Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl
Since Cathy @WhatCathyReadNext submitted this topic, I’ll bet her answers to this question will be fantastic.
Here are my answers.
1. Remembering the names of secondary characters.
Main character names are easy for me to remember, but this isn’t always the case for characters who only show up occasionally. I will probably remember that they have a horse or that they love tea, though, even if I don’t recall their name!
2. Instantly knowing if a book will be five-star read for me.
Sometimes I know within the first page, but in other cases it takes me until the final sentence to realize just how perfect a story was for my tastes.
What’s interesting about this is that there have been some authors who have written one (or maybe a few) five-star reads for me but whose other books don’t affect me the same way.
3. Instantly knowing if a book will be a five-star read for someone else.
I can generally make an educated guess for people in my inner circle, but reading tastes are such personal things that I really try not to recommend something unless I know the person well and am pretty sure it will be a hit.
4. Encouraging certain authors to finally publish those sequels!
No, I will not be naming any names here as I don’t want anyone to feel pressured or put on the spot. It would simply be wonderful to know what some of my favourite characters have been up to.
5. Reading descriptions of food and not getting hungry.
Don’t get me wrong – I love passages that describe what characters are eating if it’s relevant to the plot and/or the meals in their world sound amazing.
I would simply like to read those scenes without my stomach suddenly thinking it needs a snack when it was perfectly content and not at all hungry five minutes ago. Why do bodies do this?
6. Being able to write “If You Like This, Read That” posts easily
Some of you Top Ten Tuesday bloggers are amazing at thinking of similar books that might both appeal to the same reader. You make it look effortless, and I wish I had your talent in this area. Please make a TED Talk for the rest of us or something. Ha.
7. Having more patience with slow plots
When I was a teenager, I would savour books that took a long time to get to their point. It was an easy and free way to enjoy long summer days when not much else was happening.
Now that I am an adult, I generally DNF anything that moves slowly unless the writing is exquisite. I’m sure I’m missing out on some fabulous stories, but I simply don’t have the time or patience these days to wait 10o+ pages for interesting stuff to start happening.
8. Commenting more often on other blogs
I tend to let them build up in my RSS feed until I have a nice big block of time to get through everything at once.
This means that the bloggers I follow will occasionally be surprised by a flurry of comments from me, some of which are on posts that are weeks old…or sometimes even older than that.
I hope that is amusing to them, and I am trying not to do this quite so often.
9. Having advance knowledge of which new-to-me authors will be future favourites.
I put genuine effort into trying authors from a wide variety of backgrounds, genres, and writing styles.
This leads to a lot of really interesting outcomes:
- I DNF their work and probably never read them again
- I realize that book X might be perfect for person Y in my life even if it’s not to my personal tastes
- I finish their book and keep an eye out for their future work without making them a must-read author
- They’re instantly added to my short list of must-read authors.
Among many other options. As much as I usually enjoy this process, sometimes I wish there were a faster way to narrow down all of the authors out there into the small percentage of them that are perfect for a specific reader.
10. Becoming the newest bestselling author.
If only!
You never know when something you write will catch fire! This topic didn’t inspire me, so I just posted the usual Tuesday Teases.
For sure! Thanks for stopping by.
These are very creative superpowers! 😍 I would love to be able to easily write the “if you like this, read this” posts as well. And I would love to easily and accurately recommend books to others too, lol.
Thank you, Dini!
Remembering character names would definetly be a superpower for me, I’m so bad at it!
I’m glad you get that!
I wish you luck with number 10!
Aww, thanks!
Love the idea of 2 and 3, will be amazing, more great reads and less dfn
Yes, exactly!
Instantly knowing if a book is a five-star read is a good one! There are a lot of books I have been disappointed by, unfortunately!
I hear you there.
Your list is so fun. I too would love to visit others blogs/websites (I *think* I’m finally better about visiting TTT posts more promptly) more often. And I have a couple blogging friends that I do that same to (comment on multiple posts in one “catch up” visit). And I love reading those “If you Like This” posts. They’re always so fun and interesting. I’ve recommended some titles that readers don’t really think fit with the book I’m trying to find similar things for, but that’s okay! That’s part of what makes reading interesting, we find different things to pull from the story. 🙂 Thanks so much for visiting my website today!
Thank you!
Yes, you’re leaving a lot more comments on TTT posts (or at least on my TTT posts) these days. I think that’s awesome.
#5 would be awesome. Any book with a bakery gives me the worst cravings.
🙂
I love the one about getting those sequels out!
Thank you.
#3 was on my list this week, too! I can usually make a pretty good guess about the people I’m closest to, but since everyone at work knows I read a lot I get a bunch of “what should I read?” questions from people that I’m not sure of their tastes.
Best of luck with #10!
Here’s my TTT for the week: https://bookwyrmknits.com/2024/02/20/top-ten-tuesday-bookish-superpowers-i-wish-i-had/
Thank you. 🙂 And, yeah, making those suggestions to strangers or acquaintances would be very hard!
Yes, I would love more patience with slow plots as well, it’s just no longer there! I not only wish I could remember secondary characters, I wish I could remember the primary ones easily as well. Have a great week!
Sometimes I forget main characters eventually, too! It all depends on the book.
Being able to always remember secondary characters names would be great
Right?! For sure.
I never even thought about a bookish superpower that would be beneficial to someone else! I’d love to be able to predict what someone else would like and recommend all the great books to them! And I bet you could make #10 come true!
Thank you. fingers crossed.
I also struggle with “If You Like That, Try This” lists. Some are easy, but generally, I can only come up with four or five. And I also get hungry when an author describes something a character is eating (or making) too well! A few times, I swear I could smell the cookies they were making! Ugh!
Pam @ Read! Bake! Create!
https://readbakecreate.com/favorite-historical-fiction-reads-from-2023/
Thank you for sharing. I’m glad you get it.
This is a great list! “If you like this then..” posts are always so impressive and I just can’t do it! It’s a super power, for sure!!
Thank you. And agreed!
These are great. I totally agree with #1 and #2…and wouldn’t #10 be so awesome? I wish for that, too. 😀
My fingers are crossed for you!
1. Remembering the names of secondary characters.
This would be wonderful. Sometimes those secondary characters can really turn the plot on it’s head!
Absolutely!
. Instantly knowing if a book will be a five-star read for someone else.
This would be so awesome when someone comes to me with recs, especially if it’s someone whose tastes I don’t know that well.
Yes, exactly!
I like your list but the one that would be iffy for me is knowing if a book will be a five-star read. I have pushed through some books that I wouldn’t call five-star reads and ended up being glad I did, even if I would give them a one-star.
Also, “Commenting more often on other blogs” – GUILTY!
🙂
“If You Like This” posts are so hard! I can’t do them either. I’m also guilty of letting blog posts pile up until I have a day off to read them all.
I hear you there!
Love your list of superpowers. I’d also love to remember the names of secondary characters, sometimes I love them but their names completely slip my mind.
If only it were easier to do. 🙂
I like the idea of knowing if a book will be a 5-star read for someone else! That’s so cool. Also yes to the second characters one as well XD
🙂
A great list. Things I had never even thought of!
Have a great week!
Thank you.
I would love to be able to pick out all the five-star reads for me and all the five-star reads for everyone else, especially for people who consider themselves nonreaders.
I know, right?
My dad thinks of himself as a non reader, but every so often he finds a book he really likes.
These are some great choices for superpowers! I would settle for remembering the names of main characters at this point. xD I’m very bad at it.
Heh, I hear you there! They can be tough, too.
And thanks.
Keeping track of all those secondary characters can be really challenging! I always love larger casts, but if they aren’t given their own POV, I’ll likely forget their name.
Yes, exactly. It’s harder for them to stand out.
This is a great list, and I’d be thrilled I’m always so impressed by the people who can come up with the “if you liked this, read that” posts – I bet they’re the same people who can make great recommendations to people without fail. Unlike me, who could use the power of knowing if my friend will love a book I suggest to them.
I think you’re right about that. 🙂
Number 3 is such a good one! I’d love to be able to match up books I’ve read with friends who read.
Thank you. 🙂
You’re receiving a flurry of three responses from me because I cleaned out my spam folder today and found three of your comments. Dumb WorkPress.
I can relate to all your wished for superpowers! I get bored easily and most of the time skim books with slow-moving plots!
Thanks for letting me know, Carol. Spam filters can be a nuisance sometimes, but it was fun to get your messages.
These are great! And I’m the same. I’ll wait until I can set aside a chunk of time to blog-hop, which means I’m often replying weeks later. Like right now. 😉
Ha! I’m glad you get it.
Im are with names, sometimes I don’t remember the protagonist’s name, that would be a good power