Things in literature they really annoy you?

[changing47]

For me, it’s when characters are referred to as the X girl or the Y boy by characters who are perfectly aware of their names.

Dumbledore in Harry Potter referring to the ‘Malloy boy’. He knows his name is Draco. Just say it. In Game of Thrones Lyanna is referred to as the Stark girl by people who know her name is Lyanna Stark. It drives me mad.

Do you have any contribution to make regarding literary annoyances?

Not really, I'm quite open minded. I do tend to prefer narrative arcs with inherent logic and reason, though.

Probably not the thread for you then.

Yesss! You admit it!!

This post genuinely made me lol - thanks OP!

Admit that a thread asking what annoys people in books isn’t for people who aren’t annoyed by things in books? What?

Whatever you’re drinking must be strong stuff. Enjoy it.

Admit that a thread asking what annoys people in books isn’t for people who aren’t annoyed by things in books? What?

Whatever you’re drinking must be strong stuff. Enjoy it.

Admit that a thread asking what annoys people in books isn’t for people who aren’t annoyed by things in books? What?

Whatever you’re drinking must be strong stuff. Enjoy it.

I really dislike phrase "she drained her coffee cup" for finishing a drink. It just reminds me of a stinky sewer and that awful gurgling noise.

Also people "padding" round the house.

Yes and everyone knows you shouldn’t drink the last half inch of tea or coffee.

I've always wondered why it never occurs to Jane that if he does that to one wife because, according to him, said wife is mad, he can do it to another one...

Indeed. I suspect Jane might have rapidly began to realise that his wife may not have been mad after all.

But then look at the second Mrs de Winter knowing her husband had murdered Rebecca and still defending him because Rebecca had a roving eye!

Eh? I've never heard of this.

No open-minded people wanted here

Georgia Tennant has re-narrated the first few really well.

Thank you!

Why would it predict "Malloy" which isn't even a word?

I do not know. You will have to ask the predictive text programmers 😂.

Maybe the dying, elderly Dumbledore was having a senior moment?

I forgot Pencil Sharpener Boy's name today until I saw it on the register. Lovely lad, I just have names slipping in and out of my mind of their own accord darting in and out of recall.

It used to be common to be known by surnames, particularly for boys in more accademic/ prestigious school. Society is less formal now, but also there was less variation of first names so surnames were more distinctive identifiers in a sea of heavily repeated names. Surnames are used extensively throughout the Harry Potter books. Partly boarding school culture, but also the culture of blood status and family reputation in the Wizarding World which drives the whole obsession of Voldemort and the Death Eaters. The Ministry isn't much better either.

The pencil sharper boy probably isn’t plotting your murder. You’d probably remember it if he was.

Personally, I don’t know, menopause is a bitch and I’d probably still forget

He was very happy to gratuitously use my sharp blade for a prolonged time and derived much pleasure from it 😂

I attempted to read a post apocalyptic 'book', I struggle to call it a book.

Anyway they drive from Paris to Brittany for dinner and drive back the same evening.

I couldn't get past that.

I don't think 'the Malfoy boy' is an example of a literary trope. A cultural trope, maybe.

This isn't a trope either, but my least-favourite tic in books is what I call 'poor little me' syndrome.

Sally looked at her tiny, charming cottage kitchen in the sleepy little village. There was nothing going on here, but that suited Sally: since her father had died her life had been made up of simple tasks in the run-down bookstore, where she inexplicably hid her razor-sharp talent for solving crimes, and her size-8 figure and elfin features meant no one took her seriously ...

Jane thought fondly about how glamorous her friend Deirdre was: even though Jane had the exact skills needed to become phenomenally successful and her income from the cupcake bakery was mysteriously untouched by the financial recession. No one was ever going to look at her, especially that tall, handsome stranger who had been so transfixed by her beauty he'd walked into the door ...

Like, fuck off. We know they're gorgeous and brilliant.

OK, it was in a Kindle Unlimited, but someone being ‘put through the ringer’ - when any competent editor should have changed it to ‘wringer’.

And many such irritants in what are probably self published novels.