Wednesday 12 May 2021

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This or That Book Tag

This or That Book Tag

This or That Book Tag


Ad: Titles with an asterisk (*) were provided by the publishers for the purposes of providing an honest review.

I was tagged by the lovely Hannah of Hannah's Bookshelf to take part in the This or That book tag! Read on for my various reading preferences.

Rules:

  • Answer the questions and explain your answer if you want to.
  • Add one more question of your own at the end for future bloggers.
  • Tag as many bloggers as there are questions.
  • Credit me, And On She Reads, as the author of the tag.

Questions:


Enemies to lovers OR friends to lovers?


Serpent and Dove by Shelby Mahurin

Honestly, I don't really have a preference. I like the, "Will they? Won't they?" questions to both. I suppose there's more tension to enemies-to-lovers that's always enjoyable, and it's great getting to see characters realise the other isn't as terrible as they first thought. Enemies-to-lovers is done really, really well in Serptent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin. The way Lou keeps needling Reid by being flirty and shocking is hilarious, even if he is overly pious and judgmental. I really loved their dynamic!

Story told for one perspective OR from multiple perspectives?


The Black Khan by Ausma Zehanat Khan

I'm really quite happy with stories told from one perspective, but I'm really not averse to more than one narrator - so long as there aren't too many. Two is best, with narrators taking alternate chapters, but I can do three. No more than that though. When there are too many narrators, I find myself really missing chapters with specific characters, and how I have to read several more chapters from others' perspectives before I get back to them and see how what happens after the cliff hanger the character's previous chapter always ends on.

Saying that, in The Khorasan Archives by Ausma Zehanat Khan, from book two, The Black Khan, onwards, we get more than three narrators, but Khan has come up with a way that really works for me. It's written in such a way that the book switches between narrators at the same setting, so you'll always see what happens next, just from someone else's perspective - until it's time to follow another set of characters in a different location for a while.

Series OR standalone?


The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb, Illustrated Edition

If it's not fantasy, I don't mind a standalone. But if it is fantasy, I will always want a series - especially if it's high fantasy. I am always disappointed by standalone high fantasies. They never give me enough in regards to world building and court intrigue and politics. They always have the potential to be amazing, but fall flat with eme because certain aspects were neglected to keep it to one book. For example, The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon* should absolutely have been a series. Yes, it's a massive brick of a book at over 500 pages, but so much happens in those 500 pages, and too many issues are resolved far too quickly and too easily. It needed to be longer!

But with series, I get everything I want. And if an author is able to create a world where several stories can take place, even better. I absolutley adore Robin Hobb's Realm of the Elderlings books; five different series set in the same world, with each series effecting what happens elsewhere in the world leading to what happens in the next, with 16 books in total. I grew up with them, and I absolutely adore them all!

One book at a time OR multiple books on the go?


Oh, one, definitely. I might start a book, end up aquiring another that I want to read more, and put the first down to read the other, but I never go back and forth between books. I'd get confused. And I also don't want to want to read more than one. I want to be so absorbed by a book that I don't want to read anything else.

Fiction OR Non-Fiction?


Fiction. I do read non-fiction, but I will always prefer fiction, because the reading experience is so different. With non-fiction, I'm reading words on a page. With fiction, I'm living it; my imagination takes over, and I see, hear, feel, smell, taste everything. There are no words on the page, there's only the movie I'm watching, that I'm in, where with certain characters, I'm able to feel what they feel and know their thoughts. That's what I love about reading. Reading words on a page with no movie is bloody boring. However, as a feminist, there's a lot I need to learn, and that's where non-fic comes in. It's never an enjoyable experience, as I mostly end up angry, so I also have to be in the right frame of mind to deal with what I'm going to read, as well as it just being words on a page. But I will always yearn for fiction.

Daytime reading OR nighttime reading?


Both. I read whenever I have the time, when I'm in the mood. I read before work, I occassionally read on my commute, I read on all my breaks, and I read when I get home, mainly for an hour or so before bed, but not actually in bed. And on my days off, I read throughout the day around life stuff. If I'm especially loving a book, I'll do barely anything but read. When a book grabs me, I read it, whenever and wherever I can.

Contemporary OR fantasy?


For the Wolf by Hannah Whitten

Fantasy, always! I do read contemporary, but it was fantasy that got me into reading, and it's fantasy that holds my heart. Especially high fantasy, which always feels like home. I'm in a massive high fantasy kick at the moment, and I can't tear myself away. I'm currently reading For the Wolf by Hannah Whitten*, a high fantasy retelling of Little Red Riding Hood and Beauty and the Beast, and oh my god, it's so good!

Hardback OR paperback?


Ok, so hardbacks look very pretty on a shelf, especially series, altogether looking lovely. But as you've seen, I read a lot of high fantasy. And high fantasy books tend to be chunky. And having to carry around a 600 page hardback? And hold it to read it? Not so much fun. Don't get me wrong, I will absolutely read hardbacks, and sometimes I just can't wait for the paperback to come out, I need to know what happens next right now, please. But paperbacks are kinder on my body, haha! Also, I am really not a fan of the price of chunky, high fantasy hardbacks. They are expensive! So I do try to save my pennies and wait for paperback.

My question: Big books OR short books (average length)?


I will and do definitely read average length books. I'm pretty sure most of the books I tend to read are average length. But as I've made very clear now, high fantasy is what I crave, and with high fantasy, the bigger the better. I am not at all intimidated by massive books, please do give them all to me. I will revel in all the exquisite world building details, the intricate court politics and political maneuvering, the complex war/battle strategies, the intriguing characters and the gripping plot. Always.

Tagging: Ashleigh @ Movies and Books Girl, and whoever else wants to take part!

So that was a fun way to spend an afternoon! What would your answers be? If I haven't mentioned you, but you want to do this tag, consider yourself tagged!


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