Readers are special people, wouldn’t you agree? It takes a certain amount of commitment to invest your time and attention into an activity that requires the use of your mind and heart. You could almost equate reading to a sport since it takes a similar drive and dedication to finish a book from start to finish as it does to run a race. (If only it produced the same health benefits, right? LOL) And because readers are so passionate about our “sport”, we’re also passionate about certain things that bug us when it comes to reading.
I’ll name a few of my pet peeves as a reader:
- Wanting to read the next book in a series, only to discover it’s not out yet!
- When two characters in a book have the same “voice” (way of talking/thinking) and you can’t tell them apart.
- When the ending of a story feels rushed.
I know many of you are gold medal athletes when it comes to reading, so let me ask you, what are your reader pet peeves? Please comment below and let me know!
One more thing … the fourth book in my Spark Brothers series will be coming out at the end of this month! Here’s a cover reveal of At First Spark.
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Rushed endings are one of my pet peeves too.
I also dislike having an author constantly explaining things such as the different currency, foods etc. Really basic things that I can over look or find out for myself if I am interested. It takes me out of the story.
So many pet peeves…..but I’ve learned to overlook most of them.
1. A rushed ending
2. Repetition of the same phrase (especially same action phrase)
3. Poor editing
4. Too many subplots or secondary characters leading to confusion in the story
I have a couple of pet peeves.
One is red herrings that are left unanswered. I remember a LIS and there was a red herring the way it was written is seemed like a vital clue and I was left hanging. While I can’t remember what it was now I still remember how annoyed I was at the end of the book when it was left unanswered.
Also endings that leave you confused. I read a book with a prologue which was like in a tv series when it starts the story towards the end and then goes back a certain amount of time. This book did this only it never really wrapped it up and I again was so confused as to what the ending was. It was sort of left for the reader to decided but I was just confused.
I too dislike having to wait for the next book in a series but even worse is a book ending on a cliff hanger.
describing what the hero or heroine look like constantly. I am one who after reading a book often cant remember how has blue eyes or brown etc. But one book I did read kept saying her cremilen blue eyes.
Also blurbs that tell to much of the story or what they say actually happens in the last quarter of the book. This happened with one LI I read. If what the blurb said happened at the beginning it would be ok but at the end it basically gave the whole story away as I knew what was coming and was waiting for it to happen and it took away any surprises.
My pet peeve is when a couple is attracted to each other and there is no reason for the attraction whatsoever. And, when a strong Christian falls for a non-believer.
My biggest pet peeve with a book is when it doesn’t have a clear, logical conclusion. Or, it ends, and leaves me totally hanging as to what happened. A good epilogue would handle that! I’m also not crazy about Christians engaging in what I would term suspect behavior, such as hanging out in places most Christians wouldn’t, and in behavior most Christians wouldn’t. I don’t mind a Christian falling for a non-Christian (it happens in real life!!) but I do like for the non-Christian to be open to Christianity and becoming a Christian. That also happens in real life. I have quite a few married friends that were not Christians when they married (neither were their spouses) and they became Christians after, but their husbands are still not Christians. Since this is real life, I do feel books needs to reflect it.
Reading the comments is very educational for me!! As a reader, my pet peeve is a manner of dialogue that isn’t consistent with the character. Mostly what I’m referring to is when the twenty-something young lady/main character talks/thinks like a sixty-something woman. It’s just not believable.
Also, people who fall in love before the story develops enough for them to realistically be in love. I mean, I can believe in love at first sight, but only if they have a really “WOW” first meeting.
I suppose one of my pet peeves would be something or someone not being realistic in my point of view – kind of what others have said already. Words or phrases where you just shake your head and ask “who says that?”
The biggest one for me though is flashbacks – too many of them anyway, and side flashes the forward flashes, lol. If my head starts to spin while reading and I have to ask myself, wait, where or WHEN are we now?? Well that can make me run from a book and author quickly!
Hi Mary! Oh, yes, I think there can be too much detail sometimes. I personally love dialogue so I tend to skip over things like descriptions. Thanks for reading and commenting!
Hi MJSH! That’s great that you’ve learned to overlook them. And I totally agree about the repetition of the same phrase. I’m guilty of doing that! This is when the “search” function comes in handy when editing. ;) Thanks for reading and commenting!
My main pet peeve is when an author rewrites a book that I have purchased, then instead of Amazon updating the book It becomes a new book I would have to buy again. I buy books to read and re-read.
The other thing is when history is not portrayed correctly in a book, ie. when a character in the past talks or thinks like a modern person. It brings you back from the created world in the past to a rude jolt into the present.
Hi Ausjenny! Those are some very relevant pet peeves that you mentioned. Good point about blurbs, which are often times harder to write than the book, if you can believe it. It’s a delicate balance of saying enough, but not too much. Thanks for reading and commenting!
Hi Susan! I’m guessing you may not like to read insta-love books then? :) I tend to prefer stories where the couple has been friends and then fall in love. Makes it more believable. Thanks for reading and commenting!
Hi Trudy! Oh, yes, I definitely appreciate having all the loose ends wrapped up well for a story, too. Regarding stories where a Christian falls for a non-Christian, have you read any like that? I’d be curious to see how the author handles the struggle. Thanks for reading and commenting!
Hi Laurie! Yes, I asked this question in part so I could learn from readers on what not to do. ;) I’m glad it’s helping you, too. Thanks for reading and commenting!
Hi Paula! Oh my, I didn’t know you felt that way about flashbacks. I’m so glad you took a chance on reading Tropical Kiss and Tell. :) Hopefully it wasn’t too confusing of a story. Thanks for reading and commenting!
Hi Betty! How strange, Amazon isn’t supposed to let you buy the same book twice (unless the author released it under a new ASIN number). But it’s cool that you like to reread books. I find I have too many on my TBR list to do that. Thanks for reading and commenting!
Lol, no, I am okay with a flashback here and there…it’s when there are so many I can’t keep my “place” in time, hahaha!
Tropical Kiss and Tell needed those glimpses into their past, story would not be cohesive without them!❤️
When something is too wordy or a drawn out explanation that could be summed up in fewer words.
The problem is when an author gets the rights back to a book and reissues it, Amazon doesn’t take down the old editions because someone somewhere is reselling a used book. I know that I have reissued 6 of my old Love Inspired books, and the old editions are still there. I always state on the copyright page of my new edition that it was previously published by Love Inspired or Steeple Hill, which was the previous name for those books published by Harlequin.
In Dee Henderson’s book, the Negotiator, Kate wasn’t a Christian, but Dave was. In fact, most of the series is about Christians and searching non-Christians. I thought it was handled very well.
I would be so healthy if reading equated to health. LOL This would be great. I agree with you about the pet peeves. I would add when a cover and back look and sound sweet and clean and then find out it is really a steamy book. Arggghhh. Or when a book is going along great and then just seems to drop off, almost like they couldn’t come up with an ending.
Oh, I love Dee Henderson’s books! I read them a long time ago though, so I totally forgot about that one. Maybe it’s time to revisit it. :)
Ha, yes, I see what you mean. ;)
I did love showing Micah and Lucy’s past and how they grew up together. One of my favorite stories that I’ve written. :)
Ahh, that makes total sense. Thanks for the explanation, Merrillee. :)
Hi Sabrina! Oh yes, that would be frustrating. :P Thanks for reading and commenting!
Hi Lori! Oh yikes, I know what you mean. It’s a tricky thing when it’s a new author you’re trying out. That’s why I like to get book recommendations from sweet/clean authors I know. Thanks for reading and commenting!
My pet peeves:
1.) Typos, errors, etc. – If a book doesn’t look like it’s even been proofread. Drives me crazy! (Considering I’m a freelance proofreader, this may just be me being hyper-critical.)
2.) Finding a series I love that isn’t finished yet and I have to wait for the next book.
3.) Too many “he said/she said” in conversations with multiple people and you have no clue who said what. If there’s more than 2 people involved in the conversation, then be specific as to who’s saying what.
4.) A story that starts out extremely slow. If after the first couple of chapters, we’re still reading background info, I’m done. Find a way to interweave the background info with the action of the actual story.
I’m sure I have many more but right now these are the ones that come to mind right off.
I don’t like an unbelievable storyline about how a couple gets together. I also don’t like when a marriage happens too fast.
Hi Lisa! I think you covered some very good ones! So cool that you do proofreading—that service is invaluable to an author. Thanks for reading and commenting!
Hi Ellie! Just curious, does the marriage happening too fast apply to marriage of convenience stories as well? Thanks for reading and commenting!
Hi! I was on the go all day yesterday, plus my laptop power supply fizzled, so I’m just now catching up. I think all the comments above covered most of mine. One that didn’t get mentioned is that I really don’t like long explanations of how handsome the guy is and how gorgeous the gal is. I’d much rather read about people who are “average” in looks, but are attractive to the one who falls for them.
And it’s not really about the writing, but I get frustrated by authors whose Kindle books are more expensive than I’d pay for a paperback :-) So I try to get on their launch teams to get a free book :-)
Hi Margaret! Glad you made it here today. :) Yes, I totally agree about beauty being in the eye of the beholder. And smart idea about getting on launch teams—it’s a win-win for both you and the author. Thanks for reading and commenting!
I think everyone has pretty much covered everything. I also hate it when the hero and/or heroine are described as good-looking. I’m also so over alpha males. And I don’t like the blurbs to give too much away, but I would really appreciate a mention of steaminess or language, as I avoid both. I also hate it when a book ends too abruptly, or when the epilogue doesn’t tie up all the loose ends, especially for beloved secondary characters.
Hi Lila! Yep, I think you covered the popular ones. I wonder if when an epilogue doesn’t tie up loose ends for secondary characters, it’s because they’ll be getting their own story later on? That would be nice. :) Thanks for reading and commenting!