Welcome to the Australasian Christian Writers Tuesday Book Chat, where we encourage book lovers to answer our bookish question of the week.
Today’s question is:
Do you like maps in a book, or not? What about family trees, or word lists?
We look forward to hearing your thoughts. Please join in the conversation in a comment on this post or in a comment on the blog post shared in our Australasian Christian Writers Facebook Group.
Let’s chat!
When I first read this question, I thought hmm… I’ve always been interested in looking up maps and knowing where places are located. In fiction books I appreciate a map if the story is set in a fictional world and the different places in the story setting are important.
Interestingly, in A Tuscan Legacy series it was our beta readers who requested we add a Family Tree at the start to help them keep track of the family connections that linked all the books together. We also added word lists in many of the books because the series spans three continents and many of our main characters in the Rossi family spoke English and Italian.
What do you think? Do you like maps in a book, or not? What about family trees or word lists?
And don’t forget: if you’d like to participate in our weekly Book Chat by posting the question and your answer on your blog, drop us an email via our Contact page and we’ll send you the list of questions for 2019.
I love maps and family trees.
The maps are particularly helpful if set in a foreign place. The family trees are helpful if the book is part of a series, which is a family saga. It’s good to try and keep all the people in the right place in your head.
Hi Meredith, Yes, family saga’s and interconnected series books definitely benefit from the addition of a family tree in the book. 🙂
In series I love a family tree to keep track of who is who. normally a single book its not as important unless it is one that connects generations.
On maps its good again for series and also books that talk about the area and its needed to know where things are located.
I do like a glossary of words if they are unique to an area or country. LIke knowing what some of the local sayings or words mean.
The other thing I like is when there are unique names in a book that in the glossary or when the name if first used we are told how to pronounce the name. Susan Page Davis did this in a book with a German name which was uncommon. I get so frustrated with unusual names that I have no idea how to pronounce them. Americans often have names we have don’t use and they don’t consider people from other places don’t know them. Irish names also can be spelt totally different to how they sound like Niamh (sounds like Neeve)
Hi Jenny, You’ve raises a great point about names and how to pronounce them. There are country and even regional differences in the way names and words are pronounced. Irish names are a good example of this. 🙂
Even my friend Jana, I always thought it was pronounced Yana (as in yar na) but I found out Her mother like Jane but not on its own so its Jane with an a on the end Jane-a.
When I read this question, my mind leapt straight to the map inside the cover of ‘Winnie-the-Pooh’—a hand-drawn overview of Pooh’s neighbourhood, identifying the homes of his friends and significant places for the story eg. ‘Eeyores Gloomy Place’ and ‘Where the Woozle Wasnt’ (sic). I loved reading that map. It was entertainment in itself and provided a context to refer back to as the story unfolded. I appreciate maps when they’re useful but it helps if they’re interesting to look at too.
I found a family tree really helpful when I read some books that were late in a very large series, without having read the early ones. The series had extended through a family’s growth to the point where there were multiple grandchildren and some second spouses (after divorce/death of others). I would never have managed to keep up with who was who without the very large family tree inside the cover.
Hi Susan, I remember the map in Winnie-the-Pooh – it was a fun way to experience the story by knowing the layout of the neighbourhood. In complex series books, especially those with 10+ books, the family tree is almost essential for knowing and remembering who’s who. 🙂
Yes, I like maps, because if you can visualise the location/layout it places you firmly in the story and you become part of the community as an onlooker to what is unfolding in the book – or is that just me??? Ha haaaa
Also, I love to know how to pronounce unusual spelling.
Hi Susan, yes, the maps are definitely an aid in visualising the setting of the story. It’s helpful to know how to pronounce unusual words and names. 🙂
Yes, I like maps, reminds me of reading much loved books as a child, such as, The Chronicles of Narnia. Don’t remember seeing any family trees tho’. I do like a glossary if necessary for language differences. And pronunciations of names would be a great help. The first time i saw Siobhan, I pronounced it as i saw it written; although, I had heard of ‘Sh-vorn’ [my try at how it sounds :)] before, i didn’t connect two.
Hi Glennis, yes, Siobhan is a tricky one. In our group here, it’s Iola who has the exotic-sounding name that can be hard to pronounce. 🙂
My apologies for being late in replying to comments. A busy post-conference week plus a migraine derailed my plans to chat with you all here.
I like family trees, as long as they don’t give away spoilers (like when the main character dies #TrueStory).