Friday 30 August 2013

Books - This Or That Tag

When I saw this tag on Claire's blog, it was probably her accompanying photography and her greatly thoughtful answers that persuaded me to give it a try. Sadly, I've not been much of a reader of late, as my degree requires an awful lot of non-fiction reading, so much that I find very little time/patience in which to rectify that with fiction. I'm a rather complex individual when it comes to reading, as you're about to see.

Audio books or book in hand?
Book in hand. I much prefer having words laid out in front of me to help me visualise things as vividly as they were intended to.

Soft or hard cover?
Tough one, but I'm going to say soft, purely because I feel paperbacks are more portable. I know hardbacks are luxurious and lovely, but I move house a lot and hardbacks are the bane of our lives.

Fiction or non-fiction?
Surprisingly, non-fiction. As a History student, I'm always reading factual accounts, so I find it easier to digest facts than something fantastical. Of course, I love fiction in its own right, the creative licence, the ability to lose yourself in a fictional world, but non-fiction is more a part of my life now. I've always preferred reading autobiographies, I will pick up an autobiography and read it from cover to cover providing it's by someone I'm interested in. I loathe biographies though. Never in a million years will I be able to enjoy a biography.

Fantasy world or real-life issues?
I have to say real-life issues, again as a History student it's natural, but also because my favourite book is In Cold Blood by Truman Capote, which is heavily based on factual events. I'm particularly interested in fiction based around real life events, such as Stephen King's 11.22.63. However, the fantasy worlds that Shakespeare creates are worlds that I could gladly live in forever, so I can't definitively choose either.

Harry Potter or Twilight?
I never actually finished reading the Harry Potter books, I gave up halfway through Order of the Phoenix because real life got in the way and I was slightly put off by how thick the books were becoming. However, I've never read the Twilight books, and yet I've only seen three of the movies and enjoyed them to an extent. I'm afraid to say I didn't immerse myself in the Harry Potter world because it felt a little too pretentious to me. Kids flapping round with wands in their hands, not being able to defeat the big bad wizard for 7 years, and even then they needed the help of the weediest kid to lop off a snake's head. I realise that's a very idiotic assessment of the franchise, but I've seen all the movies, I know the stories, I just don't feel them all as passionately as others do. One thing I do feel though is the Half-Blood Prince. If you ask me, Severus should never have died. I understood Snape better than anyone in the books, I felt for him, I fell in love with the Prince's Tale and my heart broke along with his. I've even written Severus fic. True story.
/end rant.

Kindle, iPad or other?
None of the above. Paper rules.

Borrow or buy?
Buy, most definitely. Borrowing gives me a kind of anxiety about having to finish it in a set time limit, and my mind subconsciously reads the slowest it can possibly read and I end up never reading it in time.

Book store or by online?
I adore the feeling of picking up a book in store, and I strangely treasure my Waterstones bags. While I love the feeling of seeing a book arrive in the post, it's not as fulfilling as buying from a store. Even though a store charges twice as much. Swings and roundabouts.

Standalone or series?
I prefer standalones purely for the lack of mental preparation required. If I were to pick up a book that I was well aware was part of a series, I have to brace myself for getting to the final page and receiving no answers, no resolutions, and having to wait until the next instalment comes out. I'm much happier thinking to myself, 'I have this book in my hand, and the story shall begin and end in this book. And it shall be good'.

Monster read or short and sweet?
Short and sweet. I recently reviewed The Great Gatsby and loved every page of it because Fitzgerald writes quickly and succinctly, his stories are brief yet strangely in-depth.

Starry eyed romance or full of action?
Starry-eyed romance I'm afraid. I am female, I have needs. Needs that Fifty Shades will not satisfy. A romance with a hint of action would be ideal for me.

Curl up in your snuggie or lay in the sun?
If I had a snuggie, I'd curl up in it damnit. But I can't lay in the sun, I'm too easily distracted by the world around me. I need a completely silent environment in my room to read and enjoy it.

Hot chocolate or latte?
Neither, a Dr Pepper is my best reading companion!

Read the review or decide for yourself?
I had an assignment at university where we had to read book reviews and judge how accurate the reviews were, and ever since then I've not touched a review. I'll always prefer to decide for myself, over-analysing the title, researching the author, judging the cover - you just can't tell whether a reviewer shares your views or not. That feels a little hypocritical given I write reviews on this blog, but books are a different matter to cosmetics. I don't know why, but they just are!

What kind of a reader are you?

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2 comments:

  1. I keep all of my Waterstones bags and I have no idea why since I've never used them for anything else! Also, I completely agree on the review front. University will kill any love that you ever had for reading book reviews!

    I've actually never tried a Dr Pepper before, is that weird?

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm starting to feel a bit odd for loving my Kindle. It's just so easy to transport darnit!

    ReplyDelete

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