4 Things That Make Me Put Down Books

Who doesn't love a good book? There's nothing like racing through a novel, being totally entranced by the story. And then bam- you come across something that complete turns you off to reading any more of the book. It's the worse feeling, especially if you wanted to finish the book, but can't now because you don't want to read that.

I've never seen why authors feel the need to put that sort of stuff in their books. To me, it does more harm than good. Let's take a look at four things I don't enjoy in books and why I think they should be avoided.

Excessive Cursing

Characters that curse in every scene they're in annoy me greatly. You start wincing every time they open their mouths. Or what about cursing on every page? Just because you know all those words doesn't mean you should use them. Using curse words doesn't make you seem grown-up.

I believe authors should keep cursing to a minimum, if they use those types of words at all. They only detract from the story. How can I enjoy your wonderful plot if I'm too afraid of what the characters might say? For example, Dorothy Must Die is a book I really wanted to read. But one of the Munchkins had a potty mouth that made me put it down.

Excessive Violence and Gore

I avoid horror novels mostly for the reason I don't like super scary books or movies. But any time a book of any genre has lots of violence and gore, I'm likely to put it down. Often, it seems people put in lots of blood to cover up the fact that they have no plot.

I don't mind a book with violence, and occasional blood and such. But why do some authors feel the need to describe, in sickening detail, gross deaths of characters. I don't want to hear how someone looked after a bomb went off, thank you. I feel you should just put in enough details to give the reader an impression, then move on. They'll be fine without knowing exactly what happened.

Sex

It's pretty easy to tell when a scene is going downhill. You start getting hot and uncomfortable and thinking "move along already". Half the time, they don't. I have less often put down a book because of these sorts of scenes, mostly because I read YA and avoid the romance genre.

This is certainly one of the more debated subjects in literature. When should you include it, and how much? Too much in a YA novel and it becomes New Adult. I think it should be avoided whenever possible. Even if they are husband and wife, readers don't need that sort of scene. It sends all the wrong signals.

"Queer" Characters

You know what I'm talking about. The characters people rave about because they're so diverse. Well, I don't care. If one of these characters show up in a book, there is a 99% certainty I'll put it down. (My one exception so far has been the Rick Riordan books. And if they get any worse, I may have to stop reading some of those too.)

These types of people are wrong and misguided, God clearly says so. Just reading about them gives me the creeps. I believe you should try to put good things in your brain, and that is not a good thing. Okay, I'll get off my soapbox now.

These four, plus a few other things that I don't want to read, are things that make me almost surely put a book down. Everyone is different and has different tolerance levels and opinions, but those are mine.

Which of these do you agree with? Which do you not? Let me know in the comments.