Odd ramblings of an obsessed reader

Book Reviews

Why I’ll Never Choose That Book: The Science of Book Appeal

Why I'll Never Choose That Book

Why I am never going to choose that coverWhy I’ll Never Choose That Book

Why I’ll Never Choose That Book: The Science of Book Appeal. Continuing from Why I’d Choose that Book last week These are the random things that totally put me off reading a book (without a HUGE recommendation from trusted bookworms)…

I am never going to willingly pick up these books:

Ugly Covers

Cover art is a fickle thing and, shallow though it may be, it means everything when I choose which books I read. As these are difficult to put into words I’ve included image examples.

Why I'll Never Choose That Book

Previous posts on cover love or the lack thereof:

The Complexity of Book Covers

When Bad Covers Happen to Good Books

Book Covers I’d Frame as Pieces of Art

A controversial new cover for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Apocalypse/Dystopia

I have read these before and even like some of them, but I feel that is genre needs an originality injection. The stories tend to run almost to a script and although I have no idea how authors could come up with a new way of saving the world, but until then I will be avoiding these stories.

Horror

I love psychological thrillers, but horror is just not for me anymore. I once adored this genre, with Pet Sematary by Stephen King a favourite, but they no longer appeal.

Zombies & Pirates

I just don’t get it.

Steampunk

Tried it – hated it.

Manga

No interest at all even though *hangs head I have never even tried it.

Short Stories

Short stories are not bad and I have read and loved them before, especially those with unpredictable twists such as Roald Dahl and Jeffrey Archer are famous for. But I prefer to get my teeth into a bigger slice of story.

Autobiographies

A huge mistake any author can make when telling their own story is to embellish and deny. I have read far too many sanctimonious versions to attempt another.

Hardcovers

I rarely purchase hardcovers, not only are they expensive but awkward to hold. The most recent hardcover that I refuse to buy is Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. There is only one reason why it’s expensive and only available in hardcover and that’s to shamelessly exploit Harry Potter fans.

Author Self-Rating/Review

This is such a turn-off, but many authors are desperate enough to give their books a 5-star rating on Goodreads. One author actually wrote “Well, you didn’t think I would rate my own book badly did you?” under his 5 beaming stars. I wouldn’t read his book if he paid me!

More things I wish authors (and publishers) knew

Top Ten Tuesday

 

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish at http://www.brokeandbookish.com/p/top-ten-tuesday-other-features.html

 

17 Comments

  1. Greg

    I agree about covers, I totally go by the cover when deciding whether to look closer. And I agree with a lot of those choices! Some of those are just… so bad. I’m not big into horror either, and I have trouble getting into manga too.

  2. Emily Seals

    It’s interesting that you don’t like hardcovers! They look pretty on the shelf, but you’re right about them being more expensive. And heavy.
    Other than that, I pretty much agree with everything you said. Those bad covers crack me up. ?

  3. tangled

    Haha what IS up with steampunk and why won’t it end??

  4. Cholla

    I have to admit, I love my manga, but it’s all a matter of personal taste. I’d never judge. Hardcovers are an issue for me, too. I have some pretty serious carpal tunnel and I simply cannot hold a hardback these days. Honestly, I can’t really hold any paper books. Hooray for e-readers! But hardcovers sure are nice on my bookshelf. ?

    Here is my Top Ten Tuesday!

  5. Kimberly Sabatini

    Ahhhh we have pretty similar tastes. Did you read The Dead Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan? I’m not usually a zombie girl, but I liked that one.

  6. Deb Nance at Readerbuzz

    Wow. Hardcovers!

  7. Grace @ Rebel Mommy Book Blog

    Ugly covers are such a turn off!! Horror, zombies and steampunk aren’t my jam either. Great list!!

  8. chucklesthescot

    I hate steampunk. I’ve tried but I will never like it! I never buy hardcovers as they take up too much space, they are so expensive and are more difficult to hold when reading. I hate having to wait a year for the paperback versions though. I don’t read manga either. I tried a couple but they never really grabbed me. My bookshelves are probably breathing a sigh of relief! Autobiographies…it depends on how truthful the person wants to be. There is nothing worse than a bland one. Great list!

  9. Rain @ Ivyclad Ideas

    I like manga and horror, but each to their own. I think it’s really corny when a writer rates their own book, but I just scroll down to the proper reviews.
    I’m not a lover of short stories either – we have to read them for the creative writing part of my course sometimes, and I do not enjoy them at all. I’m sure there are some out there that I would love, but I’m yet to find them.

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