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Sunday, May 5, 2013

Turn-Offs

I was in Barnes & Noble last week. I had just discovered two unused gift cards in my wallet, and was so happy and excited that I almost couldn't breathe.

I read the backs of probably twenty-five books and studied the covers of twice that many. As I did so, I also discovered that I have quite a few "book turn-offs." I immediately put down any book that...

- contained the phrases "with the help of an unlikely friend" or "when the unthinkable happens."

- featured a girl holding a weapon on the cover.

- began it's coverslip with "(insert number)-year-old (insert catchy, obscure name)..."

- referenced text messages or social media sites.

- described a male protagonist using the words "sexy," "dangerous," or "mysterious."

- tried too hard with the characters' names.

I skipped the "Teen Paranormal Romance" section altogether.

What are some of your book turn-offs?

~Stephanie

3 comments:

  1. 1) Any book where the person's deeply buried past which they're trying to run away/hide from will come back to haunt them.

    2) Any book where the central plot conspiracy reaches "all the way to the top".

    3) If I can recite the back cover from memory based on the last ten covers I've read in the same genre I put it down.

    4) Any book that has a vampire, werewolf or similar on the front.

    5) Any book by Dan Brown, James Patterson or any author who can churn out more than one book a year.

    I have no opinion on your changing Pandora's name but I will miss the upside down A's

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  2. hahahaha oh my gosh yes. just yes. to all of them. yuck.

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  3. Rich people. I get that it makes things easier, but a vast majority if us are not rich.
    Beautiful, flawless heroes and heroines.
    Perfect heroes... I prefer a flawed, or even an anti-hero.
    Geniuses, see rich for explanation.

    I guess I prefer stories of ordinary people overcoming extraordinary circumstances.

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