Thank you to Meg’s Magical Musings for tagging me!
(This is actually the first time I’ve been tagged in something like this, so fingers crossed I don’t royally screw it up. Also apologies for being a bit late to the party…)
The Rules:
- Thank and link to the blogger who nominated you
- Include the tag graphic in your post
- Answer the ten questions the blogger asked
- Nominate between five and ten bloggers
- Ask your nominees ten book-related questions!
- Don’t feel bound to these rules
- (Most importantly) Have fun!
The Questions:
1. What is an example of a book you love that you thought you would hate?
Well, I don’t tend to pick up books that I think I’ll hate (I usually have the opposite problem: a book I thought I would love completely lets me down), so I’m going way back to high school assigned reading for this question. I definitely didn’t think I’d enjoy Of Mice and Men when we had to read it freshman year, but I ended up loving it. Its ending has stuck with me ever since.
2. Were you ever close-minded to a genre of books?
I’m a “never say never” kind of girl, so I’d like to think I’d give any genre a chance. But I definitely don’t tend to pick up a lot of nonfiction. Most of the time, I pick up a book for the escapism or entertainment factor, so books with “serious” educational subjects tend to scare me away. That being said, if someone highly recommended a nonfiction book, I’d definitely consider it.
3. What do you look for the most in a tragedy?
Man, I honestly don’t read a ton of books that I’d classify as “tragedies.” But I do enjoy a book that tackles important issues in a thought-provoking way. In these books, what I’m really looking for is honesty and a new perspective. I don’t want authors to throw their opinions at me. I want complex characters dealing with real life issues in an authentic way. These are the types of plotlines that can tug heartstrings and make an impact.
4. Triolgies or Quartets?
Can I cheat and say Duologies? I find that Trilogies have become such a standard (particularly for YA) that storylines tend to get stretched out and forced, leading to Second Book Syndrome. I do feel like quartets tend to have this problem less. The fact that they’re less common/standard means the author is usually writing four books because the story requires four books. But I also tend to find longer series more intimidating. I have a bad habit of losing interest in the middle of them (especially if I have to wait a while between releases), and I either never finish them or force my way through the last books out of a sense of obligation. Duologies tend to be that sweet spot for me.
5. Retellings: Yes or No?
Yes, yes, a thousand times yes! The English major in me will always love looking at classic stories in new ways. Sure, fairytale retellings have become a bit of a fad recently, leading to a certain amount of burnout, but if the author has done their research and has a new (rather than cliché) twist to put on it, I’ll always be down.
6. Is there a movie you believe is better then the book?
I want to say yes, but I’m honestly having trouble thinking of one. I haven’t actually read Lord of the Rings, but I’m fairly certain I enjoyed the movies more than I would the books. (I just personally tend to get lost or bored with long, complicated high fantasies.) I guess that will have to be my answer for now?
7. If you could write a book with different literary characters, which characters would you pick?
Hmmm, I’ve never written fanfiction before—the thought of commandeering someone else’s character has always overwhelmed me—but it might be fun to write a monster mash-up book with Dracula, Frankenstein’s monster, and Beowulf?
8. Fashion a love triangle with characters you love (or a friendship trio if you don’t like love triangles).
First, I would like to state for the record that I wholeheartedly support love triangles—when they’re done well. But a lot of my favorite characters ended up in relationships that I support too much to try to break them up for an imaginary pairing. So I think my trio of friendship would be Kenji (from the Shatter Me series), Fin (from the Aurora Cycle series), and Maritza (from Cemetery Boys). What can I say, I have a soft spot for the sassy/strong side character.
9. Do you still read Middle Grade?
I honestly haven’t read a Middle Grade book in a while, so in that sense, no, I don’t. But that’s not to say I wouldn’t pick one up if someone recommended it to me or it had a particularly exciting premise.
10. What genre would you never read?
Again, I tend to balk at the word “never,” but if the book is nonfiction, it has to be about someone/something very near and dear to my heart for me to read it.
My Tags:
My Questions:
- What book do you absolutely need them to make into a film/tv series?
- Is there an author you’ll never read a (or another) book by?
- What was the last book to make you cry?
- What would you like to see more of in books?
- What is your least favorite trope?
- How do you chose your next book?
- Writing in/on books: Yay or Nay?
- Do you buy or borrow most of your books?
- What was the last book you DNF’d and why?
- Name an underappreciated book you think more people should read.
Laura's Bookish Banter 