Chris at Biblio Nerd Reflections must have known I wanted to do this tag. So, thanks for tagging me! Becky at Becky’s Book Blog created the Smash or Pass book tag and it’s exactly what it sounds like. For each prompt listed, state whether you would “smash” or “pass” on it. There are no specific rules except to link back to the creator and whoever tagged you. Let’s go!

Bookish Tropes

SMASH. There’s a trope out there for everyone. My favorites these days are enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity, and one bed. There are a bunch of tropes I don’t mind (e.g., found family, quest, chosen one, friends-to-lovers) and a couple of which I’m not a fan. Two tropes I prefer to avoid are pregnancy and miscommunication.

Alternating POV

SMASH (mostly). Generally I prefer to read from one POV because it allows me to become fully invested in a character. I also like the intrigue that develops when it’s only one POV (particularly with enemies-to-lovers) because the reader doesn’t know the full story. But I don’t mind alternating POVs, especially if the characters are in different parts of the world and it builds up their coming together.

Ambiguous Endings

PASS. I detest ambiguous endings. I did not sit my butt down for hours to read a lack of finality to a story. Ambiguous endings should come with a warning. If I wanted to read a philosophy lesson, then I would have consciously opted to do so. They’re ok if the author intends to write a sequel. Otherwise, no thank you. They leave me feeling unfulfilled.

Nonfiction

SMASH. I know my blog reviews mostly fantasy books. But I do like to shake it up and read nonfiction here and there. I’m not enrolled in any formal education, so it’s a great way to supplement my knowledge of the world in which I live. Plus it’s typically more involved than anything we learned (or didn’t learn) in grades K through 12. Lately I prefer to read nonfiction about women’s history. I also enjoy medical nonfiction.

Historical Setting

PASS. I think for now I’ll say pass. This year I read a handful of historical fiction, but it’s still not something I consciously reach for. They tend to be books that fall into my lap, metaphorically speaking, when I peruse titles. I’m not averse to them, though. In fact, this year feminist, historical romances have piqued my interest somewhat. Perhaps I’ll read more of those next year.

Morally Grey Characters

SMASH. I absolutely love morally grey characters, especially as I get to know them. Life is messy. And thankfully in books a lot of these morally grey characters are also attractive (in my head). 😉

First Person POV

PASS. I never gravitated toward them and I still don’t. But now that I’ve read more of them since joining the bookish community, I don’t mind them at much. Still, if I had my way, I prefer third person.

Audiobooks

PASS. This year I tried to get into audiobooks. I just cannot do it. Learning auditorily is not a strength of mine, so it makes sense this translates to my capacity to listen to audiobooks. I retain more information through visual interaction. The only two ways I can listen to them and retain something are when I’m folding laundry or I’m a car passenger. Or if I’ve already read the book.

Re-reading

SMASH. This is a tough one. Like Chris, I don’t reread books as often as I’d like, especially since joining the bookish community. But there are some I would like to reread, specifically the A Court of Thorns and Roses series. A reread doesn’t have the same thrill as a first read, but it’s like visiting an old friend.

Classic Novels

PASS. This is a hard pass for me. I hated reading them in high school. And I still mostly hate reading them now. I find them boring and tedious and I wish they’d get to the point. Life is too short to fall asleep reading the classics. In fact, they’re what I used to read to fall asleep on overnight plane trips. I think the only classics I didn’t mind reading were FAHRENHEIT 451 and BRAVE NEW WORLD.

Annotating

PASS. I think about doing it, but ultimately I’m too lazy and can’t be bothered. It would just slow me down and take me out of the story during the process of annotating. I highlight a lot when reading an e-book, but obviously I can’t do that with a physical copy. Most of the time I refuse to mark up my physical books.

Cracking Book Spines

PASS. When this happens it’s a total accident. That happened to my brand new copy of A COURT OF SILVER FLAMES. Though, I suppose I’ll let that slide because it’s a thick book. I really try not to crack the spines of hardback books. I’m more lenient with paperbacks.

Smut

SMASH. Not much to say here. I haven’t yet read a book that’s mostly spicy content and low on the plot, so my opinion could change. But I’m not against a good smash scene.

Character Driven Books

SMASH. With a caveat: there has to be some sort of plot. Those are the type of character-driven books I prefer. Preferably with characters who learn and don’t dig themselves into a hole.

Past/Present Split Timeline

PASS. For now. I can’t think of a book I’ve read that has this component to it. I’m sure I have, but it’s not coming to mind. If done well, I think I’d like it. But if it’s constant jumping back and forth, I think it would annoy me.

Heavy World-building

SMASH. Yes, please show me what’s in your mind! Transport me to an awesome fantasy world. Done well (i.e., not via information dumping), heavy world-building is a wonderful part of the story. It informs the reader of the culture, for starters. Plus I love reading the infinite things authors come up with to tell a story.

Tags

I tag the following bloggers to participate in the Smash or Pass book tag:

Shazzie at reader@work
Athena at One Reading Nurse
Amanda at Your Book Friend