One of the best things about being a reader is that each and every one of us have different reading preferences. Today I’m sharing mine, via a This or That question format!

eBooks or Physical Books?

Since 2018, I’ve been a Kindle girlie through and through. I love that I can store hundreds of books on a single tablet and that I can read them on my phone if I don’t take my Kindle with me somewhere. The best thing about eBooks is that if you’re patient and wait for deal days, buying them is a lot less expensive than purchasing physical books. That being said, once my home office is finished and my husband builds bookshelves for it, I plan to buy more physical books. My plan is to buy physical copies of books I’ve read on my Kindle and adored so that my physical library will only include books that mean a lot to me.

Hardcovers or Paperbacks?

Honestly, I don’t have a preference. Cost-wise, I’ll most likely go with paperbacks, but if a book is super special to me, I’ll opt for the hardcover version.

Friends-to-Lovers or Enemies-to-Lovers?

While I do enjoy a good enemies-to-lovers romance every now and then, when it’s done right, I love the friends-to-lovers trope so much more! Especially childhood friends-to-lovers. It’s the cutest thing ever to me!

Mysteries or Thrillers?

These two genres are often lumped together, but there are differences between the two! While I love that thrillers can make my heart race and have me on the edge of my seat while reading, if there’s not a good mystery within its pages, I’m going to be bored. Instead of focusing more on action-packed, fist-fighting adventures, I love having a puzzle to solve and think about in-between reading sessions.

Bookstagram or BookTube?

I used to be all about finding new reads on Bookstagram, but over the past few years I’ve found that BookTube videos offer more in-depth reviews for books that are on my radar. I also like that BookTube is “messier” so to speak than Bookstagram, as vlogs show more of the ups and downs of everyday life rather than curated content.

Tolkien or Lewis?

In years past, I would say hands-down that I prefer C.S. Lewis’s writing over J.R.R. Tolkien’s… BUT (and me from last year wouldn’t even know what to think about this) at the moment, I prefer Tolkien’s writing over Lewis’s. The only fiction work I’ve read by Lewis is The Screwtape Letters earlier this year, and I found his writing style in it more difficult to read than Tolkien’s. I was also going through a lot at the time I read it, so my issues with it may have been due to the circumstances. I’ve read The Hobbit twice but have soft DNFed The Fellowship of the Ring twice before, so I’ve had my issues with Tolkien too. I’m thinking I prefer his writing now because of recency bias. This preference is subject to change and may end up being a tossup between the two if you were to ask me a few months from now. 🙂

DNF or Power Through?

I no longer DNF books and choose to power through them, even if I’m not enjoying them. I know this isn’t a popular opinion, but I’ve found a few books over the years that started off on a bad note but ended up impressing me as the story progressed. As an author, I also want to give each story I choose to read a fair shot, as I know how difficult writing a book can be.

All Christian Reads or Secular Books Added In?

Though I’ve started vetting the secular books I add to my TBR based on how much foul language and content are in them, I still enjoy reading secular books. I love discovering clean, hidden gems in the secular book space and recommending ones I fall in love with, because they are getting harder and harder to find.

Music or Silence While Reading?

The only time I like to listen to music while I’m reading is if I’m home alone. I’ll pull up Pandora on the TV and play the Anne Wilson channel at a low volume, because otherwise it’ll distract me from reading. I basically just like having background noise so I won’t think someone’s breaking in every time the house creaks. XD

Snacks or Beverages While Reading?

I’m 100% team beverage while reading, and I’ll be drinking coffee, Dr. Pepper, or water preferably. I don’t like having chip grease, crumbs, or cheese dust on my fingers while flipping pages, even if it’s on my Kindle.

Plain Copies or Special Editions?

Like I mentioned earlier, I’m trying to only collect copies of physical books that I absolutely adore. That being said, I have the sprayed-edges special edition copies of the first three books in The Hunger Games trilogy because it’s my favorite series of all time. There’s only one other special edition I have my eye on, but I haven’t read the book yet and plan to read it via eBook first before buying the physical version. Other than that, I’m fine with the plain/original copies of most books.

Pre-Order or Wait Until Release to Purchase?

When it comes to physical books, I’ve only ever pre-ordered from three authors: Nicholas Sparks, Gabrielle Meyer, and Suzanne Collins. This is because I’ve loved the majority of the books I’ve read by them. I’ve occasionally pre-ordered eBooks, but I haven’t made a habit of it, as I’m trying to trim my massive Kindle TBR down to a more manageable size.

Read New Additions Right Away or Wait Until the Time is Right?

For most of the eBooks I buy, I’ll wait to read them when I’m in the mood for them, as I normally buy them when they’re on sale. For physical books, I’ll normally read ones by my all-time favorite authors right away (Sparks, Meyer, Collins) and will plan to read others later. I’ve been trying to prioritize reading through books that have been on my TBR for a while rather than jumping into newly purchased reads all the time.

Faith-Filled Christian Fiction or Jesus Sprinkled In?

To be honest, I’ve been disappointed by several contemporary Christian reads over the past few years because even though the books were marketed as Christian fiction, the characters’ faith felt like an afterthought. Lately, I’ve been preferring faith-filled fiction instead. There’s a way to write Christian characters who have an active relationship with God without making the book too preachy, and that’s the type of Christian fiction I prefer to read and strive to write.

Talk to Me, Arrowheads!

What are your own reading preferences? Share them in the comments if you’d like!

Aim high, stay strong, and always hit your mark.

-Allyson 😀