Hmmm. This is always a tough one for me for a couple of reasons. The first is that I am probably fairly boring in terms of my bookish opinions. I don’t really have many that are controversial, at least not that I find so. But the main one is that I think having strong opinions that you’ll debate for hours and defend passionately – at least when it comes to things like books that, while important, are essentially entertainment – is more the province of youth. I’m not that young, nor do I have as much time or energy these days. I’ve settled into my groove, and while I’ll challenge myself occasionally by trying out books my kid is or might be interested in or genres that aren’t my norm, I’m kind of okay with just going with what works for me. So I don’t really come up against things that throw me into strong emotion very often. So this may be a short list!
- I’m not that fussed whether people decide to annotate their books or keep them pristine. Both have their benefits, and both have equally strong arguments for and against. For me, I go through phases. I used to annotate books when I was a teen, but honestly it was probably because I read that a celebrity did it or something equally silly. But I like that I’ve got passages marked, mostly because now when I read them it’s interesting to see how much the passages that stand out to me have changed. Nowadays I only really annotate if I really feel like I want to add thoughts to what I’m reading, mostly I’ll just use those sticky transparent line markers, and even then usually only non-fiction that has a lot of important points I want to be able to find again. (Though I usually don’t.)
- I am, however, definitely not one to break spines voluntarily. Partly because it just feels wrong; partly because then the book is harder to hold in one hand as it keeps flopping to various pages where the breaks are; but mostly because over time, as the binding ages, pages start detaching from the breaks, and it breaks my heart to see a book with pages spilling out of it! I’ve been known to read books holding them barely open enough to see the words and leaving them looking nearly the same when I’ve read them as they did when I bought them. I’m not quite as careful these days, but I still do my best to avoid damaging the spines.
- This is an old one, but I’ll raise it whenever the opportunity presents – audiobooks count as reading. Shouldn’t be controversial. Shouldn’t be unpopular. Should just be fact.
- I don’t think there should be a genre called “chick lit.”
- I’m still upset that the 2019 Booker Prize was split between Bernardine Evaristo and Margaret Atwood. I think Evaristo should have won, especially since it’s the first time ever the prize was a draw, and that was explicitly against the Prize’s own rules!
That’s all I can think of this week! What about you guys? Did you have an easier time of it this week? Anyone have any of mine on your list?
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly link-up feature created by The Broke and the Bookish and hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl. Every week TTT has a different topic, and everyone who links up has to create a link of ten items that fit that topic. To see past and upcoming topics, go here.
Whole heartedly agree with you on audiobooks – glad to see they’re getting so much support this week!
Yes! I always think it’s just a terminology thing, because we use the word reading to both refer to the physical act of looking at the words on the page, and the act of absorbing the words into our brains and interpreting them. The first is, obviously, a physical words on a page or a device thing. But the second… that’s any form of absorbing words that have been made into a book. We just need a different word for it that includes every form of it! Most of my reading these days is audiobooks, so if they didn’t count, what would I be doing with a book blog???? Lol!
Great list! I had no idea people voluntarily break their spines! I’m with you though, I try my best to keep them intact. Though I don’t listen to many audiobooks, I can’t believe that there are still people out there who don’t think listening to them counts as reading.
If you’d like to visit, here’s my TTT: https://thebooklorefairyreads.wordpress.com/2025/04/15/top-ten-tuesday-unpopular-bookish-opinions/
Yeah, I’ve known some people who just give them a brisk snap, particularly if it’s the mass market paperbacks that are smaller with tighter binding. It’s easier with the trade paperbacks that are floppier! I just…. can’t! I never used to listen to audiobooks either, but then I had a kid. Now I’m always busy doing things, and rarely just get to sit and fully focus on a book. So nearly all of my reading these days is through my ears while my hands are busy cleaning up or doing laundry! It makes chores bearable and means I can still read when I have no time to sit and do it!
Spine breaking is one I am with you on. Could go either way with chick-lit. Great list!
I just find it upsetting, no idea why! I’m realizing perhaps I should have expanded a little bit – I’m not saying books that are classified as chick lit shouldn’t exist, just that I prefer books to be categorized by actual genres like romance or contemporary fiction etc. rather than chick lit which seems to me to be a patronising and sexist term for books that just happen to be written by and/or for women. Could just be my own take on it, it’s just how it feels to me and it bugs me!
I had such a hard time that I gone rogue!
My TTTT: https://laurieisreading.com/2025/04/15/top-ten-tuesday-books-on-my-tbr-i-avoid-reading-and-why/
Haha! Yeah, I was tempted… but couldn’t think of anything else to write this week! I like your topic – maybe next time I get stumped I’ll borrow it!
I am trying to train myself out of the habit of calling contemporary romance ‘chick lit’, it’s one of my preferred genres but even I think the name is denigrating and patronising. I’m not always successful but I’m getting there
(unless of course we start calling men’s adventure books ‘dick lit’ haha
I agree. It just has this vibe of bubblegum and pink and fluff. Nothing wrong with any of those things, but they’re never taken seriously. It just bugs me. Oh, I love that! I’ll definitely start calling those huge fantasy novels that all seem to have similar covers dick lit from now on! Ha! Thanks for the giggle!
I used to be ok with the term chick lit, but as I’ve gotten older, I find it rather insulting. I feel the same about the term women’s fiction, though that feels slightly better.
Pam @ Read! Bake! Create!
https://readbakecreate.com/books-that-dont-deserve-the-hype-my-unpopular-opinon/
I am just sick of women’s anything being in a separate category. It’s all just books. They’re literature or romance or whatever, but they don’t need a special belittling genre because they’re written by and/or for women. This sort of thinking is why less than 5% of art in museums is by women. It’s time for this to change. Yes, I’m on my soap box, it drives me nuts!
I don’t think chick lit should be a genre either.
I just don’t like how the term is generally perceived as being less than “serious” genres like literary fiction. They’re just books. That happen to be written with a more female audience, but just books all the same!
Why are we still discussing if audiobooks count as reading in 2025? Also, I do think of chick lit as a genre. Happy reading! My TTT https://readwithstefani.com/my-unpopular-bookish-opinions/
I have no idea. I hope maybe not many people are? It’s just one of my few strong opinions that has been disagreed with! It absolutely is a genre, and a good one, I just dislike the name as I feel like it leads to them being taken less seriously than similar books written by or for men. I think they’re just literature, possibly romance. I don’t think they need that tag! Happy reading to you as well!
A great list. I had to tweak mine a bit as I didn’t think that I could come up with more than a couple!
Have a great week!
Emily @ Budget Tales Book Blog
My post:
https://budgettalesblog.wordpress.com/2025/04/15/top-ten-tuesday-my-unpopular-bookish-opinions/
I had so much trouble, which is why I included things that I don’t know if are really that unpopular anymore! Lol!
I’m with you about audiobooks being audiobooks!
I don’t really pay attention to what people do to books now that I am not a librarian anymore. When I was I had a lot of opinions about book care. Dogearing pages was a big no-no. Use post it note, y’all.
Yeah, I can see that! I always try to be more careful with books that aren’t mine (including library books) because I’ve been entrusted with them and I know how disappointed I am when I lend out a book and it comes back dogeared or creased or stained or torn. It’s heartbreaking! I’ll use anything as a bookmark – receipts and tags from clothes are big ones!