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1orsolina
Jump ship or go down with it? Another response is refusal to board in the first place. Any genre, writing style, or clues in the jacket description that cause you to shove that book right back on to the library shelf?
I generally don't bother with science fiction (and what is it with readers who want to make real life into science fiction?). In the case of fantasy, I will read supernatural stories if well written; the works of M.R. James, E.F. Benson, and J. LeFanu come to mind. Among contemporary works, I have re-read The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova several times. But I don't care for invented worlds--I did get through Lord of the Rings as an undergraduate, during a rainy winter break when I was stuck with a leg injury and didn't have much else to do. I wouldn't do that now.
The popularity of dystopian fiction leaves me aghast. I don't understand it. I'm still ticked off about being forced to read Lord of the Flies and 1984 in secondary school. I wasn't crazy about a lot of the books we had to read, but those two titles were scraping the very bottom of the barrel!
For recreational reading, my favorite genre is mystery fiction. But if I see the words "psychological thriller," "drug cartel," or "terrorism" in the publisher's blurb or the review quotes, I know it's not for me. Likewise the cutesy amateur tales about knitting, antiques collecting, home repair, innkeeping, cooking, and croquet. Is there a pun in the title? Then I probably won't touch it. And I dislike protagonists whose personal problems overshadow the mystery itself. If the detective is battling discrimination or dimwitted budget cuts, I'm not too interested. If he's drinking too much, constantly getting into trouble for insubordination, and trying to solve the disappearance of his mother thirty years ago, all while trying to work a case, the plot is just overloaded.(I've read one of these, but I think it will be the last--why not have him find his mom and get that out of the way?) Protagonist is himself a criminal? Forget it--I don't have time for antiheroes. Scandinavian noir? I think I'll re-read an old favorite by Ngaio Marsh or Tony Hillerman.
One current pet peeve is use of the present tense, which seems to have exploded in the last few years. It's pretentious, affected, distracting, jarring. I'm trying hard to get through Empress of the Night by Eva Stachniak--I've had it out for two weeks now, and it's work to read just a few pages. A colleague is trying to convince me to read Wolf Hall, but I doubt that it's going to happen!
I generally don't bother with science fiction (and what is it with readers who want to make real life into science fiction?). In the case of fantasy, I will read supernatural stories if well written; the works of M.R. James, E.F. Benson, and J. LeFanu come to mind. Among contemporary works, I have re-read The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova several times. But I don't care for invented worlds--I did get through Lord of the Rings as an undergraduate, during a rainy winter break when I was stuck with a leg injury and didn't have much else to do. I wouldn't do that now.
The popularity of dystopian fiction leaves me aghast. I don't understand it. I'm still ticked off about being forced to read Lord of the Flies and 1984 in secondary school. I wasn't crazy about a lot of the books we had to read, but those two titles were scraping the very bottom of the barrel!
For recreational reading, my favorite genre is mystery fiction. But if I see the words "psychological thriller," "drug cartel," or "terrorism" in the publisher's blurb or the review quotes, I know it's not for me. Likewise the cutesy amateur tales about knitting, antiques collecting, home repair, innkeeping, cooking, and croquet. Is there a pun in the title? Then I probably won't touch it. And I dislike protagonists whose personal problems overshadow the mystery itself. If the detective is battling discrimination or dimwitted budget cuts, I'm not too interested. If he's drinking too much, constantly getting into trouble for insubordination, and trying to solve the disappearance of his mother thirty years ago, all while trying to work a case, the plot is just overloaded.(I've read one of these, but I think it will be the last--why not have him find his mom and get that out of the way?) Protagonist is himself a criminal? Forget it--I don't have time for antiheroes. Scandinavian noir? I think I'll re-read an old favorite by Ngaio Marsh or Tony Hillerman.
One current pet peeve is use of the present tense, which seems to have exploded in the last few years. It's pretentious, affected, distracting, jarring. I'm trying hard to get through Empress of the Night by Eva Stachniak--I've had it out for two weeks now, and it's work to read just a few pages. A colleague is trying to convince me to read Wolf Hall, but I doubt that it's going to happen!
2razzamajazz
Fiction: Sub-genre Descriptions:
www.writersdigest.com/qp7-migration-all-articles/qp7-migration-fiction/genredefinitions
The fiction genre is very wide and there are many divisions in each genre.
My Most Favorite Genre: Thriller/Suspense, Sub- Division: Action
Authors: e.g. Tom Clancy ; Frederick Forsyth
What is your favorite genre ?
www.writersdigest.com/qp7-migration-all-articles/qp7-migration-fiction/genredefinitions
The fiction genre is very wide and there are many divisions in each genre.
My Most Favorite Genre: Thriller/Suspense, Sub- Division: Action
Authors: e.g. Tom Clancy ; Frederick Forsyth
What is your favorite genre ?
3bluepiano
Certain blurb adjectives are warnings that I'd loathe the book: 'inspirational', 'heart-warming', 'best-selling', 'rollicking' and, above all, 'life-affirming'.
4PossMan
#2 razzamajazz: Thanks for interesting link to fiction genres.
#3 bluepiano: I don't usually take much notice of the blurb because I assume it's biased but I look at reviews and, shorter ones in particular, have warning signals similar to those you mention.
#3 bluepiano: I don't usually take much notice of the blurb because I assume it's biased but I look at reviews and, shorter ones in particular, have warning signals similar to those you mention.
5Tess_W
I don't really pay attention to jacket blurbs.........I do read reviews by LibraryThingers!
Words that would cause me to run: fantasy, self-help, guru, romantic-interest, feminist, sci-fi, and last but not least: political/espionage thriller
Words that would cause me to run: fantasy, self-help, guru, romantic-interest, feminist, sci-fi, and last but not least: political/espionage thriller
7groovykinda
"Memoirs (if it's written after 1920)," "Natural," "Revolutionary," "Inspirational," "Based on a True Story," "Life-Affirming," and "Abridged."
8thorold
>7 groovykinda:
You missed out "as told to"
You missed out "as told to"
10mstrust
>3 bluepiano: I agree with every blurb you listed. God I hate to be "inspired".
11bluepiano
>8 thorold: yes, indeed. As well as 'from the screenplay'. In fact a still from a Hollywood movie on front cover is a warning sign, and gilt lettering an even stronger one.
12CliffordDorset
For me, it's any short phrase containing the word 'prize'. There are enough genuinely good books to last a lifetime, without bothering with new stuff that adds little to the list.
