Bookish pet peeves?

Posted byabooknationPosted inBook, books, Uncategorized, YATags:,

I love books, I love reading, collecting, adoring them and the list goes on. But as a reader I have discovered that I have some preferences, in terms of the content of a book and the actual physical book. Here are some things that bother me when it comes to books, but also for some balance I’ve included things that I love in books!

Physical:

I thought I’d start with this one because it’s more straight forward!

Pet peeves:

  • It REALLY bothers me when the spine of a book is damaged, like really bothers me, that’s why for me it’s such a pain in the ass to read thick books. Inevitably the spine will cave in! 😥
  • Have you bought a hardcover book and the dust jacket is beautiful but when you take it off there is actually no design on the cover! I mean they aren’t supposed to be designed that’s what the dust jacket is there for but it really disappoints me when there is nothing on the cover!
  • When there are actual people on the cover? I don’t know why, I just don’t like it at all!

What I love!

  • When there is a map incorporated   in the novel!
  • When there are messages or other formats in the book (emails/files) but as long as it’s not there to distract from the book.
  • As much as they damage the spine I really love thick books ( and I cannot lie! I am sorry I’ve seen that meme too much on bookstagram to just ignore it…)
  • When the blurb is mysterious… But not to the point where I am debating if I want this book or not because I simply don’t know enough to be invested.

The absolute honest truth is I’ll get books any way I can; I am a student so I buy second hand books/ books from warehouses that have been damaged as well as brand new copies. As long as I am fairly positive that I’ll be interested in the content I will buy it!

Content:

Pet peeves:

  • When there is a love triangle but it is not done properly!! It just gives me heartache, and not the kind the reader actually wantssssss.
  • Before when reading a novel I’d fully immerse myself and not try to think about guessing what’s going to happen next or who’s going to fall in love with whom. It’s become pretty much impossible for me to do that now. What’s worse for me is when things turn out the way I guessed. If this is anyone’s fault its mine, but sometimes books can be predictable too!

What I love!

  • If there is a plot twist that I didn’t see coming!
  • The author finds a way to make the reader happy with the ending without going through the predictable/expected route.
  • This sounds sadistic but I prefer books that kill off characters… Let me explain, it means that the author is going out on a limb and has enough trust in their content that even if the certain characters die you’ll still enjoy the book and carry on reading. No? That’s just me? Okay never mind!

What are some of your bookish pet peeves? Or what are things that really brighten your experience when you find them in/on a book?

50 thoughts on “Bookish pet peeves?”

  1. The only thing I disagree with you here about is that when I take off the paper book jacket to reveal the hardcover book, I LOVE It when there’s nothing actually printed on the cover. Books look much better on my bookshelf that way, however minor that sounds. Looks like a real official, beautiful library. I always take off the paper jackets and store them elsewhere so my study doesn’t look like a bookstore:)

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    2. I’m the same way! I always take mine off. Not only for the looks but also because I feel more at ease while reading the book, like, my destructive self won’t be able to ruin the jacket in any way.

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  2. This is a great list!

    I laughed so hard when I read that you liked when authors kill their characters. I actually like that too!

    I don’t like if the author just does it for shock value, but if they kill a major character and do it well, it gets my attention because I absolutely hate when an author delivers a tense, engaging story line and then cops out at the end by rescuing characters suddenly and unrealistically. I’d much rather the author have the nerve to kill the character and then deal with the emotional/content fall-out rather than chicken out and make everything better at the end.

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    1. I thought I was the only one! Exactly I feel like when there’s a really tense build up and it seems almost impossible for the characters to make an escape , in a lot of books they always do! I do think that now more and more authors are taking that risk.

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  3. I find myself in agreement with this entire list, especially the part of an author killing off characters, it just adds more thrill to a book, when this character you fell in love with has a chance of actually dying, it makes it a little harder to guess what’s around the corner.

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  4. Interesting list. I am currently living in Mexico, therefore digital books have been a godsend. Add them to the “What I Love” side, but also put them on the “Pet Peeve” side. Printed books rock–the feel, the smell, the anticipation, the memories of books read, the brain signals that help you remember where you saw something in the book, and certainly the look of books on a table or shelf. As Cicero proclaimed, “A room without books is like a body without a soul.”

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  5. Agree, hate it when I lend out a book and it comes back with the spine cracked. I really think books should be shared and enjoyed just use gently lol. So funny to mention audio book I have some on my list but I a hesitiant too, don’t know why. Maybe I just enjoy the settling into a good book with something hot to drink and enjoying. Should give it ago though since so many free ones.
    What do you think of book clubs?

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    1. I’ve actually never participated in one but I like the concept 😊. Yess I am definitely someone who prefers hard copies of books, even when buying books, I’m travelling in a couple of months and I cannot as many books as I want to, BUT I still can’t bring myself to buy and ebook/audiobook 😅

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  6. I love this post! I don’t really have peeves for the physical appearance. (except for when the pages are falling out or the spine is split in two and needs tape to hold it together) I love when a book is worn because it means it’s been loved. I enjoy finding little treasures inside like underlined quotes or notes. It means someone lived inside it. I especially enjoy ordering books that is still wearing a library protective covering.
    But I do have peeves about content! I do not enjoy books that are predictable or have poorly developed characters. Instead, I love books with a unique plot with lots of twists and turns! Shock me! Let it be memorable! Something I’ll never forget! Let me get something out of it.

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    1. I see what you mean about annotated books, I think if I find them for cheap annotated I’d be interested in buying them, but I’d have to have a clean copy. I don’t know why, I’m just weird like that 😅. I definitely understand your last point, especially as a reader you get through SO many books, you need them to stand out!

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  8. The genre that really got me onto reading was crime thrillers/mysteries. That’s honestly the one genre that made me want to read and review books, over time of course you get slightly bored of a genre so I started looking into scifi, fantasy, historical fiction and I found that I actually love to read them all 😊

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    1. Have you read Agatha Christie? Her mysteries are pretty good! No two books are alike! No criminal is alike for that matter either. (Which is a big deal when authors write often. They tend to get in a rut by making the characters and plot similar) Frank Peretti is one of my favorite thrill writer too. But like you, I enjoy a plethora of genres!

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      1. I actually have one of her books in my shelf but I haven’t gotten to it yet 😅. I might have to look at some of Frank Perettis books. Like you said especially with crime thrillers authors tend to fall into a pattern with the storyline/plot and it can get repetitive.

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      2. Murder on the Orient Express one was one of my favorites! Peretti’s Illusion was really neat! Each book of his is steeped in symbolism. By the end, he usually explains all of it though. The Oath was also one of my favorites! Which Chrisite do you have?

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      3. I’ve heard of the Orient Express, it’s actually one of her popular books I think? I have The Monogram Murders , the cover I have is just 😍

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      4. Yes, and after reading it, you may see why! I have not read The Monogram Murders. Maybe I’ll have to look into it!!

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  11. I completely agree with your pet peeves! Its rather unfortunate that lately I can predict the end of the book and be right. It also bugs me when the blurb on the back gives away too much and adds to be predicting the story line. What I love is when a writer creates an amazing climax to the story. The feeling after you pass it is like you are floating towards the end of the book. Great post!

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  12. Pingback: Bookish pet peeves? – IT'S ONLY WORDS

  13. Loved this post. I agree with everything you like and don’t like. I didn’t think anyone else felt this way, I thought people either read the book or not, but sometimes the cover really does matter and who wants to read a book when they already know the ending and how it’s all going to play out. I hate when a character is on their death bed, and I’m like stop drawing this out I kow they live stop wasting my time.

    I love trilogies. If it has 3 books in a set it’s a sure thing I’m going to get it, but when the story is done let it be done, don’t throw in another book just to make more money.

    I love chapter titles that seem to have nothing to do with the book until you read it and it all comes together.

    I love books that make me think. I need to be on the edge of complete non-understanding, to the point where I have to put the book down and think for an hour and it all comes together, but don’t leave me in the dark until the very end, I hate that.

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    1. I absolutely agree! Especially with your last point, I’m now reading a crime mystery ( The Monogram Murders) and I really liked that it was actually a mystery and I had to think about all the clues, it’s way more interactive!

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  14. I completely agree! I hate love triangles especially. If done effectively, they always turn out mediocre in my mind. I can see the appeal, though. Anyway, I love your list 🙂

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  15. My pet peeve: when a character has her first baby in a couple of hours. It probably happens sometimes, but most first births involve a much longer time-frame! I don’t want chapters and chapters of labor and delivery, but I want some sign that significant time has passed.

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    1. I completely understand! I think maybe if you’re a mum it’ll be more of a pet peeve because you’ve gone through it and you know how tough it is! That’s actually a really interesting one!

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  16. I found this blog extremely fascinating, I read mostly mysteries some have paranormal aspects. Over the years my reading has changes from romance to mysteries. I dislike it to find myself in the bedroom so I don’t read ma y romances anymore. I find many books push my the publishers uninteresting. Books on my review will have no sex fowl language. If I find them I include in my review. I may not like the way the book is going but it is not my story I don’t like mistreated books. Thanks for visiting my blog and the likes

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  18. Great post. I agree with most of what you said except I’m particular to not killing off characters. It might just be that I hate when authors do it needlessly. There was a book by a pretty famous author (I can’t remember who) where a lead character was killed about halfway through. The problem was I kind of hatred the other characters and was only really hoping the now dead guy could make a difference in the other characters’ bad attitudes.

    I do know of some books with characters who die that I really loved. The Hunger Games and The Book Thief come to mind but also Dean Koontz’s Odd Thomas series. I’m not huge into ghostly mysteries but I love that series. So, adventurous, and yet wise.

    And yes, shouldabrought, Peretti is awesome! Because of him, I stumbled on Ted Dekker, Mike Dellosso, and Steven James.

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    1. I definitely see where you’re coming from, I have yet to read a book where that happens but I see why you would lose interest in the book, I know I would! I’m just tired of ‘safe’ books where there is always a predictable ending. Look at Game Of Thrones, hell no one can predict what might happen next. Every time you think you know what’s going on and you’ve just started to form your theory BAM! It gets shattered… I actually haven’t read The Hunger Games yet or The Book Theif but I’ve heard a lot of great reviews about them!

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      1. You know for a long time I had no interest in The Hunger Games. I thought it was probably over-hyped and perhaps even a bit childish (though I do love the YA genre). Then a friend of mine, an adult man, told me he thought the same thing but picked up the movie at a library and really liked it. I trust his taste in a lot of things: the state of affairs in collegiate education, local eatery gems, and things like literature and movies. So, I borrowed his copy (he liked the movie enough to buy the book) and loved it. I don’t really know why I picked up Book Thief, except I had seen it floating around and figured I might as well try to stay current in other genres when I have the chance.

        I’ve never read Game of Thrones; my husband did a long time ago before it got all popular and tv-ified. In my dictionary, that’s a new verb. 😉 I’ve avoided it based on his review that while interesting and unpredictable, there’s a lot of risque/mature content that I’m not interested in.

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      2. I might just pick up The Hunger Games then, I do understand what you mean, there are some YA books that are aimed maybe at a younger audience within the age range! If you’re not into violence (I mean the real stuff, they don’t censor ANYTHING) and you don’t particularly want to see a boob in every scene I don’t think you’ll enjoy it :’D. It can all get distracting at times but I just find it really fascinating!

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  20. My big physical pet peeve is due to the fact that I do most of my reading on my lunch break, so I hate when a book can’t be easily propped open. I almost never read paperbacks for that reason, and it’s something that makes ebooks useful.

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  21. One of my biggest bookish pet peeves is when I buy a book and they put the sensor on a page, usually dead center in the text. Really? Why would a store wreck a book that way! I usually flip through to find the sensor to make sure it’s not on a page. Not really the book creators fault, but still.

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  23. Lol this is really late but I HATE when I buy a series and its not in one format. It has to be either all paperback or all hardback. It just looks more appealing that way

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    1. I completely AGREE, the saddest part is sometimes I go to local charity shops and they’ll have a sequel in hardback in REALLY good condition for a REALLY good price but because I don’t have the rest in the same format I can’t buy it😅

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