TOP TEN TUESDAY | UNPOPULAR BOOKISH OPINIONS

I’m not sure if I have very many unpopular bookish opinions. I feel like I mostly agree with the majority. But maybe I just think that because I feel this way. So let me state my opinions on some divisive discussions in the book realm and you tell me. Are they unpopular?

Books vs Ebooks

I will read either. But I like owning books, particularly if they are books I love, even more if they are beautiful editions.

Cover Judgment

I definitely judge books at least partly by their covers. There have been books I wasn’t that sure I wanted to read, but that I was swayed to pick up because of the cover. There have been others that I haven’t wanted to own because I didn’t like the covers, and I’ve either skipped them, borrowed them or waited for a new edition of them.

Hardcover vs Paperback

I love nice hardcover editions of books, but if they are anything more than about 300 pages, no way I’m reading them in that format. My wrists are not strong enough. I love floppy paperbacks (never mass market), particularly those with the soft, buttery covers.

Series vs Standalone

I have a couple of series I’ll read – M.C. Beaton’s Agatha Raisin series being the main one – but generally I have a hard enough time committing to a standalone that’s a decent length these days. I can’t be doing with series, particularly ones that aren’t even fully released yet.

I Disliked Shatter Me

Not only that, but I thought it was poorly written and edited. I know it gets mad love. And it’s been a few years since I read it, so I can’t speak to specifics. But I didn’t buy the storyline, I didn’t enjoy the main character, all the crossed out passages were infuriating and didn’t add anything to the story, and I didn’t care what happened to any of the characters by the end of the book. I don’t get why it’s such a big deal, and I cringe every time someone gets all effusive about it. Sorry, I know a lot of you are YA readers, so it stands to reason a good chunk of you are fans. More power to you! It just really wasn’t my jam.

I didn’t love The Raven Boys, The Maze Runner or Siege and Storm either. I didn’t continue with any of those series and don’t plan to.

I HATE Love Triangles

I hate them even more if one or more of the characters are in another relationship. If you’re with someone else, I don’t care what your excuses are, it’s not okay to hook up with or pursue someone else. End of. Get your shit sorted out, have the difficult conversation, then get on with your life. (Anna and the French Kiss didn’t work for me because of this element. I just couldn’t root for the characters you’re supposed to ship.)

I Am Deeply Offended by Fifty Shades of Grey

No, not because of the sex. Totally fine with that. My issue is that it does not give an accurate depiction of a BDSM relationship, and I think that it not only creates dangerous perceptions, but is incredibly disturbing in its gender dynamics. To add insult to injury, it’s probably the worst piece of writing I’ve ever tried to read. There are so many absolutely brilliant erotic books out there (check out anything published by Cleis Press) that are steamy, exciting and have depictions of consensual and respectful BDSM relationships and hook-ups. I don’t understand why this crap is what broke the mainstream, and why everyone thinks it’s worth finishing, let alone continuing the series. I’m still very upset about this.

I’ve Only Finished One John Green Book Other Than TFIOS

I tried to read others. I really did. The only one I made it through was Paper Towns and I didn’t really like it. I tried to read Looking for Alaska numerous times, and An Abundance of Katherines, but I couldn’t get into either one. I finally realized that maybe, for me anyway, The Fault In Our Stars was the one piece of work by him that hits home for me, so while I can say that’s one of my favourite books, I can’t say he’s a favourite author. I still plan to try Turtles All the Way Down, though, so hopefully I’ll find at least one more of his books to love!

I’m Not Much for SciFi

I want to be. There are all these series that everyone talks about – even people who mostly read the same literary fiction books I read – but something about the world building and learning an entire new culture and history is just too damn much to ask from me. This might be partly because I’m a parent now and have less energy, but honestly I’ve always found it to be a difficult genre. I used to sometimes read SciFi or fantasy and always was glad I did when I was done, but it’s been so long now that I can’t really see myself getting back into this genre anytime soon.

I Can’t Stick to a TBR

I have the best intentions in the world when I make them. I pick books I’m super excited to read. But sometimes even just the act of putting them on a TBR diminishes my desire to read them. I have no explanation for this. Something to do with want vs. have to. But I cannot stick to a TBR to save my life.

I’m Not That Into Classics

I know they’re important, I know they’re classics for a reason, I want to have read them so I get the references to plot points and characters. But when it comes to actually doing the reading, I just don’t want to. Which is a bit strange considering that when I’ve actually gotten into reading them, I’ve generally enjoyed them. I read most of the Brontë sisters’ books and all of Jane Austen over one summer in high school, then went on to read Little Women and half of Bleak House , and I enjoyed all of them. But for some reason I haven’t made it through more than a few pages of a classic novel in years.

So that’s it for my possibly unpopular bookish opinions. You let me know – are these actually Joe Average opinions? Or are some of these going to get me some judgement? Do you agree or disagree with any of them? Why? Share in the comments!

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.