Suntag: The Rapid Fire Book Tag

I was tagged in August (yes, August!) by the adorable and cute Marshie (or Drew for the rest of the word) to do the Rapid Fire Book Tag! If you don’t know who Drew is, what is wrong with you? Go over at The Tattooed Book Geek for brilliant and detailed reviews and the most wonderful and powerful poems (even if I still can’t believe he killed Fluffy!).

eBooks or physical books?

The hardest question first! A year ago, I would have answered that physical books are life and everything else can go to hell. Now I’d say the perfect reading session includes both. I panic if I leave the house without my Kindle because I feel naked without books in my bag (and until I get a bottomless one like Hermione, I can’t take more than two physical books without breaking my back), but I get my comfort from the feeling of a page between my fingers and the weight of a physical book in my hand.

Bonus point for the Kindle and its light. I suffered from many headaches because physical books are hard to decipher in the dark and the lazy lady I am can’t bother to switch on the light when she’s comfortably sitting on the couch.

Paperback or hardback?

Paperback. All the way. To the moon and back. Hardbacks are gorgeous, they get an earlier release, and they’re heavy enough to be good weapons in case of a zombie attack, but I find them less practical to read. Sure, they look good on a shelf, but I don’t buy books to only display them. Hardbacks look like pieces of art and it makes me nervous to put my dirty hands on them. Paperbacks fit in a bag, they don’t mind the company of makeup, bottles of water, and they do their jobs. Sure, I have to wait a little more to buy them, but the longer the wait…

Online or in-store book shopping?

Online shopping for my wish lists because it is easier when you know what you want when you’re on a website. But if I want to be spontaneous (which I rarely am) and treat myself, there is nothing better than spending two hours in a bookstore, browsing and touching spines to find a book you would never have discovered in front of your screen.

Trilogies or series?

It depends on the author’s ability to make things run smoothly throughout several books. It is very difficult for a second book in a trilogy to be good, but it is just as hard for a series to keep a fresh and interesting touch after the 8th book!

Heroes or villains?

Is the hero a conceited lady who only cares for guys and clothes? In that case, give me a villain (especially if he looks like DT). Joke aside, I tend to go for the heroes, unless the villain is so well-written that … No, what, who am I trying to fool? Heroes. I can’t help rooting for the good guys.

A book you want everyone to read?

All of my 3, 4 and 5 stars books? Haha!

You might already know my answer to this question. I cannot NOT use Furiously Happy here. I want everyone to read it so they can try and understand better what mental illness is about and what not to say to someone suffering from it. There’s still so much to learn, so many people who are ignorant on the subject. This book can help change the situation. Warning, do not read if you don’t understand humor.

Recommend an underrated book.

I’ll go with The Dali Deception because it doesn’t resemble anything I’ve read this year and it’s a really cool story.

The last book you finished?

Descriptions of Heaven, by Randal Eldon Greene. More about it later!

Weirdest thing you used as a bookmark?

A ball of hair from my dog at the groomer salon!

Used books, yes or no?

YES! All books deserve a home, even those who have had a life before you! I don’t own more than a couple because I live too far away from any good secondhand bookshops, but used books have a history, and I love the sense of mystery that comes with it.

Top three favorite genre?

Psychological thriller, crime, dystopian! Nothing fun really.

Borrow or buy?

Buy! There is too much pressure in borrowing a book! You should see me with library books. I treat them as if they were designer bags.

Characters or plot?

Well, if one of the two is lacking in substance, the story won’t be as good. You don’t ask a parent to choose between kids, you don’t ask a reader if they prefer characters or plot!

Long or short book?

Good book. That’s all I want – a good book. The size doesn’t matter. But I am less likely to pick a book which is too heavy or large. 1000 pages? Nope, no thank you. Cut it in a series if you want me to digest so many pages.

Long or short chapters?

It depends on the story. The only time a chapter length bothered me was when I was reading A Game of Thrones. Someone tell Martin he needs to cut those chapters!

Name the first three books you think of.

• A Suitable Lie, Michael J Malone => I’ve been dying to read it. If luck is on my side, I will be in bed with this book tonight!
• White Noise, DeLillo => another assigned book I still haven’t started. It’s currently staring at me from my desk.
• The Gift, Louise Jensen => I was talking about it this morning. I can’t wait to get it!

Books that make you laugh or cry?

I’s say laugh, but you can guess from my favorite genres it does not happen a lot. But I’m not a big fan of tears, they ruin a good makeup. I’ll go with whatever I’m in the mood for when it’s time to pick a book.

Our world of fictional worlds?

Tough one. There are so many things going wrong in our world (No, it was not a reference to the Trump issue) but I probably would not survive in a fictional world, except for Harry Potter’s, because hey, magic wands!

Audiobooks: yes or no?

YES. I love listening to them when I’m walking the dogs. No matter how busy the day is, I know I get 4×20 minutes of “reading” done each day. The only downside is their price.

Do you ever judge a book by its cover?

Who doesn’t? I tried not to but there is always a cover that catches your eye and makes you jump on it before you can even think of reading the blurb. I was lucky that my last cover loves were good ones.

Book to movie or book to TV adaptation?

Book to book! The only adaptation I never regretted was Harry Potter. I also found the movie version of Me Before You more convincing (nope, I did not cry either) but I’d rather books stayed books. To make it a TV adaptation, you need a lot of material, and I feel they tend to take even more liberties than with a movie.

A movie or TV adaptation you preferred to the book?

I know there is one, but I can’t recall its name now *searches frenetically through her mind*

Series or standalone?

Both are fine with me. I’m a little leery of series as they often disappoint me at some point. I’m still so mad at James Dashner for The Death Cure. Also, I feel so sad when a series starts to lose its shine, so if I really had to choose, I’d go with a good standalone.

I tag

• Inge @ The Belgian Reviewer
• Amanda @ Hanging with Amanda
• Lilly @ Lair of Books
• Megan @ Bookslayer Reads
• My favorite banana @ The Orang-Utan Librarian