Handle With Care
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handle with care; the sci-fi edition
A lot of things in the science-fiction genre seem to cross over into the fantasy genre. Or maybe the media I consume is a blend of the two. That is, after all, my favourite type of story. This will be another short post, because sci-fi is something I am trying to get more into, but I do wind up reading the same sorts of things over and over. Stories with aliens can be a definitive hit or miss for me. They either work very well, or not at all. Usually, the relationship between aliens and humans is written as an allegory for racism, but in a lot of ways it…
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handle with care; the fantasy edition
It took me a long time to actually write this post because generally, I adore fantasy novels. Fantasy is one of those genres where you can take a whole bunch of tropes and turn them on their head. Do all authors take advantage of this fact? No, they do not. And it’s a shame. But of course, as in all genres, there are things that I feel are handled poorly more often than not, and things I would love to see worked into the story less for plot convenience and more naturally. Sometimes, the use of prophecies in stories just seems a way to make the main character the focus,…
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handle with care; the paranormal edition
I’m still not sure whether I’ve gotten the right definition of the paranormal, but I’m going to take another shot at it. We’ve got a mix of science-fiction and fantasy in here, and those are my favourite genres. But even I have to admit that sometimes there are aspects I do not mesh well with. People consider aliens to be part of the paranormal, thanks I think, to The X-Files. I have not read a lot of books with alien beings, and the ones that I have, well. Most of the time, alien beings are meant to parallel real world situations and people. Most of the time, it is either…
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handle with care; the romance edition
I can’t believe it’s still a conversation online on what classifies as a romance novel? Like, it’s kind of a given that it is NOT A ROMANCE NOVEL if it doesn’t end with a Happily Ever After. It can be a romantic book, but it is NOT A ROMANCE, thanks. If I’m reading a romance novel, I want that HEA. That’s why I’m reading romance. There are a lot of good tropes in the romance genre. And then there are some that need to burn away in a fire until there’s nothing left. And there are some that fall in between the ‘ohmygod yes please‘ and ‘oh god why‘, and…
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handle with care; the greek mythology edition
The source material for Greek mythology is so messed up, honestly, with how violent and gory and misogynistic it can be. Which is why it has to be handled properly when adapted, in my opinion.* *100% more diversity too, please and thank you. There are so many thoughts and ideas of the Hades/Persephone myth that involve Persephone taking ownership of her life and her choices – please read The Star Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi – but it is a slipper slope in getting things just right, and honestly, please read The Star Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi because it is a great example of things done right. Pretty much…
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handle with care; the austen edition
There are some Austen novels I haven’t seen adaptations of, or even straight to screen adaptations, because for some reason, the story does not catch me. And then there are some, I might not have read or watched, or know much about that I read crossover fanfiction for. Yes, I do read Austen fanfiction. Mostly centered on Mary Bennet, or based on the wesberies adaptations I’ve watched. We have established I am a nerd, yes? Emma is a fun story, in so far as I know it. I haven’t read the source material, but I have enjoyed Clueless tremendously and Emma Approved was also fun. (And apparently it’s coming back…
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handle with care; the shakespeare edition
As much as I enjoy Shakespeare, I have to admit to having seen and heard and read aspects of it that make me shake my head and sigh in disappointment. Shakespeare was a product of his times, and as much as I acknowledge that he was progressive for his time, sometimes that means when you play it straight, it’s regressive for our time. Does that make sense? There are adaptations I’ve seen that could have been a touch better if they had adapted the parts that are now problematic to give more agency to other characters, or to subvert what is in the actual play. Shakespeare would not mind, I’m…
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handle with care; the fairytale retelling edition
Every time a fairytale gets reimagined, I get excited. I’ve said that a lot. But it’s true. There’s just something magical about the same story being told in so many different ways. Sometimes it is a hit, and sometimes not so much. It can be the writing, sometimes, that does not excite me. But sometimes it’s the fact that the original tale hit a mark these retellings did not. Not to say I won’t read them. I am a simple woman with simple desires and fairytales are always welcome. It’s just more likely that I will find a copy I can borrow at a library for these tales. I suppose…
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handle with care; the tropes edition
More tropes! I’m not going to lie, I sort of imagined myself throwing some confetti in the air while shouting this. I don’t know why, but it is possibly because I’m running on a little sleep and nothing but coffee in my stomach. In the last post, I talked about tropes that I will always read – and sometimes be disappointed by, of course that happens. But in this post, I will talk about tropes that might be over-done, but sometimes? Can be written in a fresh way that I find myself enjoying them. And surprisingly, this time all the tropes are not romantically inclined! Just – most of them.…
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handle with care; the covers edition
“Never judge a book by its’ cover”? Psht, yeah. Like I’ve actually listened to that. When it comes to books, anyway. As I mentioned in the other half of my covers edition, the cover attracts me to the book. If you can’t attract me at first glance, then I’m not going to bother checking the synopsis. Shallow, yeah, but I’m not perfect. Just close to it. Sometimes the cover is intriguing. Not exactly pretty, but something about it is catching the eye. So I may have picked them up, liked the synopsis, and then kept the book. Sometimes an intriguing cover can let you down, though, so be careful! If…