I’ve been reading so many books lately. Trying new authors has been stimulating and fun. Along with this I’ve become aware of some minor book pet peeves I have. Let’s dish…
Weird character names- women with boy’s names. This works if it’s a child character. If it’s a grown-ass woman, however, it is not believable. Trendy boy names for girls weren’t a thing until the last decade or two. Hayden, Buck, Billie, Austin, Ashton, Noah, Peyton and Stan were not common girl names in the last century. This means it’s unlikely we’re going to have a 35-40 year old woman who’s been married for ten years named Hayden. You’re going to lose me right off the bat.
Why does this bother me so much? I find it distracting. If I can’t believe the name of a character it’s hard for me to buy into anything else about this character. And frankly (pardon the pun), I find it hard to keep track of who’s who in some books and having female characters with male names only adds to my confusion.
On the other hand, there are classic female names that are derived from male names; Phillipa (Phil), Frances (Frankie), Samantha (Sam-my alter ego by the way), Georgina (Georgie) and I could go on. These are fine to me and work well as female characters who prefer to be called by the male versions of their names. That said, I don’t know a single Roberta who prefers to be called Bobbie. Oh, and I do LOVE the name Scout for a girl…so call me a hypocrite.
Generic Book Covers that don’t match the story inside-This is annoying because the book cover should be our first clue as to what the book is about or its genre. On that note, I don’t like people who are overly judgmental of book covers…haha.
Timelines that don’t add up-if you’re going to make us read a story that flashes back and forth from past to present, make sure your character is the right age, and the season and year is correct…argh.
Can I say here that the show This Is Us is an exceptional example of nailing the timelines, ages of characters with events. It’s not a book but whoever was responsible for the ‘screenplay’, was meticulous in getting the timelines down pat. I’m blown away with every new episode by the detail in the flashbacks and flashforwards.
Mind blowing sex scenes between characters on a one-night-stand- really? He found your G-spot that fast? I was married for eighteen years…
I’m not saying I don’t enjoy reading these kinds of scenes…I mean I love a good erotic story as much as the next guy. But get real–at least make the characters lovers, familiar with one another’s needs, desires—bodies!
Character acting out of character-If the protagonist is a detail- oriented career woman with a touch of OCD, she’s not going to hook up with someone in a bathroom, right? I mean, ick—it’s dirty and she’ll have to have quite a few showers to wash off that grime. But I have read many stories where a character doesn’t match their actions.
Too much narration-this might sound weird but when the main character narrates a story from the past, as in City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert, the narration risks becoming a bore. It distracts from the actual plot, characters and action. Snore. While I did enjoy that book, I could’ve done with less narration and more action.
Not enough detail to the protagonist-I want to know the main character better than my best friend. I want to know why they eat what they eat, why they chose that career, why they married that person, why they hate their ex, why they don’t talk to their mother…etc. This isn’t the main plot, of course, but I want to know these things or I may not buy into their story at all. And add to this, I don’t like it when their looks are described so flatly. Her blonde hair framed her face like a perfect picture…blah, blah, blah.
Well, that’s about it for now. In the meantime, I will take my own damn advice, and try not to make (repeat) these mistakes in my own fiction writing.
Pair this with 14 Best Novels With Divorced Heroines
What are your book pet peeves? Share in the comments!
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Eli@CoachDaddy
March 9, 2020 at 12:34 pmGreat list, Lisa. For me, it’s the dialogue. I want it to be kind of choppy, like real life. Not everything clever and smooth. “Who talks like that?” is a horrible literary distraction. I watched one episode of “Mixedish” and was turned off that the characters were supposed to be in the 80s or 90s, but dressed modern and used modern turn phrases. Nope, not back in my day …
lisa
March 9, 2020 at 10:19 pmThanks, Eli. Oh—that’s a good one. I notice exceptional dialogue in a novel. I don’t take much notice of it when it’s alright. But when it’s bad? It really can ruin a book. I never saw Mixedish. Is that a take off from Blackish? 🙂 I pick up on those details too, and they are distracting when they’re off.
Balroop Singh
March 6, 2020 at 11:01 pmMay I add one more point Lisa? Curse words really put me off, as they are are absolutely unnecessary if your book is good. Same is the case with sex scenes. I usually skip them. I agree with all those points you have listed, from character names to too many characters and useless details – they all kill a good book.
lisa
March 7, 2020 at 9:19 amValid points, Balroop. It can be jarring to come across f-bombs and other curses while reading. It’s different in the movies as we’re used to hearing them. Sex scenes aren’t necessary, unless you’re reading erotica. Thanks for sharing, Balroop <3
ShootingStarsMag
March 6, 2020 at 4:17 pmI think some of these boy names for girls is a country thing…like Bobbie, but usually something like Bobbie Ann or whatever. I do wish covers matched the book more often, or at least didn’t portray something COMPLETELY different to the plot.
-Lauren
lisa
March 7, 2020 at 9:21 amThat makes sense, Lauren. I knew a Bobbie Jo and it was unusual in my social circle. I think of deep south of the U.S. when I hear Bobbi-Jo, Bobbie-Ann for women. 😀 Yes, covers can be deceiving. As they say, “Don’t judge a book by its cover” but we always do.
LA CONTESSA
March 5, 2020 at 2:06 pmREADING NOW ELIZA HAMILTON………..Alexander Hamilton’s wife.TALK ABOUT A LOAD of HISTORICAL CHARACTERS!!!
But somehow am enjoying it just getting into the book.
AS for BOYS NAMES for GIRLs NAME!I don’t know WHAT I THINK!
Going to give that one some thought!
When is YOUR BEST READING TIME?
I find at night now I’m too tired!!!!
XX
lisa
March 6, 2020 at 9:48 amThat book sounds fascinating, CONTESSA. Keeping track of those characters is a thing in itself! I read at bedtime. Always. Some nights I don’t get through more than a few pages 😁
Tamara
March 5, 2020 at 5:24 amThis is cracking me up. I’ve found a LOT of books these days have mindblowing sex scenes. Also, the name thing. I read a ton of Elin Hilderbrand and I enjoy her immensely but her characters almost always have the strangest names. I’ve never heard of most of them!
lisa
March 5, 2020 at 9:30 am😆 In Roni Loren’s book the sex scene surprised me. It was definitely R rated. I have not read Hilderbrand but a few of her books are on my TBR. I may have to rethink that ha! Nicknames are okay even if they’re weird but please give your MC a normal name. Glad this post made you laugh, Tamara!
Jeff
March 4, 2020 at 1:02 pmWhile I read some fiction, I mostly read non-fiction in which the name thing doesn’t apply! Good list.
lisa
March 4, 2020 at 1:37 pmYes, stick to non-fiction and I won’t have any pet peeves 😀 Thanks, Jeff.
Darlene Foster
March 4, 2020 at 11:42 amThese are all good. It also drives me crazy when there are too many characters in a book. I have trouble keeping them straight. Pick a few and develop them. And don’t get me started on multiple points of view. I can’t handle being in everyone’s head at once. I’m so busy trying to figure out who is thinking what, that I miss the story!
lisa
March 4, 2020 at 11:50 amYES, too many characters add confusion to chaos. I don’t mind the chaos but not combined with the confusion, LOL. I agree, develop a smaller number of characters and I’m more likely to remain interested in the story. Oh, the multiple POV can be challenging. It’s hard to do and I admire writers who succeed. His and Hers POV has been very popular since Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl. 🙂 Nice to see you, Darlene.
Chrys Fey
March 4, 2020 at 9:55 amAbout women having boy names…I actually love this, and although it may not be common, it has happened. Look at Hayden Panettiere (30) and Billie Holiday…
On NameBerry.com, they say Hayden is a newly-successful girl name. They also say it means “heather-grown hill,” which I think works well for girls. https://nameberry.com/babyname/Hayden/girl
For a story, I can picture it happening this way…a daughter was the firstborn and is named after her dad/grandfather, etc.
lisa
March 4, 2020 at 10:32 amI like some of them, too but I feel the trendy ones work better for adolescent YA characters. Just me 😀 Definitely, lots of girls carry father/grandfather’s namesake. I’ll think of that next time I come across an unusual boy’s name for the female MC, so it makes sense to me. Thanks for sharing, Chrys and for the fun link. Good to check for character names.