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I love books. Clearly. But loving books doesn’t mean I can’t have a few complaints.
Every book lover has those little things that drive them crazy – from stickers that won’t come off to dog-eared pages and ridiculously long chapters. Some of these are serious offenses, some are tiny annoyances that probably shouldn’t bother me as much as they do, and some make me wonder if I’m the only reader who feels this way.
So, in no particular order, are my biggest bookish pet peeves. How many of these drive you crazy, too?
1) Stickers on Books That Won’t Come Off
There is absolutely no reason to put a sticker on a book. You either leave the sticker alone, and it ruins the aesthetic of the cover. Or you try removing it, only part of it comes off, and then you’re left with sticky residue and half a sticker.
2) Book Lending Gone Wrong
It’s always a horrible feeling to have a book returned in worse condition than you lent it. The cover’s bent. Pages are warped. I even had a friend who told me someone wrote her name on the dedication page in pen.
But there’s something even worse than getting a book back in sub-par condition – a book that’s never returned at all.
3) Foreign Languages Without Translations
I think it’s perfectly fine for an author to use a few short foreign words or phrases in a book. What is not OK is having whole conversations in a foreign language without a translation!
What is the author’s expectation with this – are readers supposed to stop reading and Google the conversation? I’d prefer the translation be provided in italics or parenthesis.
4) Confusing Timeline Changes
I recently DNF’d a book because it was too confusing to follow. There were three generations in the book, and several of the relatives had the same names. It was challenging to figure out which generation was the focus of the chapter and which time period we were in.
It’s much clearer when the date is shared at the beginning of every new chapter or every time the story switches to a different time period.
5) Why I Hate Dust Jackets
I’m not a fan. Dust jackets fall, they get bent, and they’re just a nuisance. – especially on children’s books.
When my boys were little, if they received a book with a dust jacket and the book’s cover had the same image as the dust jacket, I would take off the dust jacket immediately and throw it away. Sorry, dust jacket lovers.
6) Books Full of Typos and Bad Grammar
Recently, I read a novel that did not use quotation marks. It was such a difficult read because I never knew when someone was talking versus when a new paragraph was starting.
Bad grammar and typos are such an easy fix with a good editor. There really is no excuse.
7) Too Many Characters to Keep Track Of
Nothing confuses a reader more than introducing too many characters and expecting us to keep up with them all.
I’ve seen a few books that include a Character List in the front of the book, and I know I’m in trouble when I see one of those.
8) Mismatched Book Series
Nothing makes me happier than having a perfectly matched series on my shelf. Nothing makes me crazier than buying the next book and discovering it doesn’t match.
Anytime I buy books in a series at a separate times, I know I’m asking for trouble. Common offenses are:
- Books not being the same height
- Book cover aesthetics changing from one book to the next (maybe one is an older release vs. a newer release)
- Hardcover vs. paperback
9) No Book Summary on the Back Cover
It seems like the new trend is to put several reviews from other authors or publishing houses on the back of the book to sing its praises versus having a summary of the story on the back.
If I’ve already chosen to read a book, I don’t need to read a bunch of other people’s opinions on it. Tell me what the book is actually about!
10) Chapters That Are Way Too Long
I don’t have a set length to suggest; I just know it’s annoying when a chapter goes on and on.
I like to stop reading at the end of a chapter if I have to take a break. But some chapters are just so long, I have no choice but to stop midway.
11) Unsatisfying Book Endings
I recently gave a book a lower rating because the ending was so unsatisfying. I spent all that time, investing in the characters, only to have the ending be a disappointment.
I know not every story can be neatly wrapped up, but it’s just a bummer when you enjoy 95% of the book only to be disappointed by the last chapter or section.
12) Characters Who Suddenly Switch Names
I’ve read two books lately where the main character suddenly had a name change.
The character was known as Charlotte for 80% of the book, and then randomly, the author switched it to Char. There was no explanation. Did the author just get tired of writing/typing it out?
In another book, the main character had three different names based on the setting she was in.
Also, very confusing.
13) Judging People for What They Read
Everyone’s entitled to their own opinions, but it crosses the line into unkindness when people say things like:
- Audiobooks don’t count as reading
- If you don’t like a particular book, then you must not be intelligent enough to understand it
- You’re not sophisticated enough if you don’t read certain genres
Let people read what they enjoy!
14) Dog-eared Pages
I know some readers don’t mind this, but I cannot do it.
Please don’t bend the pages of my books. That’s what bookmarks are for!
15) Being Interrupted While Reading
You finally sit down with your book, get completely immersed in the story, and then someone needs something.
Nothing pulls you out of a reading zone faster than “Mom!” when you’ve been looking forward to those 20 quiet minutes all day.
16) Songs and Poems in Books
This is a new one for me. I don’t enjoy song lyrics or poems in books; I just skim over them.
This summer my sons and I listened to two audiobooks that had songs in them. And the narrator SANG the songs.
It was awkward, and I just wanted to skip it and get back to the story.
17) Audiobook Narrators Who Don’t Fit the Book
Narrators can make or break an audiobook. Their voice, pacing, pronunciation, or character voices can completely change the experience.
I’ve heard many people say that if the narrator is annoying, they will stop listening to the book.
And I get it. The narrator is basically the voice of the entire story. If you don’t like listening to them, that’s a pretty big problem.
18) Waiting for Library Books to Become Available
When you’re in the mood to read a particular book and the waitlist is weeks, if not months, long.
It seems like audiobooks are especially big offenders here. I once put a hold on a book, forgot I had done so, and was informed over a year later it was now available.
Can the library get more copies already?
19) Heavy Hardcover Books
I was given a book for Christmas nearly two years ago that I asked for, but I didn’t foresee that its format would put me off from reading it.
It was big. It was a hard cover. It would not fit in my purse. I didn’t want to lug it around everywhere.
So I had to wait for a season when I knew I would be at home more so that I wouldn’t need to take the book to appointments or meetings.
A book shouldn’t require a workout plan.
20) Too Slow to Get Going
It should not take 100 pages to draw a reader in. Many readers will DNF a book long before they get that far.
I’m not saying every book needs to start with an explosion or dramatic plot twist, but the story should give me a reason to keep reading.
Pace the book appropriately, but also get the reader hooked sooner rather than later.
21) Infographics, Charts, Maps, and Inserts
This is usually a strike against nonfiction books rather than fiction. Sometimes these types of visuals really do help communicate information in a way that words alone can’t. But I cannot stand when they’re dropped right in the middle of a paragraph. It’s so disruptive to the reading flow.
I wish authors and publishers would put all the visuals at the end of the chapter so I can read the text without constantly being interrupted by a chart, map, or infographic.
Final Thoughts
Now it’s your turn! What’s your biggest bookish pet peeve? Is there something on my list that doesn’t bother you at all, or something I completely forgot? Tell me in the comments. I may have to make a Part 2!
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