Cup of Tea and a Pen: Inside Out (Book Tag)

This week I have a book tag coming at you. It was originally created by Booktuber MathomBooks, and it's an acronym style tag.

Inside flap/Back of the book summaries: Too much info? Or not enough? (Discuss)

Not enough! What is this trend of just slapping reviews on the back cover? It's great that so-and-so thought it was flipping marvellous but that tells me nothing about the story. I want to know what happens, the name of the character, what the world is like! The book shop might say it's a thriller but is it? Is it really? What kind of thriller is it? Someone give me a summary and tell me!

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New book: What form do you want it in? Be honest: Audiobook, E-Book, Paperback, or Hardcover?

Paperbacks, always. Hardbacks are great but I have zero muscles; those things get heavy after a while. Meanwhile, you've got your paperback. It's easier to hold, easier to carry, and easier all round (I feel like a paperback salesperson).

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Scribble while you read? Do you like to write in your books, taking notes, making comments, or do you keep your books clean clean clean? (Tell us why).

What?! In the book? NO, NO, NO! Again, no! Books already have words in them, beautifully crafted pieces of prose; why would you add more? If I have a dying need to take notes I'll scribble them into a notebook or on a random piece of paper, never in the actual book. I don't even write in the books I have to study for class (I kind of can't since I have to take them into an exam, but that's not the point).

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In your best voice, read for us your favourite first sentence from a book.

Not going to lie, I searched through all my books while writing this post to decide what my answer was. I found two lines that I adored and these were from: Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan, and The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger.

"Imagine this: You're in your favourite bookstore, scanning the shelves." - Dash and Lily's Book of Dares

"If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you'll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don't feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth." - The Catcher in the Rye

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Does it matter to you whether the author is male or female when you're deciding on a book? What if you're unsure of the author's gender?

Most of the time I never think about what gender the author is when I read the name. There are so many gender neutral names out there, my guess as to what gender they identify as is going to be wrong half of the time. If I haven't read their book yet, who am I to judge their ability to write? One thing I love about writing is that you can create an entire world regardless of who you are.

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Ever read ahead? Or have you ever read the last page way before you got there?

*Raises hand slowly.* It was one time, okay? I regret it so much! It happened with Catching Fire, and well, that was a HUGE spoiler. Last pages are no longer looked at until I reach the end of the book. I'm still not over ruining Catching Fire for myself.

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Organized bookshelves, or Outrageous bookshelves?

Organised. My shelves are like a tiny bookstore/library with all the books shelved A-Z by author surname. I've seen some people with colour-organised shelves but I just can't split my multi-coloured series up (e.g. Divergent).

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Under oath: have you ever bought a book based on the cover (alone)?

Technically, no. I let the cover sway my decision to whether or not I will read the summary if I'm just browsing. I've never just seen a cover and purchased the book without reading the summary on the back.

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Take it outside to read, or stay in?

Stay in. If I'm going out for the day, there is always a book in my bag but I prefer staying inside. I like curling up on my bed with no distractions when I read.