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Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post on Rainy Day Ramblings, where the blog's owner Heidi discusses a wide range of topics from books to blogging. Weigh in and join the conversation by adding your thoughts in the comments. If you want to do your own post, grab the question and answer it on your blog.
Here is what is on deck this week:
WHAT THINGS TURN YOU OFF IN A BOOK BLURB?
Hey, I'm so proud because I actually suggested today's question 😊. That's why EVERYBODY should answer it, or I will be seriously pissed and get back at you with a vengeance 😡. LOL.
So, I have quite the list..(....please bear in mind this is all YA-related):
So, I have quite the list..(....please bear in mind this is all YA-related):
- Girl X is new at school/in the neighborhood/in the vacation spot/wherever, and she meets Boy Y (or he's the newbie, whatever), who of course is the epitome of everything handsome and sexy and mysterious under the sun, and they hit it off instantly, or at least one of them (usually the girl) falls in LUUURVE right off the bat, and coincidentally, they have to team together in order to save the world or defeat an enemy or, well, again, whatever. Now, you all know I'm not a fan of romances in book, but this particular scene has become so trite I can't even read it in a blurb without my eyes twitching LOL. Seriously, the thing I hate the most is, Boy Y is NEVER a normal boy, you know. I mean, he has to be infuriatingly handsome, and of course that's the only thing that counts.
- Queens, kings, princesses, princes and anything royal/historical. The only exception so far has been the Balance series by C.W. Snyder (read my reviews for Book 1: Child of Nod | Book 2: Queen of Nod), but that's not historical...it's afterlife meets mythology and stuff. Yes, there's a queen, but not of your usual kind. It's not like I despise these narratives...it's just that they don't appeal to me in the slightest. Even when I watch Doctor Who, the episodes set in the past are the ones I enjoy less. And the only "royal" thing I love is Veronika's, Ruzaika's and Clare's blog LOL (in case you don't know them, their blog is called The Regal Critiques).
- Anything that tells me the story is a retelling. I mean...I don't know, it's just something I can't get on board with. Deep down, I feel like writers have no business messing with something that someone else created. This is NOT a judgement on those who like retellings, of course (and to be honest, I've read at least one...the aforementioned Balance series, which you might say is an Alice in Wonderland retelling, except it's not - more like a VERY loosely Alice-based adventure with lots of other elements in the mix). But I just...can't. Also, from what I hear, they tend to verge upon fantasy (also because they're often based on classic fables), so...see above.
- Mean girls as protagonists. I'm not talking about flawed characters - I'm talking about your average mean girl who runs the school, is surrounded by a clique, has a love/hate relationship with her best friend(s), you name it. I'll admit that Cordelia is a lot of fun, but I watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer for, well, Buffy 😉.
- Mean girls as protagonists. I'm not talking about flawed characters - I'm talking about your average mean girl who runs the school, is surrounded by a clique, has a love/hate relationship with her best friend(s), you name it. I'll admit that Cordelia is a lot of fun, but I watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer for, well, Buffy 😉.
- Creatures...usually. I mean...I have occasionally enjoyed a vampire or a pixie, and I LOVE LOVE LOVE ghosts, but straight-up fantasy is not my jam, and the only creatures I love unconditionally are those on Supernatural (maybe because the show is not ABOUT them, if you know what I mean. Plus, deranged/unconventional angels? Castiel? Crowley? they are SO fascinating...but watching them is not the same as READING about them).
- Oh, and you know I support indie authors, so I can take a typo/error or two or even three in a novel (not to mention, I'm finding more and more of them in traditionally published books nowadays...), but a typo/error in the blasted BLURB????? 😱 😡
Well, that's it for now. And if you're interested in participating, here is the TMST prompt list for the month of February:
- February 5th: What are some big misconceptions you had about blogging when you started?
- February 12th: What are some of your favorite recent romantic reads?
- February 19th: Book pricing: how much will you pay for an ebook? a hard copy? a paperback?
- February 26th: How have you learned to keep your TBR pile in check, or how would you like to control your pile?
I'll be back for the meme on Feb. 5th, and I'm really looking forward to everybody's answers on that one LOL. As the Doctor would say...
Now tell me something...what things in a book blurb have you roll your eyes and say "I pass"?
I love this post, ESPECIALLY given that you thought of this idea, which is really cool, and now I wish I did this today instead of TTT. I may have to write a discussion about this topic later on, or something like that. Also, haha, I'm glad we're the only "royal" thing you like. <3
ReplyDeleteI actually love royalty themed books - I mean, duh, we chose our blog's name based on The Princess Diaries, which was the soundtrack to my pre-teen years. There's something fun about these types of books for me - right now, I'm obsessed with Reluctant Royals by Alyssa Cole for instance. I also love retellings haha (HOW are we friends!? JK), not that all of them are good, but generally speaking I adore how they can add a original twists to the classics we all know. The Lunar Chronicles, for instance, has a cyborg Cinderella, who is a mechanic... how cool is that?
As for what I'm bothered by - I dislike too long blurbs, or ones that seemingly contain too much information. Obviously, badly phrased ones are a huge no, as well - when I get confused by reading the blurb, I'll never pick up the book. Which is a bit unfair, I feel, because in most cases it's not even authors who create their official blurbs, but *shrug*.
Veronika @ The Regal Critiques
Quote: "HOW are we friends!? JK"
DeleteAll my best blogger friends read completely different books from mine - it's a requirement 😉 😂. Seriously, the only exception is my Goodreads friend Carrie, who loves Christopher Pike and other stuff I dig.
Too much info is counter-intuitive - why would someone read a book when the blurb already revealed half of it? I love to reread my books, but at least the first time I read one, I want to go into it as blind as I can...
You have a whole list of things that are different from mine. I totally agree about the romance thing and mean girls are a big no for me. Retellings are hit or miss for me.
ReplyDeleteRetellings are a tricky thing, I suppose...
DeleteThank you for your amusing look at book blurbs. It's funny, but I think I can be a total cynic about this. If someone tells me a book is "important", I am immediately turned off. I think I just don't like people telling me what should be important to me. I worry when blurbs are really long, because then I suspect the author has not idea what their book is about, and it will probably show in the writing. I am not a fan of the comparison game either. Probably because they are almost never good comparisons.
ReplyDeleteQuote: "If someone tells me a book is "important", I am immediately turned off. I think I just don't like people telling me what should be important to me."
DeleteHaha, I SO hear you.
I don't think authors blurb their own books? Then again, if the person who blurbs a book can't pinpoint what it's about, it may be the book's fault...
Comparisons do annoy me, but most of the time I don't have a cue about the original books they refer to, because I rarely read the really popular ones - so I end up not even noticing them because I don't know what they're about LOL. In a way, it's good that there are "almost never good comparisons"...at least the books are more original than the publishers try to convince us they are.
1000% agree on the re-tellings. I just can't do it.
ReplyDeleteAnd I completely intended to do this week's TMST, but life got in the way. I'm going to post it anyway, even if it's late!
Tell Me Something Thursday would still sound good LOL. Looking forward to it...whatever the day 😉.
DeleteI can't believe I found a kindred spirit! Everybody LOVES retellings. I understand what people find in them, but...as you said, I can't.
Hahaha, that's exactly what I jokingly called it!
DeleteI have literally ONE fairytale retelling that I love, and that's Ella Enchanted. I pretend the movie doesn't exist though.
I saw that LOL.
DeleteHa, one is reasonable 😉. Seriously, even if you don't love something as a whole, there can still be an instance of it that you quite like. I hate love triangles like the plague, but I liked "Lucid" by Adrienne Stoltz and Ronn Bass, and it has TWO 😮.
I remember one of my friends saying the same thing about the movie once...
Haha, I love creatures and retellings, but I'm getting weary of high fantasy. Someone has to save the kingdom (be it a princess or prince or the magical Chosen One), there's a complicated magic system and lots of made up words, plus probably a love triangle. I have some that I like, but there are SO many and it's not really my genre. I don't even finish blurbs that start off like that anymore.
ReplyDeleteI think high fantasy is going the same route as paranormal romance did a while ago. Too many copycats, and even the things you used to like can grow tiresome.
DeleteEven though retellings is on your list, I would recommend A Curse so Dark and Lonely! I love the author and thought her spin was unique and very loosely based on Beauty and the Beast. The only similarity was the curse itself! The main character (Harper) has cerebral palsy, but she doesn't want to be treated like that makes her different. She wants to learn how to fight, and she wants them to teach her how to fight around her condition. I thought it was an amazing story!
ReplyDeleteLindsi @ Do You Dog-ear? 💬
I will look that one up!
DeleteAw shucks, I'm thrilled we're the one "Royal" thing you can actually stand xD <3 Nothing gets on my nerves more than comparisons to previous successful books- such books somehow almost always end up not living up to the hype. And of course, retellings and mentions of Chosen Ones can be tricky too- the latter, in particular, makes my eyes roll so hardddd lol.
ReplyDeleteComparisons are rarely accurate, and usually only serve the purpose of draw attention to the book...but it's a dangerous game, because they can backfire. I think more and more people are growing wary of them after having their fingers burned...
DeleteThe Chosen One is so last century LOL. But I suppose it's a trope that has still a "reason d'être" in high fantasy...