Earlier today I was discussing what challenges can make readers not want to carry on with a story. Of course, I was trying to get to the bottom of why some students give up so easily on classic books, but this subject applies to everyone. So I decided to start the conversation here on my blog too.
What are the things that turn you off from a book? Are there any particular features that drive you mad?
Does book length matter?
Are you one of those people who likes shorter books? What would it take to get you reading something longer?
For me, I lean towards books of about 200 pages but happily read 500 page books by reputable authors like Joanne Harris and Liane Moriarty.
Are conversations better than exposition?
Do you prefer books that have more speech than description? Or are you more inclined towards epic books that go to town on detailed descriptions in meaty paragraphs?
Lately I have read a few YA stories which include a large amount of dialogue. However, I also read a lot of first person books that have a lot of internal dialogue alongside plenty of description.
Does ‘Ye Olde’ English put you off?
Are you quickly losing interest in a book because the lingo is from the 1800s? Do you prefer modern colloquialisms?
I sometimes find classic books which are fairly old can be tricky to read. This is largely because they take longer to read as I have to double read some sentences due to the complex structure and historic vocabulary. Equally, I prefer when an author uses language cleverly rather than using lazy, modern slang and overly plain sentences.
It would be interesting to hear your thoughts on this matter. What makes you put a book down? Please comment your ideas underneath.
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I read a variety of books my fave authors are Stephen king – I have always been into horror films and the books allow the imagination to run wild.
Another faves is Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The book length makes no difference to me, the first chapter needs to draw me so much that I need to know what happens or it is because I am invested in a character from the beginning or that genre of book.
I prefer more detail due to me being a visual person so this allows me to picture the characters, the scenery as I read.
Great post! I could talk forever about books but I won’t fill your feed.
Haha brilliant response! Yes I suppose if a first chapter draws you are in, then you are invested.
I love historical fiction. The length of the book doesn’t matter, but I need to feel connected to the story in the first chapter or I tend to put it down. Although I hadn’t thought about this prior to reading your blog, I think I prefer more description and less dialogue. Great questions!
Great answer.
Length does not matter. It just needs to be concise, relevant and witty for self-help books I am reading. I rarely read novels these days, but what makes me feel invested in a story (that will make me convinced enough to read) is an interesting plot to start with. 🙂
I actually always make a point to finish my books – often I end up pushing through them and finding they improve a lot! I’m definitely drawn to short to medium books when selecting something from my shelf though – I find I have to be in a certain mood to read a really long book. Thanks for sharing, this was very interesting to think about!
Thanks for commenting.
Yes I agree it has to be there from the beginning.
Honestly, I have been reading mostly YA in the last few years, but also love to mix it up with fictions. What usually puts me off is a book where characters don’t appeal to me or plots that are too slow to evolve. I really love multi POV stories, as you get a more rounded idea of what is happening. I don’t mind length to be honest, the only thing that bothers me about a 600-800 pages book is bringing them around as I read on my way in and back from work a lot lol
I like multiple POV stories a lot as well. Thanks for reading and commenting.
I think I’m pretty forgiving with books in general…there was only one book I think this year that I did not finish. That one was because it was just boring subject matter to me and I could not connect with it. In general though, something that turns me off in a book is a constant repeating or recapping of events, like we didn’t just read about it. That gets annoying after awhile though I still will usually finish the book haha!
Wow! You are a lot more patient with books than I am.