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A Reader of Fictions: Top Ten Bookish Pet Peeves

A Reader of Fictions

Book Reviews for Just About Every Kind of Book

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Top Ten Bookish Pet Peeves

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.
This week is a freebie for TTT, so I looked through the list of past topics and chose the first one that caught my eye. This topic is perfect for me, since I have so many pet peeves. I decided to make this about pet peeves within books, rather than things like people dogearing pages of borrowed books or anything like that.

10. Violet Eyes
Never in my entire life have I seen someone who legit had violet eyes. Maybe some people with blue eyes might look like they have a purple sheen in the right light or paired with the right clothing, but, color contacts aside, this is NOT a thing. Yet, in fiction, more people have violet eyes than brown it seems. Stop doing this! Other offenders: amber, turqouise, golden, sky blue. Basically, descriptions of eyes almost always make me want to hurl YA books across the room.

Edit: Apparently violet eyes DO exist, but they're VERY rare. You know which eye color is most common? Brown, which also seems to appear least in YA heroes and heroines. *headdesk*

9. Characters That Think They're Hardcore But Aren't
You know what I really hate? Whiny characters. What's even worse? Whiny characters that don't think they're whiny, and actually believe themselves to be hardcore and adventurous. Meanwhile, they hang out with people they can't stand, avoid confrontation, and allow other characters to push them around. Screw that.

8. Stalking Romanticized
Seriously, can we not? It horrifies me how often I read a book with a creepy ass male lead, and then go look at other reviews to see other bloggers proposing marriage to the fictional character, wishing he could be real and date them. What the eff is that? Being stalked and insulted is not romantic AT ALL, no matter how hot the guy is. Behavior like this does happen, and I'm okay with it being in books, but the heroine should realize and RUN THE FUCK AWAY.

7. When the Plot Takes a Backseat to Repetitive, Whiny Romantic Drama
There are YA series that have such interesting ideas, but no actual plot, because instead of taking advantage of the fertile fictional ground available, the authors choose to constantly go over the insecurities and jealousies of the heroine ad nauseum. Relationships have their difficulties of course, but if the exact same issue keeps arising over and over again, sorry to tell you that your relationship will not last. Even worse, the characters generally don't do a damn thing to try to repair the issue; they just moan about it endlessly.

6. That Mediocre Books Have the Biggest Fandoms
YA fiction has so many truly amazing books, yet the reputation of it remains pretty low so far as critics are concerned. Now, I don't really give a shit about the opinions of critics myself, but it sucks that the authors of mind-blowing books don't get the respect they deserve because YA is viewed as lesser. I wonder if perhaps this judgment from the larger bookish community stems from the most popular books in YA. If people are judging all of YA off of the books that become most popular, it's no wonder. I'm not saying these books aren't fun or entertaining or whatever, just that there are so many books that deserve more acclaim and attention. Although, this one pictured here, it also just plain sucks, since no questions are ever answered. Okay, fine, I liked The Maze Runner alright, but the rest of the series gave me rage!

5. Characters That Have No Clue How Much They Suck
Lots of characters are terrible people, and I love some of them a lot. Embrace your bitchiness and I'll be right there with you. Pretend you're sainted and the best while abusing anyone stupid enough to try to be friends with you and then complaining that your friends suck for not standing by you and I will throw you off a goddamn cliff. Zoey Redbird is the prime example of this, but she's not the only YA heroine to be a horrible friend, but constantly whine about how poorly her friends treat her.

4. Series That Refuse to Die
Too much of a good thing can seriously be a problem. Like that song you loved when you first heard it on the radio that now makes you want to drive your car into oncoming traffic just to make it stop, quantity does not equal quality. As a publisher or author, I think it's really tempting to keep cranking books out so long as people will keep buying, but I've been driven from love to tolerance and even sometimes to hatred of a series by the fact that the series just won't die.

3. Poor Little Rich Kids Being Assholes
Wahhhh! My life is so hard. Daddy gave me a Benz but won't pay attention to me, so I'm going to crash the car and do drugs all day and sleep with people I hate. PITY ME! Also, enjoy this twenty minute discussion of my handbag and hair products. No thanks.


2. Multiple Points of View Done Badly
A lot of people really do not like multiple POVs. Actually, I love them, and am excited every time I pick up a book and find them. Unfortunately, a lot of authors don't know what they're doing, and can't write characters dynamic enough that they don't all read like the same person. Even worse, some make poor judgment calls on which perspectives should be included. You'd be better off just going third person limited.

1. Pointless Love Triangles
Love triangles can actually be done well, but it takes some effort. If I know without a shadow of a doubt which two are going to end up together, I'm probably going to want to throw your book into a wood chipper. Now, I'm not talking about a couple and a person with a crush; I'm speaking to those where the heroine or hero pays enough attention to the poor third side of the triangle to keep them hanging around for books. This will automatically make me hate the MC.

Labels:

26 Comments:

Blogger Bekka said...

Agrees with ALL the things!

Firelight was terrible with that love triangle. I read that book when I was in the mood for exactly that type of book, so it filled a void for me and that's why I liked it. The sequel actually had a love triangle that I thought could turn the other direction AND THEN THE LAST BOOK SUCKED SO BAD I ALMOST DESTROYED IT. *hates love triangles*

I don't think a love triangle is necessarily a book-killer, but I NEED SOME TENSION. Not a second guy who's in love with the heroine.

Also, PURPLE EYES ARE NOT A THING. Green. Blue. Brown. Grey. Hazel. NOT PURPLE, orange, turquoise, or HONEYMOON WATERS. (yeah. Sweet Evil, I'm lookin at you.)

October 9, 2012 at 5:43 AM  
Blogger Frozen said...

I so agree with this post! Violet eyes actually is a thing. I think Cole from Alice in Zombieland has violet eyes. And also Daniel from Fallen.

October 9, 2012 at 8:52 AM  
Blogger Frozen said...

Wait no, it wasn't Cole from AiZ, it was Galen from Of Poseidon, which you already listed there. xD Sorry, I confuse those two books a lot, cause they were both torturous and I only survived a couple hundred pages before I reached my breaking point.

October 9, 2012 at 8:55 AM  
Blogger Christina said...

Firelight made me so mad. I wanted this epic book with dragon shifters and instead got a romance novel. No thanks. I basically wanted it to be Seraphina, but it just was not.

Exactly. The love triangle needs to DO something. And if it is just a guy with a crush on the heroine, it shouldn't last more than one book.

THAT'S AWFUL. Leave the eyes alone, authors!

October 9, 2012 at 9:00 AM  
Blogger Christina said...

SO MANY BOOKS HAVE VIOLET EYES. I don't even. They're both terrible. Just awful. Of Poseidon is probably the one that pisses me off most so far from this year.

October 9, 2012 at 9:01 AM  
Blogger Steena said...

I've also never actually seen someone with grey eyes, despite reading about them in books over and over. Too much description of a characters physical features is a pet peeve of mine. Hair color, basic eye color, general build - I want to know how they move and talk and act, not what they look like standing still.

October 9, 2012 at 9:06 AM  
Blogger Kara_Malinczak said...

We already discussed this on Twitter, but I thought I would leave a comment anyway. Such a well-written post, and though I don't agree with you on everything, I definitely understand where you are coming from and agree with you about most of it.

Has Stephanie still not chosen? Is she still deciding between Morelli and Ranger? ENOUGH ALREADY. Good lord.

October 9, 2012 at 9:09 AM  
Blogger Christina said...

That's true, though I had someone call my eyes grey once. I think mostly they needed to get their own eyes checked though.

October 9, 2012 at 9:52 AM  
Blogger Christina said...

I know, right. It's SO OBVIOUSLY Morelli. He's the best, so just stop it already!

October 9, 2012 at 9:52 AM  
Blogger Renae @ Respiring Thoughts said...

Wooohoo! This list is spot on! So awesome! I agree...on every single point. Great post!

October 9, 2012 at 1:10 PM  
Blogger Kat said...

Those characters totally have violet eyes coz they are 'special' - duh. Let's pick the most weird eye colour and give it to all the special magical characters.

PERFECT example for number 7 - GOD that girl made me wish it was possible to slap a character through the page!

October 9, 2012 at 1:15 PM  
Blogger Carol N Wong said...

The eyes! I didn't anyone had them naturally. Mine are sapphire. First I thought is contact lenses. Oh, those goregous eyes, violet through the contact lenses.

I too hate books with rich kids with so many problems. Can't read those book, my eyes get tired from rolling!

My pet peeve is books that are done entirely in 3rd person. He did this, he did that. Grrr!

October 9, 2012 at 2:45 PM  
Anonymous Audrey (Bibliosaurus Text) said...

I agree with ALL OF THESE. I think that's why we seem to have much of the same reading tastes. I especially agree with numbers 7, 5, 4, 2, and 1. But yup, all are legit. Can we email this to all of the YA publishers, please!?

October 9, 2012 at 8:50 PM  
Blogger Christina said...

Ha, thanks!

October 10, 2012 at 7:52 AM  
Blogger Christina said...

Yup, she was a little annoying but more understandably so in the first book. Then, at the end of book one, they resolved their difficulties (aka sex). Fine. Book two it's the same thing over again exactly but with MORE whining. UGh.

October 10, 2012 at 7:53 AM  
Blogger Christina said...

Yay! Someone who agrees with me on rich kids. It's just so annoying. I don't like reading about all that squandered opportunity.

Yikes, that's a lot of books!

October 10, 2012 at 7:55 AM  
Blogger Christina said...

I'm sure the YA publishers would LOVE that. :-p

October 10, 2012 at 7:55 AM  
Blogger Kimberly @ Midnight Book Girl said...

10 - ditto on the violet eyes. They are everywhere in books and no where in real life.
7 - yes! I was soooo annoyed in Goddess Interrupted. The plot could have gone places, but noooo instead we are all just going to cry and whine and fight.
6 - I don't get it either, especially The Maze Runner. The more I think about that book the more I dislike it.
4 - I was so happy to hear that the Sookie Stackhouse series will be coming to an end. It's just gotten way too out of control crazy and away from the awesomeness that it used to be.
1 - love triangles are a plot device that fails more often than it succeeds. Most of the time the second guy doesn't even stand a chance.

October 10, 2012 at 9:43 AM  
Blogger Shelver506 said...

YES!!! Every single one of these drive me INSANE!!! High-five!

My TTT: http://shelversanon.blogspot.com/2012/10/top-10-tuesday-rewind-top-ten-bookish.html

October 10, 2012 at 9:15 PM  
Blogger Kayla Beck said...

10. I am a thing! My eyes look purple sometimes, though they are mostly greyish. They're "hazel" on all of my paperwork because no one can figure out what color they are. :-)

9. I liked Possess. The doll store scene is about as scary as I can take with possessions and such. :-P

8. I've had to get a restraining order before. This makes me Hulk levels of angry!

7. Instant DNF. :-|

6. I'm oblivious to hype. I think The Hunger Games is the only wildly popular book that I enjoyed in the YA world.

4. I haven't read but four Stephanie Plum books, but it's time for Charlaine Harris to kill Vampire Bill and let Sookie ride off into the sunset with Eric Northman. :-D

1. I don't like mANY love triangles. I mean, how about we focus on building interesting, healthy relationships for once in YA? I know it's instant tension to have that third wheel, but I've read so many fantasies (which is all I read as a young adult - okay, always) that focused on the one-on-one. *sigh*

October 10, 2012 at 9:58 PM  
Blogger kara-karina@Nocturnal Book Reviews said...

Fantastic post, Christina! I'll have to mention it in my Sunday post because I want to sign under every pet-peeve you've mentioned :)Pure gold!

October 11, 2012 at 6:13 AM  
Blogger Christina said...

7 - Ugh. That book made me so mad. DO SOMETHING>

6 - Yay! I'm not alone!

4 - You have to end them while they're still good, or the good ones will be tainted by the later suckitude.

1 - Pretty much. Or it's still really obvious who she's going to pick even if the guy did have a chance for a while.

October 11, 2012 at 7:45 AM  
Blogger Christina said...

*high fives*

October 11, 2012 at 7:48 AM  
Blogger Christina said...

10. Oh really? Isn't hazel like browny green?

9. I wanted the dolls to murder all of the obnoxious characters.

8. Oh dear. :(

7. Good choice.

6. Harry Potter?

4. Apparently that's ending?

1. Most of the love triangles I've been okay with are where the crushed-on party doesn't give a shiz. Like, either she/he doesn't KNOW or they don't feel like being in a relationship yet.

October 11, 2012 at 7:51 AM  
Blogger Christina said...

Hahaha, thanks!

October 11, 2012 at 7:51 AM  
Blogger Nyasha said...

Whiny characters are always the worst kind >_< I don't know why people include into stories for. A nice list you have here! I totally agree with most of your points, it really annoys me! I wrote a post about my own fiction pet peeves, it includes some additional ones that you may not have talked about but I hope you will read and tell me what you think :) http://nynyonlinex.wordpress.com/2013/03/06/fiction-pet-peeves/

March 6, 2013 at 5:47 PM  

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