The Bookworm’s Tag

Hello!

My lovely friend E. G. Bella nominated me for The Bookworm’s Tag!

Although I don’t write book reviews on this blog, I do spend a lot of time on my bookstagram, so I decided to join in the tag!

Here is the official blog tag graphic:

And here are the rules:

• Thank and link to the blogger who nominated you (Thanks E. G. Bella!)
• 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.
• And have fun!

Now on to the questions!

1. When is your ideal time to read?

I like to read at night. Most nights, I try to get in the same bedtime routine:

• Listen to music
• Write a page in my journal
• Read a chapter or two of my current read
• Fall asleep.

I also read during the afternoons, but I try not to read when I should be working on something. So nighttime is usually best.

2. Standalones or series?

9 times out of 10, I prefer standalones.

That way, I read the book, and then I can move on to the next one.

Big series can be fun, but they’re also a big commitment. Since there’s so many books I want to read in the near future, I would rather read a standalone, just so I don’t have to commit to seven or eight books about the same characters.

(Trilogies are okay, depending on how badly I want to read them.)

3. Do you ever skip around while you’re reading?

Does this mean skipping around in the book, like reading chapters at random? Or when your eyes do that thing where they just skip paragraphs? Or does it mean physically skipping around while reading? xD

As far as accidentally reading ahead, I used to do that all the time. Spoiled a lot of books for myself that way.

Now, I sometimes skip long paragraphs if I can tell that it’s just going to be a worldbuilding info dump. But besides that, I try to stick with one book at a time, reading it from front to back.

(And no, I don’t physically skip around while reading a book either. I’d probably trip over something!)

4. What’s the best book you’ve read so far this year?

THAT’S SUCH A HARD QUESTION.

Over on my Instagram account (@lauryn.reads *winkwink* you should go follow me), I’m currently filling out a bracket to decide what my favorite book of 2022 will be. But I still can’t pick a favorite.

Can I pick a top 3?

• “The Hazel Wood” by Melissa Albert. (The best dark magical realism book. Reminds me of WandaVision, Stranger Things, and Once Upon a Time.)

• “The Love Hypothesis” by Ali Hazelwood. (The first time I really enjoyed a rom com book. Fantastic. Cheesy, predictable, but fantastic.)

• “A Gathering of Shadows” by V. E. Schwab. (Book 2 in the Shades of Magic trilogy. Amazing. So many great characters that get all tangled up with each other. But you have to read the first book before you read this one, obviously!)

5. Do you have a favorite story trope? If so, which one?

Mind controlled characters. Any character who is controlled against their will, a la the Winter Soldier.

Another trope I love is hurt/comfort. I tend to be a sucker for that kind of thing. If one character gets hurt, there had better be another character around to tenderly bandage their wounds while scolding them for getting hurt.

Bonus points if the injured character grabs the other character’s hand and kisses it. If that happens, I will melt.

When it comes to romance subplots, I love grumpy x sunshine couples.

Also, villain x hero!!! (Provided the villain is actually a villain, and the hero is actually a hero. Too many books say they have a villain x hero romance, but it ends up just being two morally grey characters who fall in love.)

6. What color are most the covers of the books you own?

Black. They’re almost all black.

That’s what happens when you read a lot of dark fantasy.

If a book on my shelf isn’t black, it’s probably light blue.

7. Do you ever read nonfiction books? How often?

To be honest, whenever I think of nonfiction, I tend to think of this gif:

Nonfiction makes me think of textbooks, and assigned reading, and theology books.

But then I remember that I actually do read nonfiction. It’s never philosophy, or biographies, or self help. Nothing that I have to read cover to cover.

I read nonfiction books about writing, and dog breeds, and crocheting, and anything else that I want to learn about. Short how-to books with lots of pictures!

So I guess the correct answer is yes, I read nonfiction. Not very often, though.

8. What is your least favorite genre?

My least favorite genre is… undecided.

Can I judge a genre even if I haven’t read it?

I found a couple of rom coms that I like, but I’m not sure how I feel about romance without the comedy part. Specifically, dark romance and erotica. No desire to read either of those genres.

Some other genres I’m not too thrilled about are horror, mystery, and Young Adult.

I’ve read a couple of books that could be classified as YA horror, and I enjoyed them, but I don’t know how I feel about reading adult horror. I like scary stories, but I have a limit when it comes to gore and violence. So I think I’m going to continue avoiding adult horror for now.

I don’t remember the last time I felt compelled to read a mystery book. Nothing against mystery, I just… don’t really care.

And YA is tricky. I feel like YA books are either meant for 13 year olds (glorified Middle Grade), or 18 year olds who are fine with reading about sex and violence. At that point, it just feels like reading an adult book, but with shorter sentences.

I never really got the point of YA as a teen, and I don’t feel the need to be one of those adult women who exclusively reads YA books. I’m happy sticking with the adult section.

8.5 Favorite Genre?

Fantasy!

Specifically, portal fantasy.

Or magical realism, like the movie “Encanto.”

Basically, any story where magic is possible, or books set in an alternate world.

9. About how many books do you usually read in a year?

Well, like most people, I used to read all the time in middle school, then I read a little less in high school, and then just forgot about reading after that.

In 2020, I read one book, and in 2021, I read three books.

Now, thanks to the constant need for content on my Instagram, I’m reading so much more than I used to, and it feels amazing!

So far, I have read 16 books this year.

My goal is to read 50 books in 2022. Do you think I’ll make it?

And last but not least, the final question:

10. Which of these three are most important to you: plot, worldbuilding, or characters?

This is a tricky question.

Worldbuilding is probably the least important to me. I want it in the book, but I don’t need it as much as the other two.

Characters are important to me. I love a good character-driven story.

However, when I’m reading, the most important element to me is the plot.

For example, I enjoyed “The Maze Runner” by James Dashner, “A Deadly Education” by Naomi Novik, and “The Girl From the Well” by Rin Chupeco. All three of these books are more about the plot than the characters.

I can overlook boring characters if the plot is exciting enough.

Now, would I prefer a book that has both a strong cast of characters AND a good plot? Yes.

However, if I have to choose, I’d pick plot.

Somehow, that feels like the “wrong” answer? Like I’m supposed to prefer the characters?? Well, I’m an honest blogger, and now you know my opinions on this.

What do you think about this? Do you prefer characters, or plot? Let me know in the comments!

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Okay, that’s it for my answers! Thanks again to E.G. Bella for the tag.

The five bloggers I would like to tag are:

• Smudged Thoughts (https://smudgedthoughts.wordpress.com/)
• Marked with an M (https://markedwithanm.wordpress.com/)
• Emily Elizabeth Teixeira (https://emilyteixeiracom.wordpress.com/)
• The Orang-utan Library (https://theorangutanlibrarian.wordpress.com/)
• Allie Jo Anderson (https://allieandersen.com/)

And YOU, if you’d like to join in!

My questions for you:

1. Do you listen to music while you read?
2. What’s your favorite genre? Why?
3. What’s a book that you always recommend?
4. In the last book you read, would you rather marry the sidekick or marry the villain?
5. Do you use bookmarks? If so, what’s your favorite bookmark?
6. Do you like to read indoors, or outdoors?
7. Duologies or trilogies?
8. Have you ever written fan theories or fanfiction about a book?
9. Favorite author(s)?
10. Do you prefer happy endings or sad endings?

That’s all for now!

Thanks for reading, and I’ll be back again soon with a new post.

• Going on Hiatus
• In Defense of Writing as a Hobby
• How to Use Voice Claims for Your Fictional Characters
• 3 Things I’ve Learned By Taking a Break
• 2023 Year in Review