Hello, friends! The end of 2022 is speeding ever closer and I hope everyone’s doing okay especially as I know this time of year isn’t fun and fantastic for all. I’ve been doing pretty terribly with posting this week, smashing my posting streak to bits as my poor organisational skills took centre stage. 😂 All that being said, I decided to finally do the Bookish Smash or Pass tag originally developed by Becky @Becky’s Book Blog after not only being tagged by her but also by Sahi @My World of Books! Thanks to these lovelies for tagging me and don’t forget to check out their blogs for all the good SFF and other bookish things.

Now I’m wondering… Am I gonna smash on everything or is there something I’m going to pass on?! Without further ado, LET’S FIND OUT!

Bookish Tropes

BIG SMASH! I’m definitely here for ALL the tropes, especially in my romances. I love knowing what I’m getting into especially if it’s a trope that I love but it’s also a good way for me to stay away from the books that have tropes I don’t like—such as the dreaded love triangle.

Alternating POV

ABSOLUTE SMASH! I love alternating POVs. I’m all for the different perspectives and I think it makes for a more well-rounded story but also gives characters more depth. I’m less picky when it comes to SFF and contemporaries but when it comes to romances, I find myself getting annoyed when there’s only one POV. I need to know what both parties are thinking, please!

Ambiguous Endings

It’s gonna be a PASS for me, thanks. I mean, that’s not to say that I totally hate all books that have open endings, I’m generally okay with them if they’re satisfying but I’ve found that’s generally never the case and so if I had the choice, I’d definitely take my well-rounded, closed endings!

Non-Fiction

Eh… I mean… This is a toughie because I don’t read a lot of non-fiction even though I always set a yearly goal to read one more NF title than I did the year before (definitely failed this year, lol). I just can’t get into NF books as easily and it takes me yonks to read but I’m not against reading more either, y’know? So I’m going for SMASS. Smash-Pass = SMASS.

Historical Setting

It’s a SMASH! I’ve always loved historical fiction and I still love a good historical setting. Some of my all-time favourite reads have historical settings (Persuasion, The Shadow of the Wind, and Evelyn Hugo to name a few)! I love what historical settings can add to a story too.

Morally Grey Characters

SMASHTASTIC! If I’m being honest it’s only in recent years that I came to develop a strong appreciation for morally grey characters and it’s all thanks to Schwab’s books—A Darker Shade of Magic series and Villains series, and the latter especially. Victor is *chefs kiss!*

First Person POV

Yeah, I can SMASH with this. I’m not particularly fussed with first-person POV but it really depends on the character(s). If they’re annoying then it’ll be an absolute nightmare to get through a book with this POV and it’s definitely happened before! 😂

Audiobooks

SMASS. So, I don’t mind audiobooks but I don’t work through them as quickly and easily as many people seem to. When I find one that works, I usually finish a book faster and end up loving that audiobook; but I’m also quite picky when it comes to audiobooks and when I listen to one I have to give it every bit of my attention, so I can’t multitask while listening because otherwise, I miss everything. The narrator also needs to be really engaging, capture all the character’s voices well, and just be easy to listen to.

Re-reading

Well, it’s usually a PASS for me. If I’m being honest, I have about a bajillion books on my “let’s re-read this” list and the time to re-read never ever comes around. 😂 There are just too many books to read and not enough time to read all of them and re-read the rest. It’s cliche but it’s true! 🤷🏻‍♀️

Classic Novels

SMASS! I don’t read a lot of classics but two of my all-time favourites are classics and I’m interested in reading more classics but I just struggle to get through them. And I mean, if given the choice between reading a classic or a contemporary or fantasy, I’d definitely pick the latter two.

Annotating

YES! SMASH! I’ve come to love annotating books and now just highlighting and making notes on my Kindle but annotating in my physical books as well. I love tabbing and although I still haven’t fully leveled up to writing directly in my books, I do make notes on stickies and put them in there. There’s something so satisfying about annotating although it can definitely change the reading experience (in both positive/negative ways)!

Cracking Book Spines

How do people read some paperbacks and NOT crack the book spines? I’m not for it but like I’m also scratching my head in wonder because I have yet to be able to read a paperback without once cracking the spine, no matter how floppy it is. Sorry, it’s just facts!

Smut

I. Am. HERE for the smut. SMASH IT! Really not much for me to say other than yuh, I love it. 😂 Obviously, I prefer my smut with plot and if it serves to advance the characters and their stories but I’m also okay with mindless no plot, just smut books. They’re fun to read every now and again although I mostly don’t rate those books when I do read them!

Character Driven Books

SMASH THE LOT! I love and adore character-driven books and as much as I love a good strong plot, if I don’t like or connect with the characters, it will be a struggle for me to get through the book.

Past/Present Timeline

Eh, PASS. It’s really not my favourite storytelling method. There are definitely exceptions where I enjoy this alternating timeline but I usually find that I’m less engaged in one timeline, usually the past, and want to skip ahead to the present.

Heavy World-Building

SMASH but only if it’s not dumpy, confusing or boring heavy world-building! I love when world-building is done well cos it helps me get lost in the story and love it even more.

Tagging

• Leslie @ Books Are the New Black
• Caro @ Book Cheshire Cat
• Ali @ Ali’s Books
• Jennifer @ My Book Joy
• YOU!

Unsurprisingly, as predicted, I smashed a whole lot on this list, lol. On the whole, I think I’m a pretty easy-to-please reader but this was a super fun tag to do! 😊

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