Tuesday, April 25, 2017

Top Ten Things That Make Me Not Want to Read a Book

Top 10 Tuesday is a post hosted by The Broke and the Bookish and this week's topic is Top Ten Things That Make Me Not Want to Read a Book.

Last week we talked about the Top Ten Things That Make Me Want to Read a Book, so now let's look at the opposite.

  1. CHEATING! - This is a no go! I don't mind love triangles that are done right, but crossing the line into cheating is NOT something that I want to read about.
  2. LGBTQAI - And whatever other XYZ you want to throw in. I'm a Christian. I'm straight. I read for pleasure and to escape. And this is not a subject that allows for escape for me. If there's a hint of this in the subject, I'm out. This isn't about hate at all. It's simply a matter of what I enjoy reading about. Sorry, not sorry.
  3. Time Travel - I know there are a ton of readers who find this fascinating, but I've just found that I don't usually enjoy these books.
  4. Mermaids - As much as I'm a fan of mermaids, I've not found a book about mermaids that's been a right fit for me. I'm still hoping to find one that might work, but this subject makes me skeptic that I'll enjoy it because of my past experience.
  5. Anti-God - I respect everyone's right to decide for themselves whether they believe in God or not, but as I've also chosen, I don't enjoy reading books that put Him down. The most common thing I see is an apathy towards Him, but even that grates on me because of the frequency that I see it.
  6. Weak Characters - I don't mind if bad things happen to people in books, but what I really want to read about is strong characters who are able to overcome their circumstances, not be defined by them.
  7. Authors I've not enjoyed in the past - There are a few authors that I've marked down as "not for me." That's not to say that they're "bad writers," but just that their style or subjects are not a good fit for me.
  8. Unappealing Book Covers - Explaining what I like and don't like in a book cover isn't exactly easy, but I know it when I see it. A cover that doesn't appeal to me usually means I don't even read the book description.
  9. Political Agenda - Again guys, I read for fun. I cannot stand when the author is using a book to make a political statement. I am perfectly capable of my own thoughts concerning politics. I don't enjoy an author taking this opportunity to force their political opinions down my throat.
  10. Preaching - Even though I'm a Christian, and I said that I don't like Anti-God books, I also don't like books that feel like you're being preached at. This is similar to a political agenda that I mentioned above. I read my Bible for this. I'm completely fine with a character learning a moral or spiritual lesson as a natural consequence of the events of a story, but to feel like the author is speaking beyond the characters to me as the reader directly is a big no-thank-you.

What about you? What are you reading turn-offs? What things make you immediately decide that a book isn't for you? Let me know!

4 comments:

  1. I'm with you on mermaids. Maybe I just can't suspend my disbelief quite enough for that? I also don't mind Christian/religious books as long as they aren't preachy. Subtlety is more my thing :)

    Happy TTT!

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  2. Hey Sandy, I'm so glad I found your blog through TTT, I can identify with your entire post! I don't like books that are anti-God or even anti Christianity either, but also want faith to shine through the story naturally. I think it's a difficult balance, but when done right it's something special. Ahhh, okay, I'm off to see what other fabulous things you have written about....Excited to get to know you!

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  3. Maybe that's my problem as well? I like the idea of them, but it's just too much for me to adjust with the whole breathing underwater and growing a tail and all.

    Yes! Subtlety exactly. Thanks so much for stopping by Susan!

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  4. Oh yay! I love when I find like-minded readers. It sounds like we have a lot of the same thoughts about what we like and don't like in books! I look forward to getting to know you too Andrea! Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting!

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