The 5 Ws of Reading
Yesterday a blogger I enjoy reading (The Wry Writer) wrote a lovely reading-related post based around the 5 Ws. I love learning about other people's reading habits! Her post inspired me to do the same, since I'm trying to read more, in an effort to stave off the phone and visual media addition. So, thank you, Alex, for sharing, and here we go!
WHO - Name an author you would love to have a 'One to One' with.
I think the author I would most love to sit down with is Jeff VanderMeer. He's a New Weird author of speculative fiction, and I adore his writing style. I would love to pick his brain on his process and how he develops his beautiful prose.
WHAT - What genre do you most gravitate to?
Fantasy is my go-to genre. Urban fantasy especially, with it's fantasy+mystery formula which I love, but also high/epic fantasy and romantic fantasy (as long as any sex scenes are behind closed doors). I have tried to make forays into science fiction, but as I've said before I have a specific taste (cough Star Wars cough) and most science fiction is not like that, so I haven't made much inroads.
WHERE - Where do you prefer to read?
I can read just about everywhere. I love reading while walking (a skill I developed through much public transit use as a teenager to get to and from school in a relatively safe city) and I love reading in bed before turning the light off. I also love to read in my living room space, where I have a big, wide easy chair that's large enough to curl up in. It's also the best place to get sun, when the sun is out, and about seventy percent of the time I end up falling asleep because it's so comfortable, so really it's a dangerous place to read :)
WHEN - What time of day do you prefer to read?
I don't know if I have a specific time that I like to read best. I guess right before bed is a great time to read, or early afternoon while waiting for my afternoon second wind to manifest.
WHY - Why is your favorite book your favorite book?
I don't necessarily have a favorite book, as that changes all the time, but I have a favorite series. The Murderbot series by Martha Wells is so much fun to read. The titular Murderbot is hyper competent at security and taking care of its humans and also just wants to watch its soap operas, which feels so relatable. The books have been an instant buy since the first one, including the most recent one that was supposed to come out today but I saw it on the shelf on Saturday.
BONUS - How do you go about selecting what you will read next?
Mostly by mood, which means I tend to stare at my too-full bookshelves listlessly with nothing to read :)