I’m up to
about three books this year that I just couldn't finish. Setting a book aside is a difficult thing for
me because I’m a bit neurotic and I like to finish things that I start. It made me wonder what makes a book
“unreadable”. Of course this is
different for everyone—it depends on what you’re looking for when you pick up a
book. For the most part, I’m looking for
a fantastic plot with at least some sort of romantic thread woven through it.
So what ruined the last few books for me?
Earlier in
the year I picked up a promising werewolf book written by another indie
author. It received great reviews and I
was excited about reading it. After
about four chapters, I couldn’t take it anymore. My promise of romance and adventure was full
of typos. With every page there were missing commas and
misspellings. The non-neurotic person wouldn’t
be bothered by this, but I couldn’t bear to continue.
The next
book I put aside was probably great but I couldn’t get past the first few
pages. The author spent the entire
first two pages describing what the main character looked like instead of
diving into the plot. Of course it’s
important to know what your main character looks like, but it’s better to cleverly
weave this information into the story. To me the mistake was so
huge; I lost faith in the rest of the story.
Only this
past week I had big hopes for a time-traveling romance. The story started out great but then the author
filled the pages with about a million references to war, actual war, and
endless chatter about even more war. It felt
like “filler” to me. The author returned
to the relationship occasionally but it just wasn’t enough. I was bored.
I’ve come to
the conclusion that there’s probably an infinite number of ways to screw up a
good book. I’ve also decided that I
should probably read books based on recommendations instead of back flaps. What makes a book “unreadable” to you?
Lol - reviews do help a TON for avoiding unreadable books.
ReplyDeleteMy biggest thing is WHY? The last book that I didn't finish kept throwing weird things into the story - like tripping on a step without any reaction or purpose or anything... followed by random decisions based on no logical explanation. I quit 40 pgs in and sent an apology to the publisher. 'Cause committing to review a book that you can't finish is very painful... but slinging mud at the book is even worse, in my opinion.
That story you started sounds very quirky! You definitely did the right thing in declining a review. Somebody out there will love the author's work, even if it isn't you.
ReplyDeleteExtremely detailed stories annoying me. I honestly don't need to know that the main character is wearing a red knotted top with dark blue jeans, white socks and ankle boots with studs :p I like some descriptions, but at some point you have to get on with the story.
ReplyDelete