Let’s Talk Bookish: Reading Relatability

Let’s Talk Bookish is a weekly meme that was originally created and hosted by Rukky @ Eternity Books starting in August 2019, and was then cohosted with Dani @ Literary Lion from May 2020 to March 2022. Book Nook Bits has hosted since April 2022, with Dini at Dini Panda Reads as co-host from February 2025.

I just want to take a moment here to thank Aria and Dini for their hard work in hosting and creating these – there’s clearly a lot of thought that goes into these topics and questions, and I’m always excited to dive into a new one! So, that said, let’s jump in.

Let’s Talk Bookish April 4th:
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? 

‘Real life can be a lot’. Have truer words been spoken? This is a really interesting starting point, specifically the ‘high relatability’ aspect. Honestly, I really like escapism. I also quite enjoy the element of reading someone else’s experiences. There are times when it’s good to read something with a character I can strongly relate to, maybe because of their own past and situations, or the location of the book. But I think there’s a strong balance, too.

Often, with the books I tend to love the most, there’s an element I can relate to, or a handful of them, and although I could be reading about an alien in a different universe or someone from 500 years ago, you can still have that connection. It wouldn’t be very interesting for me to read about a white Welsh woman living in Cardiff, unless there was some sort of speculative fiction element. However, I think if you throw in that speculative fiction bit, it can be quite fun to read about someone similar to you experiencing something you never would.

However, I do believe that reading builds empathy, but it does this by the reader connecting with characters completely different from them. And though those characters might be totally different, through reading their experiences you form a connection, and the strongest books are able to reach across and make that connection between reader and character. It could be something small and maybe easily overlooked, but usually there’s something that most readers will be able connect to.

No, maybe you’ve never been the only human in a fae court, but I’d bet the majority of people have felt, at some point in their lives, isolated and out of place. I’ve never been to space, but I know what it’s like to take a step into the unknown or move outside my comfort zone. I’ll never meet a 500 year old vampire, but maybe the character is lonely and searching for something, and I’d reckon most of us have felt like that at some point. The point is, whatever separates me from a character, there’s still going to be something there I can relate to.

Now, as for seeking out…if something feels like it might veer a bit too close to home emotionally, I’ll definitely take stock of myself and see if I do feel up for it. Sometimes we have to protect ourselves, and there have been moments where I’ve seen a blurb or trigger warnings that give me just enough information to know now is not the right time for this book. The majority of the time though, I can read pretty much anything, but occasionally, for whatever reason, I might find myself needing to seek out something that’s pure escapism.

I’d love to hear from other readers about their thoughts on the topic, and don’t forget to check out the other blogs taking part in Let’s Talk Bookish.