Oh no you didn’t!
7 October 2013 
10 things that bug you most when you’re reading or, put bluntly, ‘book turn offs’.
I saw this over on Mega Mad 4 Books. It’s a weekly meme entitled Top Ten Tuesdays hosted by The Broke and the Bookish and wanted to take part. Unfortunately I missed the opportunity (ahem, by almost a week!) but still wanted to have a go because the cogs were already in motion. Here are my contributions:
- Book jackets that bear no relation whatsoever to the content – what is the point?? Don’t show me a blond haired white girl with a sword and tattoos if it’s about an Asian girl dragon slayer who uses a crossbow! I’d sooner have a plain cover than a misleading one.
- Inaccuracies in content during a series – keep to the programme please. If I can do it then so can you.
- Errors in spelling and grammar – can stomach a little bit but if I have to start backtracking to make sense of the sentence then I’m pretty quickly going to lose patience/the will to carry on reading.
- Made up slang that requires a glossary in order to understand. I don’t want to keep flipping backwards and forwards all the time. It’s up to the author to use the language in a way that makes it possible to grasp – that being said I don’t mind there being a glossary for reference purposes – just more that I don’t want to take twice as long to read the book because I’m constantly having to study definitions.
- The inevitable love triangle! Bored with that now.
- Huge info dumps. Be a bit more subtle please and find a way to deliver the information without a 30 page history lecture.
- Sex, violence and profanity used purely for the shock value rather than to add to the story. Don’t mind it being there but not for the sake of it.
- False modesty in the characters. You know, the beautiful girl who doesn’t know she’s beautiful even though men and women are falling over themselves to get her attention.
- Rushed endings where it feels like the author had simply had enough and wanted it over and done with!
- Fur coat no knickers – in other words lots of plot and action but very flat characters with, well, no character
Now, what about you??
I completely agree with number 3. Misuse of apostrophes is what bugs me most of all.
I can forgive a few errors – after all sometimes if you read a thing over and over you read it as though it’s correct even if there are mistakes. But, too many and it’s a definite turn off.
Lynn 😀
I completely agree with all of these but the one that bothers me the most are inaccuracies! I mean, come one, if I can spot it then surely the author knows it’s happening too! So annoying.
It’s incredibly annoying when it halts the flow and you have to go back and reread!
I loved this meme btw. Still love your answer about the use of your name – very original.
Lynn 😀
Are you planning on doing a Top 10 today?
Ahh, a reminder! Thank you… what is the Top Ten this week about??
Lynn 😀
Top 10 best/worst series endings I think
Ohhh, let me think on that – it should be interesting! Look forward to your 10.
Lynn 😀
I’m putting my list together now! Not checked yours or anyone else’s yet as trying to not be influenced but will check by shortly.
Lynn 😀
No. 3, 7 & 9 get to me the most! I can understand a little bit of misspelling/grammar errors in an ARC but when it’s blatantly obvious and abundant, well, then I get quite a bit perturbed.
shock value books ~ probably my top one. . .especially when it comes to certain genres.
and rushed endings aggravate me to no end and yes, also the flat characters from no. 10. The book is no fun if the characters have no character. . .it’s like eating cardboard cereal!
Characters without character – meh! I do like a bit of action and fast paced is also good but I want to engage a bit with the people in the story and have feelings for them – even if it’s intense dislike! I want to know about them in all the ways that count.
Lynn 😀
“fur coat no knickers”, LOL, i’m thankful you gave an explaination, otherwise I would have thought you were really talking about someone wearing a coat with hardly anything on underneath it. Also an annoyance – I had time to grab my coat and phone, but didn’t have time to put pants on!
and YES, the predictable love triangle is completely annoying!
So sick of love triangles – I mean really, how often do they happen in real life!! (That being said how often do dragons, vampires, werewolves and witches – okay, I’m now arguing with myself!) Still don’t like the triangles – I demand a different shape of romance, a cuboid or a rhombus or something!
Lynn 😀
Fur coat, no knickers. Might have to steal that one from you
Steal away – I’m sure I poached it from somewhere along the line (actually I think it’s one of the hubby’s phrases!)
Lynn 😀
I totally agree about the love triangle, and sex and violence just for the sake of it. I also really dislike the over use of superlative adjectives!