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| AlisonCanRead and Parajunkee |
I admit that I have a few pet peeves when it comes to books and writing.
- Really whiny/angry characters, unless, of course, the anger is justified. I think it is a fad right now in YA Lit to show growth in characters by having them start out as super angry and obnoxiously whiny and then come to some revelation which brings them back to a regular level of emotions.. Enough already!
- Authors who purposely don't use correct literary conventions, like not using quotation marks for dialogue or writing all text in lower case. Ugh.
- Books where every ambiguity is tied up in the conclusion, especially those where everything is neat and tidy. I want to have some ambiguity remaining so that my brain can work out how I think things will resolve.
What are your pet peeves when it comes to books?
Congratulations to Fiction Book Reviews for being the featured bloggers of the week.
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| GReads. |
TGIF Question: Writing Reviews 101: What's your process for writing book reviews? Any tips or suggestions you would recommend to other bloggers?
Oh boy. I am looking forward to reading your answers. I have a lot to learn when it comes to writing book reviews. Here are a few things that I do, or try to do, when I write a book review.
- Provide a VERY short summary with a teaser but no spoilers. Long summaries drive me crazy and I won't read them, so I won't write them. I want to know what the reviewer thinks rather than a detailed summary of the book.
- Review books that I liked or loved, avoid reviewing books that I don't. I really struggled with this decision when I first started blogging but I feel good about it now. My goal in starting my blog was to provide reviews for my students and I don't want to bias them against a book before they give it a try.
- I try to share some interesting insight about the author, the writing style, the story line, and if I feel moved, a quote or two. I want to review to be from me, but I want to enhanced if I've done a bit of research. I like learning new information and sharing what I've learned.
Hopping through. Writing all text in lowercase? Ugh, that would be annoying. I'll admit that I write in lower case in e-mails and IM a lot, but that's not a book.
ReplyDeleteMy Hop
Hi! Happy follow Friday. I'm a new follower.
ReplyDeletehttp://readinginthemountains.blogspot.com/
Authors who are unable to adhere to accepted literary conventions are just awful. Why don't the editors correct this stuff? New follower!
ReplyDeleteBuyer read a book I loved despite a really whiny character who drove me nuts. I was so disappointed--I swear it would have been perfect otherwise. I mean, yes, she'd had some issues in her past, but she had supportive teachers, and a supportive dad who was doin her best. The only thing I could out her behavior down to was hormones or clinical depression, and it was never explained or dealt with in a satisfying way. Left me super cranky.
ReplyDeleteI so get what you mean about the ambiguity. Thinking is good! I don't always need someone to do it for me, but I think there's a fine line between enough and WAY TOO MUCH! I hate cliffhangers :D
I too have a problem with whiny characters. All they do is complain. On the other hand, I don't mind angry characters just as long there's a reason for them to be angry.
ReplyDeleteLack of quotation marks is SO annoying to me. I keep getting lost!
ReplyDeleteNew follower :)
My Follow Friday
I agree with your pet peeves there are a lot of whiney female characters that get on my nerves too.
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I agree about the convenient endings. I hate when an ending is tied up neatly with a bow & everyone lives happily ever after.
ReplyDeleteNew follower :)
Have a great weekend!
I agree with your pet peeves, have a happy Friday!
ReplyDeletehttp://tributebooksmama.blogspot.com/2011/12/follow-friday.html
I'm a stickler for good use of punctuation too. What kind of message are authors sending to young readers when they don't take the time to use correct structure? Especially in YA. Way to teach bad habits!
ReplyDeleteI'm a new follower. :)
Holiday Foreplay Giveaway
Wow. One of your pet peeves is one of my favorite things to see in books! I'm impressed when an author paints outside the lines and breaks some rules to make a point or add some dash to expression.
ReplyDeleteMy pet peeve is very different; I'm rubbed wrong by redundancy. What do I mean? Follow me back to my blog and find out - http:///www.howardsherman.net
TGIFF!
Howard Sherman
http://www.howardsherman.net
AH! I agree so much about the lack of quotation marks, etc. I cannot stand it. I can't even write texts without properly formatting them, so I reading anything less makes me want to cry! :)
ReplyDeleteCheck out my post if you have the time! And I'm a new follower!
Rachel @ Paper Cuts
P.S. I love the picture in your header. It's ADORABLE. :)
new follower :)
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you peeves!
Great post and have a happy Friday!
Check out my follow Friday!
http://sarahcatchingbooks.blogspot.com/2011/12/follow-friday-8.html
Great posts! I definitely agree with them. I think whiny characters are the worst and I can't stand them, especially if they go too selfish as well...
ReplyDeleteHave a great weekend! New follower. :) Find out what my pet peeves are!