Bookie Brunch

Welcome to Bookie Brunch

Come join the discussion!

Founder: Sasha Soren (Random Magic)

* Every Sunday*

Today's host: Songs and Stories 

Next week’s host: Moonlight Gleam's Bookshelf 

This week’s discussion open through: July 17

Your host this week:

Natalie at Songs and Stories: @LiederMadchen

Her guests this week:

Lucy at Moonlight Gleam's Bookshelf: @MoonlightGleams

Irena at This Miss Loves to Read: @MissIrenne

Amber at Down the Rabbit Hole: @Amberinblunderl

Michelle at Oh! For the LOVE of BOOKS!

Welcome to the first ever Bookie Brunch! Created by the marvelous Sasha Soren, the Bookie Brunch is a traveling event where bookish people get together to discuss bookish things. Every Sunday, 5 voracious readers will share their opinions on a particular topic, and you are welcome to join us! Come on in, pour a cup of tea and sit awhile...

Please join me in welcoming Lucy, Irena, Amber, and Michelle to Songs and Stories!

On the Menu:

Question: Are books better with or without love triangles?

Related topics to consider: Do you root for a particular character in the love triangle and why? What is your favorite literary love triangle?

I am so excited to have all of these lovely ladies here for a visit sharing their thoughts on love triangles. This is sure to be fun! 

Lucy, who is enjoying a white chocolate mocha from Starbucks, says:

I personally enjoy books that have love triangles. I know they can be cliche, but it is rather fun to see two people fighting over one person and finding out who ends up with who at the end. Love all the drama! 

I often find myself rooting for a particular character in the love triangle, especially after getting to know the characters. I start to get a feel for who has chemistry and who is just blinded by lust. I usually go for the person who has genuine feelings for the person and isn't blinded by lust.

What is your favorite literary love triangle?

This is a tough one.. I would have to go with Once Every Never right now. I just finished reading an ARC and I have to say this one is excellent (and definitely has plenty of love triangles!). 

Irena, taking a sip from her Irish Breakfast tea with cream and sugar, says:

I used to not mind love triangles in literature. In fact, some love triangles are so well constructed and written that they pull at my heart strings and simply make sense because they are written cleverly and with a purpose. To my mind comes the example of The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux, which is not only my favourite novel to date, but also features one of my favourite love triangles ever written. In the last years, however, love triangles have started to overcrowd the book market, especially the young adult (YA) section, and I have started to see them as a redundant element of a story, mostly because they are present in the majority of such fiction for the sake of being there. I don't feel most love triangles and I have to connect to something in order to like it. So, I have a rule: no love triangles. But every rule has exceptions and so does mine. On occasion, I do enjoy a love triangle. My current favourite one is the Elena-Stefan-Damon one in The Vampire Diaries book series by L.J. Smith. I have also noticed that, if I like a love triangle, I root for the person who is a bit of an outcast because that makes things more fun. But what is most important is that true love wins, not some silly infatuation or fascination with a person.

Are books with love triangles better than the ones without it? Personally, I'd say no, but there are always nice exceptions.

Michelle, with a chocolate ice chai in hand, says:

My answer is YES! (There is a but coming) But, it has to be a plausible triangle, not just the best friend in love with the friend, while the friend loves someone else. The girl has to have real feelings for both boys or the boy has to have real feelings for both girls. I think I love a good love triangle because I will have outbursts while I am reading such as: "Oh my God, she going to kiss him!" or "I knew he was going to catch them!" It's a great addition to any story, if done well. My favorite, bar none, love triangle is Rose, Dimitri and Adrian from The Vampire Academies by Richelle Mead. I loved both of these guys and I think the heartbreak that Rose inflicted on both of them made it better because it made me feel something, and is the best experience from a book when you feel it.

Amber, savoring the taste of her caramel frappe, answers with:

I think I might be the minority here but I still can't get enough of love triangles in my reading as long as it's a balanced love triangle. I've mentioned this many times but I feel like a love triangle is a great way to represent a protagonist's choices for their futures. In general each guy on the triangle represents the kind of life she is choosing for herself. Also, it's an amazing way to make really complex characters as the points of the triangle seem to contrast each other faults and highlight their good points. My major thing is that both sides must be even. I don't like when another guy/girl/love interest is thrown into the plot just because and it's obvious who the main character will pick. I want to be struggling with said main character to pick a favorite.

I must be an adventurer because I tend to lean towards the guy that will offer the most exciting life. My opinion is, what's the point in reading a paranormal novel if the main character is going to spend the rest of the time fleeing from it and the person who represents it in the story? Heck, no! I want the adventure and danger that comes along with said paranormal creature. Likewise, I tend to like the bad boy because he offers a way to shake the main character's life. I'm not into the type that treats the main character like crap but I like him to have a complex past.

For me, one of the best love triangles I've read to date is the one in Nightshade by Andrea Cremer. I flip-flopped between Shay and Ren the entire way through. This is because Ren was the quintessential bad boy-- he had the look and the rebel with a care attitude but was fiercely loyal to Calla. On the other hand, Shay had the bad boy mind-- he questioned authority and encouraged Calla to take her future in her own hands.

If done right, love triangles challenge the main character in ways that one love interest may not. They also instantly cause strife and can really boost the plot. I know I'll read on just to figure out who the lead is going to pick. So while I get why people are tired of them, I'm still for a balanced love triangle. Like a good bogo sale, for me, two is always better than one! (which, you know, isn't to say I don't want the character to choose, I just love to watch the beforehand!)

I stir a generous helping of cream into my iced coffee and answer:

I love a good love triangle. To me, it is a good way to test the depths of the character's love for each other, to see if their romance is something that will fade away or last forever. Also, it puts the characters into situations where their true personalities are revealed. What will they choose? The safe and sweet boy who worships you? Or the wild one you will have to fight for? Which one they pick tells you a lot, as does how they choose.

I almost always root for a particular person immediately. I tend to go for the bad boy in love triangles with two boys, but even more so I go for the one who is more desperate. The one who would do anything for the girl, the one who would give her up for her sake. (I have the same opinion in two girls-one boy love triangles, but I don't think they are nearly as much fun as two boys fighting over a girl. But that's just me.) I also love, love, love a guy with a tragic past. I will pick a boy with a tragic past over the other every time.

Recently I read Shade and Shift (The first two books in the Shade trilogy) by Jeri Smith-Ready and I loved the triangle in them. On one side you had the hopeless ghost Logan, and on the other there was Zach, the cute Scot. Even though Logan was more of a bad boy, I loved Zach from beginning to end. (I also tend to go for the guy more likely to make the girl happy.) I liked that Aura truly loved both of them and did her best to be honest about it, which the boys took (mostly) well. So many love triangles are full of lies and jealousy, and I liked that Shade and Shift had so few lies. (There was still plenty of jealousy, where would be the fun without it?)
 

Brunch Goodies from Sasha:

About: Cute and colorful tote bag, the perfect size for a beach towel, sunscreen, a cool drink and a beach read. We'll even provide a light beach read for the winner!
Details: Measures 15.20 x 14.20 inches (38.60 x 36.06 cms), cute casual tote to take to the grocery store or for day trips to the beach or sporting events. and:

About: A light summer read for the beach, to tuck into your tote bag. When a powerful hypnotist succumbs to the charms of a talented crystalworker, both of their futures are threatened. Light read, historical romance. Setting is Victorian London. Can be read as part of a series,but each book is also a stand-alone title. Paperback edition. 418pages.

Details: To win this cute brunch gift of book bag plus light summer read, please leave email info and thoughtful or interesting comment below. Please include a separate line just indicating that you’d also like to enter to win this week’s brunch goodies, also. A winner will be picked at random. If host and guests agree that a specific visitor comment is substantial, outstanding, or in some other way has particular merit, they can override random.org pick at their discretion. U.S./Canada (Hopefully there’ll be some international goodies on future brunches.). Through July 13, 12 midnight EDT.

Brought by Sasha Soren, author of Random Magic.

If you want to be a part of Bookie Brunch, please contact one of the people below:

Contact Bookie Brunch:

If you would like to be a host, contact: @StoryWings

If you want to bring goodies for a giveaway: @StoryWings

If you want to suggest a topic or question for discussion, you can reach me at @LiederMadchen

To see an archive of past brunches (when there are some) go here: Fluidity of Time

Upcoming Bookie Brunches in July 2011: We’ll be talking about e-readers vs. print editions, fantasy vs.realism in books, characters vs. plot, and lots of other cool and bookish questions.

Sunday, July 17
Host: Moonlight Gleam's Bookshelf (@MoonlightGleams)

Sunday, July 24
Host: This Miss Loves to Read (@MissIrenne)

Sunday, July 31

Host: Beyond Strange New Words (@StrangeNewWords)

You’re invited to join the discussion below, and you will most likely get a reply from one of your fellow bloggers.

So, ladies and gentlemen, what are your opinions on love triangles? And what are your favorite beverages?

Thank you for stopping by! I hope you decide to visit us again. :)

                       

                                                 Lieder Madchen