Tuesday 5 October 2021

Top Ten Tuesday ~ Bookish Pet Peeves

     

"Top Ten Tuesday" is an original feature/weekly meme created on the blog "The Broke and the Bookish". This feature was created because they are particularly fond of lists at "The Broke and the Bookish". It is now hosted by Jana from That Artsy Reader Girl.

Since I am just as fond of them as they are, I jump at the chance to share my lists with them! Have a look at their page, there are lots of other bloggers who share their lists here.

This week's topic is Bookish Pet Peeves

May I introduce my favourite bag saying "favourite book" in German. I have had this for years (as you can see from the copyright, even then it was a couple of years old) and take it everywhere. My handbags have to be big enough for it to fit in there because only then can I take a book with me wherever I go.

When I first saw this topic, I thought, I know I've done this before. And yes, it's been eight years ago. The challenge was Top Ten Book Turn-Offs and mine were:

10. Books with movie covers.
9. No description of the book on the cover.
8. Spoilers in the introduction.
7. Description of clothes.
6. Mentioning shoes.
5. Bad translation.
4. Contradictions within the story or even compared to real life.
3. Wrong dates.
2. Wrong grammar, wrong spelling.
1. Bad language.
None of that has changed, I still loathe all of those facts. But, of course, there are other events that can make me mad.

One would be: Sequels coming out a different size to first book. I like my series to match. But that isn't the worst one.

And since we're on the topic already, cover redesigns after they have been turned into a movie! I think they do it because they hope to sell the books with the new cover to those who liked the movie. But they don't make them attractive to those of us who hate movies made after our books (see here).

I also hate that paperbacks are published later than hard covers. Now it's bad enough with English books but in Germany it might take years until they publish it in paperback. With the result that I hardly ever read any new German books and by the time they appear in paperback, I have forgotten that I liked the description when I first heard about it.

Then there is something I love when it's there, but it doesn't happen very often. I love to have maps about the area, so I know what the author is talking about. Also, when there is a historical notion, a timeline of what happened in real life is very helpful. I know I can get all that information on the internet nowadays but it's nicer to have it right then and there while reading.

Another thing we book lovers hate is when a book we ordered online is damaged. I don't like ordering online much but my local bookshop often has problems getting a foreign edition for me, so I have no choice but to use one of the online bookshops. It's really annoying when they arrive damaged.

And the last biggest problem is:
How will I ever get through my TBR pile before I die?

I hope Jorge Louis Borges is correct and paradise is like a library. Sigh!

20 comments:

  1. I don't mind a clothing description if it's necessary to something in the story, but every outfit overly described, especially if luxury, bugs me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, Deanna, that's what I mean. Especially if I see this in the first few paragraphs, I know that book is not for me.

      Delete
  2. Great post. Here is my posthttps://paigesofbook.blogspot.com/2021/10/top-ten-eight-tuesday-bookish-pet-peeves.html

    ReplyDelete
  3. Different sizes for series are indeed so annoying!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Definitely, Lindsey. I mean, I'm not the person who buys a book to look "nice" on my shelves but I like to see a series as "one".

      Delete
  4. Movie covers are annoying, aren't they? And I hate when a book you've ordered new is delivered damaged, too. Great list! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Exactly, Lark. I can see that the publishers think they will sell more books that way but they should also think of those of us who hate those covers.

      Delete
  5. I can relate to everything on your list!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Carol. Why am I not surprised? LOL

      Delete
  6. I hate movie covers as well!
    My TTT: https://jjbookblog.wordpress.com/2021/10/05/top-ten-tuesday-336/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Looks like we are not the only ones, Jo. Thanks for your link.

      Delete
  7. Movie covers aren't great, but I rarely pick up a book just because it's being made into a movie.

    Pam @ Read! Bake! Create!
    https://readbakecreate.com/going-to-the-dogs-12-books-with-dogs-on-the-cover/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I would say I NEVER pick up a book just because it's being made into a movie. I often have read the book before the movie was even started but that's not the point. We readers don't want to be confused with the movie goers. LOL

      Delete
  8. I recently finished a book with so many clothing descriptions that it was clear the author had little else to say. Abandoned.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Those are always my thoughts, as well, Jen. I know there are people who enjoy these books but I don't.

      Delete
  9. Replies
    1. I'm not surprised, Emma. You belong to that small group of bloggers that I always find has similar taste than me. It's nice to read about books I would never touch but it's even nicer to read what others say about books I also (would) like. Thanks.

      Delete
  10. Oh yes, so many of these are peeves of mine too! Especially 10, 5, 4, 3 and 2! I hate movie covers and it's so frustrating when the original covers all get replaced by them 🙈 I also wish all editions were published at the same time, it'd make the reader's life so much easier! Great list :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Dini. Yes, we all agree a lot with what we dislike. If only the publishers would read our blogs.

      Delete