Top Ten Bookish Pet Peeves
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by
I know we’ve all got them… those silly things that drive you crazy about books/bookish things. I’m focusing more on physical books and stores and not so much content/story (that’s a whole different can of worms!) Also, I am aware that authors have very little or nothing to do with book covers/book format so this is nothing against them or the content of their books!
1. When they change the covers of books part way through the series: I don’t think I’m alone when I say I want my books in a seres to match! I LOVE my Demon’s Lexicon series by Sarah Rees Brennan but it kills me that I’d have to buy the paperback of book one if I want it to match the rest! This brings me to my next pet peeve…
2. Series that start out as paperback but then change to hardcover: I REALLY want my whole series to be the same! I’m looking at you The Immortals series.
3. Movie covers on books: This seems simple to me…. the movie cover goes on the movie. Don’t put it on my book! As you may imagine from the above rants… this is especially annoying in a series!
4. Stickers on the cover: Those “easy to remove” and “leave no residue” stickers are lies. Lies, lies, lies!
5.Bookstores that organize their books using some mystery system: If I have to look in ten places for one book I’m gonna give up and go somewhere else. This may be the librarian in me.
6. YA books in the children’s section or mixed in with intermediate books: Dear store, I know you have limited space, however, there is no way my teenage students are going to the children’s section to look for books. Please move them. Sincerely, Me.
7. Reprints of books with title changes: Again, this may be the librarian in me but it is incredibly difficult to keep up with title changes. Students don’t know it’s a new title or they get confused and all excited because they think there’s a new book. It’s like “Who’s on First” every time I try to explain it!
8. Covers that make the characters look younger than they are: The original cover for Merchant of Death, the first book in the Pendragon series, was like this. The kid is supposed to be this popular 14 year old basketball star and he looks about ten! Totally turned my students off! Thank goodness for the new covers!
9. Oddly shaped books: This sometimes bothers me and sometimes I like it. For example, I LOVE The Lover’s Dictionary. It fits so nicely in my hand 🙂 I think it’s the really narrow and really wide books that annoy me.
10. Book jackets that have questionable textures: The first time I picked up Fallen by Lauren Kate I thought the cover felt so cool! It was actually one of the things that drew me to buy the book. About a chapter in I had to take the book jacket off! I couldn’t stand it!!!!!
So, there you have it. My top ten superficial things that annoy me about books/bookstores. There were just too many to include content related pet peeves (i.e. CRAZY spellings of names!) Apparently I just get annoyed easily 😉
Audrey (holes In My brain)
Oh, these things annoy me too! I especially don’t like #1 and 2, sooo true. love the list 🙂
Alex (A Girl, Books, OtherThings)
I love all your pet peeves, wholly identify with them.
I particularly hate the cover changes. Like with the Princess Diaries series? I have like three or four different types of covers (including some in Spanish, lol), and it’s kind of annoying.
Also hate the paperback-hardback thing *nods nods* I like a series to look good together
Two Readers Reviews
I think stickers are on everyone’s lists! 🙂 They are my number 1 bookish pet peeve too!
Savannah
I have to admit the sticker get me too! Ugh, just don’t put them on. It ruins my book! Also the chaning of covers. I like it better if the cover are similar through the series, it looks better!
Erin
I never thought about it before, but some of these things really annoy me, too! Especially numbers 3 and 4! Great list. I’ll think of you every time I see these things happening from now on. =)
Erin @ Quitting My Day Job
Christina / Book Addict
I love that you mentioned jacket flaps and texture. I completely forgot about that, but it definitely annoys me. I agree with you regarding number 5 and 3. SO annoying! Great list!
Sara
The immortals is nothing. It’s the morganville vampire series that sucks. It goes from those little bitty paperbacks to hardcovers. They look stupid together on the shelf.
Jacinda (The Reading Housewives)
We have some of the sames things on our lists! 🙂 I hate some systems in bookstores, I almost added that to my list. I thought that maybe I personally just didn’t understand it, lol.
Shanyn
Sometimes I like oddly shaped books and sometimes I don’t, just like you 🙂 I do love the smaller ones, like Jenn Echols. Or the Simon Pulse Romantic Comedies. Make them perfect for a bag on the go!
Annette
Yep. You definitely sound like a librarian, and I agree with everything you said. I remember seeing a new middle school book with a 3D cover that was really bumpy. Instead of thinking how cool that was, my first thought was “now, how’s that going to fit on the SHELF!!!” Can’t help it….
Cayla Kluver
Hahaha, I am SO with you on ALL of these! This list is perfect. Kind of related/kind of not related pet peeve: CD racks are NEVER organized well. Every store has a different system for organizing them, and then no one keeps to their individual system. I literally started growling in Target the other day because of their “organization”. (I sound majorly OCD lol but it drives me INSANE!!!!)
TwilightsDance
Good Ones!
Yara @ Once Upon a Twilight!
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JL
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JL
Great post! I totally agree with #2 and #3. And the random bookstore shelving is annoying also. I’m with you, if it’s too hard to find a book, I’ll not buy or go elsewhere.
JL
An Avid Reader’s Musings
Lindsi
Putting stickers on books should be illegal.
Ughh, I can’t stand when a series starts out in paperback and then switches to hardcover. Like you, I want the series to look the same! I think it’s my OCD.
My name is Patricia
Great picks! I totally agree with most of these!! I hate it too when the covers change part way into a series and even more so when they change to hardback or paperback. I’m like you – I like all my covers and format to match. They look nicer that way on the shelves. I don’t mind the covers that are for the movies – I just usually buy both (weird I know but I can’t help it…. i.e. I have both the original covers and the movie covers of the Twilight series and the new movie, Water for Elephants).
<3 Happy Reading
Patricia @ Patricia’s Particularity