This or That Book Tag (ft. 2 Book Princesses)

Today we are bringing you a dual Mandy-Sha post…and we’re not even doing a buddy read! What is this madness??? Okay, but we should actually probably be doing a lot more of these, because two book princesses are always better than one – I think. I just made that up, but it sounds great.

Anyway, we are taking on a book tag called This or That today! We would like to thank Bentley @ Book Bastion for tagging us for this, and giving us such a prime opportunity for a gentle Q & A that we have been planning for a while now…and which I (Mandy) have yet to commit to any questions since I have commitment issues (hence, DNF Queen status). If you haven’t checked out Bentley’s blog, make sure to do it! He has a fantastic blog filled with so much great bookish content – between fantastic reviews, great tag answers like this, and so much more. Plus, he’s super nice and I find his graphics so a pleasing! Check out his blog in the link above, and shall we see just how different Sha and Mandy are with this or that???

Reading on the Bed or the Couch?

Sha: Couch! Or chair, but it must be big and comfy. Now don’t go thinking I never read in my bed, because I definitely do. But the thing you must understand here and now about my bed is that my bed is found, shocker of all shockers, in my bedroom. And once I enter my bedroom I’m hit with the magical smell of sleep and, well, once that happens, it’s quite unlikely I’ll be reading for very long.

Mandy: Couch, for sure. Like, IDK about some people’s beds, but mine is super uncomfortable to read in and I have poor lighting, but with the couch, I can cozy up just fine and easily binge read a book in the safety of the recliner. And I’m with Sha – sleep could definitely be a thing.

Sha: I think we need a moment of silence for Mandy and all our fellow BPR readers with uncomfortable beds. A bed must be pillow soft, a hug all around, primed for dreams of chocolate seas and marshmallow bunnies and YA fantasies come alive! Unless this is just me?

Mandy: …not just you, Sha, not just you.

Male Main Character or Female Main Character?

Sha: Female main, if she’s written well. I NEED strong female characters like I need air. (Dramatic enough for you?)

Mandy: To be honest, I don’t really care. I tend to read more female characters than male characters because they are so readily available. Male main characters always get no love in YA. When I was younger, I did find it a lot easier to relate to female main characters and their struggles, but I find that if it’s a compelling main character that I can relate and enjoy and feel feels for, then I don’t care about the gender.

Sha: I agree, there is a huge gap in male MCs. I don’t go out of the way to see female MCs, but that’s all that I end up reading because that’s the majority of the market. Female charries will remain my fave because I believe girls need strong role models, but boys do too! And there’s no way we’re going to encourage boys to read if we don’t represent them in what we want them to read.

Sweet Snacks or Salty Snacks while reading?

Sha: Snacking while eating? I barely BREATHE when I’m reading. I’m the type who likes to start and finish a book in one sitting, so the moment my eyes hit on “chapter one” I’m gone. If a book is good I have no need to move an inch.

Mandy:  That is dedication and focus there, Sha. Much more noble than my reasons for not having snacks.

My thoughts about snacking during book reading? How about NONE? Books are precious and they should not be touched by the likes of such things as delicious food. I’m a firm no-go for any snacks during eating times since I’m so obsessively clean and precise when it comes to the appearance of my books.

Sha: I guess Mandy will never let me borrow her books then? I like it when my books get stained. I like it when my books get dog-eared and scuffed. It means I’ve read them and carried them around and lent them out. I can look at stains and vividly remember the third time I re-read a passage. BUT okay, to be clear, when I borrow books I am always careful not to leave marks and I never do it on purpose, even with my own books.

Mandy: *GASPING* I CAN’T EVEN.

Trilogies or Quartets?

Sha: Is there really a difference? As long as a series doesn’t go beyond five books I’m alright with it. (Okay, Rick Riordan can have an exception.)

Mandy: Yes, Sha, there is a difference. MATH. MUHAHAHAHA.

But I really don’t care too much about the length of a book series. If I’m enjoying a series, I would probably want it to go on forever. If I’m hating it, I’ll just stop. But there is just something about trilogies. Like, I know them so well. I know the first book will be amazing, the second book will hit the Dreaded Second Book Sickness where it all goes wrong, and the third book will make or break the series. I know the pattern of this, so maybe trios if I had to choose.

Sha: No way, man. Good things need to come to an end. Extend it too long and you start to kill the magic. As much as I may love a series, I will love it more for ending at the right time.

Reading First Person or Third Person POV?

Sha: I… Have no idea. I will honestly read an entire book without reading which perspective it’s written in *unless* there are constant PoV switches. Then I take note. I take note haaaaard.

Mandy: It really doesn’t matter to me. However, I do find if it’s a humorous YA contemporary or just a humorous book, I find that I really enjoy a first person POV, since I love getting to read the little quips and wit in the person’s head and thoughts…which are the same thing, but let’s pretend it’s not for a second.

Reading at Night, or in the Morning?

Sha: Night. I am a night owl. *hoot hoot* In the morning I like to start tasks that require a lot of energy, since that’s when I have the most go-getting spirit (and also when stores are open, so I can do my errands…) Then at night, I can finally crack open the books I dreamt of all day.

Mandy: Erm, I used to be a read by night kind of girl, but now I’m basically read any moment I can get when I’m not working or crashing from working. So, is there a Read Any Moment option?

Sha: I would very much be a Read Any Moment person if I was finishing like, twenty books a month like our BPR creator, Miss Mandy over here. But nah, night is best. Plus, there’s the added bonus that night feels so magical to me, like anything is possible. In the darkness, I can really imagine the book world is all that exists. Everything in the outside world quiets down and the author’s creation roars to life.

Libraries or Bookstores?

Sha: Bookstores. I feel a need to own books, even ones I end up disliking, so I can look back at them or re-read whenever I want. Which means I also refuse to clean out books I own, even when I start running out of space. Not to say I don’t use libraries. I just mourn the books I could have owned for myself.

Mandy: Ahahaha, that is fantastic, Sha. I go back and forth with which one I prefer. Since I’m desperately out of room, I recently have gone back to using the libraries more often until I find more space or can get rid of a few book. But there is still something so thrilling about walking into a bookstore and buying something.

Sha: Oh. Right. Walking into a bookstore. Not to say I don’t physically walk into a bookstore (because I literally did that yesterday) but most of my book shopping is done online. I don’t know about you, but books are so much cheaper when you order online? So even when I go in store, and the book I want is smack-dab in front of me, and I’m holding it and stroking the cover and it could be mine, ALL MINE, in mere seconds, I just write the name down on my phone and then add it to my online shopping cart when I get home.

Books that make you laugh or cry?

Sha: Laugh. I live for a good cackle.

Mandy: Laugh, for sure. I’m a Heartless Book Princess that almost never cries in books – even the ones that promises me tears will be shed from their cold, desert eyes. But I live for the cackle as well, and don’t want to deal with the disappointment of not crying again.

Sha: I’ll admit I’m a hard one to make cry, for books and movies alike. I’ll literally see an extremely sad passage and force myself to get my eyes to water a little, like, THERE, I’m feeling the right book emotions! So if you see a review that’s Sha AND Mandy sob-approved, you know it’s going to lead to waterworks.

Black book covers or white covers?

Sha: From this question, I interpret that book in question is a hardcover, which thus makes me say “ew.” I reallllyy prefer paperback. Hardcover is just harder to hold and heavier and not as pretty and more expensive.

Mandy: COLOR COLOR COLOR. Give me all the pretty colors. But white does tend to get dirty, and then my clean, crisp desire for all my books gets me stressed and then it’s all over.

Sha: Poor Mandy. I’m starting to wonder if you just seal your books in individual bags or something, to keep them clean. Although I suppose with that said, I would be throwing my books on a giant heap in some random cupboard.

Character driven or Plot driven?

Sha: Huh. I … don’t … know? My favourite books are ones that expose broader issues with society or the ways people act. But would that come through the plot or the characters? I suppose either. I’ll go with plot.

Mandy: I believe character driven, because even if the plot is nonexistent or terrible, if I really really really love the characters, I could go for it. Like, give me Cresswell literally eating breakfast, and I would probably give it five crowns.

Sha: I believe this 100%.

 

Also, we are planning to do an official Q & A with your two book princesses! I’m sure there might be some burning questions you have out there (how did Sha and I really meet? Why is Sha so so good at makeup? Why does Mandy always refer to herself in the third person)! So if you would like, please submit your questions for us in the comments below, and we will be answering them on a later date in true Sha and Mandy fashion!

What do you think? What are some of your answers for this? Do we have any of the same? Are you more on Mandy’s or Sha’s side for some of these questions? What are your questions for Sha and Mandy????Let’s discuss in the comments below!