When is it Okay to Talk About Sequel Spoilers? | Book Blogging Etiquette (#10)

Don't you just love getting your favorite book series spoiled? 

Fortunately this hasn't happened to me in a while but I'm very much not looking forward to this happening anytime soon.

Be gentle on your readers- especially on social media.

Whenever I'm talking about a sequel I always assume that someone out there who has an eye on my social media is still planning to read the first one. Even if that book came out in, say, 2005. There is no expiration date on reading and if something isn't so popular that it's pretty much general pop culture knowledge by now (for example Darth Vader being Luke Skywalker's father), you really shouldn't ruin someone's day by talking about spoilers without labeling them. Anywhere.

The thing is, I try to be as inclusive with my blog as I possibly can. I want backlist and frontlist readers to have a great time here, I want to provide as much of a variety in terms of the books that I review and the content I provide as I can. Same goes for my social media. It's only logical then to also take into consideration that there will be readers out there who are planning on reading the first book to sequel you're talking about.

Very often I hear from people who read my blog that my review made them interested in reading a specific book. And that often happens with sequels, too. I like to think that the people who read my blog also care about my opinion on things and that I to some degree am able to influence their decision whether to read a book or not. And blatantly spoilering left and right on social media and blog, knowing that there are possible readers and fans of a series or book I've already read out there is just a no no.

You're ruining everyone's online experience by doing that. Especially when we're talking about social media where you can't mark spoilers appropriately and by default end up spoilering someone if you talk about it openly.

What about reviews?

Of course, sequel reviews are completely out of the picture here. If you're purposely clicking on a review of a sequel, that's your own fault for getting spoilered. I personally find that it's nearly impossible to write a high quality review for a sequel without spoiling anything about the first book. I'm usually still trying to keep the worst spoilers to myself if no necessary, but usually it's fair game to spoil in sequel reviews in my opinion.

(It should go without saying that unlabeled spoilers have no business in a review of a standalone or first in a series, by the way, that's why I'm not even addressing this. NEVER do this.)

So how do I prevent this whole mess?

Simple. By labeling your spoilers. Don't be a meanie and mark your spoilers.

What's the last book that somebody spoiled for you?

More Book Blogging Etiquette:

(#1): Don't Steal Content and Learn to Credit
(#2): What to Do When Authors/Publishers Don't Read Your Policy
(#3) Making Business Connections and Talking to Industry Professionals

(#4): When You Have to Write a Negative Review

Nancy Drew Review: The Message In The Hollow Oak

It's time for another installment of the Nancy Drew Review project. The Message in the Hollow Oak was my third reread of the 64 original titles. For those of you intrigued by Carolyn Keene not being real, since I keep bringing it up, here's a nice chart that goes over the ghostwriting process for these 64 books. 

  

Side note: Anybody have any recommendations for me for easy-to-use video editing apps or software? Preferably free. Preferably. 

Nancy Drew Review: The Spider Sapphire Mystery

Okay, I'm back with another video in my Nancy Drew Review project. Apologies for the handheld shakiness, I wanted to sit in my comfy chair and still have good light. I'm going to be a pro at these videos by the time I finish all 64 books!

Nancy Drew Review: The Bungalow Mystery

Introducing the Nancy Drew Review Project. For the next few months - assuming it takes that long - I'll be rereading my way through all of the classic Nancy Drew stories.

I've decided to do a short(ish) video review following each one where I go ever my thoughts on the books, characters, and series as a whole. I'm a terrible rambler, so I'll apologize in advance for that. Below is my first video for the project.

Since I won't be creating a book style for each of these, you should really check out my Book Style for Confessions of a Teen Sleuth by Chelsea Cain.

Book Style + Review: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

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Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by Jack Thorne and John Tiffany, inspired by an original story by J. K. Rowling is the subject of today's Book Style. I'm going to talk about the book below in more detail, since it's a bit spoiler heavy, so let's jump right into the Book Style.

A pair of black Harry's jeans and a vibrant "Ginny" tank form the base. On top I've added a "Stockholm Syndrome" cardigan for an extra witchy vibe and because I have some feels about how Delphi was raised. A pair of magical "Scorpius" sneakers and a "Magic Touch" hat will keep the tip and the toes covered. For jewelry I added a "Rubber & Magic" ring, a serpent arm band, an Augurey-inspired feather necklace, and a pair of skull earrings. For accessories I chose a "Witch Craft" clutch, a black magic phone case, and a pair of "B'witched" sunglasses to hide that evil gleam in your eyes. The final touch is a bit of sparkly "Dirty Baby" nail lacquer.

Okay, onto my thoughts about Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Careful, SPOILERS ahead!

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I won't be the first person to proclaim that Harry Potter and the Cursed Child gave me a lot of mixed feelings. Unlike some people, I'm okay with the story continuing. I'm even okay with the play as a whole - even if I wish it wasn't ONLY a play. Losing Jo's voice, as integral to the world of Harry Potter as the Boy Who Lived, himself, is a bit of a blow to the emotional depth of the story. And reading a play always means experiencing less character insight than a novel allows. We are suddenly stripped of the inner monologues, the nuanced emotions, the narrative point of view. If I saw Harry Potter and the Cursed Child live in London, I believe that I wouldn't be mourning this lack of intimacy. I like to think I'm blessed with a fairly creative imagination and Jack Thorne's stage direction allowed me to get a sense of what being in the theater would actually be like, but reading it on paper is cold. I would recommend really looking at the cast and performance photos ahead of time to help envision the characters better. I will admit that picturing them as the overdone "aged" versions from the final film never worked well for me. With the lack of physical descriptions in the script, I found it easier to see them that way.

What I do love about the direction that Jo guided Thorne and John Tiffany in is that the play addresses a few of the qualms I had with her original ending. They are able to add a bit more depth to Dumbledore and Snape by acknowledging that while admirable in their sacrifices, they were deeply flawed humans. I'm still not sure how I feel about Voldemort and Bellatrix getting it on. I know Bellatrix would've been all about it, but Voldemort always struck me as being incredibly asexual. I can't picture him getting off on anything but power and cruelty. Maybe the were into BDSM. Or maybe they used some sort of magical in vitro to produce an heir of the Heir of Slytherin. So, that's weird. I hate that Delphi misses out on an opportunity at being a more three dimensional character by being introduced in a play and losing out on us seeing her better. Not thrilled that there's an air of being desperate for daddy's approval, either. I feel like making her evil in her own right would have been a better move. Voldemort's heir would surely want power for herself in her father's absence, not to bring him back to power. Maybe if they'd elaborated on her background more and her upbringing and how much indoctrination she had actually been subjected to. Ah, if wishes were horses... All in all, I am glad I read it and I enjoyed dipping my toes back into the magical world of Harry, Ron and Hermione.

If you're on the fence about this one, I would recommend it with a couple of caveats: Remember it's a play. Remember that it isn't a story about Harry, it's a story about Albus and Scorpius.