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Sunday, January 10, 2010

I'm Sorry. You Just Aren't Special.

I am going to try something new! Whenever I'm procrostinating from school, I will rant about something bookish so I can remain true to my word about my blog being about anything bookish! Here goes...

For the past few months, I have been putting books down without even finishing them. With others, I just skip through them like I'm doing it for fun (this results in another review I cannot write because I didn't give the book a chance)I try and force myself through a book, but then I get distracted by the littlest things around me. In my head, I think of other books that have held my interest throughout the entire book, and ponder why this one didn't.

There is a reason why my TBR pile is so awfully short. I pick a book up, read half into it, and then just get tired of it. (And I am just talking about books in general, and not the ones I get for review because I do finish those! XD)Here is my conclusion: they're just not special.

What does special mean? I know it's common sense (hehe!) but here it is below:

[adj.] distinguished or different from what is ordinary or usual

Yes, the books just weren't special. Now I don't mean that they lack super powers, but they are missing something important: Characters, THE voice, the pacing, or originality.

1. Characters: I see a lot of books where the characters aren't really popping out. They're flat;I feel no sense of connection with them--who wants to read a story centered around characters you don't even feel are real? I mean, I know they're fictional, but they still have to fly off the page--right? The whole point of reading a book is to go into another world, and enjoy every page of it.

Let's put it this way: Good characters are your peers or people that can be around you in reality. You can see their back, touch them, and talk to them. You can hate them or love them. Flat characters, which are also two-dimensional, are nothing but cut-out boards standing in the middle of the street. Can you really see them? No. They are ignored. You can throw away a cut-out board, but you can't throw away a real person.

2. THE Voice: No way! Like, she did this and I did that---come on! really? I don't remember that I talk like that. In fact, this makes me feel dumb. Insert sad emoticon. I put books down because the voices irritated me so much. I didn't like the writing. Sometimes, there was too many big words! Yes, now I feel even more stupid. Some books have their sentences too short and choppy, causing me to have no idea what was going on. Every book has a voice, and if it doesn't stick out from everything else, I cannot love that voice. I need THE Voice. The voice that makes sense, is captivating, and loveable. Basically, I need the words from the story to sing to me! Yes, sing. I don't care if it's off-key--I want to hear some music.

3. The Pacing: Oh, the pacing. Some books drag out too slow and bore you to tears while others are just way too fast. How does the author expect me to believe these two are in love when I haven't even seen it DEVELOP?! I love you, girl says to boy. In my head: O_O WHERE DID THAT COME FROM?! Put a sock in it, girl. Especially with paranormal reads, I just don't see where the love comes from and why.

Something that always seems to tick me off is when the book starts off right in the middle of action. I want to know why this action is happening! Let me get comfortable first, please!

4. Originality: "Hmm....why does this seem so familiar?" = I am sick of these types of books. You know which kind I mean; the ones where the girl has her eyes set for a guy who is out of her league. Little does she know he likes her too. They get together, and by the end of the book, the one she really loves and should be with has been by her all this time. ---Not all books that type are boring though. It just depends on how the author carries out that type of story. Some of the best books use that storyline BUT they have something special in them to hook the readers in. In other words, I need something special. There are a ton of vampire books out right now, and while some are simliar to others, there are the ones that really stand out in the midst of it all. BOOKS NEED ORIGINALITY! Same concept books are nice, but if they're too predictable, there's no doubt you'd get bored.

So with that...I am sorry book 1, 4, 5, 31, 12, and 32, but you didn't call to me. I don't love you. This relationship needs to develop well, but you aren't giving your all. Bye. By the way, I want my money back!

This has been a short (ha!) ranting brought to you by me...

btw...I am procrostinating from studying.

9 comments:

Sandy said...

This post was EXCELLENT, mind you.

Hah, I'm totally with you about THE VOICE. I need books to compel and bewitch me, not make me wonder why I'm wasting precious minutes of my life away. And yes, originality is so key! I mentioned this in my latest review, actually. o.O And yesssss, I NEED the romance between two characters to be realistic. It can't be all: "She saw his eyes, deep like the ocean blue and fell...fell...fell..." <---this is obsessive infatuation! xD

Nicole Settle said...

I wish I could just stop reading a book when it doesn't appeal to me but I always think it's going to get better and if I stop reading, I'll be missing the good part. I need to learn to just put the book down and stop wasting my time. I think I could get through a lot more books faster that way..and be more satisfied too.

Melissa (i swim for oceans) said...

Haha I love this post...and for the record, procrastination is key to success (at least that's what I believe) ;)

Heather said...

I hate when characters fall in love for no reason, and it seems absolutely rampant in paranormal YA. I just don't get it!! You need to develop a relationship with someone...I think it gives young people an unhealthy idea of what love/relationships are really like.

Tales of Whimsy said...

Ooo this happens to me often too.
I just keep on trudging.

Unknown said...

Great post. It is excellent to see you take a stab (insert knife) at some of the problems that our beloved YA genre has. I could not agree with you more.

Robby said...

procrastination=the best word in the English dictionary.

Emma said...

Great post. I think we all go through dry spells where a good book, the kind that gives you butterflies and makes you weak in the knees, is hard to come by. Hope you find one of those soon!

Audrey said...

I can relate to this, but it seems to me that I get bored with books that are really long.
Like The Shining...I love that book but, I can never seem to finish it. I start wandering off and thinking about other things that something in the book has reminded me of...
Sigh.