"Would You Rather" Book TAG

... Read only series or stand-alone books?

Well, I don't have an ultimate answer for this one. Truth to be told, I am more often drawn to stand-alones because it doesn't seem like too much of a commitment. It's nice and easy to read just one book and be able to move on to something new after finishing it. You get the closure without having to wait for it for years. Which doesn't mean that you're not going to think about the story/characters ever again. I actually believe that stand-alones have as much of a potential to have an enormous impact on the reader as the series have. That being said, I love series too. Although, there are definitely many struggles you have to go through while reading a series. First of all, there's the commitment you feel after reading the first instalment. Perhaps, some people don't feel that way, but I certainly do. There's just something haunting about unfinished series. On the other hand, I love the possibility of more books when I find myself loving the story. Ocasionally, after finishing a series, I even feel dissaponted that there aren't more books to it. There's also the fear of a heartbreak that sometimes holds me back from starting a new series. If there's six or more books in a series, you can pretty much count on too much drama happening. But of course, there's a possibility of having your heart broken in a stand-alone book too, so it's probably just me being silly. I can't help but fear all the emotions nonetheless. And lastly, there's the problem of waiting. If you start reading the series as it gets published, you will most likely have to wait for a year (in some cases even many years) for the next instalment to come out. Which means that you will probably have to re-read the previous books before the next book comes out in order to get the best of the story. I personally don't mind re-reading books but, if you suddenly find yourself surrouded by tons of unfinished series in which you can't move on unless you go back to the previous books first, it can feel very overwhelming. In order to avoid that, you can wait for the whole series to come out before you start reading it. In that case, though, you risk being spoiled for the story beforehand by other readers, plus you kind of miss the opportunity to join the fandom surrounding the series at the beginning. So yeah, series are really complicated, but I do love them anyway. And I think that in the end, they are worth of all the struggles. I can't say, though, that I would prefer them to stand-alones. Both have definitely their pros and cons... That was certainly very exhaustive first question. I should probably wrtite a separate blog post on this topic. But yeah, there you go...

... Read a book whose main character is male or female?

Since most of my all time favourite books are told from the perspective of the male character, I think it's safe to say that I prefare male characers to the female ones. I would say it's because I am rarely able to relate to female characters in the books, and even though I don't necessarily always relate to the male characters either, I just find them fascinating to read about...

... Shop only at an actual bookshop or online?

I obviously love scrolling through bookshops, but my local bookshops have pathetically small sections with English literature, really. And since I am only reading in English language nowadays, I am forced to do all the book shopping online. But I still go to bookshops whenever I have a chance. Also, I am planning on going to Vienna soon where there are bookshops with planty of English books to choose from, so that's exciting...

... Want all books become movies or TV shows?

Movies, definitely. I am not the biggest fan of TV shows, to be completely honest. They usually drag for too long. The only TV show I've ever been able to watch from the beginning to the very end was Gilmore Girls, and that's not even based on a book. I watched The Vampire Diaries back in the day, but only up to season two. I also enjoyed Pretty Little Liars this time last year, but also haven't been able to get past season two. And I couldn't even finish the first episode of the Shadowhunters, even though I really like the movie version City of Bones.

... Read five pages a day or five books per week?

I mean, of course I would love to read five books a week, but let's be honest, it's more like five pages a day most of the time...

... Be a professional book reviewer or an author?

I used to write a lot on high school and during the following two years, but then I kind of abandoned it for, though I loved the process of writing itself, I didn't have a solid story line to tell. I'd like to get back to it somewhen in the future, though. Writing book reviews I also really like, but I don't want to do it professionally, no.

... Only read the same 20 books over and over or read a new book every six months?
I love re-reading my favourites, but the idea of never experiencing a new book is more terrible to me than not being able to revisit my favourite books. I am glad that I don't have to do this choice for real, though...

... Be a librarian or own a bookshop?

Surprisingly neither. At least not at the moment. I had always wanted to work in a bookshop without owning it. And I had had a chance to do my dream job for a while in London. And it was an amazing experience I will for ever and ever be grateful for. I've learned so many new things and met so many people from all over the world, which was simply great. But as of right now I want to keep my passion for books as a hobby instead of a way of living. In the past couple of years, I have also thought a lot about having my own bookshop. It's definitely something I would love to try out. But unfortunately I am not in a position to open one in the time being. So we'll see what the future holds...

... Only read your favourite genre or your favourite author?

Well, I think I will have to go with my favourite genre. For some of my all time favourite authors have written only a few books so far, and so I would run out of their books pretty soon. It's quite tricky, though, because my favourite genre is perpetually changing. I think I would go for classics then, because there is a lot of different types of books to choose from...

... Only read physical books or e-books?

I think it's no surprise that I would always rather choose physical books. Of course, e-books are amazing when you're traveling etc., but for me it's never only about the insides of a book. I love books as objects too. I appreciate all of the different textures of their covers and papers. I love using them as part of the decor at home, and I love displaying my favourites in order to be reminded of the great stories whenever I look at them...