This week’s Let’s Talk Bookish prompts are all about the predictability of books. I am excited to share my thoughts on this!
Let’s Talk Bookish is a bookish meme that was created by Rukky @ Eternity Books where each Friday, bloggers write posts discussing the topic of the week. Since April 2022, it has been hosted by the lovely Aria @ Book Nook Bits.
Do you like guessing whats going to happen in the books you read?
To start, let’s dive into something we all secretly (or not so secretly) do: playing the guessing game with book endings.
Do I do it? Absolutely!
I am someone who loves to try and predict what happens at the end of the book. I typically do this for thrillers or mysteries, but I have made some predictions for some out of pocket romances as well.
It’s part of the fun, right? Who hasn’t shouted at a book, “I knew it!” when a plot twist you guessed right happens? Recently, I was reading The Only One Left by Riley Sager, and I texted my boyfriend the entire time while he was at work.
SPOILERS FOR THE ONLY ONE LEFT AHEAD!!!!!
He deals with this on the regular, and he’s not even a reader (whoops). I think the main reason I constantly guess endings is because I like being right, but most often, I love being proven wrong.
Can a book be too predictable?
ABSOLUTELY. I think I mostly speak of thriller/mystery books when I say this, but reading a thriller where the ending is obvious is the worst. I feel like I wasted time to get to an ending that was just mid for me. I think this is why I need to take a break from thrillers every once in a while.
If I am going to read a thriller, I want to be blown away by the ending. There of course is a happy medium to this–I don’t want a book where the ending doesn’t make sense but is used for shock value.
Do you like to always be surprised, or can it be comforting to know what’s coming?
Okay, this is where I am going to contradict myself a little bit. I love being surprised at a book ending. The pay off feels more intense, and I get more worked up about books I didn’t know the ending of (hard to tell from my texts above but it’s true!).
But here’s the thing – I sometimes need predictability. After a long day or when my brain is tired, all I want is a book that requires no thinking. I don’t need surprises; I just need that comforting, familiar story where I know the love story has a happy ending.
Depending on what I am in the mood for, I will select a certain genre. If I want to be surprised, I will choose a thriller. If I want predictability, I will likely pick up a good ole cheesy romance.
And that’s a wrap for this week’s discussion!
Let’s chat in the comments! What are your opinions about predictable books?