What kills a book for you?

[orlok]

Originally Posted by TenaciousBadger

It takes all kinds, orlok. It takes all kinds.

Unfortunately so. I was going to go off on a rant about not listening to any gay musicians, or watching any TV or movies with homosexuals in them, but fortunately restrained myself....

[Elfwreck]

Originally Posted by orlok

Unfortunately so. I was going to go off on a rant about not listening to any gay musicians, or watching any TV or movies with homosexuals in them, but fortunately restrained myself....

He probably doesn't mind that homosexuals exist; he just doesn't want to be reminded of their identity *as* homosexuals.

Probably rather like I avoid books and tv shows with overt Christian themes or mention of Christian activities, even though I know plenty of the actors and writers are Christians. Fortunately, a large collection of gay erotica ebooks means I've always got something pleasant to read when I'm blindsided by something with content I find repugnant.

[TenaciousBadger]

Originally Posted by orlok

Unfortunately so. I was going to go off on a rant about not listening to any gay musicians, or watching any TV or movies with homosexuals in them, but fortunately restrained myself....

The OP question has quite a large umbrella.

Originally Posted by Elfwreck

He probably doesn't mind that homosexuals exist; he just doesn't want to be reminded of their identity *as* homosexuals.

Probably rather like I avoid books and tv shows with overt Christian themes or mention of Christian activities, even though I know plenty of the actors and writers are Christians. Fortunately, a large collection of gay erotica ebooks means I've always got something pleasant to read when I'm blindsided by something with content I find repugnant.

I was thinking along the same lines. There's loads of literature out there whose content rather than narratological its and bits keeps me away.

[Ransom]

People who play in septic tanks are only fit to be ignored.

[orlok]

You take my breath away...

[maianhvk]

yeah, I don't like reading about, looking at, listening to, whatever concerns homosexual people. I mean no offense. I know they exist, I'm indifferent to them, I just don't like to be involved in any form.

[TenaciousBadger]

Guys, this discussion has all the hallmarks of the knock-down-drag-out fight. Let's not taint the thread and agree to disagree.

[patrickt]

Lots of things can kill a book for me. Last week I read a book and the editing was so poor I wrote the publisher. Not that they cared. There were whole paragraphs without a space and frequently sentences without a space. "Nailed" became "hailed" and "intern" became "interest".

If a novel is factually incorrect. I don't enjoy fantasy as a genre and if a book set in Omaha, Nebraska, has the protagonist sitting on the beach watching surfers, he better have travelled a long way. If the author has made Omaha, Nebraska, a seaside resort, that's fantasy.

And, if the writing is slow and boring. I'll give a book 1/3 to pick up speed and then I'm likely to move on to something else.

Too much personal politics. If an author wants to use a book to push his personal politics I'll move on. Unless it has something to do with character development, I don't need to have characters in the book talking about how stupid President Obama or Governor Palin might be.

[anamardoll]

Oh, look! Another couple of posters for my ignore list. My collection is growing.

Can we have a mod to slam down a "no hate speech" back-on-topic warning? Next thing we know someone is going to start grousing about how literature quality has gone downhill since they started letting black people and women be in the books.

[outlander78]

Seems we're okay, no need to lock the thread or read the riot act yet. I'd hate to see this fun conversation truncated. Carrying on ...

Now that it comes up, one of my interest-killers would definitely be hateful commentary; that's not the same thing as representing bigots as characters (villains), but it is a fine line. A villain can be a true-believing bigot, but I don't want to read a rant from the guy - it's enough to know what he is, if it is necessary to the ploy.

[VydorScope]

I was just recommended a book where the author is showing off his research, come on already... I do not need multiple paragraphs on how the ancient warrior is tying his boots, a simple "he put on his boots" is really sufficient. Grr.

[speakingtohe]

Paragraphs that take up more than a page at normal text size.

Not the poor formatting type although these can be annoying, but descriptions and/or viewpoints that go on and on. I can forgive one or two, but typically if you see one, than many more will follow.

If the author must go on and on at least find a place to start a new paragraph mid page

Helen.

[Elfwreck]

Originally Posted by VydorScope

I was just recommended a book where the author is showing off his research, come on already... I do not need multiple paragraphs on how the ancient warrior is tying his boots, a simple "he put on his boots" is really sufficient. Grr.

I can sometimes deal with ridiculous levels of detail if the story calls for them, if the point is to immerse myself in the minutia of this person's life. It depends on whether it comes across as worldbuilding or "I did 15 hours of research on 8th-century clothing and you are damn well going to appreciate that."

I don't image the average warrior spends a lot of time thinking about bootlaces, so it'd be likely to throw me out of the story--unless he's also a leatherworker, or pondering how scarce game is and how what that'll mean for making boots last through the winter, or his son's outgrowing his boots and he'll need new ones soon.

[anamardoll]

OK, new one for the pile: Faux Action Girls.

I'm reading the Percy Jackson series right now and just finished Book 3 and though I *did* enjoy it, I'm just about to call Faux Action Girl on the whole series. There are 5 main female characters in the book, and they hash out thusly:

2 girls spend the entire book in need of rescue.

1 girl has a debilitating phobia that comes up in a plot-relevant manner no less than 3-4 times and which is not overcome through adversity or pluckiness. (This phobia is itself recycled from ANNABETH'S crippling fear of spiders in the earlier books.)

1 girl is several thousand years old, but spends the entire book being distracted by petty, childish grudges despite it being utterly out of her (informed) character.

1 girl does something incredibly stupid and dies in a meaningless manner. Her entire role is being "X's sister" so that X can experience angst when she dies. And if she'd been a "good" sister and stayed home, her meaningless death wouldn't have happened.

The boy character, of course, never gets captured, doesn't need rescuing, has no debilitating phobias, never engages in petty grudges in important situations, and doesn't do incredibly stupid stuff that gets him meaninglessly killed. Apparently, the author has sons but not daughters; it's hard not to notice in the narrative. *sigh*

[VydorScope]

Originally Posted by Elfwreck

I can sometimes deal with ridiculous levels of detail if the story calls for them, if the point is to immerse myself in the minutia of this person's life. It depends on whether it comes across as worldbuilding or "I did 15 hours of research on 8th-century clothing and you are damn well going to appreciate that."

I don't image the average warrior spends a lot of time thinking about bootlaces, so it'd be likely to throw me out of the story--unless he's also a leatherworker, or pondering how scarce game is and how what that'll mean for making boots last through the winter, or his son's outgrowing his boots and he'll need new ones soon.

So far... and granted I am not that far into it yet, I have not gotten IN to the story so I can not be thrown out of it. The wall of well researched details is insane.. this might become the second book in a decade that I do not finish... maybe it will get better if I stick it out some...