Weigh in Wednesday (4)

Weigh in Wednesday is a meme started by Lauren over at Epilogue. Each week participants weigh in on a certain topic and give their opinions. 
This week:
Novellas Vs. Anthologies

My answer:

Honestly, I don’t really have strong feelings either way about this particular topic. I don’t tend to read many novellas and I don’t read anthologies at all. I know there are some people who like anthologies because they give you lots of little tastes from lots of different authors, but there’s usually only one or two contributing authors who interest me and I’m loathe to spend good money on short stories about characters I don’t know by authors who aren’t on my radar. Also, there’s usually at least one contributing author who happens to be on my list of ‘to avoid’s.

Novellas, however, are a completely different kettle of fish. Unfortunately, they tend to be far too expensive for what they are, especially as I have to pay import taxes on them. A 100-page novella really isn’t worth 9€ when I can buy a 500 page book for somewhere between 5 and 8 euros (depending on the book). I do, however, occasionally give in to the temptation, mind you. I was really tempted by the bright pink cover of Nell Gwynne’s Scarlet Spy and ended up adoring the book so sometimes those 9€ are 9€ well spent!

I’m going to go with novellas. How about you? Leave me a comment with a link to your WiW and I’ll do my best to get back to you asap!

Weigh in Wednesday (3)

Weigh in Wednesday is a meme started by Lauren over at Epilogue. Each week participants weigh in on a certain topic and give their opinions. 
This week:
Love triangles vs. Insta-love
My answer:
Unfortunately I'm not permitted to say neither. Both really get on my t*ts (common expression where I'm from!).
I just finished a book where both a love triangle and the girl's insta-love for both guys are present!! Nothing could put me off more.
I'm going to go with triangles as the lesser of the two evils. If the triangle is well written, then it can work in the story's favour as the two different romantic interests introduce the character to two different aspects of their world. Sometimes I can even enjoy a love triangle. Of course, most triangles are just cheap flashy things where the author seems to be just jumping on the 'this is popular!!!1!eleven!!" bandwagon.
Insta-love, on the other hand, very rarely manages to hold its own. Especially as insta-love is in no way love. It is lust. I can't count the number of YA books I've read recently where the 'love' is almost exclusively based on physical appearances as the two characters never actually interact in a normal way that would allow them to get to know one another. Yet the love word is still thrown around.
Really, I prefer a slow-burning romance... But at a push I'm willing to grudgingly accept a slow-burning love triangle. Unless the character then ends up picking the 'wrong guy' (read: the guy I'm not interested in as the reader), in which case I won't be interested in that book anymore!
Oh, but what a fickle thing the reader's loyalty to a book can be - so easily broken by choosing the wrong damn romantic interest for the character!!
How about you? Love triangles or insta-love?

Weigh in Wednesday (2)

Weigh in Wednesday is a meme started by Lauren over at Epilogue. Each week participants weigh in on a certain topic and give their opinions.


This week:

Contempoary vs. Fantasy

My answer:

Fantasy hands down.

The problem with contemporary, for me, is that the author is limited by the rules of the real world. There’s only so much you can do with a teen experiencing high school life, or an adult building up a relationship. The thing is, I live in this real world so a lot of the time I’ve seen or had similar experiences to what’s unfolding in the story.

Now fantasy, on the other hand, allows the author’s imagination to go wild. I have to admit that I prefer second world fantasy where the author invents their own world rather than using ours: that way even if I can relate to some of the experiences, others will be completely new and take me on a wild ride. Also, I love seeing what sort of societies the authors come up with. The author can have whatever political regime they want. They can have whatever mystical creatures tickle their fancy. They can include magic or snub it in favour of war between humanoids. Basically, with fantasy, the author can do whatever they want so long as they follow their own rules set out in their world building. If an author breaks their own rules I am very unforgiving.

Still, fantasy in all its forms is my favourite genre and has been ever since I can remember.

Weigh in Wednesday 1

Weigh in Wednesday is a meme started by Lauren over at Epilogue. Each week participants weigh in on a certain topic and give their opinions.

This week:

E-book Vs. Print Book

My answer: 

It's only recently that I've started reading ebooks with a vengence. I like to keep a happy medium between the number of books I read and the number of print books that I read.

Ebooks are good for introducing me to authors I never would have discovered otherwise. They're also much more concise and they can be carted around in my handbag very easily.

Physical books are great for that feeling for turning the pages and the musty smell of the paper. If I don't read a physical book for too long I start to yearn for that feeling of the pages beneath my fingers. Also, I find that hardbacks are the best looking books - it's just a shame that they're so much harder to read due to their bulk!