A book themed "this or that"

I found this list of "this or that" questions over at A Wandering Scribbler, and I love writing about books and reading so I thought that I'd share my answers! 

Paperback or Hardcover

I prefer a paperback because it's easier to carry around with me, but I'll buy a hardback if I think it's a book that I'll want to read over and over again. Sometimes when I buy a book second hand from Wob I'll receive a hardback when I wasn't expecting it and it's appreciated, although it makes it more difficult to shelve with paperback books from the same author!

Fiction or Non-fiction

The vast majority of my day to day reading is fiction but I do read some non-fiction, mainly from the 'wellbeing' genre. I prefer fiction because I can get lost in it, with non fiction I feel that I have to concentrate in order to understand what I'm reading and to benefit from it. 

Historical or Science Fiction

I've enjoyed some science fiction but it would definitely be historical fiction for me. There's a trend lately for historical fiction books which are written from two perspectives - one storyline follows a character during a historical period and one storyline is set in the present. I'm not a huge fan of these because the story is plotted with the lives of the characters mirroring each other, and I just want to read the historical story and find out what happened. I enjoy historical books because I like to imagine what it would be like to have lived during a different time period, even if it's not a historically significant one.

Recent release or classic

Probably a classic, mainly for economic reasons as I very rarely buy a newly released books although sometimes I find them in the library or borrow from friends. When it comes to classic books I love Jane Austen, the Bronte sisters, Thomas Hardy, Wilkie Collins, George Orwell...I've never got on with Charles Dickens! I also enjoy classic children's books - The Little House on the Prairie series, the What Katy Did series, the Little Women books, A Little Princess, the Anne of Green Gables series and so on.

Photo credit Benigno Hoyuela via Unsplash

Coffee or Tea

Tea, I don't like coffee at all. I only started drinking tea a few years ago and it's more of a social thing as I rarely drink tea when I'm by myself. I prefer a herbal or fruit tea, and I'm not a fan of adding milk which confuses people.

Dog ear or bookmark

I have bookmark stashes throughout the house so I can usually grab one when I need one. Most of my books are second hand so I'm not too bothered about scuffs and marks left by others, but I can't fold down corners myself!

Writing in the book or taking notes

The only time I've ever written in books is when they were set texts for an exam and I needed to annotate and highlight them. I don't write in books because many of my books are lent to other people or passed on when I've finished with them, and I don't want to spoil them for others. Occasionally I use a small post it note to mark something that I want to refer back to, and I have a notebook where I copy quotes that have stood out to me. 

Physical or digital books

If I had to choose it would be physical books for the tactile reading experience, but I definitely embrace digital books when it comes to travelling, so that I can take a huge selection of different books with me to suit my mood. I also like a digital book to read while I'm cooking or eating!

Audiobooks or print

Definitely print, I can't do audiobooks. The only time in my day that I would be able to listen to them is while I'm driving, and I just get too distracted. I listen to podcasts in the car and often realise that I've completely switched off and missed the last few minutes!