20 Questions Tag

Another book tag I was tagged for!! 😀 (I’m catching up on them!… Well, I’m trying to.)

I was tagged by Emily from Embuhlee liest, my awesome Robin Hobb buddy-reader. I have no idea who created this tag but shout out to you whoever you are.

How many books is too many books in a series?

12 or 13

Or however much the length of the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan is. I’ve been tempted several times to give up on the story, but I really want to know how things will pan out.

How do you feel about cliffhangers?

I like them when they are used effectively, like in A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin. His cliffhangers kept me reading. But I don’t like them when they are overused, like in the Song of Ice & Fire series at large. After a while, they became annoying.

Hardback or paperback?

Paperback. Always.

Only in dire circumstances do I get hardbacks, like if I really, REALLY need to read the book right away, and still I’ll be pissed at myself for purchasing it. The exception is if the hardback itself has a nice cover design. I don’t mind such purchases.

Favorite book?

Erm… I’m going to cheat and show my two favorite books of the year so far:

Kintu by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi

The Shape of Water by Guillermo del Toro and Daniel Kraus

Both are great books. The story is engaging and the writing is superb. Kintu is magical realism, historical fiction about a cursed family in Uganda, and The Shape of Water is fantasy historical fiction romance about a woman who falls in love with an amphibious man. I love ’em both.

Least favorite book?

She by H. Rider Haggard

I went with the first book to come to mind. It’s well-written and some discussions in it are interesting, like man’s place in the universe and others on religion, but I disliked 99% of the ideas discussed in this book and found the story highly offensive and even insipid because why would an all-powerful woman sit on her ass in a cave for years waiting on her true love?!

Love triangles: Yes or no?

Hell naw

The most recent book you just couldn’t finish?

Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris

But that’s because I was listening to it on audio and had a hard time paying attention. I don’t think I can do essay or short story collections on audio. I’ll finish this using the physical copy.

A book you’re currently reading?

A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin

I have several on the go at the moment and this is one of them. I’m rereading it, but I plan to review it if I haven’t already done so.

The last book you recommended to someone?

My two favorite books of the year:

I keep telling people to read them, and I hope they will.

Oldest book you’ve read by publication date?

Jason and the Argonauts by Apollonius of Rhodes, trans. by Aaron Poochigian

Probably this Greek classic which I read a couple years ago and loved. It’s about Jason and his pals embarking on a quest to steal the Golden Fleece.

Newest book you’ve read by publication date?

How to Love a Jamaican by Alexia Arthurs

It will be published on July 24. It’s a book of short stories about being Jamaican, being an immigrant in the U.S., relationships, love, being a Black queer woman in the U.S., and many other topics. I liked several of the stories and recommend it to those interested in trying some short stories.

Favorite author?

Robin McKinley

I love the way she writes and love how descriptive her prose is. I also love the way she tells her stories and love her stories themselves; most of the ones I’ve read are fairy tale retellings. However, The Blue Sword is not based on a fairy tale. It’s about a girl who is kidnapped and trained to become a warrior who saves a country that’s threatened by a malevolent force. It’s so good and is one of my favorite books.

Buying books or borrowing books?

Buy

I prefer to own my books so I feel free to highlight as many things as I want.

A book that you dislike that everyone else seems to love?

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

This is a very popular one. I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t like it either. The protagonist was annoying and I hated the dialogue.

Bookmarks or Dog-Ears?

**gaspes** Dog-ear my books??!!

I would never do such a thing. I’ve always been against such horrid habits, even as a kid. Bookmarks always. I don’t care what is used as long as it doesn’t soil my book.

A book you can always reread?

Fullmetal Alchemist by Hiromu Arakawa (illus.)

I don’t think I will ever get tired of this story about two brothers trying to regain their original bodies after a failed experiment. It’s a manga series (that I haven’t completed yet) that was made into an anime (that I’ve almost completed).

Can you read while hearing music?

The short answer is no.

Music makes me daydream, so I find it distracting when I’m reading. However some music I can tune out. Music with words are easier for me to tune out than instrumentals, especially classical music. Classical music makes my daydreams more elaborate for some reason.

One or multiple POVs?

Either one.

But I lean more toward a single POV because sometimes multiple POV stories contain POVs that I don’t care for or find boring so it becomes a drag to read those parts.

Do you read a book in one sitting or over multiple days?

Depends on how busy I am.

And these days I’m very busy because I have responsibilities, like work, which takes up loads of time. So multiple days for me.

A book you’ve read because of the cover?

Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch

I love this cover so much. It’s why I bought and read the book. I love the design and the story is pretty decent. I enjoyed it. It’s YA fantasy about…regaining a kingdom.

All done.

😀

I won’t take anyone, but if you feel like answering some questions, go ahead and do it.

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