Top Ten Tuesday: Things That Make Me NOT Read a Book

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. The feature was created because they are particularly fond of lists over at The Broke and the Bookish.

Each week they will post a new top ten list that one of our bloggers at The Broke and the Bookish will answer. Everyone is welcome to join. All they ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND add your name to the Linky widget so that everyone can check out other bloggers lists! If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Have fun with it! It's a great way to get to know your fellow bloggers.



1. Love Triangles - My aversion to these geometric phenomenon is uncanny. I seriously cannot stand the trend. If you MUST have one...why can't it be two girls and one guy? Huh?

2. Catfights - Catty, bitchy girls just grate on me. Perhaps it's a memory of my adolescent years, but the thought of these horrible girls tends to make me avoid them. There are exceptions (Some Girls Are), but for the most part...blergh.

3. Vampires - Colour me burned out on this entire realm of paranormal beings. I missed the boat on the Twilight phenomenon, and I really just don't like them, as a whole. Again, there are exceptions (Vampire Academy, Vampire Empire...etc).

4. James Patterson - I'm in a minority here. I'm okay with that. I read Witch & Wizard by him when I first started blogging, and I wanted to rip my own eyeballs out. I can't un-read it, so what am I to do?

5. Amish - I have an immense respect for the Amish way of life, and I've yet to read a book that doesn't pollute the idea of how they live with our own Western ways. If I'm wrong and you have one, please share!

6. Insta-love - Do I really need to go into this? Love is not instantaneous! Attraction might be, but LOVE is not. I'm sorry...no me gusta! 

7. Animal Cruelty - I swear that, while in school, my educators had a hidden agenda, making us read about animal death 24/7. I cannot fathom what makes people hurt animals, and I will not read books that depict it because I just can't stomach it.

8. Petty Contemporary - Guys, I like me some issues. I like dark, realistic fiction. I want gritty and raw and emotional. Sometimes I can do the fluffy stuff but, more often than not, it's just not for me.

9. Cliffhangers - Here's my beef with these cliffhangers. Sometimes these are done crazy well (The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer). Other times, however, they're just a lead-in to the next novel...a ploy, if you will. That is what I don't like.

10. "The Next..." - Okay, let me explain this one. I have a very strong aversion to books being touted as "the next Harry Potter," or "the next..." fill in the blank. Each book deserves its own glory. Why do we have to put them in the same vein? Compare the two, and I expect the same...it's the doom of a book for me.

40 comments:

  1. Ooo, a lot of these words (e.g. love triangle, insta-love) make me not want to read a book either. I was also never crazy about vampires (although the Vampire Academy series is an exception). And yes, I know "the next" billing is a marketing technique but it's so annoying because books never live up to whatever they're compared to and I usually end up disappointed.

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    1. Vampire Academy is ALWAYS the exception! I love that series :)

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  2. Wholeheartedly agree with you about animal cruelty. That is my number one. Like I said in my post, I cannot fathom why there is such a thing as animal cruelty in real life, I definitely do not want to read about it.
    I'm not a particular fan of cliffhangers, or 'the next' books, either.
    Chiara @ Books For A Delicate Eternity

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    1. Animal cruelty just won't work for me. Hell, I won't even see a movie if I know the animal dies.

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  3. I agree with a lot of your points Melissa, I don't care for books with insta-love it just really grates on me all the time. I am a huge contemporary fan, but do like a lot of gritty reads too. And I hate it when people recommend books as the next whatever, all books are different, they all don't have to based on something else. Thanks for sharing your top ten with us Melissa! :)

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    1. I've started to like contemps more this year, but I'm very, very picky. I know I can trust your recommendations now though, so that helps!

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    1. I can definitely agree with your take on cliffhangers, Eveline! I think that Twilight actually put me off vampires, but I really should try some new stories soon!

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  5. I agree completely, especially when it comes to love triangles and cliffhangers. I can't stand either and I'm always terrified that books pitched as "the next..." will disappoint me because they so often do. I'm not one for Amish or vampire novels either, but Laura Bickle writes great Amish and vampire books (combined together which is why they're great!). Wonderful Top Ten, Melissa!

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    1. Perhaps Amish and vampires together is what I need to get over my aversion of both haha I'll definitely have to take that into consideration. Thanks, Keertana!

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  6. I had 'The Next' on mine, but as 'Similar to' - completely forgot that it doesn't always appear as that. Anyway, I completely agree and it really bothers me that books do that. Ugh.

    Tyler @ The Reading Pile

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    1. I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one! I think it's a huge marketing cop-out, frankly.

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  7. This is a pretty amazing list overall, but I especially liked the comment "Each book deserves its own glory." Right on!

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    1. Thanks, Lydia! I swear, if I hear one more book is the "next Harry Potter," I'm just going to scream!

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  8. Most romance books do nothing but lead teens (and others) to believe romance is what it's all about. To the detriment of love which takes a lot longer to root itself and thrive.

    Here's my Top Ten list.

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  9. Why didn't I include cliffhangers on my list?! I hate them and won't read books with them (if I know about them ahead of time) until I can move right on with the next book in the series.

    TTT @ Krista's Dust Jacket

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    1. They're just so dang overdone these days, you know? They just seem to be everywhere! Blergh.

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  10. Love triangles, insta-love, cliffhangers and the next, I completely agree with.
    I seriously hate love triangles, especially when they are inserted into a story just for the sake of having some drama in the main couple's life. Also, insta-love! Eww! I'm always OK with instant attraction, but saying I love yous after 2 days of knowing each other is a big no-no for me.
    Cliffhangers didn't use to bother me as much, but now it seems that every book ends in a cliffhanger and what's worse is that we have to wait almost a year for the sequel to be released. >.<
    A suggestion for an Amish book : The Hallowed Ones by Laura Bickle, but it does have vampires, but seriously though, if you haven't read this book, it's amazing. And the vampires aren't your regular vampires. They are evil and creepy.

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    1. It's not so much that cliffhangers bother me...it just feels like a marketing ploy, and it's SO overused, you know? I'll definitely need to look into THE HALLOWED ONES...I'll let you know what I think! :)

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  11. LOL--James Patterson. That man. UHG!!! I think that my list (the one in my head, that is) matches yours almost exactly. And it definitely includes that Patterson chap. Double blerg!

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  12. Animal cruelty is also on mine. I just don't understand why someone would want to hurt a cute and cuddly friend. It hurts my heart way too much! My TTT.

    Vyki @ On The Shelf

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  13. I agree with all of them, except I do like my vampire books (the immortal rules by julie kagawa is really good, you should check that one out!). I only like cliffhangers when the next book is already on my shelf ready to be read :)

    My TTT:
    http://evelinesbooks.blogspot.nl/2013/07/top-ten-tuesday-8.html

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  14. I think we read Old Yeller, Where the Red Fern Grows and White Fang all in one year. It was hell. I think there definitely are some triangles that work, too, but for the most part, I just find that they're overdone.

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  15. I love the James Patterson one :-). I'm not into catfights either. Queen bee would be another key word that turns me off.

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  16. Yep, yep! I won't touch a thing by James Patterson and I hate when books are touted as the next anything. I don't mind cliffhangers so long as I know they're coming and all the books in the series have been published. Then I can simply read the next book as though the events were just the end of a chapter.

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  17. I totally agree with "the next..." and insta-love. I feel like they both cloud my judgement on the novel, because I'm comparing it to another, or I feel like the connection between the characters isn't realistic. Amazing list! :)
    My TTT: http://prettylittlememoirs.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/top-ten-tuesday-wordstopics-that-will.html

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  18. I actually love vampires. I haven't been burned out yet, thanks to Rachel Caine's originality with the Morganville series. Vampires are monsters! Can't believe that's actually more original than them being love interests. Totally agree with James Patterson. I hate his YA series.

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  19. Love Triangles are becoming SO boring. I can't believe I forgot to include them.

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  20. Your list is great. I can't stand cliffhangers like a ploy (or at all, really) and avoid then whenever I can. I actually kind of like love triangles (I'm weird but I know not many people like them, so I like to inform people if they are in books.) and insta-whatever (attraction, love, and I sometimes use the term curiosity). Hahaha, I've never read James Patterson, but I laughed at that. I don't like werewolves AT ALL. Yuck. Yuck. No way. I couldn't come up with ten and it was actually the first time for me! But now that I'm going around and seeing everyone else's list, it probably would've been easier if I wasn't trying to overthink.

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  21. I can't stand love triangles, either! If a book has a love triangle you can be sure I wont be reading it. There are other ways to create conflict in a romance without bringing in a LT! I agree about what you said about cliffhangers, too!

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  22. I agree with the love triangles! But sometimes I find myself reading a book, not realizing that it's around a love triangle. And I can't stop the trainwreck.

    I love vampires.....before Twilight! And I still need to read Vampire Academy, darn it!

    I'm not the hugest fan of James Patterson.

    I LOVE cliffhangers. I am so weird.


    Great list!

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  23. Yes to so many things on this list Melissa! I can't deal with animal cruelty either, it's as much a deal breaker in a book for me as cheating is. I kind of feel like I need to give my dogs a hug just because we're talking about animal cruelty. And don't even get me started on insta-love or love triangles. The rant will never end:)

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  24. Nice ones! Although I must say that I love vampires! They were my first love at 13 and I didn't get enough of them then since Paranormal YA didn't exist! Actually finding paranormal YA books were a rare treat for me!

    Love triangles and insta love are a hit or miss for me. I don't like them, but sometimes they can be done to a tolerable level!

    Don't care for animal cruelty either. Don't usually see it but one read from about a month ago did do this and I was practically in tears!

    Great picks!

    Here's my Tuesday Post

    Have a GREAT day!

    Old Follower :)

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  25. I'm so glad to find so many people agree about the book comparisons and having new books being marketed as "the next..." Maybe it's a great marketing tactic to more reluctant readers, or those who really do like one specific type of book - but I do not count myself in favor of it, that's for sure! And I said basically the same thing as you about love triangles. :) I believe James Patterson is one of those authors who liberally use ghost writers, so I avoid his books on principle. Very nice list, Melissa!

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  26. Petty contemporaries is a HUGE one for me. Unless they come highly recommended by a friend I will definitely be pass those books up. What's the point unless a book is gonna teach me something? At least that's my opinion. I love when books give me insight into life and who I am as a person. Fluffy contemporaries generally don't do that for me.

    Julia @ That Hapa Chick

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  27. Such a thoughtful list! Of COURSE I agree with #1. I have a very strong and deadly aversion to triangles. Not even 2 girls one guy would do it. I've never read a James Patterson. I try to avoid books with big cliffies. I agree they can be so annoying and unnecessary. I DO like light contemporaries sometimes though. But not if they're super cheesy. Oh and I especially love #10. YES. Stop the comparisons. They're never right.

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  28. I'm with you on all of these, especially #10. It drives me crazy when people compare books like that (especially when, 99% of the time, it's a comparison that does not even make sense or the book doesn't even come close to the story it's supposed to be like).

    Fabulous top ten!

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  29. OMG I ADORE Amish fiction! hahaha I could totally understand why someone wouldn't like it though. I mean sometimes I even cringe when I read it...it can be pretty cheesy! Also, I'm not a Patterson fan at all. I mean don't get my wrong, I appreciate all his middle grade fiction just for the fact that my students love them, but I personally can't get into it. :)

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