What makes me want to throw a book across the room?
- Mysteries that introduce the culprit in the last chapter
- Any book that seems to end in the middle of a story, like the author just got tired of writing
- Books that are not clearly identified as being part of a series that stop in the middle of the story and then tell you the next installment will be out in about a year
- Any book in a series where a beloved character is killed off for a cheap theatrical moment
Have you ever stuck with a book until the end and then thrown it across the room in frustration (or at least wanted to)?
7 comments:
What makes me throw a book—and yes, I've actually tossed one or two—is an ending that cheats. Such as the "it was all a dream" or somehow not real scenario. Or if I find out at the end that one of the POV characters had important information that he/she didn't reveal. And stories that leave you completely hanging are the biggest cheat of all.
My disappointments have come in two forms:
1. The murderer isn't introduced until the protagonist actually catches him/her. I feel incomplete somehow.
2. The clues lead me toward a very disagreeable secondary character, then the author reveals the murderer is a mild, kindly tertiary character. So not fair!
I've never thrown a book, but have been mightily frustrated by some. I've put books down when the writing was really "bad." I've also quit reading when there were so many characters I just became totally lost and tired of flipping back through the book trying to find a character to figure out who he is and how he fits into the story.
My pet peeve is books that are not clearly marked as being part of a series. I get to the end and find out it is not the end - and the next installment is not yet available.
Books that are not clearly marked as part of a series when you get home and realize you just purchased #4 instead of #1!
My husband read Skipp & Spector's book "The Bridge", and at the end everybody - the entire world - dies. He did throw it! He was so mad he read the whole thing, got invested in the characters, and then the whole world blew up anyway. He absolutely hated that book...
L. Diane Wolfe
www.circleoffriendsbooks.blogspot.com
www.spunkonastick.net
www.thecircleoffriends.net
I hate books that have a big build up toward a big ending, and then end with a whimper.
That happens to half of the books I purchased. I learned my lesson to check out the book report or review about it before I buy it.
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