The 20 Questions Book Tag
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Titles marked with an asterisk (*) were gifted to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I do love a book tag! They're so good when you're having a day where you can't think of blog content. Today, I'm going to be taking part in the 20 Questions Book Tag which I stole from Paper Fury, and this one in particular is really fun! So many interesting questions! So let's get to it!
1. How many books are too many for a series?
See, this is a funny one, because my answer absolutely depends on who the author is, and how many books in/behind I am.
If it's Cassandra Clare and all the Shadow Hunters books - well, I've only read the first two in the Mortal Instruments series, but then she kept coming out with another series, and another, then another. And while I enjoyed the two books I read, I just decided, "Nope." I was too far behind and didn't want to invest any more time on these books when it would take me so long to catch up.
However, with Robin Hobb... She could write as many books as she likes within the Realm of the Elderlings, and I would never get tired. When I was a teenager, I read The Farseer Trilogy (series 1), The Tawny Man Trilogy (series 3), and The Liveship Traders Trilogy (series 2), not realising that The Liveship Traders was set in the same world as the other two, which featured the same characters. All of these books were already out then, so it just seemed like six with the characters I knew, and a brand new series. But they all fit together; one series affected what happened in the next, and so on. But I was roughtly all caught up now, and had to wait for the books to release for The Rain Wild Chronicles (series 4), and then The Fitz and the Fool Trilogy (series 5), which followed. 16 books in all. And I am so sad that it's over. I want more, really.
So, for the short answer; if I'm not too fussed about the author, there should be no more than seven, but if I love the author, there's no such thing as "too many".
2. How do you feel about cliffhangers?
I absolutely love them! Even when I hate them - because I now have to wait maybe a year for the next book in the series to release - I love them. There is absolutely nothing like the anticipation and excitement over a new release that builds because of a cliffhanger ending in the previous book.
3. Hardcover or paperback?
Paperback. Mate, I read a lot of fantasy, and those books tend to be huge. As pretty as hardbacks are, they are far too expensive and far too heavy. Of course, when it comes to new releases, especially US ones, I don't really have a choice - or really, my choice is buy a hardback now, or wait even longer (when I've already been waiting so long for this book) for the paperback to come out. And when it came to Harry Potter releases way back when, there was no way I was waiting. So I do have a fair number of hardbacks. But I'm trying to spend less on them, so I'm trying to wait now. I do think paperbacks should be released at the same time as hardbacks.
4. Favourite book?
You are evil. Here, have several. Pawn of Prophecy by David Eddings, Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor*, and The Girl From Everywhere by Heidi Heilig*.
5. Least favourite book?
There are, of course, a number of books I haven't enjoyed. But T is for Tree by Greg Fowler* one is so hugely problematic, I can't think of anything else. It's ableist and wrong, and oh my god, this book should never have been written. It's disgusting.
6. Love triangles, yes or no?
It depends on how they're dealt with really. Some I have really enjoyed, others I haven't. It's not so great when your ship is sinking, but otherwise, I'm not generally opposed to them. But right now, I'm not in the mood for a love triangle romance.
7. The most recent book you couldn’t finish?
The Tiger's Daughter by K. Arsenault Rivera*. I wanted to read it for #FFFebruary, but just a few pages in I felt it might be problematic? I've seen nothing but praise for this book, but it felt like it was appropriating from East Asian cultures/countries, and without being able to find out for definite, I put it down due to feeling uncomfortable. Until I know one way or the other about whether it's problematic or not, I'm not reading it.
8. A book you’re currently reading?
As I write this (11th April), I am reading That's Not What Happened by Kody Keplinger* for #AroAceApril, and it's bloody incredible! It's about the trauma survivors face after a school massacre, and the ideas people get about the survivors that couldn't be anything further from the truth. It's just brilliant.
9. Last book you recommended to someone?
I think that was Girls Made of Snow and Glass by Melissa Bashardoust to a colleague at work. It's a wonderful, f/f high fantasy retelling of Snow White, told not just from the Snow White character's perspective, but also the Evil Queen's perspective, giving us her origin story. It's just incredible, and I loved it!
10. Oldest book you’ve read by publication date?
Are we going by when the book was originally published, or by oldest edition read? If original pub date, then it would be The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (1943), but if it's edition, then it would be Pawn of Prophecy by David Eddings (1982).
11. Newest book you’ve read by publication date?
At the time of writing this, that would be Stepsister by Jennifer Donnelly*, published on 28th May 2019. A sequel to Cinderella from one of the Stepsister's points of view. Quite disappointing, really.
12. Favourite author?
My most, most favourite author is Laini Taylor. She can absolutely do no wrong. Her writing is gorgeous, and her stories completely captivating. I will never get tired of reading her books.
13. Buying books or borrowing books?
Ah, well, you see, there are pros to both, aren't there? If you buy books, you get to keep them. If you borrow them, you can save your pennies. My library isn't too great, but I keep forgetting that you can now borrow ebooks with OverDrive. The plan has been to borrow more, buy less. And then buy the book if I absolutely loved it. But even just a brief look now on OverDrive for books I want to read, I'm not finding any available in libraries near me. Such a pain.
14. A book you dislike that everyone seems to love?
Now, it's not that I didn't like The Burning by Laura Bates*, but I was expecting more and was quite disappointed. But everyone else seems to love it. I can't deny that is an important and powerful book, though. Just not what I was expecting, and felt let down.
15. Bookmarks or dog ears?
Bookmarks. I do dog-ear pages that I want to quote in my reviews if I don't have any bookmark labels. But they're my books. I used to consider it sacrilege, but they're my books, and I only do a tiny dog-ear. But I do love a bookmark. To be honest, I have loads of really nice bookmarks I simply don't use because they're so nice! And others I worry might damage the books. I tend to use free one.
16. A book you can always re-read?
For all the issues with these books, and all the times J.K. Rowling puts her foot in her mouth, I bloody love the Harry Potter series, and I'll never stop rereading it. I have so much love for this series.
17. Can you read while listening to music?
Not so well. I can manage it, but it is so distracting. Some of the time, I read while my mum is watching TV or listening to music. But because my imagination takes over when I read, what I'm hearing has absolutely no relation to what I'm seeing. It doesn't fit, it shouldn't be there, and so it takes me out of the story, and I'm reading words on a page, rather than seeing it all happen. I prefer silence.
18. One POV or multiple?
This absolutely depends on the story, and the number of POVs. I would prefer there to be no more than four, but I think one or two is best. I have absolutely adored so many books with dual POV. And while I enjoyed The Liveship Traders by Robin Hobb, there were too many POVs. There were six. That was just too many for me. I've not read Game of Thrones nor Lord of the Rings all the way through, and I think part of it is down to too many points of view. I don't want to wait too long to get back to a character that has just left me with a cliffhanger. I actually wrote a post about multiple POVs and what I think of them.
19. Do you read a book in one sitting or over multiple days?
Over multiple days. I don't have to time to just sit down and read like I used to. I do work part time, so I have more time than most, but there are always things I have to do. I used to be able to read three books in a week, but it's less these days. The responsibilities of being an adult. *Shakes head*
20. Who do you tag?
Anyone and everyone who wants to take part!
What would your answers be to these questions? Do you like cliffhangers? How many multiple POVs is too many? Do you dog-ear? Let me know all in the comments! And feel free to take the questions for yourself!
See, this is a funny one, because my answer absolutely depends on who the author is, and how many books in/behind I am.
If it's Cassandra Clare and all the Shadow Hunters books - well, I've only read the first two in the Mortal Instruments series, but then she kept coming out with another series, and another, then another. And while I enjoyed the two books I read, I just decided, "Nope." I was too far behind and didn't want to invest any more time on these books when it would take me so long to catch up.
However, with Robin Hobb... She could write as many books as she likes within the Realm of the Elderlings, and I would never get tired. When I was a teenager, I read The Farseer Trilogy (series 1), The Tawny Man Trilogy (series 3), and The Liveship Traders Trilogy (series 2), not realising that The Liveship Traders was set in the same world as the other two, which featured the same characters. All of these books were already out then, so it just seemed like six with the characters I knew, and a brand new series. But they all fit together; one series affected what happened in the next, and so on. But I was roughtly all caught up now, and had to wait for the books to release for The Rain Wild Chronicles (series 4), and then The Fitz and the Fool Trilogy (series 5), which followed. 16 books in all. And I am so sad that it's over. I want more, really.
So, for the short answer; if I'm not too fussed about the author, there should be no more than seven, but if I love the author, there's no such thing as "too many".
I absolutely love them! Even when I hate them - because I now have to wait maybe a year for the next book in the series to release - I love them. There is absolutely nothing like the anticipation and excitement over a new release that builds because of a cliffhanger ending in the previous book.
Paperback. Mate, I read a lot of fantasy, and those books tend to be huge. As pretty as hardbacks are, they are far too expensive and far too heavy. Of course, when it comes to new releases, especially US ones, I don't really have a choice - or really, my choice is buy a hardback now, or wait even longer (when I've already been waiting so long for this book) for the paperback to come out. And when it came to Harry Potter releases way back when, there was no way I was waiting. So I do have a fair number of hardbacks. But I'm trying to spend less on them, so I'm trying to wait now. I do think paperbacks should be released at the same time as hardbacks.
You are evil. Here, have several. Pawn of Prophecy by David Eddings, Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor*, and The Girl From Everywhere by Heidi Heilig*.
There are, of course, a number of books I haven't enjoyed. But T is for Tree by Greg Fowler* one is so hugely problematic, I can't think of anything else. It's ableist and wrong, and oh my god, this book should never have been written. It's disgusting.
It depends on how they're dealt with really. Some I have really enjoyed, others I haven't. It's not so great when your ship is sinking, but otherwise, I'm not generally opposed to them. But right now, I'm not in the mood for a love triangle romance.
The Tiger's Daughter by K. Arsenault Rivera*. I wanted to read it for #FFFebruary, but just a few pages in I felt it might be problematic? I've seen nothing but praise for this book, but it felt like it was appropriating from East Asian cultures/countries, and without being able to find out for definite, I put it down due to feeling uncomfortable. Until I know one way or the other about whether it's problematic or not, I'm not reading it.
As I write this (11th April), I am reading That's Not What Happened by Kody Keplinger* for #AroAceApril, and it's bloody incredible! It's about the trauma survivors face after a school massacre, and the ideas people get about the survivors that couldn't be anything further from the truth. It's just brilliant.
I think that was Girls Made of Snow and Glass by Melissa Bashardoust to a colleague at work. It's a wonderful, f/f high fantasy retelling of Snow White, told not just from the Snow White character's perspective, but also the Evil Queen's perspective, giving us her origin story. It's just incredible, and I loved it!
Are we going by when the book was originally published, or by oldest edition read? If original pub date, then it would be The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (1943), but if it's edition, then it would be Pawn of Prophecy by David Eddings (1982).
At the time of writing this, that would be Stepsister by Jennifer Donnelly*, published on 28th May 2019. A sequel to Cinderella from one of the Stepsister's points of view. Quite disappointing, really.
My most, most favourite author is Laini Taylor. She can absolutely do no wrong. Her writing is gorgeous, and her stories completely captivating. I will never get tired of reading her books.
Ah, well, you see, there are pros to both, aren't there? If you buy books, you get to keep them. If you borrow them, you can save your pennies. My library isn't too great, but I keep forgetting that you can now borrow ebooks with OverDrive. The plan has been to borrow more, buy less. And then buy the book if I absolutely loved it. But even just a brief look now on OverDrive for books I want to read, I'm not finding any available in libraries near me. Such a pain.
Now, it's not that I didn't like The Burning by Laura Bates*, but I was expecting more and was quite disappointed. But everyone else seems to love it. I can't deny that is an important and powerful book, though. Just not what I was expecting, and felt let down.
Bookmarks. I do dog-ear pages that I want to quote in my reviews if I don't have any bookmark labels. But they're my books. I used to consider it sacrilege, but they're my books, and I only do a tiny dog-ear. But I do love a bookmark. To be honest, I have loads of really nice bookmarks I simply don't use because they're so nice! And others I worry might damage the books. I tend to use free one.
For all the issues with these books, and all the times J.K. Rowling puts her foot in her mouth, I bloody love the Harry Potter series, and I'll never stop rereading it. I have so much love for this series.
Not so well. I can manage it, but it is so distracting. Some of the time, I read while my mum is watching TV or listening to music. But because my imagination takes over when I read, what I'm hearing has absolutely no relation to what I'm seeing. It doesn't fit, it shouldn't be there, and so it takes me out of the story, and I'm reading words on a page, rather than seeing it all happen. I prefer silence.
This absolutely depends on the story, and the number of POVs. I would prefer there to be no more than four, but I think one or two is best. I have absolutely adored so many books with dual POV. And while I enjoyed The Liveship Traders by Robin Hobb, there were too many POVs. There were six. That was just too many for me. I've not read Game of Thrones nor Lord of the Rings all the way through, and I think part of it is down to too many points of view. I don't want to wait too long to get back to a character that has just left me with a cliffhanger. I actually wrote a post about multiple POVs and what I think of them.
Over multiple days. I don't have to time to just sit down and read like I used to. I do work part time, so I have more time than most, but there are always things I have to do. I used to be able to read three books in a week, but it's less these days. The responsibilities of being an adult. *Shakes head*
Anyone and everyone who wants to take part!
What would your answers be to these questions? Do you like cliffhangers? How many multiple POVs is too many? Do you dog-ear? Let me know all in the comments! And feel free to take the questions for yourself!
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Great tag!
ReplyDeleteLotte | www.lottelauv.blogspot.co.uk