Burn, Rewrite, Reread Tag 2024
As I’ve done for the last few years, I’m doing this tag as part of my annual wrap-up traditions. I just love doing it! It’s great to highlight some of the titles I read this year that wouldn’t necessarily make my Year’s Reads in Review list. Plus, I always find it interesting to see if my thoughts about a book have changed much since I read it when I look back.
Here’s a recap of what you are supposed to do:
The Rules:
-Randomly choose 3 books.
-For each group, decide which book to burn, which one to rewrite, and which to reread.
-Repeat until you completedthree(I do 5) rounds
To get the books for each round, I used a random number generator to pull titles from my “Books Read in YEAR” excel file. This includes any DNF’d titles for the year; and if a number repeated itself (or landed on a heading), I reran the generator until I got a fresh title.
Round 1
Burn: I adore Dolly Parton and I read this book after a trip to Dollywood. It was really just a glorified Wikipedia entry and most Dolly Parton fans will already know most of the information in it.
Rewrite: I thought A Crown this Cold and Heavy was a great addition to the series and perhaps it was the strongest in the series. I just wish there was a glossary for all the characters so I could keep them straight!
Reread: I always trust Piper Lawson to remind me why I love reading contemporary romance! Hard to Fake had some lofty expectations from me and it met every single one. I just love this universe and would revisit it anytime!
Round 2
Burn: I think that the Crave Series would make a great TV show (the sheer number of pages in these books is absurd); so I say burn these books (Court) and write a TV script instead!
Rewrite: I love the metaphors in Shark Heart and I wouldn’t change that. But I might change the way the story is delivered through texts, scenes and non-traditional storytelling. I think it would help me connect with the characters better.
Reread: I didn’t know I wanted this sequel /companion novel but I’m so glad we got The Darkness Within Us. There are so many fine details that make up this story and world that I’d love to read it again to see if I could pick things up.
Round 3
Burn: While reading Legal Affairs, I just did not find our lead hero to be, well, much of a hero to be honest. I feel like our heroine could have done better than him and that’s not usually the way I feel about a romance.
Rewrite: In the Midnight Dynasty Universe, this series, Hughes, is actually one that stands out for me. For Three to Get Ready, I just would like a longer epilogue or at least a better insight into what the future has in store for these characters.
Reread: Over the last year or two I’ve discovered that I prefer to binge read series. It just keeps things fresh in my mind and this series (The Woven Kingdom) is an example of why. I just feel like I misremembered things and read a different story than what actually happened in All This Twisted Glory. I’d be curious to see if knowing how it ends helps me to better navigate the entire series should I ever read it again.
Round 4
Burn: I nearly DNF’d the series when I found myself stuck in a story that didn’t seem to be going anywhere while reading These Infinite Threads. I wrote “This book was just a LOT of dialogue and feelings with not a lot of action. I think everything truly happens over the span of a couple days and we really don’t go anywhere with the plot.” So boring.
Rewrite: I firmly believe that the entire Crave Series could have its page count halved and it would produce a much more solid story.
Reread: The only real reason Own appeared here is that I gave 2 and 2.5 stars to the other picks for this round!
Round 5
Burn: When Rivals Lose focuses on a romance story where 3 biological brothers share one girl – do I need to say more?
Rewrite: I wish Falling Under You was an entire novel and not just a novella!
Reread: Anytime I need a good sucker punch to the gut or a cry, Jay McLean is the author to read and Not Made to Last was a great example of that!
What would you Burn, Rewrite and Reread from 2023?
