Things in books that annoy you

[4691mls]

Originally Posted by duke313131

Hello,

I'm seeking help. When I send a book from Calibre to my Kindle device via email, it always fails. I've entered the email addresses correctly on amazon.com and calibre. Any advice?

Ask in the Calibre forum

[cromag]

In my case the biggest turn-offs are factual errors.

For instance, I read all three books in the Aaron Tucker mysteries by Jeffrey Cohen. I enjoyed the first book, so I started the second. At one point a fairly conclusive piece of evidence was produced which I knew to be absolutely impossible.

Spoiler:

Specifically, a DNA identification was made based on human hair in a wig. DNA is only present in the hair follicle, which would not have been present after the hair was collected and processed.

That killed my interest in the story. I kept reading, but never really enjoyed it.

Fortunately I gave the third book a chance. I really liked it.


I'm currently reading a book that I'd describe as a lightweight mix of mystery and comedy -- very light reading, but fun.

At one point a criminal masks his face with a red stocking. After the theft the thief stuffs the red stocking into a back pocket leaving some of it hanging out like a flag. During his escape, he winds up in a cattle pen with a bull. The bull chases the thief because, as everyone knows, bulls hate the color red. -- like the red capes used by bullfighters. Hilarity ensues.

Except, of course, bulls are colorblind. They're attracted to the cape by its movement.

Anyway, in a more serious book this would have killed my interest. In a piece of lightweight entertainment I gave it a pass.

[Pulpmeister]

I dislike glaring errors, such as silencers fitted to revolvers. They don't work on revolvers at all. Most of the noise comes from the gap between the cylinder and barrel.

(I'm no gun nut. I just happen to know.)

One of my favourite glaring errors was in a Modesty Blaise novel, in which Weng, Modesty's factotum, opens the rear door of her Rolls-Royce Camargue to let a passenger out. He'd have needed an angle-grinder; Camargues are two door coupes.

The "had I but known" school, already mentioned, is another bugbear.

So too is padding with technical stuff. I don't belong to the techno-geek school, so unless it's seriously relevant for plot purposes, I don't have any interest in the weight, paint colour, series number, designer's name, factory it was built in, quantity of explosives and what chemical formula, foreman of the production line, which hillside the grapes grew on, engine capacity, for every damn thing in the book.

Which reminds me of another glaring technical error in an otherwise entertaining high-finance novel of the modern City of London: The Dealer, by I think Paul Kilduff.

First a three-litre Rolls-Royce (not since 1929, and it was 3.1 anyway!) and then a V6 Bentley (never).

I go along with dodgy foreign language text, too, How hard is it to get it right? Not difficult. Some years ago, on another forum, I asked, rather jokingly, how do you say "What do you mean I can't have the room I booked?" or something, in Italian. I got an answer from an Italian within five minutes. The odd thing was, when I got to Rome, that very problem did arise, and I'd forgotten what I had been told!

Needless variations of "said". A very serious offender was the late E Phillips Oppenheim, who had to have a dialogue tag on virtually every bit of speech, whether it needed it or not, and with almost monomaniacal determination, avoided the word "said", replacing it with things like "begged" when no one was begging, "confided" when nothing was being confided, etc. I made a list once from just 10 pages of one of his novels, and got these:

declared, assured, acknowledged, begged, insisted, exclaimed, pointed out, observed, pleaded, remarked, admitted, reflected, whispered, directed, scoffed, murmured, inquired, muttered, enjoined, complained,; laughed, cried, offered and sighed.

[HLS]

Slight spoiler so stop reading if you want
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When something makes no seance. Like in Year One all the sudden certain humans are faeries and elves for no apparent reason which seems out of place for the story. Yes we have people with so called abilities but to just come out and claim to be elves or what ever is stupid. its a good book bit after the 1/2 way point you start to get bored.

[GrannyGrump]

Originally Posted by GlenBarrington

I once opened a Library book and there was a "smooshed" bug in it, and something unidentifiable, but gross, on another page. I really hated those.

Not as gross, but I once found a slice of salami --- apparently it was an impromptu bookmark...

[Thasaidon]

Originally Posted by GrannyGrump

Not as gross, but I once found a slice of salami --- apparently it was an impromptu bookmark...

Have a look at this article


https://www.rd.com/culture/things-li...eturned-books/

There is also a similar Guardian article but the items found were much grosser, which is why I have not added the link. If you want to know what was found Google it.

[MikeB1972]

Originally Posted by Richwood

Shifter stories where there is a gain or loss of mass from the shift. Where does the mass go when a 200 pound man shifts to a 100 pound wolf? Per physics it sounds like a hell of a explosion as mass is converted to energy. About like a hydrogen bomb, a big one. The same problem for going the other way. Where does the 100 pounds mass equivalent energy come from? From a physics standpoint only Poul Anderson paid attention to this in a couple of fantasy novels that I am aware of.

It's obviously stored in the same place the Star Trek transporter buffer uses

Just to check - Growing a full set of teeth in seconds is fine, as long as you don't break the conservation of mass rule

[Pulpmeister]

Reading Clive Cussler, found another glaring error minutes after my last post.

"RUNNING at its maximum cruising speed of 460 knots per hour "

Knots per hour???? A knot is one nautical mile per hour.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by MikeB1972

Just to check - Growing a full set of teeth in seconds is fine, as long as you don't break the conservation of mass rule

I always think it's silly in werewolf stories (sorry, 'shifter' stories) when the wolfy parts come out from inside and the skin sorta peels away. When they change back does the same thing happen? The Netflix series Hemlock Grove was the worst offender of this. But even though I quibble with it, I can't say too much. I'm already accepting that a curse can cause a man to turn into an animal.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

I always think it's silly in werewolf stories (sorry, 'shifter' stories) when the wolfy parts come out from inside and the skin sorta peels away. When they change back does the same thing happen? The Netflix series Hemlock Grove was the worst offender of this. But even though I quibble with it, I can't say too much. I'm already accepting that a curse can cause a man to turn into an animal.

I am quoting you because of your location.

An annoying thing is when a non-fiction book or magazine article moves a major city. I am sorry but Dallas is not and never has been deep in the heart of Texas. It is in north Texas.

It shows either a lack of geography or the ability to google or the author thought they were being smart using in this case an inappropriate but we'll known Texas phrase.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

I am quoting you because of your location.

An annoying thing is when a non-fiction book or magazine article moves a major city. I am sorry but Dallas is not and never has been deep in the heart of Texas. It is in north Texas.

It shows either a lack of geography or the ability to google or the author thought they were being smart using in this case an inappropriate but we'll known Texas phrase.

You're commenting on the ability to Google?

At any rate, I think many Dallasites would take issue with your insinuation that they don't reside in the heart of Texas (implying that they are not 'true' Texans)

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

You're commenting on the ability to Google?

At any rate, I think many Dallasites would take issue with your insinuation that they don't reside in the heart of Texas (implying that they are not 'true' Texans)

Dallasites would be very offended since no company in Dallas has ever said they are in the heart of Texas. They fully celebrate being in North Texas.
You can't know this because you are a transplant but Texans are very protective of their regions. By the way just so you know, Brady is the heart of Texas. It is the only city allowed to use that distinction.
You only have to be born and bred or fully embrace all its idiosyncrasies to be a true Texas.
All of Texas has true Texans
Please expect your deportation papers next week for implying you have to be in one geographic spot to be a true Texan.
Or did you misunderstand the song you have quoted in your location?

[Penforhire]

Pulpmeister, just an FYI that there are a few revolvers than can be effectively suppressed but an author should mention the model.

There is an old Nagant M1895 that uses a moving gas seal to close the gap.

There is a special version of the S&W 625 called a PSDR 3 made for German SWAT teams, designed just 25 years ago. It looks a bit like a Buck Rogers weapon because it is encased in a "shell."

Knights Armament (KAC) made a modified Ruger Super Redhawk for the U.S. military but it is in the form of a rifle (the purpose is no ejected brass).

There is a modified S&W model 29 designed for Vietnam war "tunnel rats." I have seen photos but it is unclear how they deal with noise from the cylinder gap.

But yes, I am a gun nut, lol. I have sent correction requests to Robert Ludlum's publisher in years past.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

Dallasites would be very offended since no company in Dallas has ever said they are in the heart of Texas. They fully celebrate being in North Texas.
You can't know this because you are a transplant but Texans are very protective of their regions. By the way just so you know, Brady is the heart of Texas. It is the only city allowed to use that distinction.
You only have to be born and bred or fully embrace all its idiosyncrasies to be a true Texas.
All of Texas has true Texans
Please expect your deportation papers next week for implying you have to be in one geographic spot to be a true Texan.
Or did you misunderstand the song you have quoted in your location?

I'd actually pay someone to deport me from Texas. It's been good to me, but I miss my home state. It's true what they say about family ties that bind.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

I'd actually pay someone to deport me from Texas. It's been good to me, but I miss my home state. It's true what they say about family ties that bind.

Oh, in that case we will make you stay lol.