Hello!

Something a little different today. I was challenged by The Swordsmith to do a Would You Rather: Book Edition. This was fun – although some of the questions were just plain mean!

Would you rather read from a hardback, paperback or E-book?

Paperback is my top preference. I’m dyslexic, and I find it easier to read print, rather than digital, especially as it’s easier to flick back to parts that my brain skips over. Hardbacks I love because they’re beautiful, but they’re also heavy, and years ago I managed to give myself a black eye with the hardback of Order of the Phoenix, so I’ve been a bit wary of them since. However, I am not against e-book and I have been reading quite a few this year, I just find it takes me a little longer to get through the book, and I’ve lost count of the number of times I have tried to go back and ended up skidding through a dozen pages rather than one or two.

Would you rather crack the spine of a Paperback book or ruin a hardback’s dust jacket?

Neither? If I really had to choose one, it would depend on if the hardback also had the image underneath the dust jacket. If it did, then I would sacrifice the jacket – they can be a pain anyway. If it was just a plain book under the jacket though… then the paperback would get it.

Would you prefer info dump on a world/magic system to a drip-feed technique?

It really depends on the book/writing style. Sometimes, info dumps are great, and if done right they haul you straight into the world, and sometimes it is nice to get that knowledge of the world all at once early on so that you know what is going on. Other times, it is too clumsy and can break you out of the narrative. The same is true of the other methods, sometimes those little hints or ‘drip feed’ can draw you into the world more slowly and organically and that can be great, but other times it can be too sparse or confusing. It really does depend though, so both are good under the right circumstances.

Would you rather jump on board with a book series and wait to see if it gets traction or wait for a successful book series to be brought to your attention?

The first one, although the second one often happens. I will read anything that catches my attention. Unless reviews are absolutely terrible (when I actually look at them), I will usually give it a go as long as it catches my attention. I would much rather read things that interest me, than are necessarily ‘successful’.

Would you rather have dinner with your favourite character or author?

This was a hard one – looks longingly at Crys Tailorson from the Godblind Series – but I think I would say author (although who to pick? – I am not sure I have an absolute favourite author – although I think it would boil down to Anna Stephens, Sarah Chorn or Anthony Ryan – as my other picks have already passed on). A single character could talk to you about their story and world – how they experience it, but an author would have so much more to talk about and not just books, although that would be great to talk about and it probably wouldn’t be limited to one character/world.

 

Would you rather have a soft magic system or a hard magic system?

This is another difficult one because I enjoy both if they are done right. However, if I had to choose I think that I would say hard magic system (although I am fairly sure most of my favourite books are more ‘soft’), but when it is done well, I like to see how the rules are made. What are the limits? What are the ways of breaking those limits? Sometimes, I feel that there is more chance for something unique or new in a hard system, but that is just my personal take on it.

Would you rather read duologies, trilogies or standalone books?

I am a sucker for trilogies, I like being in for the long haul in a world that I love, and if I enjoy a writer’s work then I want to read as much as possible. That said, on the end of the spectrum, standalones are great, because they can introduce you to a new world, and you can have more time to hop from book to book finding new worlds and characters to fall in love with, and you don’t have the sometimes agonising wait for the next instalment. In conclusion, though, I just love books, and will read them in any shape or form…

Would you rather read self-published or traditionally published authors for 2 years straight?

This is just a cruel question, why would you cut yourself off from one or the other? My favourite books at the moment are self-published, but my favourite trilogies are traditionally published, and oh I just don’t know… I suppose if I really had to pick… On the one hand, I want to say self-published, because there is so much amazing stuff out there, and in fact, I am about to embark on the Indie Fantasy Addicts summer challenge, so there are so many self-published books in my near future. There’s also the fact that I am aiming for self-publication, so I want to read what’s out there because of that… But on the other hand, there is so much amazing traditionally published fantasy that I want to read, and my tbr pile is weeping at me as I consider this.

….

In the end, I rolled a dice. When in doubt trust the D20 (1-10 self-published) and 11-20 (traditionally published) and I rolled a 9 so self-published it is…and I would just make a to-read list of the traditionally published ones I would be missing out on.

Would you rather be stuck in your favourite fantasy/sci-fi world or your favourite fantasy/sci-fi book?

A world for sure, because even with places like Middle Earth there are parts we don’t necessarily see or experience within the confines of a single book, so if you were stuck in the world you would be able to wander off and explore…

As for which world, as much as part of me would love to say Middle Earth. I think I would either choose the world of Godblind (Rest in peace me…) or the world of Daevabad as it is such a rich, fantastic world (and I am counting down the days until book 3).

Would you rather be allowed to read one book series (as it’s published) or all the books by one author?

   Another tricky one, because there are some series that are just *heart eyes and sparkles* (usually in the darkest way possible) and then another series by the same author isn’t quite your cup of tea, so you stick with that one series. On the other hand, there are some authors you just want to read and read and read, regardless of what they are writing….

I think I would choose all the books by one author, and just based off my current favourites I would choose Sarah Chorn – her first book ‘Seraphina’s Lament’ blew me away completely and remains firmly at the top of my favourites list. And her more recent ‘Of Honey and Wildfires’ set in a completely different world did the same, and I will happily devour all her future books too.

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Would you rather read fantasy or science-fiction?

Would you rather have your favourite book adapted into a film or into a television series?

Would you rather have to reread your least favourite book every month, or never read your favourite book again?

Would you rather secretly love a book everyone else hates, or secretly hate a book everyone else loves?

Would you rather dog-ear your book, or never be able to mark your place?

Would you rather listen to your favourite book as an audiobook narrated by the worst narrator ever, or never read it again?

Would you rather have a disappointing end/unfulfilled cliffhanger, or lose your favourite character?

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Whether I have tagged you or not, feel free to jump in and I look forward to seeing your answers!

Rowena