It's been a while since I have participated in a Top Ten Tuesday from The Broke and The Bookish blog, but I figured it was time to get my act together. This week's topics is:
Top 10 Words/Topics That Make Me Not Pick Up A Book
I didn't think I'd be able to come up with ten since I will read almost anything that stops moving in front of me long enough, but here they are:
1. Erotica
Even when Fifty Shades of Grey was all the rage and all of my family and friends were raving about it, laughing about it and insisting the I, "the reader" must read it I knew it wasn't my thing. I don't know what it is, but I am just not interested in a story where the point is sex. Sex can be a part of a story and oftentimes should be, but not the driving force.
2. Historical Fiction
I keep telling myself that I should reconsider this particular aversion, but right now it exists. I didn't really appreciate History as a subject in school either. Now I wish I paid more attention. I worry I will have the same thoughts one day about historical fiction as well. Oh well... it isn't going to happen unless I stumble upon a historical fiction story that knocks my socks off (suggestions?).
3. Unauthorized Biography
This just feels all kinds of shady to me.
4. Abridged
Oh hell no. When I was younger I once read a Reader's Digest book that had four abridged novels jammed into one hard covered book. I distinctly remember that one of the books was Clear and Present Danger by Tom Clancy. It was painful to read through the rush. I was in junior high school and I knew there was a problem!
5. [in audiobooks] Enhanced
I am cringing as I write this. Whenever an audiobook has been enhanced with music or, even worse, sound effects I just want to throw a pillow over my head. There is nothing more distracting to me than this. It does not enhance the story for me at all - it takes me right out of it!
6. John Grisham/Dan Brown
I am not trying to be a hater here. I loved the books I read by these two men. In both cases, when I read their books I was in some serious head-over-heels book love. I look back on the reading experiences of The Firm and The DaVinci Code with great fondness. However, in both cases, when I dove in to read more from each author, I found myself reading the same story again. This irked me so much that, as much as I loved them both, I have been turned off.
7. Ernest Hemingway
Don't throw anything at me! I had a bad experience. It was called The Old Man and The Sea. Grant it, I was probably too young or immature to read and fully grasp whatever the heck was going on, but that was one high school book that I thought was torture to read. Surprisingly, even though I later read A Farewell to Arms and loved it, it wasn't enough to shake my aversion to him.
8. Part (anything but 1) of a _____ book series
If I wasn't waiting anxiously for this book's release, then that means I haven't been reading the series. If I haven't been reading the series, I am not picking up a book that is somewhere in the middle. I keep telling myself that I have to get over this, but it is not working!
9. Based on the video game ________
My husband reads some of these. He was particularly hooked on one author of the Halo books. I suppose I haven't needed to stay in a video game world without the graphics, so these books just never appealed to me.
The last one is a topic that gives me pause, but I'll probably pick up the book anyway.
10. High Fantasy
Is there anything more intimidating than these two words? I love high fantasy, but it scares the heck out of me. I wait until I have tons of recommendations before I take the leap into the dense reading that is high fantasy.
3. Unauthorized Biography
This just feels all kinds of shady to me.
4. Abridged
Oh hell no. When I was younger I once read a Reader's Digest book that had four abridged novels jammed into one hard covered book. I distinctly remember that one of the books was Clear and Present Danger by Tom Clancy. It was painful to read through the rush. I was in junior high school and I knew there was a problem!
5. [in audiobooks] Enhanced
I am cringing as I write this. Whenever an audiobook has been enhanced with music or, even worse, sound effects I just want to throw a pillow over my head. There is nothing more distracting to me than this. It does not enhance the story for me at all - it takes me right out of it!
6. John Grisham/Dan Brown
I am not trying to be a hater here. I loved the books I read by these two men. In both cases, when I read their books I was in some serious head-over-heels book love. I look back on the reading experiences of The Firm and The DaVinci Code with great fondness. However, in both cases, when I dove in to read more from each author, I found myself reading the same story again. This irked me so much that, as much as I loved them both, I have been turned off.
7. Ernest Hemingway
Don't throw anything at me! I had a bad experience. It was called The Old Man and The Sea. Grant it, I was probably too young or immature to read and fully grasp whatever the heck was going on, but that was one high school book that I thought was torture to read. Surprisingly, even though I later read A Farewell to Arms and loved it, it wasn't enough to shake my aversion to him.
8. Part (anything but 1) of a _____ book series
If I wasn't waiting anxiously for this book's release, then that means I haven't been reading the series. If I haven't been reading the series, I am not picking up a book that is somewhere in the middle. I keep telling myself that I have to get over this, but it is not working!
9. Based on the video game ________
My husband reads some of these. He was particularly hooked on one author of the Halo books. I suppose I haven't needed to stay in a video game world without the graphics, so these books just never appealed to me.
The last one is a topic that gives me pause, but I'll probably pick up the book anyway.
10. High Fantasy
Is there anything more intimidating than these two words? I love high fantasy, but it scares the heck out of me. I wait until I have tons of recommendations before I take the leap into the dense reading that is high fantasy.
What about you? What words or topics keep you away from a book?
Was not even aware that there were books based on video games. Huh. I wouldn't read them either. And enhanced audiobooks? Thank goodness I've never encountered one of those! I can only imagine how distracting it'd be! As for erotica. Never liked it. Still don't know how 50 Shades of Grey got to be so popular personally.
ReplyDeleteI share nearly all of your book biases! Most of my friends are surprised that I don't like historical fiction, mainly because I was a history major, but that is the exact reason why I don't like them: As soon as one little fact is wrong, it pulls me out of my suspension of disbelief.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in junior high, I also was subjected to the Reader's Digest version of a book: Great Expectations. Although I'd pretty much forgotten about those 20 pages, when I was assigned Great Expectations two years later, I had this horrible sense of deja vu the entire time. Fortunately, I still enjoyed the book and it is still one of my favorites.
When I reached #7, I laughed so hard. I had my encounter with The Old Man and the Sea two weeks ago. Here's my review: http://whatstheword-saywhaaat.blogspot.com/2013/07/the-old-man-and-sea.html. Although, I loved Hemingway's short story, A Clean Well-Lighted Place, I could not get it The Old Man and the Sea. No one should be made to read that book, especially in high school.
ReplyDeleteI agree with everything on your list with the exception of historical fiction, which is my favorite genre. I despise fan fiction and run far from it. I tried it once with Becoming Jane Eyre, but I couldn't get past chapter 2.