It's my mailbox's fault this time
Day 07 - Least favorite plot device employed by way too many books you actually enjoyed otherwise
I actually have a few answers for this. :) One thing I hate is when a protagonist has to choose between two love interests, and it's so freaking obvious which one he/she is going to choose. Usually it's because one rival is the Best Person Ever and the other rival is Evil Incarnate (and kicks puppies!). I like books where the main character actually has a legitimate choice about his/her romantic partner, instead of just having one rival be the bad guy. Meg Cabot's Queen of Babble Gets Hitched used this trope, and it really frustrated me -- I knew within the first 10 pages which guy the heroine was going to choose, and the other guy turned out to be a sleazebag (which, incidentally, required some pretty blatant pulling of rabbits out of hats).
Another device that annoys me is when a seemingly ordinary character finds himself in a dangerous situation, and he suddenly realizes that he has exactly the skills required to get him out of that situation. "I've been feeling a bit strange lately, but I don't know what's going on...oh no, a piano is about to fall on my head!...oh wait, that strange feeling was my latent magical powers dying to get out...now I can simply bespell the piano to turn it into harmless soap bubbles!" Etc. I can't think of a particular example of this right now, but it's all over the sci fi and fantasy genres. Come to think of it, I believe this was one of my quibbles with Tamora Pierce's Song of the Lioness series, which I quite enjoyed overall.
My all-time biggest pet peeve in the literary world, though, is when you read an entire book, get to the very end of it, and realize that it was all a dream. Or that everyone was actually dead the whole time, or whatever. It's a cheap gimmick, and I HATE it because it negates everything the characters said, did, and experienced during the book. If they triumphed over obstacles, it doesn't matter because none of it really happened! Likewise, if they suffered horribly or did terrible things, their actions magically have no consequences! Plus, when an author pulls out the "it was all a dream" card, it's just cheating. I do have an example in mind for this, but I'm going to discuss it later in the meme for the "OMG/WTF ending" day.
The 30-day Book Meme
Day 01 - A book series you wish had gone on longer OR a book series you wish would just freaking end already (or both!)
Day 02 - A book or series you wish more people were reading and talking about
Day 03 - The best book you've read in the last 12 months:
Day 04 - Your favorite book or series ever
Day 05 - A book or series you hate
Day 06 - Favorite book of your favorite series OR your favorite book of all time
Day 07 - Least favorite plot device employed by way too many books you actually enjoyed otherwise
Day 08 - A book everyone should read at least once
Day 09 - Best scene ever
Day 10 - A book you thought you wouldn’t like but ended up loving
Day 11 - A book that disappointed you
Day 12 - A book or series of books you’ve read more than five times
Day 13 - Favorite childhood book OR current favorite YA book (or both!)
Day 14 - Favorite character in a book (of any sex or gender)
Day 15 - Your "comfort" book
Day 16 - Favorite poem or collection of poetry
Day 17 - Favorite story or collection of stories (short stories, novellas, novelettes, etc.)
Day 18 - Favorite beginning scene in a book
Day 19 - Favorite book cover (bonus points for posting an image!)
Day 20 - Favorite kiss
Day 21 - Favorite romantic/sexual relationship (including asexual romantic relationships)
Day 22 - Favorite non-sexual relationship (including asexual romantic relationships)
Day 23 - Most annoying character ever
Day 24 - Best quote from a novel
Day 25 - Any five books from your "to be read" stack
Day 26 - OMG WTF? OR most irritating/awful/annoying book ending
Day 27 - If a book contains ______, you will always read it (and a book or books that contain it)!
Day 28 - First favorite book or series obsession
Day 29 - Saddest character death OR best/most satisfying character death (or both!)
Day 30 - What book are you reading right now?
~~~~~
Meanwhile, more books came in the mail today!
Julia Stuart, The Tower, the Zoo, and the Tortoise: I won this from the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program. One of the laudatory quotes compared it to The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, which interested me enough to request it. It looks whimsical and fun!
Juliet Marillier, Wolfskin: Because I am now a Juliet Marillier fangirl and must buy all her books. Plus, it's a standalone fantasy novel, which is cause for celebration in and of itself.
Caren Lissner, Carrie Pilby: I read an excerpt of this online, and it was surprisingly funny. Naturally I have to read the entire novel now!
Dashiell Hammett, The Thin Man: After reading this for the 1930s challenge, I knew I would have to own it at some point.
Nora Roberts, Savor the Moment: I am still committed to finishing the Bride Quartet, if only so that I can read Parker's book! I don't really care about Laurel's story, but it is the means to an end. :)
I actually have a few answers for this. :) One thing I hate is when a protagonist has to choose between two love interests, and it's so freaking obvious which one he/she is going to choose. Usually it's because one rival is the Best Person Ever and the other rival is Evil Incarnate (and kicks puppies!). I like books where the main character actually has a legitimate choice about his/her romantic partner, instead of just having one rival be the bad guy. Meg Cabot's Queen of Babble Gets Hitched used this trope, and it really frustrated me -- I knew within the first 10 pages which guy the heroine was going to choose, and the other guy turned out to be a sleazebag (which, incidentally, required some pretty blatant pulling of rabbits out of hats).
Another device that annoys me is when a seemingly ordinary character finds himself in a dangerous situation, and he suddenly realizes that he has exactly the skills required to get him out of that situation. "I've been feeling a bit strange lately, but I don't know what's going on...oh no, a piano is about to fall on my head!...oh wait, that strange feeling was my latent magical powers dying to get out...now I can simply bespell the piano to turn it into harmless soap bubbles!" Etc. I can't think of a particular example of this right now, but it's all over the sci fi and fantasy genres. Come to think of it, I believe this was one of my quibbles with Tamora Pierce's Song of the Lioness series, which I quite enjoyed overall.
My all-time biggest pet peeve in the literary world, though, is when you read an entire book, get to the very end of it, and realize that it was all a dream. Or that everyone was actually dead the whole time, or whatever. It's a cheap gimmick, and I HATE it because it negates everything the characters said, did, and experienced during the book. If they triumphed over obstacles, it doesn't matter because none of it really happened! Likewise, if they suffered horribly or did terrible things, their actions magically have no consequences! Plus, when an author pulls out the "it was all a dream" card, it's just cheating. I do have an example in mind for this, but I'm going to discuss it later in the meme for the "OMG/WTF ending" day.
The 30-day Book Meme
Day 01 - A book series you wish had gone on longer OR a book series you wish would just freaking end already (or both!)
Day 02 - A book or series you wish more people were reading and talking about
Day 03 - The best book you've read in the last 12 months:
Day 04 - Your favorite book or series ever
Day 05 - A book or series you hate
Day 06 - Favorite book of your favorite series OR your favorite book of all time
Day 07 - Least favorite plot device employed by way too many books you actually enjoyed otherwise
Day 08 - A book everyone should read at least once
Day 09 - Best scene ever
Day 10 - A book you thought you wouldn’t like but ended up loving
Day 11 - A book that disappointed you
Day 12 - A book or series of books you’ve read more than five times
Day 13 - Favorite childhood book OR current favorite YA book (or both!)
Day 14 - Favorite character in a book (of any sex or gender)
Day 15 - Your "comfort" book
Day 16 - Favorite poem or collection of poetry
Day 17 - Favorite story or collection of stories (short stories, novellas, novelettes, etc.)
Day 18 - Favorite beginning scene in a book
Day 19 - Favorite book cover (bonus points for posting an image!)
Day 20 - Favorite kiss
Day 21 - Favorite romantic/sexual relationship (including asexual romantic relationships)
Day 22 - Favorite non-sexual relationship (including asexual romantic relationships)
Day 23 - Most annoying character ever
Day 24 - Best quote from a novel
Day 25 - Any five books from your "to be read" stack
Day 26 - OMG WTF? OR most irritating/awful/annoying book ending
Day 27 - If a book contains ______, you will always read it (and a book or books that contain it)!
Day 28 - First favorite book or series obsession
Day 29 - Saddest character death OR best/most satisfying character death (or both!)
Day 30 - What book are you reading right now?
~~~~~
Meanwhile, more books came in the mail today!
Julia Stuart, The Tower, the Zoo, and the Tortoise: I won this from the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program. One of the laudatory quotes compared it to The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, which interested me enough to request it. It looks whimsical and fun!
Juliet Marillier, Wolfskin: Because I am now a Juliet Marillier fangirl and must buy all her books. Plus, it's a standalone fantasy novel, which is cause for celebration in and of itself.
Caren Lissner, Carrie Pilby: I read an excerpt of this online, and it was surprisingly funny. Naturally I have to read the entire novel now!
Dashiell Hammett, The Thin Man: After reading this for the 1930s challenge, I knew I would have to own it at some point.
Nora Roberts, Savor the Moment: I am still committed to finishing the Bride Quartet, if only so that I can read Parker's book! I don't really care about Laurel's story, but it is the means to an end. :)