Rapid Fire Book Tag - #AmReading

Here's yet another tag I found via Cat of The Strawberry Post when she did it on her blog a couple of months ago.  As usual, I'm not tagging anyone, but if you want to play along, feel free to do so, either in the comments section of this post, or on your own blog.  Don't forget to let me know if you do it on your own blog though, because I'd hate to miss your post, since I'd like to read your answers.  But, for now, here are the questions, along with my own answers.

1. E-book or physical book?
 

I'd love to pick physical, since nothing beats the feeling of holding a real book in your hands, and the smell... Well, if you don't know what I mean, you won't understand.  But unfortunately being blind means I have to go with eBooks, because I need to be able to read them, and at least those are accessable to me.

 2. Paperback or hardback?
 

Hardbacks are beautiful, but paperbacks are easier to carry around, so I have to confess to having had a preference for those when I could still see to read print books.

 

3. Online or in-store book shopping?
 

When I have the choice, in-store shopping.  Online is more convenient for me with my lack of sight, but inside the shop you get to enjoy the physical feeling of holding the book in  your hands, and inhale that bookish smell... Even now, when I have to head for the audiobook section, I love taking my time passing the print books so I can enjoy that scent for a bit.

4. Trilogies or series?
 

I don't get why this question comes up in so many tags.  Does it really matter? A story takes as long as it does to tell.  It doesn't matter if that means one book, a trilogy, or a 30 book series.  What matters is that it has a solid plot, and characters you don't mind spending however many pages it ends up being with (or at least care enough about what happens to them to not mind tolerating them for that long).

 

5. Heroes or villains?

 

Both.  Everyone loves a hero, but a villain with a good story can be an excellent main character too, so I actually enjoy hearing both sides of the story, and can't really pick between the two.

 

6. A book you want everyone to read?
 

There isn't one.  I mean, I think everyone who loves fantasy should read J K Rowling's "Harry Potter" books and C S Lewis' "Chronicles Of Narnia" series, fans of cosy mysteries should read Agatha Christie's books, everyone who loves historical fiction set in pre-historic times should read Jean M Auel's "Earth's Children" books and Michelle Paver's "Chronicles Of Ancient Darkness" series, and could likely find books to recommend for other genres too if given enough time.  But recommending just one book? I don't think I can do that, especially since it depends on your genre preference to what you may or may not enjoy reading.
 

7. Recommend an underrated author?
 

Again, this is tough to do, since it depends on your genre preference.  Plus, since I don't follow the crowd, so to speak, I'm not entirely certain who does or doesn't count as being under rated these days.  If I've given a book four stars or higher, it means I think it - and by extension its author - is worth checking out, so check out my past reviews.
 

8. The last book you finished?
 

"HMS Lanternfish" (The Lanternfish, #2) by C.S. Boyack.  Which shows how long ago I put this post together for those following my reviews, since it was one of my August reads.

 9. Weirdest thing you’ve used as a bookmark?
 

A cup coaster.  It was a thin plasticy one with a cartoon lion on it, just in case you're interested.

 

10. Used books: Yes or no?
 

Yes.  Although I prefer new most of the time, I'll never say no to a book just because it's not new, and got some great reads in the past from grabbing used books from charity shops, snatching up books from bring and buy sales, buying cheap ones the library was trying to clear out, etc.  Not so easy to do now I can't grab print books, but still.

11. Top three favourite genres?
 

This is easy: Fantasy, Science fiction, and Mystery (especially cosy mysteries).
 

12. Borrow or buy?
 

Buy.  I don't like to lend my books to people, and I don't like borrowing books myself because I'm worried I'll accidentally damage them (even though I generally take very good care of books).  Plus, I always hate having to give books back.

 

13. Character or plot?
 

I pick both, because you need both.  A great plot with weak characters wouldn't be as bad as great characters with a weak plot, but you really need both to make a story work.

 

14. Long or short books?
 

Either.  A book should be as long as the book needs to be to tell the story.

 

15. Name the first three books you think of
 

"Dark Matter" by Michelle Paver, "Slip" by David Estes, and "Matilda" by Roald Dahl.

 

16. Books that make you laugh or cry?
 

I think most people would rather books make them laugh rather than cry (unless it's tears of joy).  On the other hand, sometimes having a good cry along with a character you've grown to care about can help if you're dealing with things in real life and need that release.  To be honest, as long as the book makes me feel something, I don't really mind whether it's joy or sorrow.  What matters is that the writing makes you feel some kind of emotional response.

 

17. Our world or fictional?

 

Either, but if I had to pick one: fictional.  I mean, sometimes it's great to read about stuff happening in the real world - especially countries I'd love to visit but  know I never will beyond the pages of a book - but there are often some wonderful things in fictional worlds.  Plus, with how 2020 is going, I'd much rather be in some other world right now, as I'm sure many others would.

 

18. Audiobooks: Yes or no?
 

Yes, because they are generally nicer than having the Kindle's text to speach reading to me (even though I read more eBooks as a rule, because they cost less).  I always enjoy them better with a good narrator though, and have to wonder why some people choose the narrators they do sometimes, because some of them are just dreadful.

 

19. Do you ever judge a book by its cover?
 

These days, no, because I can't see to do so.  Before though.. Yes.  Honestly, who doesn’t? I wish I could say that covers weren’t ever important to me, but it used to be what would get my attention.  That's not to say I wouldn't buy a book with a cover that wasn't so nice.  I just would have been more likely to pick it up and take a closer look if I liked the look of the cover.  I wish I could say that wasn't the case, but I'm afraid it was.  Like I said though, these days I can't judge a book by its cover.  I am guilty of judging books by their titles these days though.

 

20. Book to movie or book to TV?
 

I don’t know that it matters.  On the one hand, TV shows have more time to go in to things, because you'll have a whole series to work with.  On the other hand, some books really don't need thatlong to be shown on screen, and doing a TV series can result in a load of stuff that shouldn't be there being added for no reason.  So whichever works best for the book in question, or whichever will make people keep it closest to how the book was.

 

21. A movie or TV show you preferred to the book?
 

I can’t think of one right now.  I'm sure there's probably something.  In fact, I'm sure I remember saying about something that was better than the book not too long ago, I just can't think what it was.  Usually the book version is better, but I do know there are a few exceptions to this rule.  Very few, admittedly, but still.

 

22. Series or standalones?

 

Whichever is needed to tell the story.  If it can be told in one book, great.  If it needs a duology, trilogy, or even a much longer series, that's fine too.  A story should take as long to tell as it needs to.  No more and no less.