Would You Rather

Borrowed from Books and Lala, I bring you a bookish Would You Rather.

Only read trilogies or only read standalones?

I like a lot of trilogies and series but I feel like the trilogy is becoming so overdone. Hunger Games, Divergent, The Maze Runner, City of Bones, etc. I’ll opt for standalones. It allows for more variety and more options. You don’t see many memoirs coming out as trilogies.

Only read female or male authors?

This question is slightly evil. I love anything by Neil Gaiman or Jasper Fforde. I love the John Connolly series with Samuel and Bosworth along with his short stories. There are a ton of talented men out there. That said, I’d have to pick women. Women are the lesser heard voice and they have a lot more to say. I’m more drawn to memoirs by women, most feminist nonfiction is by women. There is a lot of unexplored talent there that I’m actively trying to dive into this year.

Only shop at B&N or Amazon?

I think the either/or here is online or brick and mortar. While online is cheaper and convenient as hell, nothing can erase the comfortable hominess of a bookstore. Brick and mortar baby!

All books become TV shows or movies?

TV shows. Hands down. While movies are a fun way to enjoy a book, not all books can be condensed into 2 hours. Some need a miniseries to really tease out all the things the author laid out. With more streaming services offering less filtered content, I’d vote for TV series.

5 pages a day or 5 books a week?

I know ever BookTuber will have the same answer. However, I have an active social life, a podcast addiction, and a day job. I am currently incapable of reading 5 books a month. For the sake of my sanity and sleep, 5 pages. It would suck to only be able to read 150 pages a month but I suspect I’d get really into novellas.

Professional author or reviewer?

Author. I’ve got a lot of creative ideas floating around in my head I think could be something but haven’t devoted a ton of time to turning that into anything. Why? Busy life, other priorities, unsatisfying excuse here. I want to write more fiction and hopefully, you’ll see some soon.

Only the same favorite 20 or only new books?

New books. I’ve got a very long memory. There’s one book I want to reread by the end of 2016 but I still remember most of the plot. I can still spout off a ton of details of things I read and enjoyed 2 years ago. I read Tana French’s In the Woods around 4 years ago and can still give a detailed rant about why I hated it. I don’t reread because I need to let things fade so I can fully enjoy them again so this one wouldn’t hurt too much. At least, not right away.

Be a librarian or a bookseller?

Librarian. If this was a career that paid better, I’d be all about it. I’d love to be able to make a decent wage and help people find good books. Libraries are integral to the community and it would bring me so much joy to be able to be a part of that.

Only read your favorite genre or only read every genre but your favorite?

Favorite genre. It would pain me to know I couldn’t read anymore essays or memoirs or feminist nonfiction but my favorite genre is, well, genre. Fantasy/sci-fi is such a crappy catchall for things like monsters, magic, space, fair folk, ghosts, dystopia, post-apocalypse, zombie, steampunk, cyberpunk, urban fantasy, high fantasy, and many aspects of horror.

I miss Jane Austen? Find an applicable period piece. I want a spy adventure series? Time for The Laundry Files. I miss nonfiction? Just read a fictionalized history or memoir. How about a play or classic? You’d be hard pressed to find something that hasn’t been touched by the supernatural. Genre fiction is so diverse and far-reaching that I would never run out of options.

Only read physical books or only read ebooks?

I completely respect ebooks. I actually have a new Kindle on my wish list so I can appreciate some of the new ebooks I’ve been getting. It’s great when you travel because you have hundreds of books to choose from. It’s little and light weight.

However, I have been on a plane in almost 3 years. I don’t have a kid and I’m not that pressed for space. Our brains retain information better when we read a physical book. No one knows why but we do. I can’t live my life without new book or old book smell, deckled edges, embossed covers, or feeling the paper. Physical books, 100%.