Tuesday, May 30, 2023

Top Ten Automatic Book Turnoffs

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. This week's topic is Top Ten Automatic Book No-Gos.

  1. Time travel - I just can't get behind it. I have yet to read a time travel book that I liked. I struggle enough with "then" and "now" books. If I even see a hint of time travel in the description of a book, I'm out.
  2. Middle Grade - For my personal reading preferences, I will not even consider middle grade books. Since I'm reading more and more books to my kids I will be exploring the genre more so this might change over time, but right now, I am firmly against middle grade books.
  3. Mermaids - I've tried. I have wanted to like mermaid novels. I don't really understand why fantasy is one of my favorite genres, but mermaids defy logistical sense to me. I can't make them make sense enough to get behind them. Maybe a completely underwater species would be doable, but if they come on land or have any kind of relationship with a human, I can't buy it. I usually skip mermaid books.
  4. Erotica - My tolerance level is much lower than most I assume. I don't enjoy descriptive physical scenes. For me, the build up and tension leading up to a kiss can be way hotter and better written than descriptive sexual scenes. In my opinion, they are unnecessary. And if I know to expect them in a book I will usually steer clear.
  5. Anti-God or Anti-Christianity - God can handle us questioning Him, but I have no interest in reading books that portray God in a false light or that use the characters to implant lies concerning God into the reader's minds. Some authors seem to have a personal mission of trying to make God look bad. It backfires in my opinion. And I'm not interested in these types of books or authors.
  6. Explict Language - Again, to me, this is unnecessary. I know plenty of people claim the f-bomb as their favorite word. And arguments can be made over words just being word. I don't avoid books for an occasional drop here or there, but if the language pulls me out of the story then that's a problem.
  7. Political - Any time a book, character, or author tries to push a political agenda then I'm out. Not interested. There's a difference in a character experiencing an event that might lead them to think or feel a certain way, but usually it's obvious whether this feels organic to the story or a political agenda push.
  8. Psychological Thrillers or True Crime - For the most part, I don't want to read about the worst of mankind. If I spend my time dwelling upon the worst mankind has to offer, I become a jaded, anxious, depressed, paranoid person. I don't want to be naive to the dangers around me, but I don't want to spend my free time focused on crimes of this nature.
  9. Absence of a Love Story - While other books might be amazing, I just don't have the time if the story isn't mostly driven by romance.
  10. Bucket Lists - I've also found that characters that make lists of things they want to experience often feel forced and contrived in my opinion. I end up not enjoying these usually.

What are your auto no-gos when it comes to books? Let me know!

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