I was actually tagged by Reads, Rhythms, and Ruminations to do this one way back in March, and I pushed it back for other tags.  It’s not that I don’t like this tag, it’s more that back then (in March) I felt like I did one that was similar so I wanted to get some space between them.

So, thanks Ava, I really appreciate you tagging me in this one!  It should be loads of fun.  🙂

EBOOKS OR PHYSICAL BOOKS?

I read ebooks most of the time, only because it’s easier to transport back and forth to work and also because I do most of my reading at night and the backlight on my Kindle Voyage works so well for that.

HOWEVER, I will always prefer the feel of a print book.  I love holding the pages and watching my bookmark slide through from beginning to end.  Also, Fantasy books are too epic to read on a screen.  There’s something about holding a book that just makes the story more.

Sometimes I even buy a book in print, AND on my Kindle, so I can switch back and forth between the e-book and the print book with ease.  For night reading.

PAPERBACK OR HARDBACK?

Both… I like both paperbacks and hardcover.  I love the ease of reading a paperback, but I love the beauty of a hardback.  I tend to buy paperbacks, but for the series that I really love I try to collect them in hardcover.  Hardcover lasts longer (and looks gorgeous on my shelf).

ONLINE OR IN-STORE BOOK SHOPPING?

BOTH!  Hahaha

I tend to do most of my shopping online.  When I’m perusing the blogs or Goodreads and I see a book I want it’s easier to just pop over to Amazon and order it there.  (I’m a prime member, and free 2 day shipping is wonderous!)

However, my Grandma and I have a monthly lunch date/bookstore trip we never miss.  Occasionally I will by myself a book from the bookstore, but more likely I buy one for Baby Chick.  That’s one place where she knows she can sucker me into buying her something.

TRILOGIES OR SERIES?

Both… Sometimes a story is better as a well outlined trilogy, and sometimes it’s strong enough to sustain through a multi-book series.  It really depends on the author and the pacing.

HEROES OR VILLAINS?

Neither.  I like Heroes, obviously.  And you can’t have a good story with a lame Villain.  Both are important.  What I prefer is an Antihero!  I love the characters that are pieces of both and maybe grudgingly finding themselves doing the right things.

I find them far more interesting.

A BOOK YOU WANT EVERYONE TO READ?

Oh, man.  So many.  I guess I’ll go with The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian.

RECOMMEND AN UNDERRATED BOOK.

I’ve mentioned it a few times, but I really thought Living with the Fall was amazing and it’s virtually unknown.  It only has around 25 reviews on Goodreads.  I’d love to see more people embrace this one.

THE LAST BOOK YOU FINISHED?

While I write this I’m 90% into A Darker Shade of Magic, so I’m going to count that.  Especially since I’ll have long finished it by the time you read this.

I’ll probably also have finished Monet Murders, so I’ll count that too.

WEIRDEST THING YOU USED AS A BOOKMARK?

I have a bit of a bookmark obsession.  I look for the funniest ones every time I have the opportunity.  I have about 20.  I’m rarely without a bookmark.

However, I have also used sheets of paper or a Kleenex on occasion.

USED BOOKS, YES OR NO?

Sure, I have no problem with used books.  If I can find a great used book I’ll totally add it to my collection.  In fact, books are the first thing I look for when I go to yard sales or thrift shops.  We have a massive used bookstore in Detroit (about an hour from me) that’s a warehouse, floor to ceiling, of used books.  It’s so big they have to give you a map.  I want to go so bad.  That sounds like Heaven!

TOP THREE FAVORITE GENRES?

Romance, Contemporary Fiction, Fantasy and it’s sub-genres.

I don’t count YA as a genre, I feel like it’s more of a classification than a genre.  YA would have the same genres as Adult books, they’re just for a different target audience.  (Young Adults, and Adults with young hearts.)

BORROW OR BUY?

I wish I was more of a borrower.  I’ve never been a great library user.  I love the idea, but I’m crap at returning.  I’m definitely a buyer.  I’d rather buy and donate than borrow and return.

That sounds horrible.  It’s almost like confession time.

CHARACTERS OR PLOT?

Characters.

Plot is very very important, but I’ve loved many books that were built more on the characters than an actual plot.  I’ve never loved a book that lacked great characters.

LONG OR SHORT BOOK?

If you’d asked me this when I was 16 I would have said the longer the better.  I used to scour the bookstore for the longest books I could find, and wouldn’t settle for anything less than 600 pages.  Back then I had nothing but time and I could read a 500-600 page book in one day, so I wanted them long.  I needed them to last longer.

Now I work 40 hours a week, lord over a 13 year old and a husband, and I have 6 animals that need me.  I’m lucky if I have an hour at work (breaks and lunch) and an hour after everyone’s asleep to cram in some reading.  I still love long books, but now I find myself drawn to books that are more around 200-500 pages.

I tend to steer away from books that are less than 200 pages.

LONG OR SHORT CHAPTERS?

I don’t really care about chapters.  I do like when long chapters have scene breaks so there’s a spot to put it down if I need to.  Short chapters make me feel like I’m reading it faster which is nice, but honestly either one is fine.

NAME THE FIRST THREE BOOKS YOU THINK OF.

Sounder, Where the Red Fern Grows, Outlander

BOOKS THAT MAKE YOU LAUGH OR CRY?

Laughter.  It’s easy to make me cry, I think it’s harder to make me laugh.  I feel like it makes the book stay with me longer.

OUR WORLD OR FICTIONAL WORLDS?

Both, lol.  I love contemporary reads and fantasy.  I can’t choose.

AUDIOBOOKS: YES OR NO?

I’m just getting into audio books, and right now they’re harder for me to listen to.  In the summer my daughter isn’t in the car on my 30 minute commute, so I can listen then, but when she is she’d rather listen to music over a book.

Plus, hearing the narrator give voice to a character will never be as good as what I hear in my head.

DO YOU EVER JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER?

I think everyone does, even when they say the don’t.  Here’s my logic:

Judging a book isn’t the same thing as judging a person.  A book isn’t going to hop off the store shelf, or Amazon’s website, and introduce itself.  It’s not going to put itself in your hands and open to the pages inside to entice you.  The cover is there to catch your eye, to see if it’s something you may want to read or not.  Everyone picks up a book the first time because of the wrappings, and then they read the blurb and decide.  So, imagine how many books you never pick up because that cover didn’t catch your eye.

Even if it’s subconscious, we all judge a book by its cover on some level.

BOOK TO MOVIE OR BOOK TO TV ADAPTATION?

I don’t care, haha.  I just want whoever is making a book into a movie to truly understand what the book is about and capture the true essence.  If that’s a movie, cool.  If it’s TV, cool.

SERIES OR STANDALONE?

Usually when I get to the end of a Standalone I loved, I want more.  I’m not ready to let go.  However, sometimes when I get more I’m let down.

This is a hard one to judge.  I’d rather leave it up to the author.

TAG!

Guess what!  I tag EVERYONE!  (Psst, I’m looking at you!)