Category: Book Tag Page 2 of 4

I saw this over at chasing destino, and decided to give it a try–I had a lot of fun with this one, hopefully, you have fun reading this.

Mid-way through putting this together, I had a vision of Tom Haverford and his pals in the Hot Tub playing this game (Parks and Recreation, Season 3, Episode 2: “Flu Season”), and I can’t get it out of my head. Thankfully, these questions are easier (and more tasteful) than anything Tom came up with.

1. Would you rather have a friend who loses your books, or one who dog-ears them?

I’d rather have one less friend.

I don’t know…On the whole, dog-eared pages don’t bother me too much (not that I’ve done that in decades myself)–but I do have some older books that would look nicer if that had never happened to them. But a lost book can simply be replaced–which (barring the book being out of print, the new one having an ugly cover, or some other calamity befalling it) is almost easier to deal with than manhandled pages (especially if said friend secured their spot in my friendship roster by paying for the replacement unprompted). I guess, ideally, I’d take a lost book over a dog-eared one, but a friend is worth more than either.

2. Would you rather secretly love a book everyone else hates, or secretly hate a book everyone else loves?

I have to keep my love or hate secret? That might be a deal-breaker, for me–I just don’t know if I could get by without writing about my love/hate.

There’s a decent number of books I’ve enjoyed that few have read and, and I’m okay with not being part of the crowd when it comes to super-popular books–especially if I can understand why people think it’s great while I happen to disagree with them. If it’s one of those times where I don’t understand what everyone loves about a book, that bugs me.

I think I’d rather hate a book the rest of the world loves. If I’m a fan of a book, I’m going to want to spread the word and try to find like-minded readers. I want that possibility–exposing friends, family, blog readers, etc. to good books makes me happy. Grousing about a book isn’t particularly a thing I enjoy.

3. Would you rather be stuck on a very long plane or train ride without a book?

I’ve never traveled on a train that wasn’t an attraction on an amusement park, so I’m not honestly sure. But I do know that I’ve never been on a plane without at least one book (and usually a backup). Once we get in the air, I don’t think I’d mind flying all that much–but I don’t want to take the chance, I prefer being locked away in another world when we’re at crusing altitude. So let’s try to get me stuck on a very long train ride and see what happens.

4. Would you rather have dinner with your favorite author or your favorite character?

This is a tough one…I assume whatever fantasy-world that could give me this option could also give me the ability to shrug off my anxiety in order to converse with either the author or character? I could have a lot of fun over a steak sandwich or a Whopper with Harry Dresden (for example), but if I broke bread with Jim Butcher, he could tell me a lot about Harry–and Mouse, Toot-toot, Molly, and everyone. Harry couldn’t tell me anything about Butcher. The same would apply to other favorite characters and favorite authors. So, I’m going to have to go with the author.

Although, there’s a better than even chance that Tilly Bradshaw could tell me things about M.W. Craven that he doesn’t know himself.

5. Would you rather date a character you have a crush on or your crush from real life?

I’m pretty sure my wife would object to me dating anyone. I typically turn questions/prompts about book crushes into questions about fictional dogs, so let’s do that here.

Yeah, I’d love to spend some time with Dresden’s Mouse, Andy Carpenter’s Tara, Atticus’ Oberon (especially if I could hear him tell a story), or Washington Poe’s Edgar (and so on). So, put me down for a play date with a fictional dog. Nothing too major–they’ve got a human to hang out with, and I’ve got a couple of pooches that need attention.

6. Would you rather have your favorite book turned into a movie, or your favorite movie turned into a book?

I’ve read some really solid novelizations of movies (and several ‘meh’ novelizations, too). And like everyone who’s reading this post, I’ve both enjoyed and been disappointed/angered by bad adaptations of novels. Even the most barely adequate novelization is better than a bad adaptation. I don’t want to risk it with my favorite book.

Also, it’s easier for me to forget a disappointing movie than it is a disappointing book.

7. Would you rather read a book with an annoying cliffhanger, or one where your favorite character is killed off?

The phrasing here gets me–is the author of the tag suggesting that there are non-annoying cliffhangers and their target is the annoying kind? Or do cliffhangers get this descriptor automatically?

I’ve survived Dragons of Winter Night, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Where the Red Fern Grows, Battle Ground, and Marley & Me–along with several others that I won’t name so I can leave the liquor cabinet untouched today. I can handle deaths of favorite characters. Usually, after a period, understand and defend the author’s choice (fat chance of that happening with Battle Ground)–but that doesn’t mean I’d rather read something like that.

No, give me a cliffhanger–annoying by definition, annoying in practice, or any other kind.

8. Would you rather lose the ability to read any new books, or the ability to reread books you’ve already read?

Oh, wow…this is tough. This ranks right up there with that poor guy from The Twilight Zone who breaks his glasses before getting to spend the rest of his (probably short) life reading.

I’m super curious about new books–I imagine I always will be. Not being able to read a new book again is a dire fate indeed.

Never returning to Wolfe’s brownstone? Not seeing Spenser at his best? Never fighting back a tear when Harry Dresden uses the knife to win a war? Not getting to see Mercy Thompson torment the Alpha next door with her rusted out VW? Never seeing Kinsey Milhone at work again? Reading about Rov and the guys at Championship Vinyl and their Top 5 Lists? Not going through the Wardrobe again? Saying goodbye to Boo Radley? … Nope. Just can’t do that. I’d lose too many old friends and characters who might as well be family.

I guess I’d opt for losing the ability to read new books.

9. Would you rather live in a library or a bookstore?

I think a library would have to be my answer here. I learned a thing or two from Claudia and Jamie Kincaid that I could apply to a library, for one (and, in a library, I’d have an easy time finding a copy to brush up on, too).

Librarians are more likely to have a microwave and decent coffeepot–not to mention decent restroom facilities–than bookstore employees are (except for those bookstores with a coffee bar). Also, in a bookstore, you’d have the pressure of keeping the books pristine and ready to sell. Library books are supposed to be well-read/thumbed-through, so I wouldn’t have to worry about that. Lastly, I think it’d be far easier to hide out in a library than in a bookstore.

10. Would you rather lose your place or get a paper cut every time you read a book?

With losing your place there’s the danger that you’ll get something ruined if you check a page ahead of where you left off–or that you’ll miss something important. Both have happened to me more than I care to think. But I spent one summer in college working in binderies and print-shops and paper-cuts were a near-daily thing–drawing blood at least fortnightly. And…no. Just no. You’d think you’d get used to it, but I never did. I did get a lot better at paper-handling and by late July the cuts were decreasing in frequency, but I never got used the cuts. I’ll take losing my place regularly.

Come to think of it, if anyone is around when I’m reading now (including one of the dogs), I’m bound to get distracted and lose my place anyway.

11. Would you rather have to always read in the dark, or always read books with tiny text?

Well, I get some kind of light, right? I’m not the Newton that wrote Opticks, but I’m pretty sure you have to have some light to see print. So I’m going to intrepret this question as “Would you rather have to always read with very little light, or always read books with tiny text?” Either is not going to do favors for my not-yet-fifty-year-old (but getting close) eyes, but I’m going to go with in the dark/very little light.

Going back to the days when I had a small selection of flashlights next to my bed to use after my folks said “lights out,” I’ve done okay with limited light, frequently without noticing it until my wife turns a lamp on. I still do okay with that–but I think my days are numbered there. Small print is getting harder and harder for me, even with my new bifocals, and I just don’t enjoy it. Large Print editions still give me a headache, so my eyes aren’t too bad, yet.

Of course, if we’re talking about an e-reader, it can be as dark as you want in the room…

12. Would you rather read by a fireplace, or on the beach?

I’ve done both of these repeatedly, so this is easy-peasy. Fireplace.

Fireplaces are indoors, which is almost always a plus in my book. They can be just sitting there inert, or making the vicinity warm and toasty. Either way, it’s an improvement over the absence of a ceiling and the yellow ball of fire overhead. Beaches frequently involve people yelling in the distance, strangers walking by and distracting you, a well-intentioned family member shouting at you to look at something–or telling you that you should put your book down and enjoy things.

Also, fireplaces almost never get sand everywhere on your person, making it too uncomfortable to read. Whereas that’s an ever-present danger on a beach.

As usual, I’m not tagging anyone in this—but I’d like to see what you all have to come up with.

I recently saw this tag both at Read Betwixt Words and Becky’s Book Blog and it looked fun.

Last Book I Bought

The Judgement Book by Simon Hall

This is the fourth book in The TV Detective/Dan Groves Investigates series–I loved the first two books in the series and somehow haven’t managed to read book 3, Evil Valley. Hopefully owning this one will be the kick in the pants I need.

Last Book I Borrowed

I guess technically it be Don’t Know Tough by Eli Cranor, but that’s from the Library and it doesn’t really feel like borrowing (I’m not sure that makes sense to anyone, including me). The last book I borrowed from a person (my son) was Halo: The Fall of Reach by Eric Nylund.

Last Book I Was Gifted

The Story Retold: A Biblical-Theological Introduction to the New Testament by G. K. Beale and Benjamin L. Gladd

I received this from my son and daughter-in-law last year, and have really enjoyed working through it this year.

Last Book I Gave to Someone Else

Madam Tulip and the Rainbow’s End by David Ahern

I got my mother hooked on this series a few years ago, and was glad when he released this around the time I needed a gift for her birthday.

Last Book I Started

In a House of Lies by Ian Rankin

I’m loving being back in the world of John Rebus–Rankin’s ability to keep this ailing and retired detective involved in police cases–and doing so interestingly–is so much fun to see.

Last Book I Finished

Jacked: An Anthology of Crime Fiction edited by Vern Smith

This collection of short crime fiction is exactly what you’d want/expect. There were a few really strong stories and a couple of new-to-me authors that I’ll be on the lookout for.

Last Book I Rated 5 Stars

Don’t Know Tough by Eli Crano

Yeah, it’s a repeat entry for this tag–oh well. Cranor’s debut is one of the easiest 5 Stars I’ve ever given. This thing got into my bones, and I’ll be thinking about it for weeks (at least) and talking about it for months (I know that I’ll mention it at least once in my 2022 wrap-ups)

Last Book I Rated 2 Stars

Better Off Dead by Lee Child and Andrew Child

I am still trying to believe that this hand-off from Lee to Andrew is going to work, but this book doesn’t give me a lot of reason for that belief. Reacher 2.0 makes me want to watch the Cruise flicks for a more authentic feel.

Last Book I DNF’d

The Writer’s Library: The Authors You Love on the Books That Changed Their Lives by Nancy Pearl & Jeff Schwager, narrated by the authors and sixteen other people

Very interesting book–great premise. And the text version probably works well–but the way the audiobook was assembled and read…just unlistenable. (I talked about it some here)

Last Book I Listened To

Black Nerd Problems by William Evans & Omar Holmon

This was just tremendously fun to listen to–but when I sat down to write my post about it today, I came up blank. I’m having a hard time deciding what to talk about, I think–there’s a lot. Anyway, that’s why I did this post instead 🙂

As usual, I’m not tagging anyone in this—but I’d like to see what you all have to come up with.

I was tagged on this by Tabitha over at Behind the Pages—it took me a little longer than I’d wanted it to, I like to try to populate tag posts with books that I don’t talk about that much, or recently. But my first draft of this was full of things from the last few months and/or things I talk about at least once a month.

But hey, we had snow here on a couple of days last week, so it’s still good to have something like this to make me think of more sunny days.

The Sun
A book that stuck with you long after you finished reading:
Every book that I included, or thought about including, in this post really fits this category. But I’m going to go with:

Red Rising by Pierce Brown

I’ve read this twice, and I’m afraid to read it again—I’m not sure I can take it again (as much as I might want to). Everything that Brown puts Darrow through—triumphs and tragedies both—are the kind of thing you don’t forget. Not that any of the books that have followed have been easier on him (probably the opposite), but this is the one that I remember the most—and it’s the one that ensured I’d read everything Brown publishes in this universe, and likely whatever comes after it.

The Sun
A book that burned you:

Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane

Up to this book, I’d read everything Lehane published—and liked/loved all of it (I waver on Sacred, book 3 in the Kenzie/Gennaro series). The back of this book didn’t excite me, but there was no way I wasn’t going to read it. Up until the closing pages, I was interested and occasionally invested in what was going on—it wasn’t going to rank as highly as even Sacred, but the last few chapters got their hooks in me.

And then that ending? That final Reveal? Ugh. You know that line attributed to Dorothy Parker? “This is not a novel to be tossed aside lightly. It should be thrown with great force.” That fits here.

This is also why I haven’t gotten around to the movie, no matter what I’ve heard about it. They’ll either have changed the ending, which would make me mad because I hate when movies do that. Or they’ll have kept the ending, which would make me mad because I can’t imagine I’d ever react differently.

The Waves
A book that calms you down after a long day:
This tripped me up a lot—pretty much “whatever book I’m reading” fits this. But that’s not terribly interesting.

Some Buried Caesar by Rex Stout

For the longest time, when I’d get sick—like stay home from school/work sick—I’d turn to Rex Stout’s Nero Wolfe/Archie Goodwin books like most people turn to chicken noodle soup. Some Buried Caesar was one of those that I turned to most frequently. Wolfe out of his element—particularly in a bull pasture and eating food at a county fair (I don’t care how wonderful the dumplings those Methodist women made, Wolfe fixating on them is comedy gold)—meeting the wonderful Lily Rowan is a favorite moment of mine, and the rest of the cast of characters are right up my alley, too. Sure, in a sense, I prefer Wolfe in the brownstone making the world come to him, but him in the field is almost always a guarantee of fun.

(The Silent Speaker, Too Many Women, The Second Confession, The Mother Hunt also came up a lot in this Chicken Soup role…and no, I can’t explain why these feature so often).

The Bathing Suit
A book with a pretty, summer-y cover:

All Together Now by Matthew Norman

I’m staring at my shelves right now, and I can’t think of a single other cover on them that fits this prompt. The novel isn’t terribly summery in tone, but the cover sure fits.

The Birds
A book that is everywhere:

The Maid by Nita Prose

I can’t tell you how many blogs I’ve seen talking about this book recently, there were a couple of weeks where the cover seemed to be at least a third of the images on my Twitter feed—and then my mother, not someone who’s finger is really on the pulse of anything recommended it to me. Everywhere I go, I’m running into someone showing a picture of this or talking about it. I’m a little on the fence myself (I’ve seen one too many references to Eleanor Oliphant for me in posts about it), but the sheer volume of references is enough to make me waver.

The Company
A book with wonderful characters:
Good grief, this is hard to narrow down to just one. Practically just threw a dart at the shelves

The Snapper by Roddy Doyle

In The Commitments, we meet Jimmy Rabbitte’s family briefly, but the focus is all on them in this follow-up (Jimmy’s barely around). His younger sister, Sharon, finds herself pregnant and the family reacts in a variety of ways to this. Ultimately, rallying to her aid and to care for the little Snapper. It’s funny and heartwarming and each character is perfectly drawn—a mix of strengths, weaknesses, and eccentricities.

The Ice-Cold Drinks
A book you absolutely gulped down:

Ninja Betrayed by Tori Eldridge

I read this over my vacation last fall—and I made it through all but the last 30 pages of this 313 page novel in one sitting—I had to put it down so my wife and I could make an appointment. 8+ hours later, I made it back to finish it. 8 long hours, I’d add. It drove me crazy because the first 283 pages were gripping, I barely noticed the time going by as I flew through the pages—er, gulped them down.

The Fun Memories
A book you can’t wait to return to:

Black Summer by M.W. Craven

I could mention Kings of the Wyld again, here…but it feels like I bring that up in about 60% of the tags I do, so I’m going to go with Black Summer. And not just because it fits the theme of the Tag. (if only I were that clever). Washington Poe and Tilly Bradshaw are likely my favorite pair of new characters in the last few years, and I’d love a chance to re-read any of their books, but this one in particular. It’s creepy, it’s clever, it’s suspenseful, it’s wonderfully written. And I bet it’s just as good (if not better) the second time through—when you can stop and soak in the details because you’re not propelled through it to see how it’s all wrapped up.

As usual, I’m not tagging anyone in this—but I’d like to see what you all have to come up with. This was a fun one

I saw this over at Bookforager’s blog and it was created by The Bumbling Blogger’s partner on YouTube.

First book in a series

Fellowship of Fear by Aaron Elkins

There are numerous first novels in a series on my shelves—many of which I’ve talked about at length, or at least about the series. I haven’t said too much about the Gideon Oliver books, so let’s use this as an opportunity to talk about them a bit. I started these novels thanks to the ABC Mystery Movie series. As charming as Louis Gosset, Jr.’s Oliver was, he wasn’t the forensic anthropologist I got to know in these pages. Lousy adaptations that lead me to good books are still a win in my book. Oliver is no stuffy scholar (although he can be when he gets carried away), he’s a fun character who is seriously into his field of study.

Two or more copies of the same book

I have too many books that could fit here, but let’s go with:

The Lobster Boy And The Fat Lady’s Daughter by Charles Kriel

So there’s the original e-book version and cover; the “plain brown wrapper” paperback Fahrenheit put out anniversary edition commemorating them selling the book initially w/o cover image, title, or author; and a nice, new cover that came out a couple of years ago. (I actually ordered a hardcover edition, too, at one point, but that seems to have never materialized—so I appear to be more restrained than I am)

Funnily enough, a couple of hours after I drafted this, I picked up my third copy of Raskin’s The Westing Game. It’s a nice paperback with a crisp cover image that appealed to me. There’s no real reason for me to have grabbed it, the last thing I need is another copy, I just couldn’t help it. Just one more option that could’ve been put here

Three colors on the cover

The Cartel by Don Winslow

This ended up being harder than I thought—I can find any number of two-colored covers, and even more with a dozen colors. But three? That proved pretty difficult. So, I ended up going back to my old-reliable Don Winslow. I seem to use one of his books on just about every tag (at least it feels that way).

Four or more perspectives

A Plague of Giants by Kevin Hearne

I thought about trying to go outside Fantasy for this one—it seems too easy to name a Fantasy novel for a multi-perspective approach. But the way that Hearne delivers these multiple perspectives is probably my favorite. So, it’s the one I’m going with.

A five-star read

All Our Wrong Todays by Elan Mastai

It’s been a hot minute since I’ve mentioned this one, so let me take this opportunity to since its praises again. Humor, heart, action, mind-bendy time travel science…one of the best SF novels I’ve ever read.

Six (or more) short stories

Planet Grim by Alex Behr

I’ve talked about a decent number of short story collections here, but if you ask me to name one, this is always the first one that comes to mind. Every time. I can’t explain it, but I’m sure not going to argue with my subconscious. Can I tell you anything about any of the stories without grabbing it off of my shelf? Nope. But I can tell you that the collection really impressed me, and that I’d do well to pick it up again.

A seven on the cover or spine

Seven Up by Janet Evanovich

Going back to when I hadn’t grown frustrated with the Stephanie Plum books and could just enjoy them without reservation or qualification. Joe proposes marriage, Ranger proposes something far more temporary, Grandma Mazur is dating a mobster, and…well, there are plenty of antics.

Eight letters in the title

Mad Mouse by Chris Grabenstein

I’m sure I looked funny standing in front of my shelves counting to eight over and over again for this one. This is the second of the John Ceepak/Danny Boyle books, and it proved that the concept was going to work for more than a stand-alone. Someone’s coming for revenge against Danny and his friends for something they did years ago. Thankfully, super-cop Ceepak is there to help.

A book that ends on a page ending in a nine

The Player by Brad Parks

Had to go diving through the logs for this one, to make sure I found a book I don’t talk about a lot, I wanted to go for something older, so I wouldn’t have brought it up a lot recently. This is the penultimate Carter Ross mystery—there’s something causing people in one area of Newark to get sick, and Ross smells a cover-up involving pollutants. When he gets sick himself, it becomes more than just a story.

Ten books in the series

Anna Strong Vampire Chronicles by Jeanne C. Stein

I had the hardest time with this one—I found a couple of 9 book series, an 11/12 or two…and several that were far past 10. At a certain point, I was just going down my shelves counting…The only reason this one qualifies is that 6 years after concluding the series, Stein wrote one more (which I should probably get around to reading). But hey…I’ll take it.

So the Anna Strong books are about a Bounty Hunter who gets assaulted and turned by a vampire, thrusting her into a supernatural world she’s been previously unaware of. She finds herself dealing with supernatural baddies as well as the human criminals that she and her partner (who isn’t aware of the changes in her life) deal with. There’s a strange balancing act that she has to pull off in addition to a newly complicated love life and family.

As is my custom, I’m not tagging anyone in this—but I’d like to see what you all have to come up with.

I’ve seen this on a few blogs, but it was on Bookstooge’s Reviews on the Road that I decided to do it myself. I don’t know where this originated, so I can’t credit them.

I really tried not to let recency bias rear its ugly head on these responses, but I ended up listing two books I read this year. Whoops.

1. Bread- What book is purely fluff, and has no real plot line?

I’m left scratching my head here–what doesn’t have a plotline?

Love by Roddy Doyle

There’s a plot here, but it’s slight–and covered under layers and layers of clever dialogue. (none of which is a criticism, it worked wonderfully)

2. Turkey- What book made you want to fall asleep?

Zorro by Isabelle Allende

It is Zorro–the swashbuckling, womanizing, swordsman who’s a proto-Batman figure. How do you make him dull? I still don’t know how you do it, but Isabelle Allende must, because she nailed it. The only reason I finished this was because I had to see if it ever got exciting. According to my logs, I read this in 2010–but at the time, I felt like I spent more than a decade reading it. So, I guess I might still be reading it.

3. Gravy- What book makes the whole series worth reading?

I’m struggling to answer this one–it seems to suggest that the others aren’t up to snuff, or aren’t even worth the time, “but this one book…” I’m sure there are some, but I can’t think of any. I’m tempted to say Red Dragon or The Silence of the Lambs are so good that it makes Hannibal worth it–but it’s easier to just skip the others.

I guess…

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

I have problems with The Wise Man’s Fear. And, sure, I’d love to read The Doors of Stone. But you know what? I loved The Name of the Wind enough that I can live with what ever’s lacking in the others (including, but not limited to, not being published).

4. Stuffing- What book is stuffed full of action scenes?

A Wanted Man by Rob Parker

The first Ben Bracken novel is as non-stop as you could ask for. Pound-for-pound there’s more action in this book than any other I can remember. Sure, Parker can go whole paragraphs without much in the way of action–but he doesn’t do that often here.

5. Mashed Potatoes- What book looked good, and then wasn’t?

Behind Her Eyes by Sara Pinbrough

A Killer hook. A lot of hype. Some compelling writing. And an ending that made me want to hurl it across the room and into a shredder. It was a library book, however, so I really couldn’t indulge the impulse.

Also…really? l;ike Bookstooge said, what’s up with this slander against Mashed Potatoes? (not just saying this as a reflexive defense of the crop Idaho’s best known for)

6. Cranberries- What book has the sweetest romance?

Not Famous by Matthew Hanover

The first romance that jumped to mind was Nick and Alli from Hanover’s first book. (sure, most of the sweetness came from Alli, but Nick’s not bad, either).

I’m not convinced that cranberries are really all that “sweet,” however. Tart? Sour? Sure. Sweet? Eh, only with anough sugar added. Unlike everything Hanover’s written.

7. Corn- What’s the corniest book you’ve ever read?

The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists
by Gideon Defoe

This is just a ridiculous novel–I laughed a lot. I cringed a lot, too. It was a delightful batch of corny silliness.

8. Green beans- What book is too long and needs to be shortened?

Lethal White by Robert Galbraith

Part of the reason that I haven’t jumped on Troubled Blood is that this one was just too long. At the time (or since), I couldn’t figure out what needed to be cut, but something sure needed to.

Unlike any green bean dish I’ve ever had, however, I enjoyed Lethal White in the end.

9. Pumpkin Pie- What book do you read to get out of a reading slump?

Nero Wolfe/Archie Goodwin by Rex Stout

It’s been a while–a very long while–since I’ve been in a slump. But I could always count on some of my favorite Nero Wolfe/Archie Goodwin novels. They’re pure comfort food–tasty and sweet.

10. Dog/Cat- What’s your favorite Thanksgiving food that you would steal from the table?

This varies a lot from year to year, but more often than not, I’d say stuffing.

(image borrowed from Happy Life Blogspot)

As usual, I’m not tagging anyone in this—but I’d like to see what you all have to come up with.

I’ve seen this on various blogs, but can’t seem to find the creator, so I can’t credit them. I’d like to if anyone knows who did it. I saw this first at Read to Ramble, put it on my “do this tag list,” and promptly forgot about it. Then I was reminded of it on Witty and Sarcastic Book Blog—and it took me over a year to get around to it. I liked the category she added so I used it, and seconds before hitting “Publish” decided to add one of my own.

Also, just for fun, I added the music videos. Might as well sample a bit of the tunes we’re talking about, right?

What’s My Age Again – Blink 182

At what age did you discover your love of reading?

I’ve talked here before about the family vacation where I was such a pain in the keister that my parents had to stop and find a place to get me a couple of books so I’d be tolerable to be in the car with (Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective and Sugar Creek Gang: Screams in the Night—unleashing my Mystery/Detective obsession), which is when I was 7. But I’d been reading like crazy before then, I just didn’t think about it as a thing.

All Star – Smash Mouth

What is your favorite genre?

Is anyone expecting me to say anything but Mystery/Detective/Crime? It’s no contest, really, as it’s never less than a third of what I read in any given month.

Breakfast at Tiffany’s – Deep Blue Something

What’s your go-to reading snack/drink?

I don’t think I typically snack while reading—probably occasionally, but not enough to have a go-to snack (if this were a TV Tag, on the other hand…). A go-to drink? Probably water, I guess, really just whatever is witin reach. Coffee, hot tea, even a beer or a single-malt.

I did a post a few years ago, Pairing Potent Potables with your Perusals of Prose, where I talked about matching what you drink with what you read. Maybe I should revisit that sometime.

Give It Away – Red Hot Chili Peppers

What book do you ALWAYS recommend to people?

I don’t know that there’s one book that I’d always recommend—not in a “one book to rule them all” sense, anyway. It varies based on who I’m talking to, their interests, and the genre we’re talking about.

But…I guess Jane Eyre, The Golden Spiders, Early Autumn, The Name of the Wind*, Ender’s Game, Red Rising, Dead Beat, The Rook, Dawn Patrol, Kings of the Wyld would likely top the list of fiction. On the non-fiction front, it’d likely be How the Irish Saved Civilization, Christianity & Liberalism, The Bruised Reed, How to Think, or The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction.

* Unless I think they’re going to be someone who whines about book 3.

I’ve never understood the appeal of RHCP—so I used “Bedrock Anthem” instead.

…Baby One More Time – Britney Spears

A book or series you have read more than once?

If I actually responded to this prompt, it’d turn this tag into the longest post I’ve ever done. Every title I listed after the last prompt would work here.

Tearin’ Up My Heart – N’Sync:

A book that broke your heart to finish?

Marley and Me: Life and Love With the World’s Worst Dog by John Grogan. Nothing else needs to be said.

Crush – Jennifer Paige

Who was your first bookish crush?

I don’t know, really. This is a topic I always stumble on in these tags. Maybe Sally Kimball? Turtle Wexler or Eilonwy, daughter of Angharad (and so on) would be likely candidates, too. Yeah…Eilonwy is probably it.

Smells Like Teen Spirit – Nirvana

A book that you read as a teen that you still love today?

Well, there are just so many. I’m not sure if that says that my tastes are adolescent. It just might. Jane Eyre again, the Gideon Oliver series, The Oathbound Wizard, Magic Kingdom For Sale-Sold!, I think I was a teen when I read the bulk of the Fletch and Flynn novels. I’m sure I could go on, but who’s paying attention at this point?

Hurt – Nine Inch Nails

What book do you love that deals with heavier subjects?

This is another question that could end up with too many answers. I’m going to limit it to Dennis Lehane’s Gone, Baby, Gone. This was my introduction to Lehane and the series and it hit me like a ton of bricks—I distinctly remember a couple of years after it was released my wife and I renting the audiobook for a road trip from a truck stop (a practice I’d all but forgotten about until I started this sentence), and both of us were on the verge of tears and laughing at each other for being self-conscious about it. There’s child abandonment, addiction, child abduction, police corruption, and while dealing with those topics (and others) honestly—it’s exciting, gripping, and frequently fun.

Superman’s Song – Crash Test Dummies

What’s your favorite superhero book?

It’s Superman! by Tom De Haven. This version of Superman’s origins, set in the 1930s, felt like the perfect modern take on the classic version of the hero. It felt 100% Golden Age Superman and completely fresh at the same time.

As usual, I’m not tagging anyone in this—but I’d like to see what you all have to come up with.

I was tagged by Esther at Cozy with Books to tackle this Book Tag, which was awfully nice of her because this was a lot of fun to do. As far as I can tell, this tag originated over on the Booktube channel Tia and All the Books a few years ago.

Adaptation Snob: Do you always read the book before watching the film/TV show?

Almost always. Sometimes I watch a thing and then discover it’s an adaptation, which leads me to the source material—like Vagrant Queen or Justified. If there’s something I’m interested in, I’ll try to read the source material first, but I can’t always do that—I was able to with Stumptown and Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares. That’s actually what originally lead me to The Dresden Files, now that I think about it.

Occasionally, I’ll be interested in an upcoming adaptation and hold off on the source material, though. I knew Game of Thrones would have to tweak the source material—there’s just no way that it couldn’t. So I waited until after Season One to read any of it. I wanted the show to be able to exist in my mind aside from the book. I purposely didn’t want to be saying, “oh, that was different in the book” every few minutes. Then I was able to be able to put the books in a different mental category as I dove in. Basically, “Baelor” (Season 1, Episode 9) floored me.

That doesn’t happen often, though. Generally, I’m “book first” and maybe the other stuff later.

Format Snob: You can only choose 1 format in which to read books for the rest of your life. Which one do you choose: physical books, eBooks, or audiobooks?

The answer I want to give: Physical Books. There’s the history, the tradition, the paper, the smells, the weight of a book in your hands—the example of Samuel T. Cogley that got implanted in my brain at an early age…

Actual answer: If we’re talking the rest of my life, I’ve gotta go with eBooks. I only have so much space to store them (and I get hives thinking about downsizing what’s already there, as much as I should do that). But most importantly, my eyesight is getting worse and worse, and there’s only so much that medical science/my wallet can do for that. Eventually, reading a physical book is going to be more trouble than it’s worth. Resizing font size (and font) as needed is the best way to deal with that.

Ship Snob: Would you date or marry a non-reader?

I’d better not date a non-reader, my wife would not approve.

I guess the answer to this would depend on what you define as a reader. By the standards of book bloggers, I did not marry a reader (although she’s had a couple of atypical years where she did). By the standards of almost everyone else she and I know, I did.

The better question to ask is: would I marry someone who doesn’t support and indulge my reading/book hoarding and isn’t willing to put up with me talking about books and what I’m currently reading. And that would be a hard no. Thankfully, the love of my life isn’t that kind of person—in fact, she encourages and enables my addiction. It probably keeps me out of her hair.

Genre Snob: You have to ditch one genre – never to be read again for the rest of your life. Which one do you ditch?

That’s a no-brainer. Over the course of my life, I’ve only dabbled in Horror. I’ve appreciated most of those, but even the best of those haven’t made me say, “You know what? I need to read things like that.” Given a lot of what I read, that might seem odd to some people (and occasionally does to me, too), I can only shrug.

Uber Genre Snob: You can only choose to read from one genre for the rest of your life. Which genre do you choose?

I’m sure any reader of this blog for more than 2 weeks can sing along with this answer: Mystery/Detective/Crime Fiction. Every month and/or year, when I look at my stats, this genre accounts for at least a third of what I read. And that’s only because I ignore a lot of titles/authors*.

* I ignore a lot of titles/authors in other genres, too, due to time constraints.

I have to admit, it’s kind of a cheat to say that, though. A half-way decent (never mind really good) Crime Fiction Novelist can use any genre to produce their work—I’ve read Humorous Crime (Dave Barry’s stuff, or Ken Levine, or Duncan McMaster); Ghosts in Crime (Jo Perry’s Charlie and Rose books); Zombies in Crime (The King of Crows); Westerns (William DeAndra’s Lobo Blacke/Quinn Booker mysteries, Hockensmith’s Holmes on the Range books); SF Crime (The Stainless Steel Rat, The Caves of Steel); Crime in Fantasy Worlds (Dragon Precinct, Eddie LaCrosse books); YA Crime (Robert B. Parker wrote a couple; the Digby & Zoey books); the romance between Spenser and Susan, Kenzie and Gennarro, Elvis Cole and Lucy Chenier, and even the “when will they just admit what we’ve known since halfway through The Cuckoo’s Calling” of Cormoran and Robin beats just about every Romance novel I’ve ever read (Digby & Zoey, too, now that I’m thinking about it).

Community Snob: Which genre do you think receives the most snobbery from the bookish community?

There’s part of me that wants to say anything that diverges from a progressive social worldview, no matter the motivation behind it. Buuuuut that’s a little too serious for this kind of thing.

I guess the snobbery would be directed to Romance (I might have unintentionally brushed against it above). At least in the circles that I find myself in. There’s talk about/appreciation for SF, Fantasy, Crime, Urban Fantasy—and YA versions of all of those. People will nod to classics and talk about some commercial literary fiction, and so on. Steampunk, Westerns, Non-Fiction of all sorts, too, make the occasional rounds. But almost nothing about Romance.

But I’m willing to bet that in Romance-heavy bookish communities, there’s a snobbery about other genres—and I’m betting the numbers in those Romance-leaning communities are pretty significant, so their snobbery is nothing to shrug off.

I took a writing class a few years ago from one of the more commercially/critically successful local authors, who all but said that SF/Fantasy/Crime Fiction were wastes of time and not worthy of his attention. He said this after I’d submitted one assignment that was SF (but before he read my piece). He gave begrudging compliments about it and even managed to give a suggestion or two that helped it.

Basically, if you look for snobbery somewhere you’re likely to find it. People are garbage.

Snobbery Recipient: Have you ever been snubbed for something that you have been reading or for reading in general?

(Curiously, most of the blog versions I’ve seen of this Tag don’t have this prompt, but it was part of the original, and I thought it’d be fun to think about)

First, this question reminded me of a bit from the late Bill Hicks. You’ve got to watch the first two minutes of this:

If you’re not in the mood to take 2 minutes of your time to watch that, here’s a version of it that I lifted from JR’S Free Thought Pages. But you should watch the original instead of reading—it’s far superior. His timing and his expressions are chef’s kiss worthy).

I was in Fyffe, Alabama last year. After the show, I went to a Waffle House. I’m not proud of it, I was hungry. And I’m eating, I’m alone and I’m reading a book, right? Waiter walks over to me:

“Hey, what you readin’ for?”

Is that like the weirdest $#!% question you’ve ever heard? Not what am I reading, but what am I reading … for.

“Well, $#!% damn it, you stumped me. Why do I read? Hmm … I guess I read for a lot of reasons, and the main one is … so I don’t end up being a $#!% waffle waiter.”

But then, this trucker in the next booth gets up, stands over me and goes:

“Well, looks like we got ourselves a reader.”

What the $#!% going on here? It’s not like I walked into a Klan rally in a Boy George outfit, $#!% damn it. It’s a book!

I remember in Middle School/High School, getting a little flack for non-required reading (especially when I was supposed to be doing homework)—but generally, that quickly switched to a compliment from whoever gave the flack. But in college and after? Yeah, either from reading “popular fiction” (okay, I remember one would-be intellectual in high school who did that), fiction in general, religious books, and so on. But generally, I tune that out and turn the page (literally). But occasionally, it still gets under my skin.

I remember Felicia Day saying somewhere that’s the best thing about an e-Reader, no one knows what you’re really reading—and if you’re reading trash, you can just fib and say you’re chewing through Proust or whatever. Maybe that counts as another vote for the eBook question earlier.

Conversely, reading something specifically or in general is a great way to invite the right kind of people to talk to you. As that meme says, it’s like having a book recommend people to you.

wow…I got carried away there, didn’t I?

As usual, I’m not tagging anyone in this—but I’d like to see what you all have to come up with. Although I will tag Esther to add that last prompt, “Snobbery Recipient,” to her post, I’m curious how she’d respond.

I’ve seen this on various blogs, but can’t seem to find the creator, so I can’t credit them. I’d like to, if anyone knows who did it. I lost a couple of links somewhere in the ether, but I did enjoy the posts I saw on Westveil Publishing, Reader Voracious, and The Orangutan Librarian

I tried, I really tried, not to mention certain books/authors over and over and over. But so many of these categories overlapped, I just didn’t know how not to.

1. The best book you’ve read so far this year?

Oh man…This is how we start? It’s just so hard. One? It’s a tie between:

Blacktop Wasteland by S. A. Cosby (my post about it), Born in Burial Gown by M. W. Craven (my post about it), Dead Ground by M. W. Craven, and The Jigsaw Man by Nadine Matheson (my post about it)

2. The best sequel you’ve read this year?

I resisted this because of recency bias, but I think I’m going to have to go with Till Morning is Nigh by Rob Parker (my post about it). I thought the first two sequels to A Wanted Man were entertaining enough, but they didn’t live up to it—or what it promised. Till Morning is Nigh more than delivered on both fronts.

3. New releases you haven’t read yet but want to.

Dreyer’s English (Adapted for Young Readers): Good Advice for Good Writing by Benjamin Dreyer (just curious about how he adapts this), and to catch up on The Frost Files.

4. Most anticipated releases for the second half of the year.

There are just so many things I want to list here. And probably twice as many that I’d want to list if I knew when they were coming. But, let’s go with: Risen by Benedict Jacka (the end of the Alex Verus series—I’m not ready to say goodbye yet); When Sorrows Come by Seanan McGuire (great title for the book featuring Toby’s wedding, doesn’t make me worried at all); City on Fire by Don Winslow (the kick-off to a new trilogy); Gated Prey by Lee Goldberg (can’t get enough of Eve Ronin) and The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman (probably a strong contender for favorite sequel of the year).

The Winslow book might get pushed back because I’m intimidated by size and scope, I’m going to get to Gated Prey and The Man Who Died Twice as quickly as I can, I might put off Risen for a few days due to what I think is going to happen. But I know that I’m going to drop everything for the Toby Daye book.

5. Biggest disappointment.

Red Widow by Alma Katsu (my post about it) there was some pretty good buzz around this espionage thriller by a former CIA Agent/bestselling author, and it was just….meh.

6. Biggest Surprise.

Moonlighting: An Oral History by Scott Ryan (my post about it). As long as Ryan didn’t spend half the book talking about how it didn’t reflect 2021 social values, like so many TV books I’ve read lately tend to do, I figured I’d enjoy this. But, I’m still suprised how much fun this book was. I really want to give it another read.

7. Favorite new to you, or debut, author.

Nadine Matheson or S. A. Cosby. They both blew me away—I knew within 20 pages of each book that they’d be new favorites.

8. Newest fictional crush.

Purvis is an eight-year-old bulldog and advisor to Det. P.T. Marsh in A Good Kill by John McMahon. (my post about it)

9. Newest favorite character.

This is another tough one…but let’s go with a three-way tie between: Avison Fluke from Born in a Burial Gown by M. W. Craven (my post about it), Madame Cormier from Chasing the Pain by Matthew Iden (my post about it), or DCI Okpara from Till Morning is Nigh by Rob Parker (my post about it)

10. Book that made you cry?

Huh…Don’t think I’ve read one this year. We Could Be Heroes by Mike Chen (my post about it) might have in the right circumstance.

11. Book that made you happy?

Well, really, any book that I rated 3 Stars or higher (most of them for the year), made me happy. But I associate happiness with three in particular:
Dead Ground by M. W. Craven (Poe and Tilly just have that effect on me), The Incredibly Dead Pets of Rex Dexter by Aaron Reynolds (my post about it), and Moonlighting: An Oral History by Scott Ryan (my post about it).

12. Favorite book to film adaption?

I don’t think I’ve watched many this year. I’m trying to remember when I watched the pretty decent C.B. Strike series—but I think that was in December. I guess it would have to be Amazon’s Invincible. I feel bad since it was the only one I think I watched this year, so it’d the default answer. But it was so good, it’d have to be in the running no matter what.

13. Favorite post/review you have done this year?

(I’ve seen the prompt both ways). I really don’t like to think of my posts about books as reviews, they’re too casual and brief, but I think my favorite post about one particular book is The Jigsaw Man by Nadine Matheson: A Jaw-Dropping Debut.

My favorite non-review(ish) posts was These Dog Days Aren’t Over, a listing of books where the dog(s) live at the end, for those who are tired of all the dying dog books out there (it’s been revised and updated once this year, and will have at least one more coming), but a close second would be How Has Book Blogging Changed the Way I Read?, my musing’s from the 8th Anniversary of this thing.

14. Most beautiful book you have bought this year?

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: The Illustrated Edition by Douglas Adams, Illustrated by Chris Riddell (my post about it). I could—and have—spent a lot of time just flipping through and looking at it.

5. What books do you need to read by the end of the year?

So, so, so many. I want to catch up on on the the Firefly novels from Titan Books, The Border by Winslow, Galbraith’s Toubled Blood, Blight of Blackwings, all the 20 Books of Summer books, AMORALMAN: A True Story and Other Lies by Derek DelGaudio…yeah, I’ve got too much to put here.

As usual, I’m not tagging anyone in this—but I’d like to see what you all have to come up with.