I saw this on the Rain City Librarian blog and thought, “Hey, what a great way for readers to get to know you a little and learn about a related area of your life!”  I wasn’t tagged and generally I don’t tag others, but why not do it anyway?

Here’s a little bit about me and what/how I read.  Also, please note that not all the books mentioned are for all ages.

 

eBooks or physical books?

Physical.  I’m all about the smell/feel/intimacy/collectability.  The only time eBooks look attractive to me is when I try to pack three novels in my travel bag.

 

Paperback or hardback?

Generally I’ll pick the least expensive and most compact version, but there are a few exceptions:

  • I’m swayed by flashy details (I do judge books by their covers)
  • I got the first book in a series in hard cover because it was amazingly on sale and now I want them all to match
  • I can’t wait for the paperback to come out (*ahem* Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series)

 

Online or in-store book shopping?

Both!  Sometimes online is the only place to find an out of print or small press book, or it’s a much better price than in-store.  But I still love the experience of hunting through a brick-and-mortar shop, and every now and then I’ll budget a little time and money to just spend hours wandering between shelves until I can’t hold any more books in my arms.

 

Trilogies or series?

Trilogies.  There seems to be more chance of reaching a satisfying conclusion, to me.

 

Heroes or villains?

As long as they’re relateable and not so archetypical, I enjoy both.

 

A book you want everyone to read?

I’d just say read something you wouldn’t normally read.  It’s great to be surprised.  Try a biography, or some middle grade, or even a self help book, whatever is usually not your thing.

 

Recommend an underrated book.

I don’t know why there hasn’t been more hype about this series.

 

The last book you finished?

 

Weirdest thing you used as a bookmark?

Not very exciting, but I used a torn up piece of paper from a junior high permission slip, and the series I was reading became so emotionally significant to me that I felt compelled to use the same bookmark for all of them.  As it got chewed and sweat-curled and tear-stained, I would tape and tape until it became this lumpy, laminated, slightly moldy thing.

 

Used books, yes or no?

Absolutely!

 

Top three favourite genres?

Fantasy, historical fiction, sci-fi.

 

Borrow or buy?

Buy.  I feel a little weird about borrowing someone else’s book.  I will do it, but I worry about it.

 

Characters or plot?

Character-driven plot.  ;-P

 

Long or short book?

I like to alternate, but I admit I look at a gargantuan tome and get excited.  And then feel intense remorse after the first chapter.

 

Long or short chapters?

As long as its stylistically appropriate, I’m okay with all lengths.  I have been annoyed by the odd too-long or too-short chapter if I don’t understand why the author did that.

 

Name the first three books you think of.

I’ve been thinking about the three books next in line for me to read:

The Summer Tree by Guy Gavriel Kay   The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams   Trailer Park Fae by Lilith Saintcrow

Hehehe, I know, right?

 

This was the most recent.  Sol Weintraub’s daughter?  Oh my goodness, tragic.

 

Our world or fictional worlds?
I’m more likely to lean towards a fictional/historical/future world than the world we live in right now.

 

Audiobooks: yes or no?
A year or two ago I would have said no, but I have tried a few and I find them so useful for when my hands and eyes are busy but my brain is not, like when I’m coloring pages.  Learning while doing something else is like it doubling your time.  Particularly if I want to read a non-fiction book but know it would be very slow to do myself, it’s nice to have it read to me.

 

Do you ever judge a book by its cover?
Totally.  I have to believe people do in my line of work.  (Did you see that book in my three-next-to-read-list?)

 

Book to movie or book to TV adaptation?
I usually cringe when I hear a book is going to be adapted, but there have been some successful attempts.  On the one hand, a TV adaptation means they may be able to take more time to develop the characters and plot like the book does, but on the other, a movie might have a bigger budget depending on the studio.

 

A movie or TV adaptation you preferred to the book?

Without hesitation.  Sorry, Tolkeinites.  I tried reading it, but the minute detail and odd linear narrative choices, especially telling all of one storyline and then going back to tell a parallel storyline, were just not for me.

 

Series or standalone? 
If the series is fairly brief (perhaps six books or less) I’m attracted to it because I know if I love the first book I’ll have more time to spend in that world, but not so much time that the plots become a recognizable pattern and characters start to feel tired.

 

 

What was the last great book you read?  What are you reading now?  If you decide to answer these questions, leave a link in the comments!