Hello everyone!!!! today I’m doing the in or out book tag, which was created by Rick over at his BookTube channel, Rick MacDonnell.
1. Reading the Last Page First
OUT. I’m not chaotic enough to do this lol.
2. Enemies to Lovers
IN. I LOVE enemies to lovers and I will never get sick of it. It’s all about the GROWTH.
3. Dream Sequences
OUT. I feel like I mentally check out every time there’s a dream sequence in a book. Like every literary dream sequence might as well come with a huge sign that says PAY ATTENTION: THIS SCENE IS HIGHLY SYMBOLIC !!!!
4. Love Triangles
OUT. I don’t know I don’t think I’ve ever read a book with a good love triangle, so I’m not very sold on it at the moment.
5. Cracked Spines
OUT. I like to keep my books in as good a condition as possible, which includes not cracking the spines. š¤·āāļø
6. Back to My Small Town
IN. It’s not so much the small town aspect that I’m into, but rather the idea that a character would return to a place that holds a lot of memories for them, and also potentially reunite with people that they’d left behind. I love seeing how characters who’ve left a place behind for a long time come back to it older and with a new perspective.
7. Monsters Are Regular People
IN (?). Theoretically I’m into this, but I also haven’t encountered it a lot in the little fantasy that I’ve read so far.
8. No Paragraph Breaks
OUT. Paragraph breaks just make it so much easier to get through a book. For me, very few books can get away with not having paragraph breaks (like Milkman by Anna Burns); it takes an extraordinarily skilled writer to sustain my attention in that way.
9. Multi-Generational Sagas
IN. I love reading about families and how the choices of one generation can impact the next. Definitely into this one.
10. Re-Reading
IN. I am a creature of comfort and will often reread favourite books when I feel in need of a pick-me-up.
11. Artificial Intelligence
OUT. I’m just not interested in AI. It veers into sci-fi territory, and I’ve never really been interested in sci-fi. Not into the science-y stuff.
12. Drop Caps
IN. Sure?
13. Happy Endings
IN. Life is stressful enough without the added stress of sad endings. I get way too attached to books sometimes and sad endings just wreck me (my best friend–hi Thea!! š–who’s received many a distraught message from me in the midst of a book-related emotional breakdown knows this more than anyone).
14. Plot Points That Only Converge At the End
IN. If it’s done well–i.e. given that every plot thread stands on its own–then yes, I love this.
15. Detailed Magic Systems
IN. I don’t see why this would be bad, so long as the author balances character and story as well.
16. Classic Fantasy Races
OUT. But I don’t really care either way about this one.
17. Unreliable Narrators
IN. Yes. Give me the drama of an unreliable narrator !!!!
18. Evil Protagonists
IN (?). I don’t really know about “evil,” but I’m down for a morally complicated or morally grey protagonist.
19. The Chosen One
OUT. I don’t know they’re just a little boring at this point.
20. When the Protagonist Dies
OUT. Protagonists don’t usually die in the books I tend to read, but I feel like I’d be pretty annoyed if this happened.
21. Really Long Chapters
IN (?). But it depends. I think I like long chapters when they’re in more plot-heavy genres like fantasy rather than character-focused ones like literary fiction.
22. French Flaps
IN. Why not! They’re fancy!
23. Deckled Edges
IN. No strong opinions about this but I wouldn’t object to having deckled edges.
24. Signed Copies by the Author
IN. Again, I wouldn’t object to a signed copy of a book, but I’d much rather go to a signing and have the author sign my book for me (rather than just buying a signed copy).
25. Dog-Earing Pages
OUT. I don’t personally do this, but I don’t care if people dog-ear their pages. š¤·āāļø
26. Chapter Titles Instead of Numbers
IN. I feel like I never see titled chapters these days !!! where did they go !!! I miss them !!! they’re such a simple way of adding layers to a narrative, and give you a lil sneak peek of what’s to come in a chapter.
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I was gonna comment anyway because I’m having thoughts for once but omg a shoutout!!! It is an honour to be recognized by such an esteemed blog ā¤ (clearly I'm on the computer and idk how to insert emojis on the computer lol). I think this might be one of those rare times (perhaps even the first time?) that you have a more literal interpretation of something than I do. For #7 Monsters are Real People, usually I would be the one to interpret "monsters" as fantasy creatures like vampires, werewolves, etc., which I think is what you're thinking of. When I read that prompt though I thought it was referencing "human" (?) monsters, like serial killers, or something (even just random people in our own lives who we might feel are monsters to us, but to the rest of the world are just Regular People). Thoughts on this interpretation of the trope? Are you IN or OUT?
You know I'm a fantasy fan so I would say I'm IN for your interpretation, not sure how I feel about my own interpretation though, haha.
Also (sorry this is a little ramble-y, I'm not a seasoned English book report writer like you are), I think maybe you're seeing "monster" as more of a reflection of the outside of the character (vampire, werewolf…) whereas I'm seeing it more as a reflection of the inside of the character (serial killer, personal foil…)? LMK your thoughts and also if I'm way off base with what I think you're saying in your one sentence commentary on this trope lol.
<3<3<3 Thea
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first of all it is an honour and a privilege to receive a comment from the esteemed electricyoshi !!! yeah i think my mind immediately went to actual monsters as opposed to, like, moral monsters (i think that was also the original tag creator’s interpretation of “monsters”). BUT i would 100% be IN when it comes to moral monsters too. i just love DRAMA and i think its really interesting when youre asked to try to understand–or in some ways empathize with–a character who is really fucked up. ESPECIALLY if they also have good qualities that make you want to root for them despite their shitty actions š
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I love this tag! Though I feel like I would be in/out for a lot of the questions ha. e.g. happy endings really depends on the book.
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the in/out-ness of it all is both good and bad haha š¤·āāļø i didnt have a very strong opinion on all of them, but happy endings is a very interesting one š intellectually i understand not all stories are suited to happy endings, but the part of me that is averse to any negative emotion is like No Sad Things, Happy Things Only š
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Ha I’m the opposite – generally prefer a bittersweet or sad ending, but understand some stories need happy endings š
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