Sunday, April 19, 2015

The Book Preference Meme

Finally, a meme I can sink my teeth into. Yay! The Book Preference Meme.

Gratefully supplied by Sunday Stealing.

Science Fiction, Fantasy or Horror? 

I don't read much of any of these genres - maybe a bit of speculative fiction and the odd bit of fantasy like "Harry Potter" and "Game of Thrones". They're just not my genres - especially horror.

Hardback or Trade paperback or Mass market paperback? 

Trade paperback. I tend to read the good stuff. Rarely do I buy a book in hardback.

Amazon or Brick and Mortar? 

Amazon. Though I buy a lot through Book Depository.

Barnes & Noble or Borders? 

Neither sellers are in Australia (Borders has closed down) so I go to Dymocks or independents like Reader's Feast and Readings. The last two are great bookshops.

Bookmark or Dog-ear? 

I tend to use a book mark, though I will dog ear paperbacks. Having a Kindle removes the need for bookmarks.

Asimov’s Science Fiction or Fantasy & Science Fiction? 

I haven't read Asimov, so Fantasy and Science fiction it will have to be - even if I really don't get science fiction, unless it's literary science fiction, such as Margaret Atwood and Kasuo Ishiguro.

Alphabetize by author, Alphabetize by title, or Random? 

Random. Life is too short. Though my books are organised into Kids, Classics, Modern Lit and other junk.

Keep, Throw away or Sell? 

I'm a mix of keep and sell. Happily sell on popular stuff on Ebay. I keep classics. My bookshelves keep growing. I'm buying more and more ebooks. Easier to store.

Keep dust-jacket or Toss it? 

Kindles don't have a dust jacket.

Read with dustjacket or Remove it? 

I always remove the dust jacket. Why mess it up. If I have a hard cover it's normally somebody else's book anyway.

Short story or Novel? 

I'm a great reader of fiction - and I love both genres.

Stop reading when tired or at Chapter breaks? 

I try to stop at the chapter breaks - though reading on the train in the morning means I have to stop when I get near my station.

“It was a dark and stormy night” or “Once upon a time?” 

Arrrrggggghhhhh! Bulwer-Lytton - run a mile (Look it up) I'm a "Once upon a time" girl.

Buy or Borrow? 

I'm dreadful. I pretty much always buy my books (unless somebody provides me with an e-book of the text I need).

Buying choice: Book Reviews, Recommendation or Browse? 

I get books through a mix of these three forms - mainly through reviews and browsing, but sometimes through a recommendation. I'll read anything.

Collection (short stories by the same author) or Anthology (short stories by different authors)? 

Anthologies can lead to to great writers.

Tidy ending or Cliffhanger? 

It doesn't matter as long as the book is well written.

Morning reading, Afternoon reading or Nighttime reading? 

I read any time of the day or night, though I like to start the day with a bit of reading.

Standalone or Series? 

I'm more a standalone reader. I've been finding that I get a bit disappointed with books two, three etc. Though Harry Potter and Lemony Snicket are the exceptions to this. I was ready to ram the last of the Twilight books up Stephenie Meyer's right nostril. The last book in the Hunger Games series was a bit disappointing from a writing perspective too.

Favorite book of which nobody else has heard?  

Ah. Geoff Nicholson's "Footsucker". Read at your own peril. Chris Cleeve's "The Other Hand" (also known as "Little Bee" is phenomenal.

Favorite genre series? 

You really can't go past Harry Potter. I can still read the series end on end and not get tired of it.

 Currently Reading?

Alexis Wright's "The Swan Book". Possibly the hardest read I've ever tackled. Also one of the most important books I've ever read. Never though I would say that.

5 comments:

Plastic Mancunian said...

Hi Pand,

You can't beat a good bit of horror and science fiction.

Stephen King's Salem's Lot is a genuinely scary book.

And anything by Iain M Banks is just amazing.

Here's a challenge - pop out of your comfort zone and read "The Player of Games" by Iain M Banks and I'll read something you recommend.

Go on - I dare you.

:o)

Cheers

PM

Pandora Behr said...

Actually, I've read Iain M Bank's "The Wasp Factory". Great book.

CountryDew said...

I'm not a horror fan, either. Much prefer fantasy.

I am Harriet said...

"Kindles don't have dust jackets"- thanks! I think this meme may be a bit dated.

zippiknits...sometimes said...

To my horror, I really never read it, but said I did. zzzz past midnight, never again. Asimov is the bedrock of Science Fiction, you might want to try one of his early ones.. the insane robot is great. Kids,Classics, ModLit and junk. ya! :-)