Monday, June 27, 2011

6 Things That Make Me Toss Aside A Book In Frustration

I must confess, if a book doesn’t hold my interest, I stop reading. I’m limited in how much time I have to read, so I try to read only the best books. Some things that will make me stop reading are:

1. If I can’t connect with the main character

2. Sloppy storytelling/poor writing

3. Plot threads that don’t lead anywhere

4. Meandering plot

5. Implausibility

6. And this one will cause me to not buy the author’s next book: an ending that wasn’t as phenomenal as the beginning.

How about you? Do you stop reading a book if it doesn't meet your expectations? Do you agree with my list or do you have another list that you'd like to share?

5 comments:

  1. I'm pretty forgiving-- I guess because I read for entertainment but in the back of my mind I'm learning what to do and not to do. I stopped a book last week-- romance that was written well, dialog was great but there was a gal with multiple college degrees who was getting ready to shack up with THREE rodeo guys who were into sharing. I just can't go there and deleted it. The same goes for a book that starts with a lot of sex and no plot--there may be plot later but the author has lost me by then.

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  2. My list is pretty similar. I'll follow a meandering plot pretty far, but if I can't connect with the main character, I just can't make myself read on.

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  3. Brenda, I completely agree with why you put that book down. If a character suddenly acts "out of character" then I will lose interest too. I will forgive a lot of errors if the story is compelling. But there is definitely a point in time when a book can have too many strikes against it. All of this makes me really appreciate the books that can hold me all the way to the last page.

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  4. Carol, Character is so important! I think that's one reason why I like first person POV so much. It really helps me to identify quickly with the main character and it also helps me to know if I like the character or not. I read a book recently where I kept hoping the main character would redeem herself--she had so many unlikable qualities. I held on and read to the last page, then got so mad because she never did grow or change. She was just as mean-spirited and selfish on page one as on the last page. I will NOT be buying another one of that author's books.

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  5. Your list about sums it up for me.
    I also will have to add: present tense in most cases.
    I have come across only a handfull of authors who can write in present tense without me constantly being aware of the fact it's present tense. It really draws me out of the story.

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