It's been ages since I took part in a blogging tag, but I spotted this one today over at Bubbablue and Me and I couldn't resist taking part!
So here is a little bit about me and my reading habits:
1 - How many books is too many books in a series?
I'm not keen on a series as I don't like finishing a good book and then having to wait for the next one to be published (for example The Book of Dust Volume 3, where has it got to!) I've also been annoyed many times by picking up library books that looked like standalone reads but turned out to be part of a series full of references to previous books. Maybe three, but I'd rather wait for them all to be published and readily available before I read them!
2 - How do you feel about cliff-hangers?
I only like them if it's something open-ended that leaves you thinking.
3 - Hardcover or paperback?
Paperback for everyday reading as they are easier to hold and carry around. But if I really can't wait for the paperback to come out then I'll buy a hardback, and they do last longer so I have a few of my favourites in hardback.
4 - Favourite book?
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. Very closely followed by The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood and The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro.
5 - Least favourite book?
I really didn't like The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson.
6 - Love triangles, yes or no?
Only if a nice character isn't ditched unnecessarily.
7 - The most recent book you just couldn’t finish?
The Autumn of the Ace by Louis De Bernieres. I picked it up in the library and it was a reasonable book but I didn't realise until I had started that it was part of a series (see question one!) and although it was working as a standalone book I was fed up of the many references to previous events and characters.
8 - A book you’re currently reading?
Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo. I spotted this on the returns trolley at the library and grabbed it, I always seem to get on well with Booker prize winners. The writing is unusual and rather disjointed with no capital letters and not much punctuation, but once you get used to it the style does work well. The book follows the stories of twelve different black women grouped into four sets of three which I believe will all link together over the course of the book. I've only read the first set so far but I'm enjoying it.
9 - Last book you recommended to someone?
Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez. This book is a must read for both women and men, a detailed look at how our world has been designed for men in ways that we don't even notice, ranging from the size of our mobile phones to how bus routes are organised in a city.
.jpg "Stacks of old books") |
| Photo credit Ed Robertson via Unsplash |
10 - Oldest book you’ve read? (Publication date)
If we are talking about old texts then I read some pretty old ones during my degree, for example The Canterbury Tales by Chaucer and lots of medieval German literature.
11 - Newest book you’ve read? (Publication date)
It's difficult to work this one out as I tend to read older books, I had to look through my Amazon order history! I think the most recently published book I've read was Stolen Focus by Johann Hari, an excellent book about how the modern world has affected our attention spans.
12 - Favorite author?
Daphne du Maurier, Bill Bryson, Margaret Atwood, Kazuo Ishiguro, Haruki Murakami.
13 - Buying books or borrowing books?
A mixture of both. Mainly I borrow books from the library or from Amazon Prime Reading and I purchase new releases, non-fiction or reference books, and second hand favourites.
14 - A book you dislike that everyone else seems to love?
The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje. I assumed I would enjoy it because it sounded like my sort of book, but I didn't get on with it at all.
15 - Bookmarks or dog-ears?
Bookmarks always.
16 - A book you can always re-read?
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. I received a lovely hardback edition for Christmas and I often pull it out and read a random page or two.
17 - Can you read while hearing music?
Not unless it's a very simple book, I need to be able to concentrate. I can't read properly while the television is on either.
18 - One POV or multiple POVs?
I don't mind, but I'm not keen on being misdirected, I want to be clear about who I'm listening to. If it's historical fiction following multiple characters over different time periods I want to know dates and locations.
19 - Do you read a book in one sitting or over multiple days?
I tend to read longer books and unfortunately I don't have the uninterrupted time to read a book in one sitting! I can finish a gripping shorter book in one day if I don't have much else on, but more usually it's several days though.
20 - Who do you tag?
Anyone that fancies taking part!
Love reading this. Remains of the Day is an amazing book, and I'm also a Bill Bryson fan although I've got one of his later books in my to read pile still. And I've just gone and downloaded Invisible Women as that sounds interesting and one everyone should read. Chaucer was one of my favourites we did for A level and a bit for uni too. Comedy in old fashioned writing!
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