Welcome to Booking Through Thursday, a weekly bookish meme about books and reading for everyone who loves both. Booking Through Thursday was first hosted by Deb. With permission, I’ve restarted it in 2026.
This week’s prompt:
What fictional world aren’t you going to visit any time soon—or at all? Narnia on a bad day? Westeros? Anything by Stephen King? (I’m beginning to think this list could be endless?)
Let us know what world to avoid!
What fictional world would you avoid at all costs?
How to play:
- On your blog: Copy the question/image for your blog, answer it there, and post a quick comment here with a link or trackback to your post so we can read it.
- On social media: Copy the image, answer the prompt, and post a quick comment here with a link.
- Right here: Answer in the comments and start the discussion here. No need to have a blog to play.
Note: If it’s your first time here, your comment may end up in moderation. (My spam filter is aggressive.) I’ll be in after my writing sprints to set it free.
P.S. The prompt is always open, and you don’t have to play on Thursday. Comment whenever you like!
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Oh, there are so many places I’d avoid. I mentioned the Shire last week, but the flip side of that is I’d really like to avoid Mordor. (One does not simply walk into Mordor. Sorry. Couldn’t resist.)
There’s all the dystopia fiction to consider, from 1984 to The Hunger Games. Readers everywhere most likely will want to avoid Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451.
I’m interested in hearing what others come up with. I’m sure there’s plenty of places we’d rather not visit.
The Shire might actually make for a charming visit, say, for a birthday party, or a welcome home celebration. Certainly not when it’s being overrun by Orcs. Timing is everything.here
Mordor, however? There’s never a good time to visit Mordor.
I’m a little stumped by this one. Generally I avoid reading books that take place in settings I wouldn’t enjoy. I hate horror — you’re not getting me anywhere near Castle Rock — and even mysteries need some measure of wit and coziness (good food?), and the people who are killed are not the ones I know and care about, before I’m willing to take them on. The one time I read a mystery where one of the main characters telling the story was killed off at the end, I was so disgusted, I nearly threw the book across the room.
That said, I would definitely not want to be a woman in Greece during the time of the Odyssey where your options were limited, and nearly all paths led toward years of child-bearing, child-rearing, hard labor, and an early death. Make me a goddess, though? There’s something we could discuss!
And I also would not want to visit the world of Dungeon Crawler Carl, as I recently discovered. It’s way too noisy! And violent? And all those pop-ups? I returned that one before I was barely through the first three chapters.
I also tried Dungeon Crawler Carl. I think you got a bit farther than I did. I did want to see what had people so excited. Ultimately, it wasn’t for me, but I’m glad a lot of people are reading and enjoying it.