Top 10 Tuesday is a post hosted by The Broke and the Bookish and this week's topic is Top Ten Things That Make Me Not Want to Read a Book.
Last week we talked about the Top Ten Things That Make Me Want to Read a Book, so now let's look at the opposite.
- CHEATING! - This is a no go! I don't mind love triangles that are done right, but crossing the line into cheating is NOT something that I want to read about.
- LGBTQAI - And whatever other XYZ you want to throw in. I'm a Christian. I'm straight. I read for pleasure and to escape. And this is not a subject that allows for escape for me. If there's a hint of this in the subject, I'm out. This isn't about hate at all. It's simply a matter of what I enjoy reading about. Sorry, not sorry.
- Time Travel - I know there are a ton of readers who find this fascinating, but I've just found that I don't usually enjoy these books.
- Mermaids - As much as I'm a fan of mermaids, I've not found a book about mermaids that's been a right fit for me. I'm still hoping to find one that might work, but this subject makes me skeptic that I'll enjoy it because of my past experience.
- Anti-God - I respect everyone's right to decide for themselves whether they believe in God or not, but as I've also chosen, I don't enjoy reading books that put Him down. The most common thing I see is an apathy towards Him, but even that grates on me because of the frequency that I see it.
- Weak Characters - I don't mind if bad things happen to people in books, but what I really want to read about is strong characters who are able to overcome their circumstances, not be defined by them.
- Authors I've not enjoyed in the past - There are a few authors that I've marked down as "not for me." That's not to say that they're "bad writers," but just that their style or subjects are not a good fit for me.
- Unappealing Book Covers - Explaining what I like and don't like in a book cover isn't exactly easy, but I know it when I see it. A cover that doesn't appeal to me usually means I don't even read the book description.
- Political Agenda - Again guys, I read for fun. I cannot stand when the author is using a book to make a political statement. I am perfectly capable of my own thoughts concerning politics. I don't enjoy an author taking this opportunity to force their political opinions down my throat.
- Preaching - Even though I'm a Christian, and I said that I don't like Anti-God books, I also don't like books that feel like you're being preached at. This is similar to a political agenda that I mentioned above. I read my Bible for this. I'm completely fine with a character learning a moral or spiritual lesson as a natural consequence of the events of a story, but to feel like the author is speaking beyond the characters to me as the reader directly is a big no-thank-you.
What about you? What are you reading turn-offs? What things make you immediately decide that a book isn't for you? Let me know!
