I hate it when books do this

[petronella23]

• start by flinging you into the middle of a conversation or action scene where you don't know who anyone is

• keep swapping between past and present

What are your pet hates?

I read a lot of psychological thrillers. I think it's so lazy when there are occasion chapters by the 'psychopath' or killer/ stalker whatever so you read their thoughts but you don't know who they are

Then inevitably at the end the psychopath/killer/ stalker abducts the leading character and the last chapters are the psychopath/killer/ stalker explaining WHY they are doing what they're doing to the abductee but basically it's the writer trying to tie up all the lose ends in a lazy way. Then the abductee always escapes or gets rescued. I don't know why but it really bothers me!

When the character won't go to the police with something that should be reported and sorted. Instead the story goes down a ridiculous rabbit hole of twist and turns that didn't need to happen.

Women characters who fall for 'Meet me at midnight at this isolated spot and I'll explain everything. And don't tell anyone where you're going.'

Contrived reasons for not telling someone something.

Sarah: "I've got something really important to tell you!"
Jane: "Sorry, I'm just on the way to Sainsburys, tell me tomorrow"

Then Sarah is murdered.

Sudden use of a foreign language with no translation really annoys me.
We don't all know French, or necessarily recognise 'common' Latin legal terms, or whatever.

Oh blimey, call them all Thomas, get them talking some cod-Tudor dialect about complicated ins and outs of theology and court affairs and you have Wolf Hall. 😂

“Still Life” by any chance, which did away with quotation marks? In the final chapter, two of the main characters had very similar names - Evelyn and another “E” initial name and I kept getting confused, especially as I was reading drowsily in bed

When a final twist undermines everything that went before. Jodi Picoult books are often guilty of this.

Multiple characters who are each given a chapter. It upsets the continuity of the story for.me

@Jackthelast Your “ugly character” parody was brilliant! 😆😆

When a final twist undermines everything that went before. Jodi Picoult books are often guilty of this.

"I don't know how to resolve this situation I've spent the whole book setting up, so I'll just throw this in so I don't have to." Or total cop-out, if you like.

When a female character’s physical attributes are described at great length such as: Clara flung back her long, blonde curls which reached down past her shoulder blades and caught a glimpse of her pale green eyes in the mirror. Her full lips gave nothing away. She pulled on her size 8 jeans which stretched over her long, slender legs. Her blue sweater hung loose over her pert breasts.
Meanwhile in walks Dave. ‘Have you see my papers?’ He asked whilst running a hand through his blonde hair.
Then nothing else about how Dave looks as he is worth more than just physical attributes.

When a character tells another character somethng they already know, or should already know, as a means of informing the reader.

This made me laugh as I did start Harry Potter on book 3!

I was in school at the time and borrowed it from a friend (it was the only HP book she owned) and I was still on the school library wait list for 1 and 2 and desperate to join in since all my friends had read them all! We were so poor I only read books from the school library.

I got a job when I was 14 and I was able to buy 1,2 and 3 and from book 4 onwards I bought them on the day they were released!

Still have them all and love JK Rowling :)

I hate books that don't have a proper ending! I'd write my own book if I wanted to use my imagination or decide what I think happened.

I hate crime/detective novels where the lead detectives are always grizzled, chain smoking, drinking too much loners. Always got a troubled past, divorced or dead wife.
It's been done to death and its a bit boring now.

@MermaidMummy06

I know what you mean, about books on celebrities culture that's poorly written,

Following on from that theme,
I find it intellectual insulting when various books 📚 and products are endorsement by celebrities or other well known people,
As in my opinion if a book is good, what subject matter is about it will just sell by word of mouth,
No need for all celebrities bullshit stamp of approval,

Also when you have celebrities thinking cause they are famous for whatever it is, thinking they are somehow experts on another particular unrelated subject, matter,
Such as certain celebrities writing a book about being a first time parent themselves giving tips of pearls of wisdom,
As if there isn't enough books on this subject,
And also cause you are famous, for sometime,
It doesn't mean you are talented in unrelated other field subjects and the world wants to listen to your unique take stance, on everything verbally or and written in any way,
for e.g Maddonna Book on Sex and Gwynedd Paltrow springs to mind immature and other well known people,

Oops typo mistake, I ment to say just cause you are famous for something ect

My pet peeve is when only the working class character's speech is written in an accent. And worse, they write in an accent but don't state what the accent is supposed to be! Like all cleaners or shop workers drop their aitches or something.

I hate crime/detective novels where the lead detectives are always grizzled, chain smoking, drinking too much loners. Always got a troubled past, divorced or dead wife.
It's been done to death and its a bit boring now.

Totally agree.

😘 I read a lot of rubbish books 🤣

When I’m getting into the story and it feels like it’s about half way but then they suddenly rush the ending. So frustrating and I find so many books have this problem

Jacqueline Wilson makes me smile with her working class 10 year olds calling people 'horrid' and 'truly wicked'.

i know what you mean. It’s called ‘I’m Successful at one thing, therefore I know everything Syndrome.’

Padding out the whodunnit / what happened mystery with a ‘tender’ and ‘moving’ love match - look, I want to know whomurdered her (always a her), when and why and don’t give two stuffs about a couple of the characters’ new found love!!!

I'll second that
Drives me mad.