Reader Interview Number Six – Kat

Hi and welcome to the Library of Erana, a place of words and of their magic. Words are power, they are knowledge and they are freedom.  Readers play an important role in the life of books and words, for without readers books would sit unread, unloved and unknown.  What makes a good book, or for that matter a bad one?  Why do people read and how do they find their books?

 

Welcome to Kat!

Where are you from? Idaho, in the USA

On average how many books do you read in a month? Anywhere from 4 to a dozen, it depends on the length and the genre, and how much time I have to read.

Why are books important to you and what does reading bring to your life? Reading is a way for me to escape the real world, and enter another. Books bring excitement to my life, where otherwise there would be none. Books are a huge part of my life, I rarely go anywhere without a book or two.

What genres do you prefer and why? I read mostly epic fantasy, thriller-suspense, and sci-fi novels. I love the other-worldly feel of fantasy novels, the realism/escapism of the thrillers, and the technology of sci-fi.

Do you have a favourite book or author, why do you think you like this book/author so much? My favorite authors are Robert Jordan, who wrote the Wheel of Time series, and George R. R. Martin, who wrote A Song of Ice and Fire. I love their styles of writing, their characters and stories and descriptions just pull me in and don’t let go.

What medium do you prefer – e-books, audiobooks or paper books? Would you care to expand on this? I love books I can hold in my hands. I love the feel, the smell, everything. I don’t like e-books much, and have never tried an audiobook.

How do you usually find the books you read? For example: recommendations from friends, promotion on social networks, your local library, following authors you already know? I read authors that I like, and then authors that are similar. Recommendations from Goodreads are pretty spot-on.

When choosing a book what makes you stop and give it a second look?  What makes you turn away? Do you read reviews by others and if so do they influence the choice?The cover and the publishing house make me stop and check it out. Tor is my favorite, they publish many good novels. If the book description sounds boring I won’t even bother. I’ll read reviews, but don’t put much stock in them.

What is the most important aspect in a book for you? Plot? Characterisation? Well written etc? A book must have characters that are likable, and characters that I can hate. The plot must be well conceived, at least somewhat original, and move smoothly with a minimum of “huh?” moments.

What aspects turn you off from a book? Are there things you avoid? I don’t like books that try to be something they aren’t. If it’s sci-fi, and we randomly have dragons, that’s a no. If it’s a thriller novel, and then there’s time travel, probably not. Cross-genre novels should be advertised as such.

Do you think bricks and mortar bookshops are in decline? Unfortunately, yes. I love nothing more than to go into a bookstore and browse, but more and more, people are shopping online, and buying e-books. I’m afraid eventually the e-book craze will take over, which is why I buy a lot of books. If eventually e-books are it, I want to own as many real books as I can!