Melissa at i swim for oceans hosts Talk to Me Tuesday, a meme about bloggers discussing their views on all things literary.
This week's question:
Do you have any specific literary pet peeves in the genres you read?
I haven't really thought about this, but now that it's mentioned, I do realises that there are some things that bother me. I read mostly contemporary, and a peeve of mine is when the character is always pointing out a physical problem, anything from having 'mousy brown lifeless/stringy hair' (I've read this one a lot) or that their basooma's aren't big enough. Okay, I get it there's an aspect the character doesn't like about themself, but I'm not a fish brain (although Mythbusters have busted this myth!).
Also... when the characters drink and party alot and that it's mentioned everywhere all over the book, repeatedly (hello, it isn't Skins). I don't know which brand of drink is which (and I won't advertise by giving examples), because my family and I don't consume alcohol. And frankly, I do not care.
Okay, now that I've started ranting, I also find it quite bothersome when there's a type of music of movie that's mentioned, especially cult movies. I guess I'd find it less bothersome if the author leaves a note at the end of the book (Sarra Manning did this in Nobody's Girl. She mentioned French movies and music, and told the readers a little about them at the end of the novel).
Erm, last one, but it is such a pet peeve of mine when there's Spanish. Me no hablo Espanol. Ok? Please, please, please give the readers a translation if there are quite a few sentences (random words like yes/no/mum/dad are ok, but not sentences).
P.S: I've started to do this meme because I like the questions and how it's not just about what new books I've received to read. The questions make me think about
I'm so glad to see you participating in this feature and that you find value in it! I think it's a great way to get bloggers thinking about what does and doesn't work for them - and maybe let authors and publishers grasp what we like and don't like, as well.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with all your points. The language one is a big thing for me. I want to enjoy the books I read, but if they're cluttered with foreign phrases and no translations, it definitely feels jerky to me. I want to feel like I'm getting something from every word I read.
Great answers! :)