Reading meme

I found this reading meme on Lauren Reads YA and since I’m a sucker for questionnaires I wanted to participate. :)

Physical book or e-book?
I’ve read a few books on my iPad but I find my eyes get really tired from it. I don’t know if it’s because the iPad screen isn’t optimised for long periods of reading? I’ve heard Kindle screens are amazing so maybe it would be different if I used one of those?
Regardless, I don’t think e-books can compare to the feeling of holding a real book in your hand, manually flipping the pages and smelling the paper.

That sounded almost dirty, didn’t it?

Audio or book in hand?
I can’t listen to audiobooks. For some reason, I find it difficult to concentrate on the story unless I drop everything else and just sit still and listen, and in that case, I might as well read. Strange as I have no problem listening to a TV show (having the TV on while walking around doing other things) or listening to music, but audiobooks make me stressed. Weird.

Paperback or hardcover?
I don’t really care as long as they don’t do this:

I don’t know what it’s called in English, but it’s a hardcover with a paper wrapping and I hate it. Were they too cheap to print the title directly on the cover? If this is the only type available I will probably refrain from buying the book. Ugh.

Adult or Young Adult?
Maybe I’m getting old, but I generally tend to prefer adult characters with adult problems. Regardless of genre.

Series or standalone?
Standalone. It’s a bit of a problem when you’re a fantasy nerd since every fantasy author in the entire world seems to be writing epic super series… My problem is that I tend to get so involved in the story I’m reading that I can’t read anything else until it’s finished. I’m a one book at a time kind of person, so if I read a series I have to read every single book until I can proceed with something else. This can be more than a little time-consuming and sometimes puts me off starting massive series since it feels like such a huge project to get a hold of them all.

Said the girl who has a bookcase full of series… Ok, so I don’t REALLY care. I’ll read anything.

Dog ears or bookmarks?
Bookmarks if it’s a hardcover, dogears if it’s paperback. Usually.

Breaking the spine or barely opening the book?
I hate that first time you open a hardcover and try to carefully pry it open and it gives off this horrible CREEEEAAAK like I’m torturing it. 8O By the time it’s finished the back is usually pretty broken though.

Borrow or buy?
I tend to buy. Partly because I’ve always wanted to have a library of my own and partly because I absolutely suck at returning books on time. I still go to the library every once in a while (I love the atmosphere there) and I occasionally borrow something but it never fails: I will return it past due date.
Buying is kind of stupid though since in reality I don’t have any bloody room to have a library! I really should try to start reading ebooks instead. Maybe investing in a Kindle would be a good idea after all?

Bookstore or online?
I love physical books stores for pretty much the same reasons I love libraries – you get to stroll around among the books, letting your mind wander, reading a little bit here and there, flipping through pages at random, smelling the paper, and suddenly stumbling upon something great that you didn’t even knew was there before.
Online is cheaper and more convenient, but it’s also less personal and I usually only get just those books I set out to buy and don’t wander around like I do IRL.

Fiction or non-fiction?
Right now I have a book on my bedside table about furniture and interior design through the ages and I also have the Ozzy Osbourne biography I Am Ozzy on my reading list. I like non-fiction, but I’d say 95% of what I read is fiction.

Fantasy world or real-life issues?
My first thought was “fantasy world” but it actually doesn’t matter, a good story is a good story regardless if it takes place in Westeros or Afghanistan. Same for bad stories. It’s just that fantasy worlds tend to have magic and swords and dragons and all sorts of awesome stuff like that and reality-based books tend to… not have them. Truthfully I’ll read just about anything as long as it’s not crime drama. The CSI shows on TV bore me to tears and books of the same genre do the same.

Monster read or short & sweet?
Depends on my mood. Sometimes I want to just dive into a long, complex story and get lost for hours and days and sometimes I just want a quick fix.

Starry-eyed romance or full of action?
I don’t think a book needs a love story to be interesting, and I’ll probably cringe if it gets too sugary sweet, but I don’t mind it either. I’m actually quite fond of so-called chick lit which is often romantic. :) But I also love action books, so it doesn’t really matter.

God, I’m such a book slut. My answer to all these questions seems to be “doesn’t matter, I’ll read anything with letters”. :P

Curl up in a Snuggie or bathe in the sun?
Not that I even own a Snuggie, but I definitely prefer staying in and getting cosy. I’m so not a beach person.

Read the review or decide for yourself?
I rarely read reviews in advance. Sure, I might hear someone say “that book is great” and decide to look into it, but I don’t normally read anything about the book before reading it and I don’t base whether or not to read a book on its reviews.
Sometimes I check the reviews after reading a book though, like if it’s a book I really really liked (or really really hated) just to see what others thought of it.

Zombies or unicorns?
Unicorns! :D Zombies are cool too, but when in doubt always choose the one with a tail.