To wish Kate Atkinson would stop writing "S/he puzzled"

[JesusInTheCabbageVan]

On the off-chance that she's on here.

I love KA, have enjoyed every single book of hers I've read, but THIS is cropping up increasingly frequently and it's driving me mad. Yes, it's technically a verb, but people DON'T 'puzzle' in real life. It breaks the spell, and makes me think of muzzles/nuzzling. In Transcription, which I'm reading atm, someone has a 'puzzle' every few pages and it annoys me so much I can't concentrate on the next bit.

To make matters worse, people are puzzling over things they wouldn't HAVE to puzzle over if they actually paid attention and applied a tiny bit of common sense. Example:

"Whenever I hear that song, "I know where I'm going" I always think, "Do I?" said Daisy.
"Do you what?" puzzled Juliet.

Disclaimer: lighthearted, obviously. But stop it anyway Kate.

There's something more annoying than that in Transcription but I won't say more than that if you are still reading it.

Uh oh. I'm maybe about halfway through... Haven't found out what the Horrible Traumatic Event was yet, but I think I'm getting close.

Even re-reading my OP is annoying me

I see I have two YABU votes. Clearly Kate is on here. And her mum.

Ugh, not the same author but 'lip biting' and 'chagrin' are criminally overused too.

While we’re on Kate Atkinson, I’ve read the first Jackson Brodie, is it worth reading any of the others?

Don’t listen to the fucking audiobook to “started early took my dog”. Took me until the tenth pronunciation of “nee-am-huh” before I realised the narrator was trying to read “Niamh”

Yes, the Jackson Brodie books are good. Also Life after Life and God in Ruins, to be read in that order. Transcription was good too apart from the really annoying thing.

I do love Kate Atkinson, I've read Transcription but I can't think what the Really Annoying Thing was.

@wheresmyliveship that would absolutely have killed it for me, just reading that made me enraged.

I don’t find her annoying at all and I loved the Jackson Brodie books.
I am not her or her mum
I am often puzzled by many things. If someone were writing about me I guess they would write “she puzzled” How is that annoying

Snork, oh yes, and "Bit her lip till it bled." Only women who seem to do this - shorthand for "She's emotional, but also tougher than your average woman who would probably just have a good cry."

Didius I think they're all pretty much similar - enjoyable page turners. Not much puzzling iirc.

Nee-am-uh, oh dear Was it KA reading it? Will have to add that to her list of war crimes.

Are you JK Rowling op!?

Don’t listen to the fucking audiobook to “started early took my dog”. Took me until the tenth pronunciation of “nee-am-huh” before I realised the narrator was trying to read “Niamh”

Why in the name of Jebus didn't they correct them? Oh wait, none of the production team knew how to pronounce it either, did they?

I love KA so I'm willing to forgive her a bit of creative dialogue tagging. I've read Transcription but I didn't even notice this.

around

TheThing NOW you will though.

and old men always have rheumy eyes in some books.

Old men and old dogs. Rarely if ever old women or old cats (she puzzled).

Not from the same author but I’m listening to an audio book at the minute and everything has a gaping maw instead of a mouth or opening. Caves have gaping maws, the dog has a gaping maw, the hole in the side of a ship is a gaping maw, Basically anything with a hole in it has a gaping bloody maw.... is it not a publishers job to point these things out to their writers??... “ Sorry you can’t use that phrase again it’s going to boil the piss of your readership that you’ve used it for the eleventy billion time....”

I do love Kate Atkinson, I've read Transcription but I can't think what the Really Annoying Thing was.
OK POSSIBLE SPOILER*.

I thought the end was randomly tacked on. Admittedly, I read it quickly as it was on the shelf in a borrowed holiday apartment, but there didn't seem to be any indication during the book of the final reveal.

A God in Ruins also had a surprise ending that upset me but it worked.

What I want to know is why everyone pads everywhere in books?

Mispronunciations in audiobooks really irritate me. I actually heard ‘she had her eyes tutt shite’ recently. Tutt shite ffs! I had to jump back to listen for a second time as I though I’d misheard.

Other books and authors are available!

Chagrin. All the chagrin. Everywhere. So many books.