Book This or That Questions for Readers

Press a side to vote on 66 pairs about reading, from hardcover or paperback to prologue or chapter one.

This or that?

1 of 66

How it works

This book this or that deck holds 66 pairs about how you read: habits, formats, genres, endings, shelves and book clubs. No title, author or series is named, so every reader in the room can vote.

Read the full guide

At book club or in the library

Open with Book clubs and sharing while people find a seat: Talk spoilers or ban spoilers? Press a side once per raised hand, then Next question. Genres and stories suits a class or a library group that reads different things.

For the readers who argue

Bookish this or that fans go to Characters and endings and Formats and pages, where Footnotes or endnotes? lives. The Hard level marks 12 pairs where both sides win votes, such as Signed copy or first edition?

Tips
  • Ask the loser of each vote to name one book that proves their side.

Questions and answers

What are some book this or that questions?

Hardcover or paperback? Morning reader or night reader? Dragons or detectives? Shelve by color or shelve by author? All 66 pairs print in the list under the deck, grouped by topic.

Is there a this or that book edition for a book club?

Yes. Book clubs and sharing holds nine pairs written for a meeting, such as Pick the book or read what is picked? and Lend your books or never lend?

Do these work for students?

Yes. Every pair is clean and names no book, so a class can vote without having read the same thing. Easy holds 29 quick picks, such as Funny book or sad book?

All 66 pairs

Reading habits 11

  • Hammock or reading nook?
  • Morning reader or night reader?
  • One book or three books at once?
  • One more chapter or stop mid-chapter?
  • Read in bed or read on the couch?
  • Read in the bath or read in the sun?
  • Read on a train or read on a plane?
  • Read with music or read in silence?
  • Reread old favorites or always something new?
  • Snack while reading or no crumbs near books?
  • Speed reader or slow savorer?

Formats and pages 12

  • Big print or small print?
  • Deckled edges or smooth edges?
  • Dust jacket on or dust jacket off?
  • Footnotes or endnotes?
  • Hardcover or paperback?
  • Illustrated edition or plain text?
  • Library copy or your own copy?
  • Map in front or family tree in front?
  • New book smell or old book smell?
  • Short chapters or long chapters?
  • Thin book or doorstopper?
  • Uncracked spine or well-loved spine?
Show all 66 pairs (43 more)

Genres and stories 12

  • Biography or memoir?
  • Dragons or detectives?
  • Fairy tale retelling or brand-new world?
  • Funny book or sad book?
  • Haunted house or time machine?
  • Mystery or fantasy?
  • Poetry collection or short story collection?
  • Robots and rockets or kings and castles?
  • Space adventure or sea adventure?
  • Spooky story or cozy story?
  • True story or made-up story?
  • Western or whodunit?

Characters and endings 12

  • Be the detective or be the wizard?
  • Cliffhanger or everything wrapped up?
  • Epilogue or no epilogue?
  • First person or third person?
  • Found family or chosen one?
  • Hero or sidekick?
  • One narrator or many narrators?
  • Plot twist or slow reveal?
  • Prologue or straight to chapter one?
  • Talking animals or talking robots?
  • Tidy ending or open ending?
  • Villain you hate or villain you love?

Shelves and bookstores 10

  • Bedroom shelf or hallway shelf?
  • Browse for an hour or grab and go?
  • Buy the book or borrow the book?
  • Judge the cover or read the back?
  • Keep every book or give books away?
  • Receipt as bookmark or ticket stub as bookmark?
  • Shelve by color or shelve by author?
  • Signed copy or first edition?
  • Spines out or covers out?
  • Used bookstore or new bookstore?

Book clubs and sharing 9

  • Club with snacks or club on a walk?
  • Gift a book or gift a bookmark?
  • Lend your books or never lend?
  • Meet the author or meet the main character?
  • Pick the book or read what is picked?
  • Rate every book or keep it private?
  • Recommend a book or get one recommended?
  • Talk spoilers or ban spoilers?
  • Write in the margins or keep pages clean?

How this list was compiled: Own work: 66 pairs about reading, written for this page in September 2026 and screened against the site's clean-deck rules the same day. No book, author, series, publisher, store or app is named, and no pair states a fact: every card is a matter of taste, from reading habits and formats to genres, endings, shelves and book clubs. Compared by script on 2026-09-24 with every other deck on this site: no pair is shared. Licence: own work