Carol

I Wish Books Had Less… [Discussion] #blogger #bookworm #bookblogger #TopTenTuesday #LetsDiscuss2024

I Wish Books Had Less… is a post comprised of personal preferences. You may share a few, many, or none of these preferences! Join the discussion!

I Wish Books Had Less... (a photo of a young child holds her/his hands over eyes)

I’m linking up today with That Artsy Reader Girl for Top Ten Tuesday: I Wish Books Had Less/More….

I’m also linking up today with the 2024 Book Blog Discussion Challenge hosted by Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction and Shannon @ It Starts at Midnight. 

2024 Discusion Challenge graphic

***This post contains Amazon affiliate links

(in no particular order)

I Wish Books Had…

Less…Offensive Language

I appreciate well-chosen words, a unique and beautiful turn of phrase, metaphors…..offensive or crude language adds very little. I can understand that certain characterizations require a sprinkling of colorful language. However, at the point where an assault of offensive language overpowers any other elements of style, I’m likely to DNF.

Maybe profanity doesn’t bother you at all. In a few book discussions or in responses to reviews I’ve written, someone will comment (in regard to profanity), “I never noticed.” This is certainly a personal preference.

Less…Religious Profanity

Along with the above, I have a particular intolerance for religious profanity. Why would an author use the God I worship as profanity? This is a personal preference and deeply offensive to me. I avoid these authors after the first read.

Less…Heavy-handed Author Agendas

Dear authors, let me do my own thinking! Just tell the story without adding obvious personal opinions or interpretations. I add these authors to my “auto-do-not-buy” list. My author agenda radar is sensitive and I can detect the most subtle author opinions. I should note that it doesn’t matter whether I agree with the agenda or not. I don’t appreciate authors speaking loudly through characters.

Less…Modern Thinking in Histfic

I can understand how some anachronisms slip past eagle-eyed editors, but when authors attribute modern thinking to women in the past, it can be annoying. This preference is closely related to the above heavy-handed author agenda. Please just write the story and let me ponder how this character might be ahead of his or her time.

Fewer…Unlikable Characters

I need at least ONE likable character! A story with all unlikable characters is likely to result in an unsatisfactory read or a DNF. While I see why many readers might love unlikable characters, I’m not interested.

Less…Witchcraft/Witches/Occult

While some readers actively search out stories of witches, I do not. If you tell me there is a witch or witchcraft, I will avoid the book. Magical realism is sometimes a slippery slope. I prefer realistic fiction.

Fewer…Unhappy People Living Unhappy Lives

I’d rather read “uplit” than “bleak.” Although I love some literary fiction, a good deal of it centers dysfunctional families and unhappy people living unhappy lives. I adore complicated family drama (A Place For Us) more than dysfunctional family drama.

Less…Explicit Open-door Romance

I prefer sweet closed-door romance over explicit open-door romance. I know that other readers prefer lots of “spice,” but I prefer less. I wish there were ratings for open-door romance. It’s difficult to discern the spice level from reviews because reader preferences vary.

Less…Slow Burn; Fewer…Slow Reveals

An author can lose me in the beginning of the story if it is too slow. I love being engaged from page one. Drawn out characterizations, detailed setting descriptions, slow-burn romances that don’t resolve until the last chapter, or a “reveal” that is teased too long (3/4 of the book!) try my patience! I’m an incorrigible mood reader and these techniques are tricky for readers who bore easily!

Less…Miscommunication

Ugh! It seems to me that many readers dislike miscommunication tropes! But authors are not getting that message. I appreciate a book that normalizes and models healthy communication.

QOTD:

I realize that some things I’d like less of are what other readers want more of! No two persons read the same book. Each reading experience is unique. Tastes are personal. Do we share any preferences?

Happy Reading Bookworms!

“Ah, how good it is to be among people who are reading.”
~Rainer Maria Rilke

“I love the world of words, where life and literature connect.”
~Denise J Hughes

“Reading good books ruins you for enjoying bad ones.”
~Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

“I read because books are a form of transportation, of teaching, and of connection!
Books take us to places we’ve never been, they teach us about our world, and they help us to understand human experience.”
~Madeleine Riley, Top Shelf Text

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26 comments

  5. I agree with you on all of these and appreciate your reviews. They have helped me make reading choices better for me.

    Reply

  6. I too have an aversion to witches being much happier in the real world. My list would also include less time travel and fewer plots revolving around discover of something (eg letters) connecting the character to the past.

    Reply

  9. Great choices, Carol. I agree, although I am one that sometimes misses profanity, if it fits a character, although it can’t be gratuitous. I very much dislike the miscommunication trope, it always has me taking off at least one star.

    Reply

  10. Oh, I definitely agree with you on most of these! Are any authors listening out there? DId anybody see what a hit “Project Hail Mary” was, with NO offensive language??? Did anybody miss the profanity? I agree on the language obviously, on explicit sex, on stories about unhappy, messed up people who STAY messed up and unhappy, leading to the most depressing book…And auto DNF with witches and the occult, not doing it. REALLY getting frustrated with modern thinking (and knowledge) in historical fic, I’m glad you mentioned that. I also don’t like ambiguous or abrupt endings, endings where I go, “What? The end? Huh? What was THAT all about?” Likewise with when they don’t tie up enough loose ends in a mystery. And I am glad to see that you DNF books that have some of these characteristics, like bad language or every detail sex—I read too many reviews that say “I didn’t care for the language” (but I kept reading!) And maybe even give it a 4 star review! I think we need to take a stand. Ok, one more, I need to see Less….books with characters named Alice….it is THE NAME of the decade in books, but not in real life….What’s with that, anyway?

    Reply

    • Wow! Thanks for the solidarity and adding to the list! Don’t get me started on unsatisfactory endings! I wrote an entire post about it once! An interesting fact about Project Hail Mary…..I read that Weir was surprised to hear that so many high school readers read the Martian that he deliberately cut way back on the profanity for PHM in consideration of his younger fans! I hadn’t thought about The frequency of characters named Alice! Thanks for commenting!

      Reply

  11. I agree with the majority of your wishes, Carol. I don’t mind a slow burn, as long as it is building up to and actually culminates in something I can get my teeth into! Great post. 💐

    Reply

  12. Great list, Carol – Since I just finished reading one, “Less…Slow Burn; Fewer…Slow Reveals” is definitely high on my list. As are too-tidy conclusions and obvious lack of good editing. There’s more on my list – but these are currently on my mind.

    Reply

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