Ayunda @ Tea and Paperbacks tagged me for the new idea she dreamed up. Not sure I can do the questions justice but here goes.
One: Reading on the couch or on the bed?
Most of my reading is done in bed. Ever since I was a child I’ve had to have some quiet reading time to myself before falling asleep. I have to be absolutely zonked not to read (I have been known to fall asleep with book in hand).
Two: Male main character or female main character?
I know sitting on the fence is not part of the rules but I absolutely have no preference either way on this point.
Three: Sweet snacks or salty snacks when reading?
If I’m reading in bed then I’m not eating full stop. But when I read during the daytime – if I’m on holiday or on a flight somewhere, then my snack of choice has to involve chocolate. The more chocolate the better….
Four: Trilogies or quartets?
Since I can remember reading only one quartet and no trilogies then its going to have to be quartet. My one and only venture here is Paul Scott’s the Raj Quartet which I love. He then went on to write a fifth novel Staying On which set in the same hill station in India as the quartet and featuring some of the lesser known characters and is superb.
Five: First person point of view or third person point of view?
Sitting on the fence time again. The best novels for me are the ones where ostensibly its a first person narrator but then they refer to themselves as if they are a different person so you get the benefit of both first and third person narrative. Take a look at Jane Eyre if you want an example
Six: Reading at night or in the morning?
Mornings? What are they?
Seriously, I am either not awake enough in the mornings to do more than scan the newspaper and peruse a few emails OR I am running late for work so don’t have time.
Seven: Libraries or bookstores?
I’m biased here. I love public libraries so much I’ve been campaigning for the last year to save the one in my village from closure. From June it looks like I will be helping to run it as a volunteer service.
Eight: Books that make you laugh or make you cry?
Oh cry for sure. Books which are meant to be funny often leave me frustrated because it seems the author is having all the fun rather than me. Or they are trying to hard.
Nine: Black book covers or white book covers?
I love the black covers of the Penguin Classics – not so much because of the colour but because they always feature an original work of art. Reading these editions makes the experience even more delightful.
Ten: Character driven or plot driven stories?
Probably character driven. I do read the occasional crime novel which by its nature is focused on the plot but I tend to forget them easily whereas the character based stories I can recall more easily (especially if I enjoyed it). I’m reading one of the ultimate character-driven novels right now – Mrs Dalloway. Fascinating to see how she spins a whole novel out of one day in which not that much really happens.
Now its your turn
I don’t pass along tags but if these questions interest you, feel free to join in.