Hello everyone! For this post we decided with Solene to do a sort of Q&A for the Collective Review and maybe in 5 years or less (or more) we could do the same post with the same questions and see how much we evolved (or not). The first questions are about books we read together. There might be books you have not seen as a Collective Review because we read it before the blog or we just did not do a collective review. Then, in the second part, we will be answering general questions about books. Hope you enjoy it!
About the books we read together:
What's the book that you would say is the one you've enjoyed the most?
E: My favourite book that we read together was If We Were Villains by M. L. Rio. I really enjoyed reading it and it has become one of my favourite book.
S: Mine would be This is How you lose the Time War by Amal El Mothar and Max Gladstone. We read it in 2021 I believe, and it has stayed at the top of my list since then.
What's the book that you would say was objectively the best one?
E: Again, I have to say If We Were Villains by M. L. Rio. It was the book that was the most well-written of all the books we have read.
S: Objectively, I have to agree with Eponine on that one. The writing was amazing.
Which books from an author you’ve read for the book club would you read other books from?
E: I would have read more books by Taylor Jenkins Reid. We read The Seven Husband of Evelyn Hugo for the bookclub and after that I read Daisy Jones and The Six with another friend (shoutout to Léonie <3) and now I have bought 4 more books from TJR.
S: Possibly V.E Schwab. I know she’s written quite a lot of popular books as well. But I’m not too keen on reading anything else from her at the moment, I have many more other universes I’d rather get into.
What's the book in our list that you would say is kind of a guilty pleasure?
E: My guilty pleasure is reading The Cruel Prince saga by Holly Black.
S: Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller. I just like pirates, I have no good reasoning for this.
Looking back, is there a book that we read together that you just would not bother reading? Why?
E: If I could erase a book from my memory completely it would be A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas. It still haunts my dreams. I honestly hated reading it.
S:Infinity Son by Adam Silvera. I have no memory of this at all except that I did not like it at all.
What's a book that's been in our Collective Review TBR that you knew we would never read?
E: Probably the second book of the Infinity Son series, Infinity Reaper. We did not enjoy the first book and yet… We were ready to read the second book??? Make it makes sense.
S: We don’t make sense. That’s all I have to say about this (yes, Infinity Reaper).
Is there a genre you wish we tried or read more of?
E: We have only read one non-fiction book and I feel like we should read more even if we can’t really make a review for these kinds of books, it’s still nice to read together.
S: I agree, non-fiction, or perhaps general fiction would be nice.
A saga you want to finish ?
E: I really want to read Our Dark Duet by Victoria Schwab because the first book was really good. We have read it nearly 3 years ago now so I hope I remember enough to continue reading the story. I miss August and Kate.
S: I agree with that statement and I have nothing to add except that I already know I will not remember anything from book one, sadly.
Which character from which book from our list was the most memorable?
E: I think Nina (Eponine) from Court of Miracles by Kester Grant was the most memorable. We sometimes talk about her with Solene and laugh because she was too perfect.
S:Would have to agree, although maybe she was not memorable in the best way
What book are you excited to read for the Collective Reviews?
E: In our list at the moment, there is Babel by R. F. Kuang and I am super excited to read it. The list changes a lot with our moods so the book might get deleted. For example we were supposed to read The Poppy War by the same author and we removed it from the list because we were not in the right mood to read it.
S: I actually have something of value to add to this as I’m in the middle of reading the Poppy War and it is simply a delightful read. So yes, very much looking forward to reading Babel as well as Yellowface which comes out in a few weeks I believe !
General Questions:
What's your official favourite standalone book?
E: Solitaire by Alice Oseman has been my favourite book for 4 years now and no book has dethroned it yet.
S: I can’t really pick one, every time I get asked this I forget every single book I’ve ever read.
What’s your favourite series?
E: My favourite series is Percy Jackson by Rick Riordan. I really love the characters. I’m a fan of Greek Mythology so it makes perfect sense. I think another series that has to be my favourite is The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater. I really connected with the charcaters and the univers itself. I still have too finish the last book in the sequel trilogy but I'm in denial and refuse to finish it...
S: My favourite series is Autre Monde by Maxime Chattam, although Percy Jackson will always have a special place in my heart. I’m currently reading the Poppy War, perhaps it’ll make its place up there .. Stay tuned !
Who is your favourite author?
E: My two favourite authors are Alice Oseman and Rick Riordan for obvious reasons.
S: Rick Riordan is my favourite. RF Kuang might make it up there (I have to read more of her work to know!)
What’s your favourite trope?
E: My favourite trope is “found family”. I LOVE when a group of misfits become a little family, this is the cutest thing ever. I also really love “friends to lovers”, sue me.
S: I don’t know if that’s a trope, but I love to read about villain’s origin stories … Does that count ?
What's your most read genre?
E: According to Storygraph, my favourite “”””genre”””” is LGBTQIA+ books which… is legit but at the same time it’s not really a genre??? Then the next genre is Young Adult and Romance.
S: Fantasy / YA was mine, no surprise here
What's a genre you want to read more of?
E: I would like to read more classics; I don’t know if that counts as a “genre”. I have read some classic books because of school but I never seemed to really enjoy them. I want to read them without the pressure of an exam.
S: I’d like to read more sci-fi, poetry and philosophy.
What's a book that's overhyped and you cannot understand why?
E: Any Sarah J. Maas book, I just??? Why???
S: Any books about faes. I don’t understand the hype, it just confuses me. I guess they’re the new “vampires” of the book world ?
What's one book you want to read before this time next year?
E: I really want to read King of Scars and Rule of Wolves by Leigh Bardugo. I need to finish with the Shadow and Bone’s universe.
S: The newest addition to the Percy Jackson series that’s coming up at the end of the year !
How many books are on your TBR?
E: At the moment, my physical TBR is at 91 which is a lot… And I will buy more books. Send Help.
S: Physical … I believe about 15. Digital , I only have 1 left, the one that I’m currently reading.
What's a book that's been on your TBR for too long? Why have you not picked it up?
E: I have so many books that have been in my physical TBR for so long like Miss Peregrine by Ransom Riggs or Magnus Chase that I have started 3 years ago and never finished… Like I said, I need help.
S: The Power, that I still haven’t finished and at this point, probably will never. Another one is The Night Circus, I feel like I missed the wagon on that one and now it’s just too late.
Is there a book in your TBR that you know you're never getting to and why?
E: I usually sell the books I know I am not going to read. There is always a possibility of me picking up a book if it’s on my shelf, even if it’s a small possibility, it’s still a possibility.
S: Game of Thrones 2 - I feel like I barely got through the first one. Love the story, love the world, struggled to get into the book.
Almost three years deciding on the first book of our tiny book club, I can safely say that our buddy reads have been a roller coaster - we’ve had amazing books, and others that were really, really questionable. But despite our sometimes terrible picks, it’s been good fun all along. If anything, it allowed us to pick up some books that we would not have chosen under other circumstances. The great thing about a buddy read is that even when the book is bad, at least you get to be mad at it with your friends. So whether it’s a good book or a bad book - great memories are made either way. Here’s to all the stories we’ve read, and to all those yet to read.
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