Previously, in April, one of our lists focused on words/topics that make us pick up a book. This week, the topic is Top Ten Words/Topics That Make Me Not Pick Up a Book. Sometimes books have themes that I would normally pass by, but for some reason - recommendations, curiosity, etc - I might give them a try anyway. That's why I tweaked the topic a little bit. Instead of just content that makes me completely dismiss a book, I've included stuff that make it less likely that I'll read it. If that makes sense.
Some words/topics that will almost always make me pass over something include:
2. Horror - I'm a huge baby. If there's going to be terrifying stuff that will give me nightmares, no way am I going to read it. I've tried a couple times in the past to see if I could make it through a scary book, but I've given up. No more horror novels for me!
4. Bad Boy - I am so incredibly sick of the "bad boy" in young adult fiction. What is the appeal, really? This is one of those topics that isn't a definite no, but it's quite unlikely that I'll read it. I'm not interested in bad boys in real life or fiction. Is he a bad boy with a "heart of gold"? Pfft, yeah right. Definitely not my cup of tea. If he has a heart of gold, why is he acting like a jerk to begin with? Seriously... ugh.
6. Zombies - Uh uh. No way! I do NOT do zombies. The only zombie-themed thing I can stand is the game Plants vs Zombies. Other than that, I just can't. Zombies creep me the heck out and they crop up in my nightmares way too much for my liking. Yuck.
7. New Adult - I think I've mentioned this somewhere before, but I can't bring myself to read New Adult. I was so excited by the idea of this genre, but it seems like all of them have sex sex and more sex. I mean, look at the covers? Practically all of them have people kissing, almost kissing, embracing, on top of one another, etc. Not only do I not want to read a book with explicit content, I don't want to be seen reading it! I'm also not a fan of explicit language, which seems to be more prevalent in NA. So no "smut fiction" for me. If anybody has a recommendation for good, CLEAN New Adult fiction, let me know. I'd love to love this genre. Until it branches out more, though, I'm going to stay away.
9. Love at First Sight - I don't know if I'm cynical, but I just don't believe in love at first sight. I don't want to read something with insta-love in it. I like romance in my books, I fully admit that, but I like the romance to grow. I like that spark of interest, the getting-to-know-you stuff, the feelings building and all that jazz. I get so sick of stories where all of a sudden the characters love one another. I'm usually left wondering if I missed something.
Are there any words that instantly make you shy away from a book? Any certain topics you can't bring yourself to read? Let me know in the comments below and please link to your post if you've shared one!
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Love at first sight and ridiculous names should have been on my list too! Mostly I agree with others, but I really love angel books - only if they aren't "religious" angels!
ReplyDeleteGreat list!
I agree with all of them, except the angel books. Yes, they are many bad angel books, but some of them are really good (Unearthly..). I totally forgot to add ridiculous names to my list, LOL.
ReplyDeleteMy TTT:
http://evelinesbooks.blogspot.nl/2013/07/top-ten-tuesday-8.html
Oh my goodness, I LOVE the inclusion of ridiculous names. Not like in Harry Potter, where it fits in with the setting and storyline, but like The Selection, where it begins to distract from the plot, or in most high fantasies, where every other character is some messy amalgamation of six consonants and two vowels, with six surnames and a job title tacked on at the end. So exhausting. :) Love the list!
ReplyDeleteI hate horror! It's definitely one that turns me off!
ReplyDeleteGreat list and a couple of them I should have included on my list! #1 and #5 oh yea...gross.
ReplyDeleteRegarding good, clean NA fiction - you could check out Elsker by ST Bende, clean NA fiction featuring Norse mythology. I'm not a fan of these sex for sex's sake NA books either.
ReplyDeleteGreat list! The only book I read that I was ok with wacky names was The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series- all those Swedish names and terms- but that was all part of the book!
ReplyDeleteI hate horror too.
Kerri
http://turnthepagereviews.com
Human-like animals?! Oh my goodness, that sounds so scary. I get what you mean though - I read a book focused on talking, eating, walking rats and wow, the imagery.
ReplyDeleteLovely list! :D
My TTT
Ugh, yeah it's frustrating to me that New Adult just basically seems to have been created for people who wanted sex in their YA books because the protags are only just a bit older than YA age. Just not interested. It must have slipped my mind to put bad boys on my list, but it totally should've been on there because I'm no fan either!
ReplyDelete