…
Bad Book Tropes: Enemies to Lovers
As a genre, enemies to lovers has really picked up in recent years. Maybe I’m not the right person for the genre, as it not only seems to be more popular with female and younger readers—but I prefer romance as just another element of a book, rather than its whole personality. This is my reasoning…
I (Usually) Dislike Live-Action Adaptations of Books
As a general rule, I don’t like films (or shows) that are based on books, and it’s not because of the pretentious reason that you think it is! With American Psycho’s adaptation being the only exception coming to mind, visual mediums rarely capture the exact emotions and themes of the novel they’re pulling from, making…
Why I Dislike BookTok & Bookstagram
Since 2020, the #booktok and #bookstagram trends have continued to grow. Whilst there are many positives, such as author exposure and a general promotion of the idea of reading, many of these creators/accounts tend to be a lot more shallow than perceived. As a slight warning, this post will probably represent a slight rant on…
Why We Like to Read
Do you ever sit back and wonder why it is we like to read? Not all of us question our habits, but sometimes it’s good to know what we enjoy about them and what compels us to sit down with nothing but words and our imagination for a few hours per week. 1. Escapism In…
Will AI Become a Part of Books & Novels?
With how much of a wave AI is making, and the amount of trouble and concern it is stirring up amongst artists and consumers, it does make you wonder if authors will begin using these tools to write whole sections of their (possibly) bestselling work. Is AI Really an Issue? Yes and no… it depends….
