Happy Tuesday! Today’s TTT topic, Unpopular Opinions, is very interesting. I’m not sure if my opinions are unpopular or not, but they are mine. Some are widely held; some are a bit controversial. Reading should be all about the reader — her moods, her interests, her goals — no one else, so I say read how and what you want!
Have any hard and fast rules you follow — or rebel against? Please share!
For more bloggers’ opinions, check out That Artsy Reader Girl.
My Random Bookish Opinions
It’s okay to DNF (did not finish) a book. This rule has evolved in my life. I used to finish Every. Single. Book. Now, not so much. It’s probably my advanced age and the short time left to read the gazillion books on my shelves. Here’s a handy guideline on giving a book its due chance. Take the number 100 and subtract your age. That’s the number of pages you have to read before throwing in the reading towel. Example: if you are 25, read 75 pages. If you are 50, give the book 50 pages to make an impression. The idea here is the older you are, the less time you have 😉 , so the less time you need to give a book its chance to grab you.
It’s okay to skip to the ending to find out what happens. This opinion is very controversial with my book club. They are pretty horrified when I do this. No one wants to spoil an ending! I don’t care. I have to know, and if that’s what I want to do, then so be it. This generally works out okay for me. I find out I am on the right track and can go back to enjoying the book. A few times I wished I didn’t do it, but that’s rare. I recently spoiled the ending of The Nature of Fragile Things by Susan Meissner. I kind of wish I hadn’t.
It’s okay to read an ebook. Another controversial subject with my book club. We have staunch physical book fans. Something about the feel of a book in the hand, the smell of it, seeing the cover, etc., etc. Whatever. I like to read at night and don’t want to fool with a cumbersome book light that never seems to put out enough light.
I prefer my Kindle over the Kindle app on my iPad. Killing two birds is the argument that I get when people say they read on their iPad. I find a Kindle to be a better fit for me. It certainly is lighter weight. There are exceptions. I recently had an issue with the send to Kindle function. Ugg! I will be reading The Other Sister by Jessica R. Patch on my iPad. It looks too good to dig in my heels here.
Listening to an audiobook counts as reading. I know that technically the brain responds differently to an audiobook than actual reading. But who cares. I read A LOT! My brain can cope with the occasional audiobook. My husband and I frequently listen to audiobooks on long car rides. It’s a great way to pass the boring miles and to engage in bookish conversation. The last book we listened to was Spy Coast by Tess Gerritsen. It was an intriguing mystery with a bit of humor mixed in.
I don’t like weird names for characters (does not include fantasy, they are all weird). They take me out of the story when I have to try to decide on the pronunciation or the gender of the character. I also don’t like last names as first names and multiple characters with similar names (Marley, Marlene, Margo). Yeah, I’m picky, but I am not alone in this opinion. My book club does back me up on this one. I loved, loved, loved the Indigo Heiress by Laura Frantz, but secondary character Loveday drove me crazy (sorry Laura). I was convinced the name must have a peculiar pronunciation. It didn’t.
I don’t read books with adult/mature language or situations. These are the books, with a few exceptions, I will not finish. In my reviews I do point this out, so if you share my opinion you can be aware.
I don’t like book reviews that are inaccurate, false, or have an agenda. I don’t read a lot of reviews on Goodreads or Amazon, but sometimes with an author I am unfamiliar with I do. I read mostly the 2-4 star reviews. But occasionally I’ll check out those 1-stars. People, just stop! It is not the author’s fault if your cousin’s neighbors’ butcher said he hated the book and you failed to read it, but had to chime in on the discussion anyway. It is not the author’s fault that Amazon delivered your book damaged. And it is certainly not the author’s fault if you didn’t do your research before you purchased the book. Look at the publisher before buying a book if you find Christian fiction offensive. Generally CF has a Christian worldview — that’s the point!
Not having enough time to read is no excuse. Everyone has the same 24 hours in a day. And though I know seasons of life have different demands (I didn’t read as much when I had 3 kids 3 years old and under), but don’t tell me you don’t have enough time to read when you clearly do. Put down the phone, turn off the TV and read a little! This is especially important if you do have young children. Let them see you reading and read with/to them.
If you don’t like to read, join a book club. That sounds kind of odd, doesn’t it. But I have had friends that say they just don’t like to read, but joined my group anyway. They found friendship and support, and along the way a few books they enjoyed. Book clubs are generally welcoming and fun, at least mine are. 🙂 And we talk more about real life stuff than the book. Here’s what my book clubs are reading — Cold Dead Night by Lisa Phillips and The Grand Design by Joy Callaway.
Books mentioned in this post —
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