I love book tags! They’re such a fun excuse to geek out about book-related topics, and I saw this particular one on Anne with a Blog. So without further ado, let’s just dive right into these 20 questions!
1— How many books are too many for a series?
I unfortunately don’t read any book series right now but I used to when I was younger. And having read 62 out of the 64 Nancy Drew novels, I pretty much don’t have any right to say that there should be a cap on the number of books in a series. It really doesn’t matter as long as we enjoy reading them!
2— How do you feel about cliffhangers?
For me, the best kinds of books are those that live on long after you finish flipping to the last page. They’re the ones that you find yourself thinking about, feeling about, and turning over and over again in your head in the days or weeks or even years after you finish reading them.
Now, cliffhangers are tricky because unless a sequel’s in the works, they can easily come across as gimmicky—as a shortcut to make books stay with a reader long after the last page. When not done with care, cliffhangers can therefore feel like cheap endings and leave readers feeling dissatisfied. So, I believe that cliffhangers shouldn’t be an end in themselves, rather they should always serve the purpose of the book whatever that may be.
3— Hardcover or paperback?
Paperbacks all the way! Hardcovers will break my wrist one day. They’re so heavy.
4— Favorite book?
I can’t ever choose! So I’m just going to say that one of my favorite books that deserves more readership is Umberto Eco’s The Name of the Rose. Not everyone’s going to like it though because the writing is quite challenging and longwinding and it engages seriously with politics, history, and philosophy. But it’s also very funny and entertaining and the pay-off for reading this is so rewarding. Check out my book review to see if The Name of the Rose sounds interesting to you!
5— Least favorite book?
In recent memory? The Hating Game by Sally Thorne. Oh my God, I really didn’t like it. It’s full to the brim with rom-com tropes I’ve seen a thousand times before, has points of conflict that are so childish they’re unbelievable, perpetuate harmful ideas about men and women, and the sophistication is just bottomline nowhere to be found.
I know that the book’s supposed to be a light fluffy read that makes you feel all warm inside but the only thing that warmed up was my head from all the anger I felt while reading this book! There are so many better romance reads out there like The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows and Beach Read by Emily Henry.
Honestly, the only upside to this book is that the bad reviews for it are so entertaining to read; this particular one always makes my day.
6— Love triangles, yes or no?
Love triangles tend to be an overused trope but when used in ingenious ways, they can absolutely add so much texture and fun to the story!
I think love triangles are at their best when they reveal something about the characters and are not just plot devices used to produce conflict. A well-written love triangle that comes to mind is Kathy, Tommy, and Ruth from Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go. The triangle there added complexity to the themes of the novel, instead of being this stale enforcer of drama.
Similar to cliffhangers then, love triangles are tricky because they’re mostly used as half-hearted shortcuts to generate conflict. It’s also usually very obvious who the protagonist will end up with, which is why love triangles can easily come across as lazy plot devices. To answer the question then, I’ll devour those love triangles as long as they’re used inventively!
7— The most recent book you couldn’t finish?
I tried reading The Invention of Women by Oyèrónké Oyêwùmí a few months ago but had to stop because my brain just wasn’t grasping the concepts. The book was so difficult to understand because it’s an academic sociology and gender studies book that upends the whole notion of gender and I feel like I need someone more knowledgeable to guide me through the concepts.
That being said, it’s really okay to stop reading a book if you aren’t jiving with it! There’s no use finishing a book just for the sake of finishing when you get nothing out of it, and you can always return to it at a later time when you’re in a better headspace or when you’ve honed better reading skills.
8— A book you’re currently reading?
I’m a mood reader, which means that I read what I want when I want and I don’t force myself to continue reading a book if I don’t feel like it. The problem, however, is that my mood changes constantly which is why I’m always reading numerous books at the same time!
Right now, I’m switching back and forth between these three:
- The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
- The Collected Poems by Sylvia Plath
- Building Great Sentences by Brooks Landon
I should say, the key to reading multiple books at the same time is to read books from different genres. In the list above, I have a classic novel, a poetry collection, and a nonfiction book. That’s how I don’t get confused with all the information and plots.
9— Last book you recommended to someone?
I finished reading Less by Andrew Sean Greer last week, was blown away, and immediately recommended it to my younger sister who also loved it so much she devoured it in two days! Greer’s prose is legitimately one of the best I’d ever read and the novel’s nuanced takes on aging, youth, longing, and regrets are moving and thoughtful.
There was also this one part in the novel where I had to stop reading because I couldn’t stop laughing out loud, and I’m smiling to myself right now just thinking about that particular scene. Go read it now!!
10—Oldest book you’ve read by publication date?
The oldest book I read from cover to cover is Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet (1595 or 1596). I read it for school when I was 15 years old so of course I didn’t care much about it. Lol.
11—Newest book you’ve read by publication date?
People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry, which was published just last month! I immediately read it because I love Henry’s other novel Beach Read. Unfortunately, this one is nowhere near as good. While People We Meet on Vacation truly does make you want to go on vacation and enjoy and relax, it’s nothing special. The story’s riddled with rom-com clichés, melodramatic childhood backstories, long sentimental monologues, and frequent flashbacks that stalled the pacing.
These are just my opinion on it though, I know people found it really sweet.
12—Favorite author?
In my Book Blogger Newbie Tag, I named four authors as my favorites but after thinking about it more, my favorite authors are now just Jane Austen, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and Sally Rooney. But honestly, ask me again in six months and I’ll probably have a different answer!
In terms of authors who have the potential to become my favorites though, off the top of my head I’d say Kazuo Ishiguro, Umberto Eco, Jia Tolentino, David Graeber, Albert Camus, and Viet Thanh Nguyen. I’ll have to read more of their books to find out!
13—Buying books or borrowing books?
I don’t borrow books because the libraries near me are not very accessible. But once I’m back to living somewhere near a library, I hope to be borrowing more books!
14—A book you dislike that everyone seems to love?
The Hating Game is still applicable here but just to name-drop a different book I’ll say The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy. This book has so many rave reviews and everyone just seems to love it, so my opinion is definitely in the minority. You can check out my book review for a more in-depth perspective, but in short I found it quite cheesy.
15—Bookmarks or dog ears?
It horrifies me that dog ears are even an option…
16—A book you can always re-read?
Oh my, there are so many books I want to read before I die so I’m definitely not a massive re-reader! I have re-read Normal People by Sally Rooney though and it was somehow even better the second time around?
Dear Ijeawele by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is also so re-readable because it packages profound wisdom in simple and sweet sentences. I consider that book to be an excellent starting point in understanding the basics of feminism.
17—Can you read while listening to music?
Maybe? I don’t know because I’ve never tried that out yet. I prefer reading in silence because I can get easily distracted when reading.
18—One POV or multiple?
I’m still scared to read those multi-generational epics and sprawling sagas wherein each chapter centers on a different character or POV; they just seem so intimidating! I prefer staying with just one character and diving deep into their complexities rather than scratching the surface of numerous characters. So, most of the books I read only have one POV.
I think I’m slowly warming up to books with multiple POVs though. Again, Normal People switches back and forth between Marianne’s and Connell’s points of view and it was intriguing to see a complex character interacting with another complex character. I also recently read The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner, in which each chapter is told from a different POV and it was so interesting to see how different characters remember a particular event differently, or understand the same person differently.
19—Do you read a book in one sitting or over multiple days?
I’m a slow reader so unless the book is really short, I really can’t finish anything in one sitting! I’m not sure I even want to actually, because as long as I’m in the process of reading a book, that book is going to be simmering in my mind. And when I leave and come back to it and leave and come back to it, I’m able to build connections and understand the book better. It’s like writing an essay—it’s better to write small portions of it each day so that you can continue writing it the next day with a fresher mind.
I do binge-read some really addicting books though, especially mysteries like The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides, but even then it would still take me 2-3 days to finish them. There are also some books in which binge-reading may be detrimental to the reading experience. I think poetry collections, for example, shouldn’t be read in one go or rushed through because poems need some breathing room for you to properly enjoy and contemplate about them.
20—One book you read because of the cover?
I don’t remember reading any book strictly because I liked its cover, but beautiful covers can definitely motivate me to read the book even more. I mean, just look at the cover of My Year of Rest and Relaxation and tell me you aren’t intrigued by the book!
What are your favorite and least favorite books, favorite authors, and books you can always re-read? Any book that you’re reading right now? Have any opinions on cliffhangers and love triangles as well? Let me know your thoughts! I would love to hear about them in the comments.
Do this 20 questions book tag if you want to as well, by the way. Go ham!
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Thanks for reading this post and as usual, HAVE A BLAST READING BOOKS!
— Alyanna
