by Sharlene

This Will Make Me NOT Want To Read A Book

toptentues

Top Ten Things That Will Make Me Instantly NOT Want To Read A Book

  • “The next Gone Girl” or wait, something worse would be a book described as “the next Fifty Shades“
  • Gendered book covers (especially see the two different covers of the same Alice Munro book above). I mean, I would still read the book, but ugh I do not need the “feminine” covers
  • Stereotyped POCs – like the nerdy Asian, the blonde cheerleader, the rat villain (see Margaret Atwood’s Angel Catbird series – actually wait, don’t go see that series, it’s just bad, take my word for it)
  • Written by James Patterson
  • Too experimental (eg Jesse Ball’s Silence Once Begun)

  • Covers that are too “Oriental”. I do kind of like chinoiserie but when books that are written by or about Asians/Asia are given the ‘Oriental’ treatment, it really puts me off. This also includes the use of fans on covers, dragons, and cheongsams (see above)

Instead, please see some simple yet effective covers done by East Asians themselves. 

Also here is a fascinating collage  of covers of books that feature South Asian or African settings)

 

What turns you off books?

8 Comments

  1. I don’t like photos on book covers! I thought maybe it’s because it feels too permanent and it takes away from the reader imagining… but I guess illustrations could do that, too. There’s just something wrong with photos on books, unless it is a memoir – like a photo of someone or something during the time period of the story.

    I never thought of the gendered book covers, but I totally agree!

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    1. That’s interesting! I’ve not thought specifically about photos on covers. Do you mean photos of people in particular??

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  2. Thanks for the link to the collages. Fascinating stuff.

    Great list. I am trying to think what’s on mine. Nothing immediately comes to mind, though I know I will ignore specific books based on what’s in the blurb/on the cover.

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