Smash or Pass Book Tag

I was tagged by the fabulous Becky over at Becky’s Book Blog. I love Becky. She has great taste in books and writes the best reviews and bookish posts. Like this one!! This is a tag she created after seeing something similar on BookTok. The only rules are to link back to Becky and whoever tagged you and to have fun. Easy peasy! .

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Bookish Tropes

SMASH!! Give me all the tropes! lol Enemies-to-lovers, found family, secret identity, only one bed, grumpy/sunshine, the chosen one, fauxmance/fake dating – I like them all. The only trope I’m iffy about is love triangles. And I don’t always love the miscommunication trope when it’s drawn out too much. Otherwise, trope it up!

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Alternating POV

SMASH. I love seeing the story through different characters perspectives. I feel like you get a more well-rounded view of what’s happening in the story as opposed to a first person pov. But those work for me too. lol I like them both. The only pov I don’t like is when the narrator talks to the reader. Those generally don’t work for me.

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Ambiguous Endings

I’ll take a PASS on this one. Though I sometimes like them, ambiguous endings generally frustrate me. I like things wrapped up in a nice little bow. Mama needs some closure! Have you ever read the short story The Lady or the Tiger? I read it years ago and was never so angry at a story as I was when I finished that one. So frustrating!!! lol

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Non/Fiction

PASS. I’ll occasionally read non-fiction, but I definitely prefer fiction.

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Historical Setting

SMASH. Many of you know by now how much I adore historical romances. It’s my go-to genre and has been since I started reading romance as a young teen. I also enjoy historical fantasy and historical fiction. Years ago, I took an exam as a precursor to getting my teaching certification, and I swear I passed the history section because of Danielle Steele. lol

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Morally Grey Characters

SMASHY SMASH SMASH! Give me all the morally grey characters!! They are the best! I always find these characters so interesting to unravel and learn more about. Morally grey characters often have a lot of depth to them, and they’re always so mysterious and intriguing.

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First Person POV

SMASH. I generally like third person more, but I like first person too. It’s always interesting to get into the mind of one character. You learn all of their thoughts, feelings, motivations, and more.

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Audiobooks

Meh – PASS. I’ve tried in the past, and audiobooks don’t do it for me. I end up getting distracted, and I find that I can visualize the story, characters, etc better when I read a book.

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Re-Reading

SMASH. I am definitely a rereader, especially when it comes to my favorite books. The Hunger Games series, Rebecca, Pride and Prejudice, everything by Sarah J. Maas, and The Song of Achilles are just a few of the books I’ve reread, many of them two or three times. Who am I kidding? I’ve read most of these at least five or six (or more lol) times.

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Classic Novels

PASS for now. I’m not opposed to classics. There are many I enjoy. But, I taught high school English and read a ton of classics prior to and during my teaching career. Because of that I’m kind of all set with classics for now. However, there are a small handful of classics on my TBR – a couple of plays by Moliere, a novel by Daphne du Maurier, and a couple of Agatha Christie’s. Other than that, I’m good.

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Annotating

SMASH. Again, I think a lot of this is the English teacher in me. I annotated my books all through college and when I prepared lessons. I love marking up my books – highlighting favorite quotes, writing questions and commentary in the margins, noting important information, and more. Recently, I met R.F. Kuang, and when she signed my heavily annotated copy of Babel, she actually commented on my annotations. It was a highlight (pun intended) of my evening.

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Cracking Book Spines

SMASH. Unless it’s a special edition or a treasured book, I crack the spine. I also dog-ear the pages sometimes, and I write in my books. Sorry! I know some of you are cringing right now. lol

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Smut

SMASH. Yup. I love a good, steamy romance. Well, any kind of romance – smutty, clean, anywhere in between. I read it all. I love stories with a chemistry-laden, swoon-worthy relationship.

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Character Driven Books

SMASH. I enjoy character driven stories. My favorites usually have a good balance of character and plot, though.

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Past/Present Split Timeline

SMASH. Dual timelines aren’t a go-to type of read for me, but I do enjoy them occasionally.

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Heavy World Building

SMASH as long as it’s not a major info dump. I love getting immersed in new and unique worlds, and a lot of my fantasy and sci-fi reads have layered and detailed world-building. I like when the building of worlds/settings are woven into the text in a natural, cohesive way. Sometimes, it’s all just thrown at you, and that is a no-no for me.

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I Tag:

Joanna | Ali | Chris | Kira | You!