Hello, happy Friday!
I have pre-written all of my LTB posts for this month already, so who knows what I am up to right now…

Let’s Talk Bookish is a weekly bookish discussion meme created by Rukky @Eternity Books and co-hosted by Aria @Book Nook Bits and Dini @DiniPandaReads. Each Friday, bloggers will write posts about a particular topic and share on their blog.

There’s always a lot of bookish discourse ongoing on social media. People talk about selling ARCs (Advanced Reader Copies), tagging authors and publishers in reviews, only posting positive reviews— we’ve seen it all! Do you think there’s something such as “bookish etiquette”? Why or why not?

I do agree that ‘Bookish Etiquette’ exists, though in my personal opinion, it comes down to common sense and good manners. When it comes to social media, I do think that people can do what they like on their own pages, but when it involves other people and/or the trust of publishers, then care needs to be taken and guidelines need to be respected. It baffles me that people can be so dishonest and sometimes quite cruel, though I appreciate that is probably just me with my rose-tinted glasses.

As for positivity only, or sharing about your personal life, or whatever else goes on on social media? Fine. If it’s not affecting anyone else, then I don’t see the big issue. I myself don’t post negative reviews, but it’s not because of ‘toxic positivity’, it’s because if I don’t like the book then I DNF, and I’m not about to review a book I didn’t finish.

What do you think are some dos and don’ts as readers and/or reviewers? Do you agree with all the discourse, or do you stay far away from all the drama?

The number one, and overarching ‘do’ in my opinion is: respect.

If a publisher gives you an ARC, then respect the publisher and do not sell it for profit. It’s dishonest behaviour on all accounts. If you don’t like the book, then gift it to somebody else or find someone to trade it with. This is the same behaviour that is so frowned upon with lifestyle influencers selling their freebie clothes and products for profit.

If you don’t enjoy a book, show the author respect and don’t tell them. By all means, share a negative review, but don’t bring it to their attention and definitely don’t criticise the actual author themselves (as in, the human, not the writing). This is one of our absolute hard-and-fast rules over on r/fantasy and I totally agree with it.

If you don’t agree with another reader/reviewer, respect them and their opinion and don’t start arguments with them. We are all entitled to think what we think, and we’re all different. If the reviewer is factually wrong about something then sure, correct them, but do it respectfully.

I live in a bit of a social media black hole. I’ve been very intentional about curating my feeds to show me reviewers, publishers and authors that I like and trust, and those who offer me new perspectives on things. As a result of this, I genuinely don’t come across any drama unless a mutual shares something about it. I am not really a drama person anyway, I don’t have the time or the want to get involved!

YOU TELL ME – do You think there are unspoken bookish etiquette rules?