It’s April and that means a whole new month of Let’s Talk Bookish discussions! This month’s topics seem fairly interesting, so I will try to participate in all discussions. There’s one that’s a bit harder for me though, but I will do my best. Let’s start this month with discussing reading relatability!

Prompts: Real life can be a lot. Do you enjoy reading books with high relatability to your past or present situation (i.e. with relatable characters, situations they face, or places they visit) or do you read purely to escape reality? Do you seek out a certain type of read, depending on your head space or mood?

For me, I read whatever, whenever. I think I have declared this a lot on the blog already, but I’m a mood reader at heart. Nowadays, I try to stick to a TBR to help me getting this pile under control. So, to already answer the final question of this week, I don’t typically seek out a certain type of read, depending on my headspace or mood. However, I seek out more lighter books in the lighter season and the more challenging ones when I have more time for them. But I think this doesn’t count towards reading relatability.

Personally, I don’t care much for representation. I will acknowledge it, but I won’t judge it as I’m often not the right person for judging said representation. However, I tend to read about a certain topic when it’s a current one. For instance, I read Legend by Marie Lu during the Covid-19 pandemic and coincidentally read This Mortal Coil by Emily Suvada right before the first lockdown. I never picked up sequels for both though, but this says a lot. Also, when the Taliban again took over Afghanistan in 2021, I actively sought out books set in this country. Have I read them? No, not at all. I’m still planning on doing so though. So, for me, it really differs. I’m not one to read about relatable situations, but I am one for reading more around a current topic. At least, if there’s fiction centred around it. I just can’t deal with nonfiction at all. In that regard, reading is an escape. Reading nonfiction feels like a chore to me, those books feel more like textbooks in school instead of a story I can get lost in.

What about you? Do you care for reading relatability? Do you actively seek out your reading material based on past events or current topics? Or is reading more of an escape to you?