Hello Everyone!

Today I’m doing The In Or Out Book Tag which I found on Books Less Travelled. This is a fun book tag that asks readers whether these bookish tropes and pet-peeves are “in” or “out.” I can’t find who originally created this tag, but if you know, please let me know so I can tag them!

1. Reading the Last Page First

Out. I’m not a fan of spoilers and I wouldn’t want to spoil a book by reading the last page first.

2. Enemies to Lovers

In. This is one of my favourite tropes, even though it’s usually more of a “we got off on the wrong foot” than a true enemies-to-lovers situation. Either way though, I love it.

3. Dream Sequences

Out. Fortunately, I haven’t read a lot of books with dream sequences, but I’m generally not a fan of them. I find that they take away from the story and sometimes they make things difficult to follow.

4. Love Triangles

Both. Out to love triangles when the character is already in a relationship because I don’t like cheating. Out to love triangles where one of the options is just so horrendously horrible that the choice is super obvious. In to love triangles when the character is not in a relationship and is choosing between two perfectly suitable people.

5. Cracked Spines

Out. I don’t like the look of cracked spines. I don’t mind if other people crack the spines of their books, but I prefer to keep my spines intact. 

6. Back To My Small Town

In. This is such a fun trope because there are so many things that could happen. There’s the facing your past, the family drama, the reconnecting with old friends and enemies, there’s just so much potential with this trope. 

7. Monsters Are Regular People

I’m not sure what this means. If monsters refer to really terrible people, then out. If monsters refers to vampires and other supernatural creatures, then in.

8. No Paragraph Breaks

Out. I tend to get distracted easily and paragraph breaks make books easier to follow.

9. Multi-Generational Sagas

In. This is something that I want to read more of because it’s always so interesting. I like the layers to the story and the secrets that are usually revealed.

10. Re-reading

In. I love rereading books. I reread a handful of books every year, either because they’re old favourites or because someone wants to buddy read them or because I can’t remember what happened in a series.

11. Artificial Intelligence

Out. I struggle with sci-fi in general so I tend to avoid books with AI. I also think AI is dangerous and I’m not a fan of everything that’s been going on with it lately.

12. Drop Caps

In. I can’t think of any books I’ve read recently with drop caps, but I do like decorative elements in books.

13. Happy Endings

In. Romance is my favourite genre and it’s not romance if it doesn’t have a happily ever after or a happily for now. I am a sucker for a happy ending.

14. Plot Points That Only Converge At The End

In. I like twisty books that keep me guessing to the end. It’s nice to see how all of the plot points finally come together.

15. Detailed Magic Systems

Out. One of the main reasons why I struggle with fantasy is because of the detailed magic systems and world building. It’s usually too much for me to keep track of and I prefer simpler magic systems.

16. Classic Fantasy Races

In. I don’t read a lot of fantasy, but I do enjoy running into classic fantasy races because I know what they are. I know what dragons are, what dwarves are, what fae are, etc. and this makes the story easier to follow.

17. Unreliable Narrators

Out. I’m not a fan of unreliable narrators. I find it frustrating when I get to the end of the book and find out everything I just read was a lie or part of someone’s imagination.

18. Evil Protagonists

Out. I appreciate a good villain, but I’m not a fan of evil protagonists. Though, I think it would be fun to read a cozy book where it’s just a bunch of villains going about their day-to-day lives.

19. The Chosen One

In. This trope is a bit overdone, but I still enjoy it. It usually makes for a good story and there are a lot of ways to make it unique and exciting. It’s not a trope I reach for often, but it’s enjoyable when I do.

20. When The Protagonist Dies

In, as long as it’s not a romance. If I pick up a book advertised as a romance and one of the main characters die, I am likely to throw the book across the room because that is not a happily ever after and therefore it is not a romance. If I’m reading a genre where the protagonist is allowed to die (fantasy, historical fiction, contemporary fiction, etc.) I don’t mind.

21. Really Long Chapters

Out. I prefer shorter chapters because I feel like I read books with short chapters more quickly. It’s easier to say “oh, just one more chapter” when the chapter is only 5 pages versus 25 pages.

22. French Flaps

In. I don’t mind french flaps. They add a nice decorative element to the book and paperbacks with french flaps are usually floppy, which is the best kind of paperback.

23. Deckled Edges

In. I can understand why people don’t like deckled edges, but personally I think they look great and I haven’t run into any issues with them.

24. Signed Copies By The Author

In. Who doesn’t love signed books?

25. Dog-Earing Pages

Out, for my own books. Similar to cracked spines, I prefer that my books not be dog-earred. If you want to dog-ear your own books, go for it.

26. Chapter Titles Instead Of Numbers

In. Chapter titles are so much fun. I recently finished The Dead Romantics which had chapter titles and I thought it added to the story quite nicely.

Tagging:

Kerri, Kat, Hannah, Esther, and you!

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