Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's topic is bookish pet peeves. I think I've done this topic before, so this will be a mix of old pet peeves with some new ones!
- Synopses that don't give an accurate description of the book: I
hate when I start reading a book, thinking it's about one thing, and I
get something completely different. This seems to be happening a lot lately with the romances I'm reading - I think it's going to be light/fluffy/funny, and it's anything but!
- Long paragraphs/chapters: If a paragraph is too long, I'm likely going to skim it. I like details, but breaking it up with some
dialogue or into smaller paragraphs is just easier to read. Also, it's a
quirk, but I usually look ahead to see how long a chapter is before I
start it. I don't like stopping in the middle, so long chapters are kind of a bummer.
- People who are not careful with their books: I try to keep my books
in good condition, so it irks me when I lend a book to someone and I
get it back with folded pages, ripped covers, or broken spines, or I don't get it back at all and have to buy a new one!
- Quick or convenient endings: Some books have so much going on and then, all of a sudden, they just end. If I've invested all this time in a book, I want a satisfying ending! Not one that ties up all the plot lines in a page or two, in ways that make it seem like the author was taking the easy way out, ran out of ideas, or hit their page limit.
- Perfect characters: Perfect people don't exist - when a character is beautiful/handsome, and smart, and successful, and kind, etc., it just makes me want to roll my eyes.
- Ugly book covers: I'm gonna be honest, I totally judge books by their covers, so if the cover is too garish, inappropriate, or cheap-looking, I probably won't even take the time to see what the book is about.
- Starred reviews on Goodreads before a book is even released: I'm not talking about people who have ARCs and review the book early, but those people who rate a book before they've even read it, or when the cover or blurb comes out. It's okay to say you're excited, but giving a 5-star review for a book you haven't even seen yet is so misleading! And don't get me started on people who leave 1-star reviews just because they don't like the blurb or have some issue with the author.
- Unrealistic dialogue: Sometimes characters give long monologues or just way too much detail in their dialogue, and I don't think people talk that way in real life!
- Overused phrases: There are just some phrases that so many authors seem to use - "fiercely independent" is one that comes to mind. Another is "massive curls" to describe someone's hair - I feel like I don't know THAT many people with curly hair, yet they seem to pop up in every book I read, and it's always described the same way.
- Poorly edited books: OMG, typos! I can't stand typos, and if a character's name is spelled two different ways on the same page, that's a big problem. Let's be real, I make mistakes all the time in my posts, but this is not a published book that someone will spend money on!
Now that I've gotten all my crankiness out, what are some of your pet peeves?
I see a lot of "perfect characters" in bad books. And the contrasting wicked characters. If only there were these easy-to-distinguish characters in real life, we could round up all the bad guys and put them in jail, and our troubles would be over.
ReplyDeleteExactly! I hate when characters are so black-and-white.
DeleteYes, yes, yes, I agree with you on all of these, and don't get me started on typos and grammatical errors in books.
ReplyDeleteGlad I'm not the only one!
DeleteI also don't like long chapters, quick or convenient endings, perfect characters and ugly covers!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad we agree!
DeletePeople who bend the spine all the way back, like folding the book in two... ugh! It's like torture seeing that. LOL And the starred reviews on GR just because they're excited for it?? Drives me crazy!
ReplyDeleteOMG, how does the book just not completely fall apart??
DeleteUgh, those starred reviews!
Oh, yes to all of these! I hate when I go into a book expecting one thing because of the synopsis and then getting something completely different! And I just don't understand people rating books on Goodreads before they're even released.
ReplyDeleteI don't either!!
DeleteThese are good, Angela. Agree with you on many of them. I hate then the synopsis give too much away, especially in a mystery. I often can figure out the twist anyway, but dislike going into the book with a fairly clear idea of what the ending will be. LOL
ReplyDeleteYes! Sometimes the synopsis is just way too long and detailed and I'm like, ok, guess I don't need to read the book!
DeleteI don't like long chapters either, you end up having to stop halfway through and then I forget where I was when I pick the book back up again.
ReplyDeleteMy TTT: https://jjbookblog.wordpress.com/2021/10/05/top-ten-tuesday-336/
Yes, exactly!!
DeleteYES!! to all of these..
ReplyDeleteHaha, yay!
DeletePerfect characters!! I wholeheartedly agree with everything you said there. It is unrealistic to find someone who is beautiful, fashionable, smart, have a 6-figure income, works 80 hours a week, AND still have 20 hours a week to volunteer at the animal shelter. Really? A few of those traits, ok. But all of them? No way!
ReplyDeletePam @ Read! Bake! Create!
https://readbakecreate.com/going-to-the-dogs-12-books-with-dogs-on-the-cover/
Exactly, Pam!!
DeleteI'm a cover snob. I'm sure there are many good books I've missed out on because I'm actually embarrassed at how bad the cover is.
ReplyDeleteOoh, yes, I know that feeling well.
DeleteI am definitely a fan of flawed characters as well.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad we agree!
DeleteI don't like typos - I figure if a book is being professionally published it should be edited well haha. And long chapters- same. I seem to like short, punchy chapters these days that I can get through quickly. :) If I have to keep looking ahead to see how much chapter is left, that's not a good thing ha ha.
ReplyDeleteYes, short punchy chapters definitely make a book feel like it's moving so much quicker!
DeleteI am so brutal on books whose synopses deceive me/. More often than not that’s bc it takes a left turn into something I don’t like. But also, I nodded my way through this list, right from no1!
ReplyDeleteHaha, yay! Yes, the deceiving synopsis!
DeleteYes to all, but #1 really spoke to me. I love contemporary romance, and there's this thing where the synopsis reads like the character talking to you, but tells you nothing about the book. Makes me batty
ReplyDeleteYES!! I've seen many of those! Totally puts me off wanting to read the book sometimes.
DeleteInaccurate synopses drive me crazy too. I hate thinking I'm getting one thing when I sit down to read a book but end up getting something completely different. Sometimes it works out and it's a nice surprise but often, I'm just like ugh, this isn't what I wanted to read.
ReplyDeleteExactly! Especially when you think it's going to be a light read and it ends up being really heavy.
DeleteI agree 100% with all of these, I think! I really hate long paragraphs, too, haha, and convenient endings are the worst. The starred review things always frustrates me as well. And with typos, I swear I have seen such an uptick in them in fully published books lately. I also make SO many typos in my posts because sometimes I don't have as much time to edit as I'd like (oops), but I also don't have professional editors and there's no money in it, haha.
ReplyDeleteYeah, the typos can be so distracting!
DeleteThis is so relatable! The too long paragraphs or chapters; indeed, GET ME SOME CONVERSATION!
ReplyDeleteAlso, people who are not careful with their books; I teach the kids in my classroom that already.
The too perfect characters, the ugly covers...
I can go on and on, I totally relate.
Ahh, thank you, Esther! Haha, I love that you're starting the kids young with their book habits!
DeleteI agree with you on most of these, particularly #1, #3, and #7. But I don't mind long paragraphs at all. :-)
ReplyDeleteHaha, just personal preference, I guess!
DeleteGosh, yes! I'm certainly a cover snob. ;D Also, chapters being too long is another of my pet peeves. I know it's not, but I feel like this takes me longer to read a book, too! Thanks so much for visiting Finding Wonderland on this week, Angela. Appreciate it. :)
ReplyDeleteNo, I feel the same way about long chapters! Short chapters always seem to make a book go faster!
DeleteOh my gosh, number one on your list gets me SO fired up!!
ReplyDeleteIsn't it the worst??
Delete