I love to read. I love the feel of a new book in my hands, the stacks of books around me that I may never get to but still insist on adding to, and the swirl of my download icon on my Kindle when I put something new on there. I don't always get as much time to read as I would like, but that doesn't stop my from plowing through as many books as I can sneak time in to do. (if you are a reader and you would like to peek at my opinions on books I have read go to Shelfari to do so).
Over the years however, I have developed a few strange pet peeves over books.
First-the DREAM sequence. You know the one, when you are reading along and suddenly there is a freaky scene happening with all these 'symbolic' meanings and events, and the character awakes with a new found understanding, or not. I hate these.
Why can't the author just write that angst/knowledge/fear etc. into the story? I always feel dreams are a cop out, with very few exceptions. I hate them. A book always drops down a notch or two in my eyes if there are dream sequences in them.
Second- I hate repetitive phrases. When I read The Work and The Glory (don't judge me people) I thought I would scream if I read one more woman "looking up at him through tear-filled eyes" or one more man "turning on his heel to leave". Remember the book The Memory Keeper's Daughter ? Loved the book- except for the 3 or 4 times she described the baby as having a 'starfish hand'. How creepy is that? Starfish are so weird when they slime across an aquarium tank....and she used that one several times. I don't know why these stick out for me, but they do. And I roll my every time I read a certain phrase of words repeated in a book.
Last, but most important of all, I hate stickers of any kind on a book. From the Oprah O ( which is now mostly printed on the book), to the sale sticker, even the price tag. When I buy a book the first thing I do is sit (usually in the car in the book store parking lot) and peel off any and all stickers. If they are super sticky I get a tad bit anxious until all the gummy goo and remnants are gone. Just me......I need a cover unmarked by any annoying stickers of any kind. Is that too much ask?
Am I the only person these things bother?
18 comments:
my biggest pet peeve is the goo that I can never get off after peeling off whatever stickers there were... I hate it.
The book I am reading right now underlines my biggest peeve though, which is when an author obviously thinks the reader is stupid. When the big reveal half way through the book was pretty obviously coming by chapter 3 or 4.. Give me one clue, don't give me five and then type the reveal in all caps and an exclamation point like I am supposed to be shocked by what you had been hitting me over the head with for the last ten chapters...
Hate those dream sequences as well!
Hmmmmmm. That's a tough one. I so rarely read these days- and I used to read all of the time. I just plowed through the Twilight series- to see what it was all about. It ws OK. Just OK. I also recently read Stephen King's Dumas Key. It was good- vintage King.
I hate goey stickers too. I don't like to bend up my covers, so I take them off when I read. I don't like to bend pages, I'd rather use a paper clip.
I don't mind dream sequences perse- but they have to masterfully done.
I don't like repetitive images/phrases either. The starfish hand- HUH?- ewwwww. Why didn't the editors catch this stuff? Hrmph!
That's so funny about the stickers!
Dream sequences--boo. I love to read too and I appreciate book reviews so that I only read the worth while stuff!!
My pet peeve is when the author is just too flowery and goes on and on and on and on describing one thing!
OHHHHH, STICKERS!!
I hate them with the passion of a thousand fires!
I'm with ya on that one!
That last one bothers me VERY much, you don't shell out that kind of money to have your property ruined by a sticker. Also they do the same thing on DVD's and it ALWAYS sticks. I have like 40 dvd's that stick to the ones surrounding it, drives me batty!!
I agree on the repetitive phrases. Work and the Glory is filled to the gills with 'em. Twilight series also has phrases that are repeated waaaayyy to many times!
And totally with you on the sticker thing. Really, why do they have to put stickers on anything? It is way embarrassing when you give some one a book and there are streak marks from the super sticky sticker you attempted to peel off. It looks so tacky!
Be prepared for several dream sequences in "till we have faces". I am not sure if I like the book or not.
Heidi
Amen on the stickers. I always wish I could ask the store personel to remove them and then reject the book when they can't do it.
I like the smell of a new book. Which is why I hate the library. Well, that and the hoboes.
you may have just shed light on why I didn't enjoy "The Work and the Glory"...I really couldn't get into them, perhaps the writing was as bad as I thought it was. (But didn't want to say out loud because saying you hated those books is like saying you hated real-live church history too!--in some circles)
OK, you have OCD, taking the sticker off in the parking lot, LOL!!
starfish hands are creepy?
I thought that I was the only one that peeled off the stickers immediately. Sometimes I start picking at them while still in the store.
I thought that I was the only one that peeled off the stickers immediately. Sometimes I start picking at them while still in the store.
I am with you on everything but the dream sequences. There have been a number of times in my life when dreams I have received have given me guidance, so dream sequences in a book that carry a special message or significance seems perfectly natural to me. However, if they are just there to confuse the issue, I am not for them.
I want to be sure to let you know how much I admire the layout of your blog. Nice work.
And that song is so catchy!
I just found your blog (through the Mormon Mommies site), so this is a bit late in coming...but I am SO with you on the repetitive phrases! The worst one in the Work and the Glory series for me was "his lips were working, but no sound was coming out." I thought I was going to scream if I read it one more time!
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