Today's Top Ten Tuesday theme, sponsored by The Broke and the Bookish, is sure to bring out the curmudgeon in everyone...at least it did in me.
While I won't not read a book that I want to read because of any of the following gripes, if I am casually browsing, looking for a book to read on an airplane or while away time in the dentist office, these are not the way to sell me on a book's virtues.
- Anything described as "instant classic" - honestly, there's no such thing and the hype makes me gag. It's not a classic if it's under 50 years old, so let's let the test of time weed out the duds.
- Books described as "xx meets xx" - as in "Jane Eyre meets Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" - this doesn't tell me anything about whether I will like it, just that the publicist is trying to appeal to every demographic there is.
- Movie tie-in books - for the most part, I want to read the book first and not because there's a movie along with it, and I tend to like my covers to not have photos with the leading characters from the movie version splashed across them.
- Back covers and inside front covers that have quote after breathless quote endorsing the book without a single line describing what the book is about.
- Bookclub seals - ala the Oprah Book Club. That's not to say that Oprah doesn't usually pick good books, but I don't want her seal on my book, just like I tend to not wear clothes that have Izod alligators, Polo ponies, or Nike swooshes.
- Hardbound only - I tend to prefer my books paperback. Easier to read, less to fuss with (i.e., dust jackets).
- Footnotes on most pages. Really a big turnoff for fiction, but almost as annoying in non-fiction. I like notes at the end of chapters or clustered at the end of the book. They get in the way of the narrative otherwise and make me feel guilty for not reading them.
- Hard to read type - it can't be too small or too ornate or too archaic (using a typeface to generate a mood is a bad idea, imo).
- Too many non-English phrases - I will suffer through occasional French, Spanish, German or whatever phrases, and even look up translations, but pages of non-English text will send me back to the stacks. Ditto pages of long poems or song lyrics. I skip these for the most part.
- Black and white photos - I like non-fiction illustrations to be in living color.
Do any of these resonate with you? Any that I missed?
#9--why do authors always assume everyone knows French? Annoying as crap.
ReplyDeleteLisa @
https://hopewellslibraryoflife.wordpress.com/2017/04/25/top-ten-tuesday-what-makes-me-instantly-quit-reading-a-book/
Ahh, the x-meets-x formula is so awful because the book rarely lives up to either of the ones it's being compared to and it sets expectations too high. If readers were left to decide something like that on their own, it would be better!
ReplyDeleteAnd the too many endorsements/not enough info comes in second to the times when every glowing endorsement on the cover is for the author's PREVIOUS book. I've had a few times where I didn't figure that out until I already had the book. Ugh.
Yeah, I think "instant classic" is an oxymoron and for a good reason. A classic is a classic because it holds up over TIME. I'm with you on that one.
ReplyDeleteHappy TTT!
I agree with everything except for hard covers vs paperbacks. I prefer hardbacks. And I am neutral on footnotes; at the back or at the bottom of the page, either way is fine by me!
ReplyDeleteOk, now I really want to read the book that is marketed under “Jane Eyre meets Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" : ). What would that look like? But I know what you mean. The Girl on the Train was “The next Gone Girl”…now the new thrillers are “The next Girl on the Train”. Ughh.
I think The Eyre Affair is actually Jane Eyre meets Hitchhiker's Guide--maybe that's what I subconsciously had in mind. I liked Eyre Affair, but didn't feel compelled to go on with the series.
Delete"Instant classic" -- YES. Also agree with Ruthiella -- "The Next (Insert Trendy Title)." If I wanted to read the trendy title, I'd read it.
ReplyDeleteI hardly ever see footnotes at the bottom of the page anymore. The only book I can recall was Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, and they were part of the narrative, so it worked for me.
Black and white illustrations don't bother me, it's really expensive for publishers (and I would pay extra, believe me!) What bugs me is when there are a lot of locations, i.e., history, and there's no map! If it's nonfiction, there's a good chance IT NEEDS A MAP.
Totally agree about maps--even fiction, esp historical fiction, often benefits from maps. One of the downsides to audio books, but then I revert to the internet for my sense of space.
DeleteThis is a great post. I am also annoyed with many things that you mention here. I tend to really dislike marketing puffery like "instant classic."
ReplyDeleteI never used to mind small print, but as get older, even with glasses I now understand why it is a bad thing.
I do like footnotes in fiction. I tend to read them and I find them easier then endnotes.
The older I get, the bigger the font.
DeleteI like hardcovers too, mainly because of #8: the type is usually bigger in HC, but a readable paperback is great too, unless it is too hard to.open and the type is too close to the gutter. I don't like getting sore wrists prying open to read ends of lines! 😄
ReplyDeleteActually the hardbound I'm currently reading (Sapiens) is really stiff and hard to open, which surprised me quite a bit.
DeleteGreat blog. I prefer paperbacks to Hardcovers too. In fact even the paperbacks these days are getting a little too large for my taste. Give me the paperbacks of old, real collectors items. Also agree that a book needs to have been around for at least 50 years to be considered a classic.
ReplyDeleteDo any of these resonate with me? Oh my goodness YES!!! Especially 1-4 (LOVE the hypothetical example of Jane Eyre meets THHGttG btw...brilliant.)
ReplyDeleteAnother one I would add is anything with the title formula "X of Y and Z." So tired of that. And I'm thinking of boycotting "girl" books, even though there are a lot of good ones.
ReplyDelete