SF/F/H Meme
Speculative fiction meme (through bright_lilim):
Science Fiction, Fantasy or Horror
Fantasy is my favourite, but I do like science fiction as well, and some horror.
Hardback or Trade Paperback or Mass Market Paperback?
Depends on the author. There are some authors (like Bujold) whose books I buy immediately on hardcover, but most of the others fall into the mass market paperback category. Trades are ok, if they are not too expensive.
Heinlein or Asimov?
Both have ok stories, though some of Heinlein's stuff really squicks me :P.
Amazon or Brick and Mortar?
Don't really use Amazon that much. I order quite a lot through local e-stores (Bookplus or Akateeminen, and like to browse through the shelves in the actual stores as well. I also use Bookmooch to get some books.
but in the local context.
Barnes & Noble or Borders? Akateeminen or Suomalainen?`
We don't have them in my country, so I changed the names to fit local context. Akateeminen.
Hitchhiker or Discworld?
I'm not that big a fan of either, though I've of course read the Hitchhiker books and quite a few Discworld books as well.
Bookmark or Dogear?
Bookmark. I don't dogear my books!
Magazine: Asimov's Science Fiction or Fantasy & Science Fiction?
I used to read both for a while, but preferred F&SF. Don't read either at the moment.
Alphabetize by author Alphabetize by title or random?
Alphabetize by author and then first series in chronological order and then individual books sometimes in alphabetical, sometimes in chronological order.
Keep, Throw Away or Sell?
Keep. Though I've also learned to give-away through Bookmooch.
Year's Best Science Fiction series (edited by Gardner Dozois) or Years Best SF series (edited by David G. Hartwell)?
Year's Best Fantasy and Horror by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling (and most recently by Ellen Datlow, Kelly Link and Gavin J. Grant). I have all books in the series, since I've been buying it ever since the first book came out.
Keep dustjacket or toss it?
Of course I keept the dustjacket. Throw it away?! Huh?! Why would I do that?
Read with dustjacket or remove it?
Depends. Mostly I read it with the dustjacket.
Short story or novel?
I like both.
Harry Potter or Lemony Snicket?
Neither, really. HP is ok, but I didn't like the few LS books I read.
Stop reading when tired or at chapter breaks?
Read as long as my eyes stay open or the book finishes :).
"It was a dark and stormy night" or "Once upon a time"?
Once upon a time.
Buy or Borrow?
Both.
Buying choice: Book Reviews, Recommendation or Browse?
Reviews and recommendations mostly, sometimes browsing.
Lewis or Tolkien?
Tolkien.
Hard SF or Space Opera?
Space opera.
Collection (short stories by the same author) or Anthology (short stories by different authors)?
Both are fine by me.
Hugo or Nebula?
Don't really follow the either of these. I read what I want whether they win prizes or not.
Golden Age SF or New Wave SF?
Of these two, Golden Age SF.
Tidy ending or Cliffhanger?
I hate cliffhangers!
Morning reading, Afternoon reading or Nighttime reading?
Anytime reading :). In the morning while I'm commuting on the bus/train, in the afternoon when I'm coming home from work, at night when I'm caught up in a book.
Series, or a really wrapped-up standalone?
Depends on the book(s).
Urban fantasy or high fantasy?
Both. Though I think I slightly prefer urban fantasy.
New or used?
Both.
Favorite book of which nobody else has heard?
Melissa Marr's Wicked Lovely. I'm cheating slightly, since it hasn't been published yet. It's a wonderful YA urban fantasy that I highly recommend!
But of the published ones: (all my favourites are fairly popular or at least have dedicated fan-base) *racks brain* *checks LibraryThing* Hmm, Wilhelmina Baird's books (cyberpunk), Edith Forbes's Exit to Reality which a friend pushed to me (excellent Matrix-like story, though published before the films came out), etc.
Top X favorite genre books read last year? (Where X is 5 or less)
I already did this here.
Top X favorite genre books of all time? (Where X is 5 or less)
Impossible to answer, since my favourites change all the time.
Top X favorite genre series? (Where X is 5 or less)
- The Vorkosigan series by Lois McMaster Bujold
- The Sandman by Neil Gaiman
- The Kencyr books by P. C. Hodgell
- The Dalemark Quartet by Diana Wynne Jones
- The Darkover books by Marion Zimmer Bradley
Top X favorite genre short stories? (Where X is 5 or less)
Can't really name any, since I tend to remember the novels more than the short stories. Especially since I tend to read them in anthologies or collections. Still, a few come to mind:
"Even the Queen" by Connie Willis
"All My Darling Daughters" by Connie Willis
"Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes
Science Fiction, Fantasy or Horror
Fantasy is my favourite, but I do like science fiction as well, and some horror.
Hardback or Trade Paperback or Mass Market Paperback?
Depends on the author. There are some authors (like Bujold) whose books I buy immediately on hardcover, but most of the others fall into the mass market paperback category. Trades are ok, if they are not too expensive.
Heinlein or Asimov?
Both have ok stories, though some of Heinlein's stuff really squicks me :P.
Amazon or Brick and Mortar?
Don't really use Amazon that much. I order quite a lot through local e-stores (Bookplus or Akateeminen, and like to browse through the shelves in the actual stores as well. I also use Bookmooch to get some books.
but in the local context.
Barnes & Noble or Borders? Akateeminen or Suomalainen?`
We don't have them in my country, so I changed the names to fit local context. Akateeminen.
Hitchhiker or Discworld?
I'm not that big a fan of either, though I've of course read the Hitchhiker books and quite a few Discworld books as well.
Bookmark or Dogear?
Bookmark. I don't dogear my books!
Magazine: Asimov's Science Fiction or Fantasy & Science Fiction?
I used to read both for a while, but preferred F&SF. Don't read either at the moment.
Alphabetize by author Alphabetize by title or random?
Alphabetize by author and then first series in chronological order and then individual books sometimes in alphabetical, sometimes in chronological order.
Keep, Throw Away or Sell?
Keep. Though I've also learned to give-away through Bookmooch.
Year's Best Science Fiction series (edited by Gardner Dozois) or Years Best SF series (edited by David G. Hartwell)?
Year's Best Fantasy and Horror by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling (and most recently by Ellen Datlow, Kelly Link and Gavin J. Grant). I have all books in the series, since I've been buying it ever since the first book came out.
Keep dustjacket or toss it?
Of course I keept the dustjacket. Throw it away?! Huh?! Why would I do that?
Read with dustjacket or remove it?
Depends. Mostly I read it with the dustjacket.
Short story or novel?
I like both.
Harry Potter or Lemony Snicket?
Neither, really. HP is ok, but I didn't like the few LS books I read.
Stop reading when tired or at chapter breaks?
Read as long as my eyes stay open or the book finishes :).
"It was a dark and stormy night" or "Once upon a time"?
Once upon a time.
Buy or Borrow?
Both.
Buying choice: Book Reviews, Recommendation or Browse?
Reviews and recommendations mostly, sometimes browsing.
Lewis or Tolkien?
Tolkien.
Hard SF or Space Opera?
Space opera.
Collection (short stories by the same author) or Anthology (short stories by different authors)?
Both are fine by me.
Hugo or Nebula?
Don't really follow the either of these. I read what I want whether they win prizes or not.
Golden Age SF or New Wave SF?
Of these two, Golden Age SF.
Tidy ending or Cliffhanger?
I hate cliffhangers!
Morning reading, Afternoon reading or Nighttime reading?
Anytime reading :). In the morning while I'm commuting on the bus/train, in the afternoon when I'm coming home from work, at night when I'm caught up in a book.
Series, or a really wrapped-up standalone?
Depends on the book(s).
Urban fantasy or high fantasy?
Both. Though I think I slightly prefer urban fantasy.
New or used?
Both.
Favorite book of which nobody else has heard?
Melissa Marr's Wicked Lovely. I'm cheating slightly, since it hasn't been published yet. It's a wonderful YA urban fantasy that I highly recommend!
But of the published ones: (all my favourites are fairly popular or at least have dedicated fan-base) *racks brain* *checks LibraryThing* Hmm, Wilhelmina Baird's books (cyberpunk), Edith Forbes's Exit to Reality which a friend pushed to me (excellent Matrix-like story, though published before the films came out), etc.
Top X favorite genre books read last year? (Where X is 5 or less)
I already did this here.
Top X favorite genre books of all time? (Where X is 5 or less)
Impossible to answer, since my favourites change all the time.
Top X favorite genre series? (Where X is 5 or less)
- The Vorkosigan series by Lois McMaster Bujold
- The Sandman by Neil Gaiman
- The Kencyr books by P. C. Hodgell
- The Dalemark Quartet by Diana Wynne Jones
- The Darkover books by Marion Zimmer Bradley
Top X favorite genre short stories? (Where X is 5 or less)
Can't really name any, since I tend to remember the novels more than the short stories. Especially since I tend to read them in anthologies or collections. Still, a few come to mind:
"Even the Queen" by Connie Willis
"All My Darling Daughters" by Connie Willis
"Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes