Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Book Girls Don’t Cry… Or Read ALL Of The Novellas

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Book Girls Don’t Cry is a feature where we will discuss/vent/advise on a bookish topic. This feature is co-hosted with the lovely Amy at Book Loving Mom.



I am super excited about this BGDC post this week.  A few weeks ago I got together with my good friend Stella (It’s Too Late To Apologize) and we had a very bookish afternoon.  We drank awesome tea (which I drove around my city to find the following day) and we talked books.  What was going to be an hour long vlog shoot, turned into a 5 hour chat session on her couch.  Right after we decided that this is going to be something we have to do way more often so I will have more of these vlogs to share with you in the future.

When we were discussing what we wanted to talk about in this video we decided we wanted to talk about novellas.  Neither of us are big novella readers but there is a definite upward swing in the trend of these little in between books lately and we thought we would discuss our thoughts on them and our feelings about the few we have read.  So watch on to see where this went. Caution: lots of laughing, some yelling, and even some *gasp* profanity ahead.



What are your thoughts about novellas?

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38 Responses to “Book Girls Don’t Cry… Or Read ALL Of The Novellas”

  1. Lindsay Galloway

    You didn’t mention the novella serials which are becoming super popular lately. Such as the Bane Chronicles by Cassandra Clare, or In Darkness We Must Abide by Rhiannon Frater. I haven’t read the first serial yet, but I LOVE the second one! I love that I don’t have to wait a year for the next part of the story, but on the other hand, I feel like each brief story is a tease! I want MORE! NOW!!!

    What do you think? Love or hate?

    • Jenni

      I haven’t read either of those, Lindsay, but I totally get what you mean about being excited to not have to wait so long between books. As I mentioned about the Pivot Point series, I think it’s a good memory refresher for fans of the series. When I have to wait so long before subsequent books I tend to forget pretty much all the major details of the previous one.

      Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

    • Stella Telleria

      I’ve read a lot of Cassandra Clare and have heard a lot about the Bane Chronicles, but I have not read it yet. I agree that it is a good way to keep the reader in the story between waiting for the next book in the series.

  2. Kristin@Blood,Sweat and Books

    Dory reference love it! So true though. Personally I like Novella’s. I think it is great to see little side stories explored or even character relationships from before the novel takes place. However, I don’t like seeing books cut short just so the Author can fill the gap with a novella. If they can’t be stories all on their own or damage the integrity of the main series they shouldn’t be written. At least that’s my opinion. Great Vlog and woot new blogger to check out as well.

    • Stella Telleria

      Hi Kristin!

      I don’t think any of the events that occur in a novella should be needed to understand the main series. Bad, Novella! Bad! But I think it can be awesome if lets say an event that is mentioned in a novel in passing is shown to the reader in a novella. The explanation of that event is not needed for the story but it is great for those readers who want to know more about it.

      Actually, Tolkien may have been the originator of this type of novella. LOL!

      • Kristin@Blood,Sweat and Books

        Oh I agree. A reader shouldn’t be forced to pick up every Novella just on the chance it might connect back into the series. Novellas should be for the rabid fans who love devouring anything written in the world. I don’t mind a bit of meta humour linking events but leaving readers in the dark unless the novella is read? No.

        • Jenni

          We are so on the same page. I mean, there are some series that I like but not enough to read the 8 novellas that end up going along with it. Actually I loved the Delirium series (Lauren Oliver) so much and I think I have only read one of those novellas. I do really wish I had read more of them though.

  3. Jenni

    Yes, Kristin, I totally agree with you! They should be optional books that you can read if you simply want more but they shouldn’t be imperative to follow along with the story. Stella is awesome, I’ve known that girl for as long as I can remember. Thanks for weighing in!

  4. Tina

    Novellas are good because I (and most anyone on this blog) read a whole lot and although I’m really good at remembering details and plot points and whatnot, I sometimes lose the connection I have with the characters and especially their connections to each other. A year later I go back to a book that I have so much love for a specific couple and I’m reading and I totally forget their chemistry and it doesn’t feel the same. The novellas pull me back into that world and help! Also, it’s fun to back story… I LOVE back story… helps me relate and understand the characters more

    • Jenni

      Yeah I completely get what you’re saying. Like I mentioned about my reading of Split Second recently, waiting a year in between books makes me forget so many important details and then I find it hard to get myself situated. I definitely love when they flesh out secondary characters, sometimes I read books and love the best friend or sibling, and this let’s us get more from them!

  5. Savannah

    I like novellas for some stories not all. Sometimes I think novellas just add extra info that really wasn’t needed. On the otherhand, a novella can bring some balance to a story for extra character or another event that happen before hand.

    • Jenni

      I feel the same way, and I think that’s what novellas should be. But it seems like they are becoming more important to the story which has been really bugging me. I like the idea of ones that are from the perspective of a secondary character.

    • Stella Telleria

      I love the idea of exploring the secondary characters in the story in novellas. Sometimes I like them more than the MCs and we are often left wanting at the end of the series.

  6. Nereyda @Mostly YA Book Obsessed

    I like novellas when they are part of a series because I feel they have something extra to offer. Kind of like a surprise side dish! If novellas are standalone they hardly ever do anything for me, too short for me to care.
    However, I do not like when I feel like I HAVE to read a novella that is part of a series because if I don’t I might miss something in the next book. I fucking hate it!
    Novellas should be extras, not necessary…

  7. Jenni

    YES! That is my big complaint too. I remember reading the last book in the Unearthly series and I was lost on some details, when I talked to a friend she was like “oh yeah that’s all from the novella!” So because I hadn’t read the novella I didn’t enjoy the last book as much as I could have. Made me so angry!

  8. Siiri

    Richelle Mead has that recapping in the first two chapters of the sequel thing so if you finish VA books and wish to start the Bloodlines series before Bloodlines’ books are all out then you’ll hopefully feel just as awesome about them as with the Article 5. Novellas are good in some cases, but mostly I don’t read them. Depends on who it’s about, who’s the author, which series and how necessary it is to read it, what issues it tackles etc. Great discussion, you two 🙂

    Ohhh. And your friend asked about who reads books in a series without reading the first one? Ha! Christina from Christina Reads YA just did that. I don’t remember the book, but she wanted to experiment and see if she could enjoy a second book without reading the first one (it was an arc I think) and she actually ejoyed it so yeah.. there are people like that lol.

    • Jenni

      Very good to know about the Richelle Mead books! I own all of the books in the VA series and the Bloodlines series but have failed to read any of them LOL One day I will make that happen.

      Oh wow, I guess that was a successful experiment then. I don’t think I would ever do that unless they can function as a sort of standalone like the Katie McGarry Limits series. I would probably buy the first book or not read the series at all. Thanks for your thoughts, Siiri!

  9. Stella Telleria

    Nereyda, I totally agree with you! A novella should be extra not critical info. The idea of a reader being forced to spend money on a book that’s not in the series to understand the series makes me so mad. I…*breathe*…Oh Gawd, I gotta calm down. Oh no! It’s happening!

    STELLA SMASH!!!

  10. Mary @ BookSwarm

    Sometimes, I like novellas, especially when I can’t get enough of the series, but sometimes, I’m not a fan. And I definitely don’t like the novellas where I have to read it or I’m missing something big in the next novel. *sigh* Seems like a scam to me when that happens. More of a scheme to make money, I guess.

    • Jenni

      I get what you’re saying here “let’s milk the cow for all it’s worth” Kind of like how they keep splitting the final book in a series into two movies. Makes me mad! The worst is when you are missing out by not reading the novella, seems like we all agree on that one!

  11. Henrietta

    If my blogger friends didn’t warn me to read Cynthia Hand’s novella before reading the last book, I would have felt confused. But I liked your thoughts on series, sequels and novellas. I usually don’t mind re-reading earlier installments but I could understand the frustration. I enjoy novellas, as they’re shorter and I can get a feel of the writing style before investing my time on the series but I’d feel really put off when the sole purpose of a novella was to attempt to make an awful character more likeable. I can understand from a marketing standpoint but from what we’re seeing today, I don’t think it’s harsh to say that not every marketing decision seems sound.

    • Jenni

      You are lucky you had those friends to warn you, Henrietta, I so wish I had the same. When I found out that I was confused because of having not read the novella I was so angry and it really affected my reading experience of the final book (still managed to love it, but not as much as I could have.) Yeah, I wouldn’t be happy about one trying to redeem a character either, that’s definitely not something that should be done in a novella.

  12. Amanda @ Book Badger

    I’d read the novellas from the Iron Fey series to complete the read-a-long, and I’ve read some of them from the Skulduggery series, but other than that, they are the only novellas I’ve really read. I probably would read them for series such as Shatter Me and Throne of Glass, because people have said they’re really complimentary to the story, however, I will never read every novella in the world because sometimes I just feel that they are another way to get money out of fans. It’s a shame, but it is done sometimes. Great topic Jenny! 😀

    • Jenni

      Yeah, it does seem like a bit of a money grab when you think about it. The only way I will happily pay for them is if they come highly recommended from trusted friends of mine or are from a series that I really love.

  13. Jenea @ Books Live Forever

    I’m not much a novella reader. I will sometimes pick them up, if it is a series that I really love, but most of the time I just don’t think they really help me connect to the character or anything. If I didn’t connect with that particular character, I’m not going to pick it up then. And I have found that sometimes, I end up not really liking the character, that I really did like to begin with. Their inner workings don’t always match if that makes sense. *shrugs* It did in my head. lol…

    • Jenni

      I see what you mean, it can change your perspective of them by actually seeing what’s going on in their head. I haven’t had that happen to me but I can definitely see it happening. Good point, Jenea!

    • Stella Telleria

      Huh! Good point, Jenea. I sometimes feel like the tone of the story/characters are different than the original series/novel I read and so it taints the story for me a bit.

  14. Michelle (Pink Polka Dot Book Blog)

    Cute video!! I have yet to read a novella that I’ve really loved. Maybe they’re out there, but to me they just seem kind of unnecessary and the ones I’ve read felt super forced. Jenni, I don’t think you are missing out on the PTL series 🙁 Sorry but the first book was the best in that series, and if you didn’t like that one you probably aren’t going to like the rest. I loved PTL, but then hated Dare You To and thought Crash Into You was Meh. That series is all about weak girls and hot guys “rescuing” them. That irritates my gag reflex. Don’t get me wrong, Katie McGarry is a fab writer, but I just haven’t been loving her characters and insta-love lately.

    Totally agree there is a fine line in book recapping. Some of the Jessica Darling books like to recap things that happened 50 pages ago!! I’m like I JUST read that!! But I do like small recaps SOMETIMES in series 🙂

    Oh and I love the hounds tooth chairs!!

    • Jenni

      It’s good to know that I’m not alone in my dislike for the PTL series. So much of that first book just didn’t work for me. I do plan to read the Jessica Darling series soon and now I’m nervous. I think that amount of recap could definitely annoy me!

  15. Stella Telleria

    Michelle, I find recap annoying. Yes, some is good, necessary even, but I’ve read a few sequels that made me wonder if I even needed to read the previous novel.

    “That series is all about weak girls and hot guys “rescuing” them. That irritates my gag reflex.”

    Oh Gawd, me too. My up-chuck reflex kicks in so fast I’m puking into the nearest garbage receptical faster than you can say pukey-pants. I mean faster than a trap door on a canoe…*Stella stares at her monitor* What?

    I love those hounds tooth chairs also! Thank you for commenting. 🙂

  16. kimbacaffeinate

    They should never contain information pertinent to the main story, but she be a place to spotlight a secondary character, or extras. I usually avoid them like the plague. If it is a series I adore, (like Shatter Me) I may grab the novellas just to satisfy me between releases. Oh and I hate the so called serials that charge 2.99 for each installment that ends up being one novel at the end. You end up paying more than the cost of a hardcover. (Ward comes to mine) I do like the serials where you pay 2.99 and every other Tuesday the next installment appears over the course of 8-12 weeks. Those are fun like Indexing. Great topic, and glad you both had a blast together.

  17. Danielle @ Love at First Page

    I kind of love novellas. They can be tricky to get right, but I think they’re a great way to introduce us to a world, or give us a better perspective of other, secondary characters, or even some the romance series I read have great ones. It’s nice to be able to read a short book every once in a while.