Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.
The rules are simple:
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Each Tuesday, Jana assigns a new topic. Create your own Top Ten list that fits that topic – putting your unique spin on it if you want.
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Everyone is welcome to join but please link back to The Artsy Reader Girl in your own Top Ten Tuesday post.
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Add your name to the Linky widget on that day’s post so that everyone can check out other bloggers’ lists.
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Or if you don’t have a blog, just post your answers as a comment.
This week’s topic: Unpopular Bookish Opinions (submitted by Kaitlin Galvan @ Somehow I Manage Blog)
It’s been a while since I’ve done a Top Ten Tuesday, but I couldn’t pass this one up. I have enjoyed reading everyone’s unpopular opinions today. In our politically correct society, it seems everyone has to walk on eggshells these days with what they say, which makes honesty all the more important to me. I appreciate everyone’s thoughts today whether I agree with them or not. Without further ado, here are 10 of my unpopular bookish opinions.
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Book
reviewssummariesI can’t stand when bloggers summarize the story and call it a review. I have wasted way too much time reading “reviews” that I hoped would get to the point but never did. The whole point of reviewing is to share your thoughts on the book. The book already has a blurb I can find on Goodreads, Amazon, and a million other retailers’ websites. I don’t mind if a blogger does write their own summary, but only sharing that, and not their opinions is a cop-out.
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YA books with token gay characters.
I know every author wants to be the one that makes a difference in a gay kid’s life, but seriously? There’s a disproportional number of gay characters in books these days and I’m sick of seeing the random character with no defining characteristics other than being queer.
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“I let out the breath I didn’t know I was holding.”
Girl, you’re going to pass out if you don’t realize you’re holding your breath. This garners an automatic eye roll from me. This is more of a pet peeve than an unpopular opinion.
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Politics in Fiction
I get it, author, you want to change the world to fit your ideals, but that’s not how it works. This is the fastest way to get me to never read anything you write ever again. Most of you already know I hate this because I wrote a whole blog post about it.
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I didn’t love Where the Crawdads Sing.
I couldn’t wrap my head around such a young child being alone in the wild for years and years. Didn’t she ever get sick?
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I still love Twilight.
Edward Cullen for life. Not Robert Pattinson, the Edward of the books.
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Alpha Males
I’m disgusted by the Christian Grey type. I will shut a book so fast if a guy is constantly telling a girl what to do and how to behave. Just, no.
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I couldn’t stand Evelyn Hugo.
I know everyone loves this book but I just couldn’t. She was such a selfish and downright awful character. And yes, I’m a big fan of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s books.
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I don’t want J.K. Rowling to publish anything besides Harry Potter.
Clearly, she’s going to do what she wants, but after writing such an epic series, nothing else is ever going to come close. I tried The Casual Vacancy and it felt too weird.
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As a Christian myself, I don’t love most Christian Fiction.
I don’t like how light and fluffy most of the books feel. If the characters have issues, they’re glazed over or prayed over and solved. It feels too cheesy and unlike real life. Newsflash: Christians are imperfect people too, let me see their flaws.
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Ashes Books & Bobs 
Oh wow, bloggers putting out summaries as reviews exist?! Honestly haven’t crossed one of thoses yet, most are a mix of a summary and thoughts of it of some kind.
Books are my escape from this world- I HELL don’t wanna see politic in it. While it may be needed and eye-opening.. just let me read my fluffies in peace, I don’t wanna.
Okay I absolutely giggled at « released a breath I didnt knew I was holding » 😂😂
Mmh- though im not a christian, the only christian book i’ve read was « our heart between us », which I thought was pretty great.. but of course can’t talk for that genre as I only read one ..
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You’re lucky you haven’t experienced the summary only thing. I saw one right before I posted this and it reminded me to add it to my list. haha! I mostly notice it on Goodreads.
My thoughts exactly! Let me escape, unless it’s a mostly unbiased plot point. There’s enough of that in the real world.
I might have to try Our Heart Between Us! I haven’t heard of it.
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Oh you should ! It was my very first Netgalley I obtained, what got me is that the MC got a heart donation (i’m big for organ donation- so when I found that I was so happy)
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I can relate to so many of these! 😱 No to the posts that are summaries only or a list of blurbs …. I want your opinion!!! It’s getting so I wonder who the token gay character will be when I first start reading a book! Sometimes it feels contrived and PC. No to pedantic author agendas in their books! This was why I didn’t appreciate Us Against You as much as Beartown. I usually rate books that are agenda driven one star lower than I would otherwise. Also No to heavy spiritualized Christian Books. Sometimes I read Christian fiction but I only recommend to other Christians who will understand. I prefer Christian authors who write general fiction from a Christian worldview such as Susan Meissner… A Fall of Marigolds for example. And From Sand and Ash was filled with themes of faith but was not marketed as Christian. As far as phrases…I can’t stand “she sucked her teeth” 😱😱😱😱
Ok I’ll stop now…I guess I should have written my own post! 😂😂
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I love your commentary on this because I agree wholeheartedly. I haven’t read Us Against You or Beartown yet, but that makes me nervous. I tend to rate lower for agenda pushing also. It’s just tacky.
I will check out Susan Meissner. I haven’t read her books. I also agree about Amy Harmon’s From Sand and Ash. She weaves faith into her novels in the most perfect way. It’s not pushy but just a part of the story, without being the main theme. If more Christian fiction followed that example, I’d be on board.
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Beartown was ok…..but I really felt the agenda in Us Against You was heavy handed. My fav of Meissner’s is A Fall of Marigolds followed by As Bright as Heaven. Another one with a heavy handed agenda was Small Great Things. ….just let us draw our own conclusions!!! I thought From Sand and Ash was remarkable! I had my husband read it to show him how well themes of faith were handled.
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Girl. So many of these. But mostly #1!!!!!! I haaaate that, especially on goodreads. I know what the books about i read it, the description is right there, I just want to know what YOU thought !!!!!
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It makes me so upset, I have to fight the urge to comment “This is not a review!” haha!
So many people get books on Netgalley and do this, I can only imagine how it annoys publishers.
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Yes!! I don’t need you to summarize for me. Especially because I only read reviews after I’ve already read the book! Give one or two sentences, fine. But that’s it. It must drive publishers crazy!
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YES!!
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Point 2…genuinely, I let out the breath I didn’t know I was holding because I posted something similar in my Top Ten Tuesday post and was so sure I’m the only person to think that!
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I think we need to be BFFs. haha! I’m going to check out your post now!!
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Hell yeah haha, I like your opinions xD thanks! 🙂
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I love yours!! I just commented, but I forgot to mention that I loved your thoughts on diverse books. I agree with that as well! I don’t mind reading a character of a different race or gender, so it shouldn’t be offensive to others if a character is white.
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I completely agree that I hate when bloggers write summaries and try to pass them off as reviews. I get no value out of reading a re-worded synopsis, haha. Also, while I loved The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, I didn’t love the character herself. I didn’t hate her, but I agree that she was very selfish.
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Reviews that are summaries are so annoying. AND YASSSSS Christian fiction is honestly so disappointing a lot of the time!
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I still love Twilight, too!!! I was one of my 10 today! And I also hate politics in my fiction!! I put down a series that I was loving because of this. It just got to be too much!
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OMG I almost put the politics one too! I HATE that! And I totally agree with your #10! It’s all fluff I feel like! I want to see real Christians make real mistakes too! Because it happens!
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I liked Evelyn Hugo – it was the other characters in the book I couldn’t stand!
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Haha, there were many awful ones! I don’t blame you.
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