This meme apparently was on SF Signal at some point, but I found it here.
Consider yourself tagged!
Science Fiction, Fantasy or Horror?
Science fiction and fantasy, rarely horror. It’s hard for me to choose. I love science fiction very much, but I also happen to enjoy fantasy quite a bit too. I’ve read some amazing fantasy novels in my life and I did start with fantasy when I started reading more, mostly because science fiction seems so difficult to me for a long while.
Hardback or Trade Paperback or Mass Market Paperback?
Mass market, but only because they’re smaller and I feel like I’ve accomplished more reading each sitting.
Heinlein or Asimov?
I’ve read little Heinlein, though I plan to read more. So, Asimov.
Amazon or Brick and Mortar?
Brick and Mortar. Amazon doesn’t give the same browsing experience.
Barnes & Noble or Borders?
Borders. They have a FREE rewards card, and there isn’t a B&N here. B&N tends to be more organized and has more discount books (and a better selection for discount stuff too), but their rewards card sucks.
Hitchhiker or Discworld?
Hitchhiker.
Bookmark or Dogear?
Bookmark. Dogearing books should be illegal. How would you like it if I dogeared our arm when I wanted to pause while examining you? Exactly.
Magazine: Asimov’s Science Fiction or Fantasy & Science Fiction?
F&SF, because I’ve never read Asimov’s.
Alphabetize by author Alphabetize by title or random?
Depends. On my “to read” shelf it’s random, but everything else is supposed to be alphabetical (it’s out of order right now, though).
Keep, Throw Away or Sell?
Keep if I like it enough that I’ll re-read it, or sell it if I don’t.
Year’s Best Science Fiction series (edited by Gardner Dozois) or Years Best SF series (edited by David G. Hartwell)?
No preference, to be honest.
Keep dustjacket or toss it?
It came with the book. It stays.
Read with dustjacket or remove it?
Leave it on most of the time (unless it’s easy to tear, in which case it is removed).
Short story or novel?
Both. I like shorts a little better because they are short, but novels tend to be deeper.
Harry Potter or Lemony Snicket?
Harry Potter. Never read Snicket and don’t really want to. The movie did nothing for me.
Stop reading when tired or at chapter breaks?
Depends. Either or.
“It was a dark and stormy night” or “Once upon a time”?
Once upon at time…both are horribly cliche, though.
Buy or Borrow?
Buy. I’ll borrow sometimes, but rarely.
Buying choice: Book Reviews, Recommendation or Browse?
A combination of all of them. I buy more books via browsing though. I rarely buy or ead anything that is shoved down my throat, though. So if you want me to read something, stop pestering me about it.
Lewis or Tolkien?
I like Lewis’ writing style better, but Tolkien does have the advantage of a thoroughly fascinating world.
Hard SF or Space Opera?
Both, and even more so when they are combined. I love merged genres.
Collection (short stories by the same author) or Anthology (short stories by different authors)?
Both.
Hugo or Nebula?
Doesn’t really matter. I buy a book because it sounds interesting, not because it won an award.
Golden Age SF or New Wave SF?
Both, duh.
Tidy ending or Cliffhanger?
Absolutely no cliffhangers unless there is a book that follows immediately after. Tidy endings can be a little annoying if they’re too tidy. Leave a couple things unanswered with certainty.
Morning reading, Afternoon reading or Nighttime reading?
I read whenever I have a moment to spare for reading.
Standalone or Series?
Both are great, although superb standalones beat a series any day.
Urban fantasy or high fantasy?
High fantasy unless the urban fantasy is something not involving vampires or werewolves.
New or used?
Both. Sometimes you have no choice but to get used.
Favorite book of which nobody else has heard?
The Steam Magnate by Dana Copithorne. It’s good. Read it. Now. Or else.
Top X favorite genre books read last year? (Where X is 5 or less)
In no particular order:
The Steam Magnate by Dana Copithorne
Crystal Rain by Tobias S. Buckell
Ragamuffin by Tobias S. Buckell
Spin State by Chris Moriarty
Leven Thumps and the Whispered Secret by Obert Skye
Top X favorite genre books of all time? (Where X is 5 or less)
I’ll be honest, these five are just going to be “top 5 favorites that I can think of right now”. My top 5 changes quote a lot, to be honest. A top five list for me is really rather pointless. This should be a top 100 or something.
Peeps by Scott Westerfeld
1984 by George Orwell
Sly Mongoose by Tobias S. Buckell
Eon by Greg Bear
Old Man’s War by John Scalzi
X favorite genre series? (Where X is 5 or less)
Tobias S. Buckell’s scifi series (not sure what you call it, but they’re all good)
Karen Miller’s Innocent Mage/Awakened Mage series.
Leven Thumps by Obert Skye
Diane Duane’s Young Wizards (So You Want to Be a Wizard, etc.)
Susan Beth Pfeffer’s series (Life As We Knew It and the dead & the gone)
Top X favorite genre short stories? (Where X is 5 or less)
“Call Me Joe” by Poul Anderson
“Sandkings” by George R. R. Martin
Work by Paul Melko and Zoran Zivkovic
“The People’s Republic of the Edelwiess Village Putt-Putt Golf Course” by M. K. Hobson
Currently Reading?
Honeycomb by Israel Del Rio
2 Responses
The meme lives!
For what it’s worth, I started this in March 2005.
Well maybe we need to get it going again for the year to see whether people’s opinions have changed :D.