20 Questions Book Tag: Get to Know Me Better

I'm excited to holding myself to being more of a true book blogger this year instead of just a book reviewer like I have been recently. Last year, my reading really picked up, but I didn't quite hit my blogging stride. While there's nothing wrong with just posting reviews, I want to connect more personally with my lovely community that's been here so long and let you know more of my thoughts and opinions now that I'm older! Or, if you're new here, introduce you to some of my staunch bookish opinions. I'd also love to hear your thoughts on these topics. I had so much fun contemplating my bookish tastes and habits for this, and it's fun to reflect on how I read. So consider this the start of more fun, chatty posts on the blog for 2024. 

Credit for the 20 Questions tag goes to the fellow book blogger Zezee With Books from an index of awesome tags on the blog. And inspiration for doing this goes to Jack Edwards who did this tag on his second channel as part of a call to bring back book tags, so here's my contribution. 

How many books is too many books in a series?

I don't actually like series! I know that might sound bad in the book community, but series stress me out, especially if I'm not aware the book is in a series beforehand. I'm more open to it if I can read all the books back to back, but if I have to wait for a sequel, I'm probably never getting around to reading it. Luckily, I read mostly literary fiction, and there aren't many series in the genre. 

How do you feel about cliffhangers?

Again, since I don't read series, we're talking about cliffhangers that never get resolved here, so more ambiguous endings in a way. This really depends on the book for me. Sometimes, it feels very fitting and appropriate, and I don't like when books get tied up too neatly, but I also don't like when a book abruptly stops with no hints of resolution for readers to make their own meaning out of. Laura and Emma, though, is a book I recently read that ends in a total cliffhanger, and I actually wasn't mad about it! 

Hardback or paperback?

Aesthetically? Hardcovers for sure. For reading? Paperbacks. My arm starts to hurt when I read a long hardcover, and that doesn't make me want to do extra reading. I love how bendy and malleable paperbacks are, but that also means I tend to destroy them accidentally while I read. So I do prefer hardcovers if they're going to live in my personal library and get reread often, but for the actual reading experience, I'd rather have a paperback. 

Favorite book?

This is a seriously impossible question for someone who reads as many books as I do! My two favorites of  2024 so far are Martyr! and Come and Get It. 

But some of my overall top books in the last few years are: The Idiot, Ripe, The Happy Couple, Wellness, Beautiful World Where Are You, Yolk, and The Rachel Incident.

I actually made a friend who's getting into reading novels a list of all my highly rated books from the last few years. Is that something that would be fun to see in a post here?

Least favorite book?

I made a rule with myself a long time ago that unless there was a special circumstance, I wasn't posting anything worse than a meh-feeling review. I also typically DNF before I've read a whole book I'm going to hate. I do remember that Sorrow and Bliss made me actually angry, and I totally didn't get the hype. But I wouldn't say it's my least favorite. Last year, my lowest rated book was 2 stars and went to Glow in the F*cking Dark by Tara Schuster (that censoring is the title's not mine). It's a self help book that seriously grated on my nerves. 

Love Triangles? Yes or No?

On the whole, no, because nobody does them right! There are a couple books out there that construct incredible, well balanced love triangles that show what this trope could be, but so often, there's a clear "right" person and then another random character that's so boring and flat that they just seem like an annoying, pointless diversion. If a book is going to have a love triangle, it better rip my brain in half. (Perfect on Paper is a love triangle that sticks out in my mind as one that worked super well, and I loved the book more for it.)

The most recent book you just couldn't finish?

This isn't about the book itself, this one is wholly on me. But I picked up Blueberries because I've been seeing it all over bookstagram. I didn't know much about it going in. I was intrigued by the writing but didn't understand the form or what was happening at all, and I backtracked and read the summary. I was honestly still confused, but I did notice that there was a certain amount of crime reporting mentioned, and I'm just not in the place to read something like that right now, so I skipped to the next book on my forever long TBR. 

A book you're currently reading? 

As I'm writing this, it's President's Weekend, so I had a full 4 days off, and I decided to pause my normal reading and reread Beautiful World Where Are You because I don't love reading hardcovers while I commute, but I'd been itching to reread this one. After that's wrapped up, I'll get back into Greta and Valdin, which I was 2% into when I interrupted myself.

As far as nonfiction, I'm working my way through a creative writing craft book, which isn't super typical for me. It's called A Swim in a Pond in the Rain by George Saunders, and it's taking me a while to get through all the Russian short stories it's built around!

The last book you recommended to someone? 

I just sent one of my friends who's trying to get into fiction a super long list of every book I've given 5 stars in the last 3-4 years, so that would be a lot to share here. The more simple answer is that I've been trying to get one of my other friends to read Beautiful World Where Are You so we can talk about it (she just started it today and reading her updates has been so fun), and I told my mom she should pick up Martyr!. 

The oldest book you've read by publication date?

This has to go to one of those classics that I've read in school. For my creative writing class this semester we read Oedipus Rex, and Google says that story is from 429 BC, so I don't think we're beating that. The oldest book I've read in the last few years for fun was The Woman Destroyed from 1967.

The newest book you've read by publication date?

I read an ARC of The Last Days of the Midnight Ramblers, so while I read it a while ago, it only came out on February 13th, so that's my answer!

Favorite author?

There's too many to choose a single favorite! This is a funny question, though, because there are certain authors who have a single book that I love love love but then I've been disappointed by the rest of their catalog, and I feel like I can't name them here as an overall top author. I'm trying to think of an author who has a super solid catalog through and through. I guess my basic answer is Sally Rooney. I would also add Erin Hahn from my YA days and Mary H.K. Choi as another all around favorite. 

Buying books or borrowing books?

I mean, buying books is so much fun, but if I bought all the books I read, I'd be broke and drowning in paper. So, in that sense, borrowing. I also love that there's so much less pressure when you're borrowing a book. Don't love a library book? You can DNF in 2 pages and the only burden is having to drive it back to the library. With Libby, even that weight is gone. I'm so grateful to be able to borrow books, especially to constantly have books to read on my Kindle. I love browsing at indie bookstores, but I usually end up only buying books I've read before from the library that I've decided to add to my permanent collection. 

A book you dislike that everyone else seems to love?

I think that instead of creating more controversy, I'll just re-use Sorrow and Bliss here. I won't re-bring up everything I spelled out in that review, but that one was a major let down even though I see it all over bookstagram. 

Bookmarks or dog years?

Bookmark, except I rarely have a bookmark so it's usually a receipt, index card, paper scrap, or, my favorite, a sticky note. Or  even the dusk jacket folded over. I'm not morally opposed to dog-earring, though, and will do that in a pinch. 

A book you can always read?

I'm not sure if there is a single book I could always come back to. I'm such a mood reader that I'm always looking for slightly different things in the books I pick up. But, on the whole, I'm almost always down for some beautifully written prose mining into the life of a lost, stressed out, sad twenty-something. 

Can you read while hearing music?

Yes! I'm weird like this, but I've spent so much time reading throughout my childhood and adulthood that I got used to doing it at recess, while someone else in the house is watching TV, or if there's a lot of chatter nearby, so I got used to reading through noise. On the train, I play music for my walks to and from the station, and for a long time, I just kept the music on while I read on the train. I've only recently started leaving my AirPods in with the music paused. But if I'm trying to drown something out, I'll still read with my regular pop music turned up. It's not my favorite way to read, but at this point, I'm convinced I could read through anything. 

One or multiple POVs?

I'm not picky on this as long as the multiple POVs serve a really compelling purpose and that you've crafted unique, engaging voices for each character. The multiple POV thing is tough because when it's good, it makes for some of the best books I've ever read. But when the voices are flat or if there's one character that I find myself wishing just narrated the whole thing, it will take a book I did like and lower it by a star. One POV is definitely the safe route, but I do like multiple POV stories.

Do you read books in one sitting or over multiple days?

This all comes down to time! Usually, it takes me about 4-7 days to finish a book because life gets in the way, and I'm usually just reading before bed and on my commute. If there's a holiday where I don't have other work to do and I can just read all day, I will absolutely read a book in one sitting. Though, in all honesty, even when I read a book in one day, I rarely finish a book without taking a couple quick breaks to scroll Instagram or get snacks. 

Book you've read because of the cover?

So many! Unless I get a recommendation from someone, almost every book I read starts with the cover. This is definitely true for Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow and the pastel pink color drew me to The Idiot. Ripe and The Happy Couple also recently got me based on the cover. I requested The Rachel Incident off NetGalley because the painting on the cover was so beautiful. I am 100% a judge a book by its cover kind of person. 

More on Reading, Writing, and Me:

Because Internet nonfiction review

Martyr! review

You Are Here review

How to Read Over 100 Books in 2024 From Someone Who's Done It