Last week, I listed some of the reasons I will add a book to my to-be-read mountain. Today, we're going to talk about the opposite. What makes me run away from a book and refuse to read it?

(Warning: I sound like a complete asshat in this post. I'm sorry! I swear I'm nice! Well, mostly nice.)

Let's get into it:

🙈  What Makes Me Avoid A Book?  ⛔

Amateurish Or Unfinished Projects

This is mostly a problem with self-published books. If you've been around this blog before, then you know I'm a pretentious snob. I used to work in publishing and have seen many books go from draft to finished product. If I read a book's sample pages on Amazon and am reminded of an editor's slush pile, I won't read it. I can tell if a book has been professionally edited.

Too Abstract, Experimental, Or Dense

I loved college and am thrilled I got the opportunity to go, but I'm also thrilled I never have to go back. I don't want to read super challenging books anymore. I don't want to spend a whole semester trying to sort out what an author is saying. I'm too tired for that!

Is This A Romance Or Not?

Sometimes I read the first paragraph of a synopsis and think, Yes! This book is for me. Then the rest of the synopsis is about the characters falling in love, and I feel my excitement dying. I'm not a huge fan of romance. I don't want to read a romance book with an interesting subplot. I want to read an interesting book with a romance subplot. There's a big difference!

It's Too Close To My Real Life

Some people want to see themselves in literature. I'm usually not one of those people! If a book sounds too similar to my real life, I'm temped to run in the opposite direction. If a book's synopsis mentions drug addiction or sexual assault, I'm out. I've seen enough of that nonsense to last me a lifetime. I want my books to be real, but not too real!

I'm Burnt Out On The Book's Genre

I live in an area of Colorado known as The Fox News Cinematic Universe. I mean . . . have you seen how Lauren Boebert behaves in public? Yikes. My parents and neighbors are her supporters. I want to understand the people around me, so I read approximately one zillion books about their beliefs, and then I got discouraged. It's hard to stay engaged and compassionate with people who passionately hate you. I read so many books about politics and sociology that I'm burnt out. I'm tempted to donate all my books and adopt the Darkling's attitude from that GIF ^^.

I'm An Insufferable Know-It-All

Everybody is an expert at something. It could be a job, a hobby, or even a health problem. Occasionally, I'll read the synopsis of a book and go, "Umm . . . I have a feeling the author doesn't understand what they're writing about."

The Author Is A Jerk On Social Media

Some readers are great at separating an author and their work. I'm not one of those readers. I love talking about books on the internet. If an author is a jerk to readers who criticize their work, I probably won't read their work. I don't want a random author and their angry fandom jumping into my DMs. No book is worth that stress. 

Too Much Dialect & No Audiobook

I'm a slow reader. Having to read dialect slows me down even more. If I'm slogging through a book, I'll probably feel stupid and quit. If a story has a ton of dialect, there better be an audiobook edition. I'm going to need it.

It's A Genre That's Not For Me

I read widely and am pretty good at knowing which genres I like. I usually want character-driven stories with strong settings and poetic writing. Some genres have other priorities. I know those books aren't for me.

Art, Music, Or Sports

Watching hockey is one of my favorite things. Reading hockey is boring. Some stuff just doesn't translate to fiction. I love looking at art and listening to music, but reading descriptions of those things does nothing for me. I usually avoid books that have a big focus on art, music, or sports.

What makes you avoid a book?