I wasn’t actually planning to do this TTT but then I read a book with a huge turn off, so I decided to dive into the fray.
*While you’re here be sure to sign up for the Secret Box Swap I’m hosting with my friend Nicole.*
So here are ten book turn offs:
- Completely unexpected plot elements: I just read a book that I though would be a nice light steampunk mystery. Then a time traveler showed up. I was so annoyed I almost didn’t finish.
- Middle books with too much or too little recap: This is a hard balance but I hate books that demand a re-read (except Megan Whalen Turner books because she can do no wrong) or books that recap so much you practically read the first book every time (I call this “The Baby Sitters’ Club Problem).
- Vague narrators: Don’t spend the whole book alluding to some TERRIBLE THING. Just tell me about it on page five when you first mention it so we can both get on with our lives and more interesting plot points.
- Vague plots: One time I read a book where a character had a secret. He said he had it on page one. At the end of the book I still had no idea what that secret was because the story was too subtle and vague.
- Unconvincing Romantic Leads: No. Instant love is not allowed. No, I do not believe that you fell in love with that person at first sight.
- Unconvincing Love Triangles: There are maybe five books I can think of where a love triangle actually works. Mostly they don’t because they are annoying.
- Cliffhanger endings: There is no reason to have zero resolution just because your book is in the middle of a series. Stop that.
- Unconvincing premise/elements: I’m a close reader. If I find something unconvincing (character with a missing hand without phantom pain, character from X town with faulty geography of that town) I will not be amused.
- Weird character names: Unless you’re writing a very convincing fantasy or otherwise compelling story, I am going to judge you when every character has an outlandish name.
- Unconvincing dialog/voice: This is a very individual one and hard to pin down, but if the voice or dialog doesn’t work for me it’s usually a good reason to set a book aside.
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.
(Image made by me.)
*While you’re here be sure to sign up for the Secret Box Swap I’m hosting with my friend Nicole.*