11 Book Trends I Am Beyond Sick Of

Hey, everyone!




Today's post is something that's been nagging at me for a little while, especially when I try and find fresh or more unique reads. I keep slapping into plot lines that are being beat to death, so much so that I feel I've read every book I'm seeing. I don't know why they are so popular right now, but I am fed up with them! I'm sure y'all can relate, and feel free to share you trend peeves in the comments!


In no particular order:

11. "I'm such a man."

Or, the douche-y manwhore.

I'm beyond tired with the hero being a bit of an asshole who will stick it into anything that walks by him in a short skirt. Ew. What is it about these men that is attractive?

10. "It's not you, it's me."

Or, I won't have sex with you for some otherworldly reason, and I don't care what you have to say about it. 

I've had to stay away from a lot of YA paranormal for this very reason. Hero (because it's always the hero who's the paranormal, isn't it?) constantly claims to want Heroine, but won't "go all the way" with her due to some reason relating to his ethereal being. Not giving her a choice in the matter, of course. He will hold firm (haha...hold firm. Get it? I kill me!) in his choice until the end or nearly so in the series, when suddenly his issues are unwarranted. 

9. "Hey, I just met you, and this is crazy...."

Or, I am in love with you. Truly, madly, deeply. Who cares that I literally just laid my eyes upon you for the first time? We're meant to be, I just know it!

Insta-love: the ultimate form of lazy writing. Holy shit on a shit stick, this one gives me an eye twitch. Trying to pass it off as something to do with just being a paranormal being doesn't make it better, either! 

I don't believe in an insta-love romance. I just don't. You have no build up, no chemistry, no connection, nothing but stalker-like obsession, and you expect me to ship this?

8. "I'm really not that special. Seriously, guys, stoooooop."

Or, I'm so humble, I'm not humble.

This one is becoming frightfully common in the YA world, and it's another that just grates on me. We have this girl who either won't see how "special" she is, or keeps down playing it, to the extent that she counters every compliment or action with a dismissal. Perhaps I'm just prideful and good at what I do, but when someone gives me a compliment on my work, I accept it, especially when I know it's genuine. There is nothing wrong with being good at something and being proud of it. You don't need to be a boastful ass, but constantly putting yourself down and fishing for compliments that you can then deflect is just unattractive. And annoying.

7. "My issues have issues, and don't you forget it!"

Or, the person who will not shut up about how screwed up they are. No one else could ever have a problem as great as theirs. Ever. Don't you dare even suggestion such a thing.

This is usually the male love interest, but it can be the female protagonist on occasion. There is no one more messed up than them, and anyone else's problems are non-exsistant compared to theirs. This person lives to talk about just how fucked up they are. May or may not be accompanied by the standard "I'm not good for you" line.

6. "I'm fifty shades of fu- oh wait, wrong book."

Or, the billionaire Dominant.

Just because 50 Shades is absurdly successful doesn't mean you have to copy E. L. James. Please stop. 50 Shades was bad enough without adding to the melee. 

5. "What's a butt plug?"

Or, the completely naive virgin who let's her inner hussy out seconds after popping that cherry.

This is mainly a 50 Shades issue, but I've seen it popping up more and more lately, especially with Kindle books. The girl who is so pure and virginal she's never even gotten herself off is suddenly willing and capable of being a submissive in a BDSM relationship and deep throating a cock just days after having sex for the first time. Right. I can't brush past the tip of my tongue without gagging, and I know what a butt plug is. Give me a break, Ana. 

4. "I failed third grade English, but damn right I can write a book."

Or, you need to proofread!

I love self published and indie writers. I really, really do. They're often diamonds in the rough, with incredible ideas and an engrossing story. However...reread what you've written. I'm forgiving of typos and various other issues, but when you manage to miss the basics (your/you're, too/two/to, they're/there/their, ect) it irks me. Deeply, deeply irks me.

3. "My family is awful!!! No one understands me and I have so much responsibly."

Or, the parents who don't care or the child who cares for the adult.

From Bella to Katniss, this is the thing to have in a YA book as of late. Yes, shitty parents happen. However, I'd like to read about an involved family for once!

2. "You've crushed all my dreams."

Or, not matching up the pair who were perfect for each other in favor of other people I can't stand.

I can't be the only one who will be rooting so hard for a certain pairing, only to get my heart brutalized when the writer decides to match them off with other people. It's always someone who just doesn't do it for me with the other person, and annoys me almost as much as the next trend I'll talk about. 

I remember being around 9 years old or so and reading Little Women, and being furious when Teddy wound up with Amy instead of Jo. So furious I could barely finish the book. Just a few years ago it happened when I read the Hunger Games, and Katniss picked Peeta over Gale. I may or may not have tossed my book across the room after reading that.

1. "I love you...and them, too."

Or, that fucking love triangle.

Just. Stop. It. 

I feel worlds better for getting that off my chest, haha! What are some trends you're sick of reading about?

- The Bibliophile Babe 

My Top Five Biggest Book Peeves

Hey, everyone! Happy Hump Day!


Today's post, as you might've guessed by the title, is going to be my most grating book peeves. You know what I mean: you're reading along, happy as a pig in shit, and then you stumble across it. That horrid monstrosity that makes you grit your teeth, makes your hands tighten on your page, and gives you a brief fantasy of pitching the book against the wall. At least, I hope it's not just me who feels like that.....

                                                           

#5. Third Person Point of View

Admittedly, this is one of my lesser annoyances, and it doesn't stop me from reading a third person book if it's fast paced, well written, or deliciously smutty (preferably all three). The style just bothers me. I find it extremely difficult to connect with the characters, and it doesn't hold my attention as well as first person does. It's not as engaging, and as such it makes me infinitely more critical of every tiny little thing in the book.

#4. When The Next Book in The Series is a Different Hight

Good god, this one messes with my OCD on so many levels. I have floating shelves that cover three walls, and a jammed packed bookcase. I love seeing my books set up all lovely, and seeing series lined up together makes me moan like a wanton hussy... unless the damn things are a smidgen different in height. And I'm not talking a paperback vs a hardback! No, this is two paperbacks in the same series! Refer to the below photo, and if this doesn't make you twitch....I don't even know. 

Look at the Nocte trilogy books. They're amazing books with beautiful covers, and it's one of my all time favorite series, but I can barely stand to look at in on my favorites shelf. You can't un-see it!

#3. When your character starts out "fun" and "quirky", and a few books later is just downright annoying

This one always disappoints me, as I usually wind up really liking the series/character at first. The Charley Davison books by Darynda Jones immediately come to mind with this. Charley, the female protagonist, starts out as a bit spacey, but funny and insightful at the same time. I really enjoyed her character during the first four books, but as the series wore on I was getting fed up. The author laid it on too thick, and kept adding to an already existing trait that didn't need any adding. Does she really need to name every goddamn thing under the sun? If you've read the books, you know what I mean. If not, and you're a fan of light PNR (paranormal romance), I highly recommend the first four books. After that, proceed at your own risk.

#2. Suddenly introducing flipping POVs just for the hell of it

Grrr, this one! It was neck and neck with my number one peeve, but got nudged down. It was close, though! I can't stand it when you're reading a series that has been set in one person's point of view for a few books, and we get a well established rhythm going, and then in the next book we suddenly have  dual point of views for absolutely no reason at all. An excellent example would be Captivated By You by Sylvia Day, the fourth book in the Crossfire series. I love the books, but the that one bugged the crap out of me. I liked reading from Eva's POV solely, and as much as I love Gideon, I don't want to read his part. It takes away something from his character, in my opinion. The image I built up of him twisted a bit as I read him, and that frustrated me. 

I'm not against dual POV stories at all (like Colleen Hoover's and Tarryn Fisher's stunning love child Never Never), or suddenly flipping POVs in a series for a good reason (like in Karina Halle's final Experiment in Terror book, Dust to Dust), but when people start doing it willy-nilly it grates on me like nails on chalkboard.

And finally....drumroll please.....

#1. Love Triangles

Stop it, stop it, stop it!!! This one, without question, is my biggest and most intense peeve. Stop. It. It's especially popular in the YA genre, and I have no idea why. I just do not get it, especially when it's in a romance based book or series. You harp on and on about your undying love for the other person, now you're eye-fucking someone else and waffling back and forth between whom you should choose. Drives me insane.

This is one thing that will have me quitting the book and series if there is one, 99.99% of the time. I can think of two books where I persevered, and that's because they weren't really even love triangles! The first is Karen Marie Morning's Fever series, and it's a stretch to call it a love triangle. The second is Karina Halle's A-fucking-mazing The Artists Trilogy. I recently found out from the author that she never intended for people to get the love triangle vibe from the book, and I find that so interesting. The "other guy", if you will, is one of the most fascinating characters I've ever had the pleasure of reading, even though he's a very firm antihero. 

So there you have it! What are some of your biggest issues when reading? Have you ever pushed past one of them simply because the book was that good?

- The Bibliophile Babe