Merphy Napier created this tag, but I found it on Brendan’s channel. I highly recommend checking them both out if you are into Booktube!
Which perspective is your favorite?
I think it really depends on the genre, but I lean more towards first person. Something about that feels more personal and it is easier to form a connection with the characters. Some of my favourite books are written in third person, so the perspective isn’t something that I think too much about or has a huge effect on my reading. Also, I have read a few books where second person was used in such a clever way! You by Caroline Kepnes and The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin instantly come to mind.
Which format is your favorite (hardback, paperback, audio, e-book, etc)?
I couldn’t choose between paperbacks and audiobooks! A few years ago I may have said hardback, but I have really come around to a floppy paperback. Audiobooks make up for a pretty significant portion of my reading these days, so I would be remiss not to say they were a favourite. Listening to audiobooks makes cleaning, folding laundry, and cooking much more enjoyable!
Do you prefer a character or plot focused book?
This is an easy one- definitely character-focused. I don’t care how exciting the plot is, if the characters aren’t well developed I will not be invested in the story. However, if I have formed a connection to the characters, the plot itself isn’t as important to me. I am one of those people who actually prefers the start of a book when all of the set up is happening!
Do you care about prose?
Honesty. not really! I know that a lot of people don’t like lyrical or flowery prose, but I really do if it feels authentic and not pretentious. I am also a fan of straight forward prose. As long as the book is well-written, I am open!
How introspective do you want your characters to be?
I think there has to be a balance. I am not a huge fan of books where the character is so in there head the entire time- it can become too tedious. I do want some introspection though because I find that often leads to character growth!
How do you like your relationships?
I love a platonic relationship! I am drawn to family sagas, books that focus on sibling relationship, and books that have the found family trope. I don’t mind a romance, but I prefer to read about a romance in a romance novel that I picked up because I am in the mood for a love story. I am less likely to enjoy a romance when it is a subplot, but of course there are exceptions!
Do you like a lot of description?
It really depends on the genre! I appreciate more description if I am reading fantasy or SciFi because it is important to the world building. There are cases where the descriptions can be over the top and tedious. I am also not one for a ton of character description. For some reason I never remember a character’s hair colour or height anyway!
Do you prefer standalones or a series?
Standalones! But I am starting to embrace series more and more. I love series where each of the books could stand on its own.
Single POV or multiple POV?
I really appreciate multiple POVs because I feel like it allows the author to further develop the story! That said, it is important that each of the voices is distinct, which I imagine is very difficult to pull off! I have been reading more and more romance lately, and I have noticed that I much prefer multiple POVs in my romance, but in some other genres I understand why a single POV works best.
Do you prefer a strong start, middle, or finish?
This is a hard one because ideally the book would be strong all the way through! I think a strong start is most important because I may put down the book otherwise and I will never get a chance to experience the strong middle or end.
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Oh, cool tag!
I prefer character-focused as well and platonic relationships. I love seeing how those relationships strengthen.
Exactly!
Same about not remembering character descriptions. I mean, I will usually remember when I think about it, but while I’m reading, I just imagine the characters however I imagine them. And sometimes, there will be a line that references their appearance and I’ll be like “oh yeah, they’re really tall I forgot.”
Same! Characters description just doesn’t stick with me for whatever reason.
Lovely post! Honestly, I really enjoy it when the prose is flowery enough to be impactful but straightforward enough that it isn’t a string of fancy words with no meaning 😅 I agree with you on introspection, and I think having a little really helps for morally grey characters especially, so we have a good idea of their internal conflict. Haha I think I prefer romantic subplots over an actual romance book…it’s the yearning that gets me every time! And yes, strong starts keep me from putting the book down, and makes it easier to be invested in the rest of the story!!
Loved reading your thoughts on all of these! I love good yearning in my romance as well!
Great tag, I think I will do this one on my blog fairly soon,so thanks for the info. I am totally with you on the character driven aspect. I know many wonderful books where the plot is fairly thin but the character development is so good that it really doesen’t matter.
I agree! Characters over everything else for me!
I agree with most of your answers here.
I like series where the books could be standalones too. I really dislike series where you need to read all of the books and yet each of the books gives so much information about what happened in the previous novel.
I also love a floppy paperback! This is such a great tag – it was really interesting to hear your thoughts 🙂
This was a really interesting tag! Even if it has made me realise how finicky a reader I am, haha. Great post 🙂
I love that! I think it’s important to know your reading taste.
Absolutely! And fascinating to be surprised by your own reading habits. 😅
Great post! I will always prefer a paperback over a hardcover. Also, paperbacks are half the price of hardcovers, so yeah for that. Although in the last few years it seems like paperbacks are taking longer to come out. I remember waiting so long for Little Fires Everywhere to come out in paperback that I just gave up and got the hardcover.
I 100% agree! I’ve noticed that if a book is selling well it takes forever for the paperback to come out. I guess because people are willing to pay for the hardcover.
You and I have very similar tastes. I prefer character-driven stories and platonic relationships as well. I think with the prose question it depends on the story itself. I love flowery writing, but I also love short and straight-forward writing. It really just depends on the story and the perspective the book is told in.
Exactly! A lot of these things depend on the book.