Welcome to another Top Ten Tuesday! Thank you so much to those of you who offered me your condolences last week. I wanted to thank each of you individually, but this week has been so crazy that I haven’t had time yet. I still plan on it!
This week’s topic was submitted by Kaitlin Galvan at Somehow I Manage Blog, and I hope we can all muster up the courage to publish our lists this week. lol. No throwing tomatoes at me! I am who I am! However, just because an opinion is unpopular doesn’t mean it’s negative. Maybe you love love triangles or instalove. Maybe you think a super unpopular book is wonderful. Maybe you really, really love a character that many people you know couldn’t stand. I can’t wait to see everyone’s unpopular bookish opinions this week!
1. Women’s Fiction is the worst genre.
2. The more dog-eared pages, the better. And spine creases are great, too! I like my books to look read.
3. Ebook is the actual best book format. Come at me.
4. My organizational framework for my bookshelves is called “If it fits (or barely fits), it will be shoved there.” But I do keep my series together. I’m not a heathen.
5. The original cover design is almost always better than the redesign (unless you’re going from self-published to traditional published).
6. Readathons sound absolutely miserable.
7. I have no interest in/do not like the books of John Green, Rainbow Rowell, David Levithan, Holly Black, Cassandra Clare, Katie McGarry, and Neil Gaiman. I DNFed The Raven Boys. I also DNFed The Diviners, The Bear and the Nightingale, and the Divergent trilogy.
8. Literary Fiction is just a fancy title for boring books.
9. I’m fine with letting people like the books they want to like. I don’t shun or ridicule or bash people for liking books I don’t necessary like/agree with/approve of and I don’t hate people for hating the books I love. Enjoy (or don’t) your books, my friends. No judgement here.
10. I really hate reading swear words.
Ok, let’s talk! Do we share any unpopular bookish opinions?
What are some of yours?
Love that you came up with a full legit list, Jana! I didn’t, and it’s kind of embarrassing. :) I’m all about those print/physical books, but agree with your last unpopular opinion. For me, content that’s for “shock value” only is unnecessary AND takes me about of the story.
Never feel embarrassed for writing a post the way you want to! :) I do love print books as well, I’m just running out of shelf space and love being able to take a few thousand books with me on vacation. lol.
I completely agree with your thoughts on content for the purposes of shock value only. I really struggle with a book when that happens.
I was the last to the party for e-books but I must admit it is nice to pop a reader into a purse verses a book, especially a long one. But I am terrible about keeping it charged and find I can ignore an e-reader easier than a physical book.
I was pretty late to the ebook party as well, but I love the flexibility it allows me! And I’ve gotten this habit of reading in the dark before bed now, so physical books don’t always work for me. lol
These are great. Mine are a bit longer–some controversial. In response to your list:
I can’t dog ear a page (it hurts me).
Ebooks have saved my life (and space) so no complaints there.
No readathons for me, thanks.
I don’t mind cuss words if they make sense and sound natural for the character. When it’s obvious the author just tossed a swear word in, it doesn’t work for me.
I totally respect those who can’t bring themselves to dog ear! There are a few select books I won’t dog ear as well, so I get it a little. :)
I don’t dog ear but I don’t see what the fuss is all about either. I do like the look of a well read book as well.
I totally agree about Literary Fiction lol I groan when I hear that category, I know someone is going to shove an Oprah Book Club Book at me and I don’t want any part of it LOL
Exactly!!! I’m so glad you understand my feelings about literary fiction. lol. “Book club books” tend to be snoozefests if you ask me.
I had to laugh at #8!
My probably unpopular bookish opinion was that I couldn’t get inspired by this week’s topic LOL. So I decided to revisit my Spring TBR post for an update https://whatcathyreadnext.wordpress.com/2019/06/11/top-ten-tuesday-my-spring-2019-tbr-an-update/
Oh, and by the way, I read literary fiction and, although number 9 on your list rather contradicts number 8, I hope one day you find a book from that genre that doesn’t bore you.
My #9 doesn’t contradict my #8 at all. I’m not shunning or ridiculing or bashing anyone for liking literary fiction. This opinion of mine has absolutely nothing to do with the people who read literary fiction. I’m saying it’s not a genre I like. Plain and simple.
That’s fun, too. :)
Ooh some controversial opinions here haha.
With your first one for me I guess it depends on why you think it’s the worst genre. I think it’s a terrible genre because it was coined by men to sneer at and look down on women’s writing and the readers who enjoy it (much like romance).
Cora | http://www.teapartyprincess.co.uk/
Yes, I’m being super controversial for once in my life. :’)
I mainly don’t like women’s fiction for the reason you mentioned (I feel this way about chick lit, too), but I also struggle with it because it’s heavier and oftentimes depressing for me. Maybe I’ve just not read the right ones? I also really love romance in books, and true women’s fiction is pretty devoid of romance in my experience.
In my late 20s, I started reading women’s fiction (previously sticking to YA and Christina Lauren-esque romances), simply because I would be looking for a certain type of plot, and those were the books that would come up. To me it’s what most resembles the serious YA novels I love, but with adults. I’ve certainly found some great romances along the way, as long as I bob and weave to avoid the “divorcing / adulterous spouses” ones. That said, now that I think about it I don’t mind sad stuff as long as it isn’t a sad ending, so maybe I am describing the same things you’ve encountered. Just wanted to share my perspective!
Awww. It’s sad that #9 actually is an unpopular opinion. We should all be letting one another like what we like.
I agree with most of what you said here. A few things I am the total opposite with though! Lol.
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Have a GREAT day!
Old Follower :)
I really enjoyed your list – can’t agree more about readathons.
I love ebooks.
I don’t judge others about what they read.
Don’t mind swear words – it depends on the context I suppose – I don’t enjoy things being included for shock value.
Literary fiction – I don’t understand why it’s called literary fiction, it always strikes me as elitist – like every other type of fiction is beneath it!
Lynn :D
You did not hold back! I love it!
Love your list!! Especially these two:
6. Readathons sound absolutely miserable.
8. Literary Fiction is just a fancy title for boring books.
Yes yes yes! Totally agree with John Green, Rainbow Rowell, and Cassandra Clare!!
I totally agree about swear words. Sometimes it feels like authors just throw them in to be edgy and it just makes the whole scene/dialogue feel forced and unnatural. But I also don’t swear much in real life, so maybe that’s why? Great list!
Great list! I 100% agree with 2 – I don’t want my books to look pristine, I want them to look read and loved.
“Literary Fiction is just a fancy title for boring books.” This made me LAUGH!! (In my mind, it’s so true.)
#8 made me LOL! So true!
I like my books to look read, too.
My TTT.
#2 is so on point. How do you read a book without creasing the spine a little? I mean, outside of maybe manga?
#3 is me. As someone who works on a computer for a living, has three cats, and carpal tunnel, ebooks have saved my reading life. I legit can’t hold a paper book for more than 10 minutes at a time these days.
#9 is something more people ought to embrace. You don’t like that genre? Don’t read it. You didn’t like that book? Wonderful, tell me why. But don’t shame me for my yaoi manga, my cowboy romances, or because I think The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is the best book ever. :D
I like readathons, sometimes. I don’t like the super-structured ones, though, because I am a mood reader.
And while I don’t think ebooks are the best format, I do like them a lot more than I used to. So I may eventually agree with you (but looking at my bookshelves and all of my precious stored there, I doubt it ;-) ).
#10 all the way. Hate hearing them too.
Glad you said that about dog-eared pages, I’ve been starting to feel like doing that makes me some kind of animal. Agreed on literary fiction too!
I agree that books are personal and if I don’t like a book everyone else likes, it’s me, not the book, and that’s ok. Every book is not right for every person. That’s the beauty of books.
“Literary Fiction is just a fancy title for boring books.” Coulnd’t agree more!!
You know, now that I think about it, I actually have no idea what Womens Fiction and Literary fiction is.
Just a follow up question- did you like Libba Bray’s other series? I liked Diviners, but think a Great and Terrible beauty was by far better. And while I finished the divergent series, I threw the third book across the room…soo….make of that what you will!
My unpopular opinion: Harry Potter isn’t well written at all, and just not that good.
I wholeheartedly agree with #8, and cackling at your #7 (while pretending I do not see Rainbow Rowell in there) and HARD SAME for #4 while I continue to dream of having a house, or even like…an apartment with a spare bedroom. I also agree with / respect #10. A decade in fandom spaces (especially Tumblr) has somewhat desensitized me to swearing on the page, but it’s better without it.
I mentioned #1 above, but I think the only other place I disagree is #2. But then again, I am forever going “look at this pristine brand-new book I found at a sale for $2!” and then realize I am afraid to read it because it will no longer look perfect, so…
#8 made me laugh out loud. Great list.
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